Revision THR Now Facing Left Hip Revision

Beckford

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This is my very first time on this forum but as someone who has had both hips replaced I felt I could possibly be of help to others facing a hip replacement. But also I wanted to reach out to those that had experience with revision surgeries and also I am wondering as I was young when I had my first hips revised (30) is there a limit to the number of revisions you can have.

My consultant told me there was nothing major wrong with my hip but I decided to get a scan which shows significant loosening around the socket. Needless to say I am terrified now and scared of what lies ahead. The pain is becoming worse and I hate putting off the inevitable.

What would be particularly helpful would be any recommendations for brilliant surgeons who are not phased by complex cases.

On a brighter note to those of you dreading your first hip replacement, I would definitely recommend it as it gave me 15 pain free years I would not have had , in fact the worse but is waiting for the operation afterwards the road to recovery can be exciting as you begin to realise that you have the freedom to do the things you enjoy once again.
 
Beckford,
Welcome to BoneSmart, glad you joined us.
If you click on the yellow revision prefix in the Hip Recovery forums, a list of members with revisions will pop up, you can read their stories, and find members who recently had revision.

Please post your exact surgery dates, a moderator will add them to your signature for you. Thanks!!

Our Forum Nurse and Director @Josephine is in the UK and can help guide you to a surgeon specializing in revisions.

Here is a link to general information about revisions, Revision of hip replacement .
Keep us posted on how you are doing.
 
@Beckford Welcome to BoneSmart! Sorry you are having to face a revision. But I guess 15 years with your first hip is pretty good. Of course the technology has moved ahead now so we are looking at much more longevity for implants now.

Is your surgeon a revision specialist?
 
Thank you , already I feel better having joined this group and it’s good to see helpful responses already. Often I think that unless you have been involved in this rollercoaster you can’t understand how much it can impact your life. It’s great to know I am not alone and talking to my boyfriend about hip replacement surgery has its limitations especially when he would rather be watching football!

The fear, anxiety and depression can be almost as bad as the hip wearing out. I by nature am a fixer , I don’t do well when things are broken and yet here I find myself with a problem I can’t fix, I am in the hands of a surgeon. Because I can’t fix it and therefore feel out of control it helps to research the problem and share experiences, it feels like I am doing something positive.

To answer the question about my surgeon, yes he has performed revisions but I am not sure if he is still doing them. I am due to see a Mr Jeremy Latham in Southampton hopefully next week.

I was once told to enjoy my hip replacements while they lasted. I have mixed feelings about this message. It’s a bit like someone telling you that you must go to the party and have fun when really all you want to do is forget you have hip replacements and live a normal life. Also you don’t want to spend your life worrying that they are going to wear out because none of us really know when that could be . It’s when pain starts the panic sets in!!

I wish someone could teach me not to panic!!
 
I by nature am a fixer , I don’t do well when things are broken and yet here I find myself with a problem I can’t fix, I am in the hands of a surgeon.
I am so with you on this. I HATE things that are broken and when it's something I can't fix myself it drives me mad!
I am due to see a Mr Jeremy Latham in Southampton hopefully next week.
Well I looked at his profile on the National Joint Registry and he is totally focused on hips including revisions. Sounds like you are headed in the right direction.
I wish someone could teach me not to panic!!
Implants have come a long way since your first op. Here's a couple of threads from our Library that might be of interest:
Hips that have lasted 32, 40, 41 and 45 years
67½ year old - the THRs, not the patient!

Bottom line - I think you can plan on taking your revised hip to your grave! And you can indeed enjoy your new hip! Many implants are now specifically used for more active patients.
 
is there a limit to the number of revisions you can have.
Not really. It depends how well implantation has been done and how good the bone stock is.
I was once told to enjoy my hip replacements while they lasted.
If you do have this hip done again, you can rely upon it outlasting you!
any recommendations for brilliant surgeons who are not phased by complex cases.
Latham looks a bit middling but good enough. And acetabulae are a lot easier to redo than stems.
 
Thank you
Both of you , this is really helping me pull through , it’s very reassuring to know that there are new implants out there that will last a long time. This site is amazing , just the ability to connect with others going through the same concerns is very comforting and that feeling that you are not alone that is so helpful.

I suppose it’s easy to overlook the fact that if it were not for hip replacements some of us (myself included) would not be able to walk at all. When I had my hips replaced at the age of 30 I spent most of my younger life looking for a chair or simply not going to places where I might have to walk. I so wanted to be like the other girls in my school that every morning in assembly I would grit my teeth with the pain sitting on the floor because I was too proud to ask for a chair to sit on.

Even now I try to walk unaided even though it’s killing me and yet I would tell others to use their crutches if they need them. My pain free years were amazing. I could do everything even horse riding! I have never regretted having hip replacements they were the best thing I ever did.
 
So you absolutely know what you have to look forward to when you get this fixed @Beckford. This site is amazing.
 
Hello @Beckford
Welcome to BoneSmart!
It's wonderful to have you here. Connecting with others who've walked the same path is comforting.

It sounds as though you've clocked some miles with those hips but are now looking at
revision. Is that for both hips? I'm just a tad confused as you mentioned in your original post that
you had your first hips "revised" at 30. I'm gathering that's when you experienced BTHR? You also mentioned
surgery gave you 15 pain free years. Because your age is showing as 50, does that mean you've been experiencing pain over the past 5 yrs? It will be beneficial for all if you could provide exact surgery dates to be added to you signature.

My heart goes out to you in your suffering. You've experienced both sides of this journey and your comments and opinions may prove beneficial to many here. Reading of your longsuffering as a young girl and woman is heartbreaking. I'm sorry you experienced that.

I think you'll find a tremendous amount of support here. You're not alone, the lights never go out here.
Please try not to be anxious and fearful. You've done this before and have reaped the benefits. Consider how far all has progressed in the years since your surgery. When the time comes you'll be ready, you'll have support and I bet you'll do great!

Best wishes for comfort, peace of mind a great 2018!
 
Just to clarify, I had both hips replaced when I was 30 in 1997. Both were great successes. My right side was fairly run of the mill, my left side was challenging as I had been born with not much socket. The surgery took 8 hours but I guess 20 years ago things were not so advanced. I think the reason it took so long was I had bone grafting.

I did really well after both surgeries and in no time I could walk without pain it was like a miracle had been performed. I even got quite good at dancing which I love. I was pain free until I was 45 and that’s when I started having problems. Initially I had pain that felt as if it was coming from my right hip but all my imaging looked good .

After various diagnostic tests it appeared it was my sacroiliac joint, which I went on to have fused. Unfortunately this operation didn’t go well and it was because of a recent whole body CT bone spec that the increased signal was discovered around the acetabulum of my left HR and I was told I have significant loosening. This is what brought me to BoneSmart.

My situation now is I am in need of a hip revision but also I am possibly facing removal or revision of the rods in my SI Joint so not much fun! However I don’t wish to go on about my spine although it does appear that hip and back problems can often coexist.

Having said that, my back improved after my first hip replacements probably because my leg length difference was not as much. I do think that it is important after hip replacement surgery to get your leg length checked. Much better to use a shoe raise than to suffer with back problems. I seem to think that my left leg has shortened slightly in the past few months and I wonder if it has anything to do with the hip being loose?

Thank you for all your kind words and I will keep you posted.
 
it was my sacroiliac joint, which I went on to have fused. Unfortunately this operation didn’t go well - discovered around the acetabulum of my left HR and I was told I have significant loosening
And that was probably the cause when you had that fusion. It was an unnecessary procedure because the cause was a loose cup!
I am possibly facing removal or revision of the rods in my SI Joint
Why? Has somebody told you this? Because the rods in your sacrum are nowhere near the hip joint.
I do think that it is important after hip replacement surgery to get your leg length checked. Much better to use a shoe raise than to suffer with back problems.
Actually not the case, my dear, because almost everyone gets some degree of LLD (leg length differential). It's not as a result of the hip surgery but a hang-over from the time spent limping on a bad hip. Read this Leg length differential - LLD. And on no account should shoe lift because the LLD needs to be allowed to resolve on its own.
 
Just to clarify my leg length difference was not due to the hip replacements in case anyone out there is worried about my comment. I had a true leg length difference and in fact the hip replacements reduced the discrepancy
I have a difference of 3cm and I use shoe raises to even me up.After surgery on my right side my leg felt longer than before and I was panicking because this was my longer leg but it wasn’t long before the length settled and I was the same as before surgery.
 
Hello @Beckford, I am chiming in because as an 82 year old I just had my second revision in two years on my right hip. The primary replacement failed almost immediately; the emergency revision resulted in a loose acetabular implant which I had revised about a month ago. If you are headed for a revision you need not fear. With an experienced OS your surgery should go well; most do. Each recovery goes differently than another but if your femur implant does not need revising it will all go easier. I am pain free for the first time in 3 or 4 years, am walking well on a cane and expect to walk on my own given time.

I wish you well in your search for a surgeon. I hope all goes well for you. You have come to the right site for support. You will be tended to well here with comfort, advice and just plain tender loving care. Welcome!
 
Hi Zinnia
What a lovely message and great to hear you are doing well. It really helps with the fear involved in these situations when you can communicate with others who have experienced similar events.
I think with any surgery the waiting is the worst bit and the pain from a loose hip is no joke , it’s not something you can take a couple of paracetamol for and get on with your day it literally takes you off your feet.
Thank you again for your kind words
Jane
 
Hi @Beckford
Thank you so much for the clarification. You've been through a lot.
Thankfully you had 15 great years before things began to change.
My heart goes out to you as you are sorting through all of this in an effort to determine
whether or not you need a revision. There are many great revision stories here, Zinnia being only one.
Please stop by often and keep us updated. We're always here...
Best wishes you soon receive answers and prayers for comfort as you wait.
 
Hello again, Jane, aka @Beckford. Yes, the waiting is a real monster. The pain from the loose implant is absolutely no joke. I suffered it too long since it was misdiagnosed as hip bursitis. It will feel like a miracle when you come out of surgery with your pain controlled or have the luck I did and be pain free from day 2 forward.

I know it is difficult to do since you don't have a surgery date yet, but the added stress of the pain and the waiting can take a negative toll on your recovery. Anyway you can help yourself reduce the anxiety and the pain is so important. Try to baby yourself a bit. And stay in good health. It is a busy and nerve racking time getting to doctors, learning what needs to be done, tests, questions, etc., etc. and finally a date set. Meanwhile, you are still dealing with the pain. How are you dealing with the pain, by the way? Is it under control?

Keep us up to date with your plans. As is said here on BS, the doors are always open; someone is always here to welcome you in with caring and comforting words. Have a happy day and evening. :flwrysmile:

Nancy, aka Zinnia
 
Please can anyone help?
I am 6 day post revision of right acetabulum. I don’t have much bruising and no discharge from the wound but there is a very large bulging swelling about half a tennis ball. I am so concerned . It feels like fluid under the skin and makes a squelching noise if I gently push it?
I am using two crutches and my hip is painful.
Is this a seroma ?
 
Hi @Beckford
Sorry for your concern...
Let's tag the forum Nurse Director @Josephine and see if this sounds familiar, or if she can advise.
Please provide the exact date of your revision so we can add it to your signature.
Here is the Recovery Article for you to read. Hope you find answers and this resolves soon.

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each, member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Beckford, why did you have a revision in the first place?

Can you also show me the site of this pain and swelling using this chart?

aa hip-references-horz.jpg
 
Hi Josephine
The acetabulum was loose , the swelling is right over the greater trochanter
I am only 6 days post op and did quite a bit of walking today which was hurting but I carried on stupidly, probably put too much weight on the hip as I have been told only 50 % weight bearing for six weeks, I am such an idiot now I am worried sick!

R1FV and R1BT

CC98E555-5ED8-417F-B7B3-7D59BE26219A.jpeg
 

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