THR Set the date today

[BruceH]

Right now the date seems to be far in the future. My hip is going downhill pretty quick. I can still walk unassisted but on some days it's easier to use a cane. It just doesn't feel right using a cane in public, not sure why but I just don't like to do it.

I'm thinking the steroid injection is speeding up cartilage loss. Exercise causes more pain than it used to.

The CT for robotic mapping has been done, I still have a few appointments left prior to surgery. One is with a blood doctor, my counts were a little off so I get to have a bone marrow aspiration. Lucky me, lol.

It's been a long 4 weeks since the bone marrow biopsy. It's been an anxious time waiting for the results.
Saw the Hematologist today and reviewed the pathologists report. My chromosomes, morphology, etc are all good.

This means I'm still on for hip replacement and can get my mind back into preparing for surgery. I'm also down to 1 appointment and it's the pre-surgical 2 weeks prior to surgery.

 

[Jaycey]

@BruceH Glad things are still on track. Hope the time passes quickly for you!

 

[leejaa]

Wonderful news. January will be here before you know it. I had a 6m wait for my hip this time and it is now 13 days away. It seemed so far away but like so many things day by day you get there. All I kept thinking is that I have a date and there will be an end to the pain and limitations. Now, all of a sudden it seems, it is here. Hang in there as hard as the holidays can be with pain, they are distracting to a degree and after that your new hip to start the year right.

 

[BruceH]

Wonderful news. January will be here before you know it. I had a 6m wait for my hip this time and it is now 13 days away. It seemed so far away but like so many things day by day you get there. All I kept thinking is that I have a date and there will be an end to the pain and limitations. Now, all of a sudden it seems, it is here. Hang in there as hard as the holidays can be with pain, they are distracting to a degree and after that your new hip to start the year right.

Thank you for the reply. I agree that the date will come sooner than I currently think it will. All I can think about is getting the surgery done so I can continue with life!

Today has been kinda odd. Very minimal hip pain. 5 days ago it was horrible but today it's been maybe a 2, low enough that I considered golfing. Ended up raking leaves and doing other domestic chores.

Good luck and congratulations on your upcoming surgery.

 

[Mojo333]

I'm glad you aren't experiencing alot of pain for the time being and hope you have a good weekend.

 

[leejaa]

Nice to get a relief day and feel like yourself and get things done. Thank you for the well wishes.

 

[CricketHip]

I agree that the date will come sooner than I currently think it will. All I can think about is getting the surgery done so I can continue with life!

I remember feeling that sentiment, too. Thank goodness for those days with less pain. glad you had that kind of day and hope it lasts through the weekend.

glad to hear that you received some good news in regards to testing. Come on January!

 

[BruceH]

Hi,

Hip pain just went to an 8. It's been there for a few hours. I inadvertently crossed my legs and went from a very mild 2 to 8, it won't go down.

What have the members of this board done in such circumstances? I can't be the only one to have this sort of thing happen. It's the first time it hasn't gone down on it's own after an hour or so.

Thanks,
Bruce

 

[Eman85]

I could sometimes walk it off, sounds crazy but sometimes walking hurt less than anything. It would kind of reposition the deformed ball in the deformed socket to a place that didn't hurt. If it got very inflamed the only thing that worked was an anti inflammatory like Advil or Aleve, I quit on aspiring years ago. 2 Aleve twice a day would finally get mine to calm down. Some times positioning would help, just like crossing your legs was a bad position you have to try to find a good position. I keep a few pillows next to the bed and use them to prop the leg in a good position. Now my good position is in bed roll from my left side so my right thigh is supported by a pillow. I can get relief like this and can sleep.

 

[BruceH]

Thanks for the reply Eman85. It finally went down enough that I was able to sleep and is still down to a reasonable level this morning.

That was the highest level of prolonged hip pain I've had to date. I hope it's not a glimpse of what's to come in the next 2 months.

 

[Jaycey]

Baby that hip @BruceH . The slightest thing obviously sets it off. Are you using a crutch or cane? Does icing help?

 

[BruceH]

Baby that hip @BruceH . The slightest thing obviously sets it off. Are you using a crutch or cane? Does icing help?

I use a cane when it's unbearable, otherwise I go without. I have iced in the past but not enough that I thought about it last night. I'll remember that next time. This was deep in the joint, the same place that sometimes has an acute sharp pain that comes from lifting too much weight.

With that thought I think I know what triggered it. I brewed a batch of beer yesterday. It involves awkwardly lifting and moving a steel brew kettle that contains about 7 gallons of liquid a few times.

It's probably time to further restrict my activities. The only thing I'll have left is walking the dogs on good days (with the knowledge it will hurt afterward) and housework/yard work.

 

[Eman85]

I have moments when I get that incredible shooting pain, you swear the top f your head is going to blow off! Mine actually happens when I take the weight off of my leg and it hangs moving the ball to a different position. That usually triggers a period of pain for a while.

 

[Joeml430]

Hello BruceH - curious if your pain is constant day-to-day or if some days it goes away? I just scheduled Right THR for 2/3/20. I would say 5 days out of 7 I feel good about this decision. Then I will have a couple of good days and think "Why do I want to saw my leg in two?"

I've backed off on the elliptical and have rediscovered swimming as a great cardio, but low impact, activity without any side effects the next day. Walking is still painful and can only do it for about 45 to 60 minutes so generally avoid taking long walks now - which is a major downer!

Just curious as to how constant the pain has been for other folks?

Joe

 

[BruceH]

Hi Joe,

It comes and goes. I can go for a few days with only minor pain and a minor limp. Other days I use a cane and sit for most of the day.

I finally stopped using the elliptical about three weeks ago. I can still muster a 2-3 mile walk with the dogs a few times a week but the frequency is less and less as time goes on.

Like you I also have those days where there is so little pain that I wonder if THR is really necessary. Then I get hit with a big dose of reality and pain.

 

[BruceH]

One month left.

The days are blending together, pre-op is less than two weeks away. My wife and I attended the joint class at the hospital. Everything is on track and we are prepared for recovery.

My left hip has been giving me trouble the last few weeks. At first I thought it was just from walking with an abnormal gait or using a cane but as time goes on I'm feeling pain in the joint. It's similar to how the right hip started to become a concern last year. I'll ask about it during the pre-op appointment. I do remember the OS looking at my x-rays and asking how the left hip felt.

I'd be open to bi-lateral if that was an option. One recovery, one hospital stay, and getting back to normal quicker than two separate replacements. It would be a real drag to get one hip done and then go through the whole waiting game sitting in the recliner again with no "normal" time in between.

I've pretty much been limited in what I can do since July. I wonder where I'd be if I hadn't done PT? Two weeks of PT turned a hip that was a little sore after a round of golf or a good hike into a hip that can't tolerate either and has a hard time with just going shopping, etc.

I'm getting ahead of myself, it could just be sore because of adaptations I've made to baby the right hip.

Thanks to everyone for posting their stories and experiences. I visit the forum daily and try to keep up with how people are doing. Best wishes to all.

Bruce

 

[Mojo333]

I'm glad all is a go and you are set to get your life back so 2020 can be Your Year!

 

[leejaa]

Now that the appointments have started pre op it somehow helps in the last weeks of waiting. For me it felt like I had started my journey and was no longer just waiting. It helped give me a focus of short term goals- hip class - pre op with OS- pre op with PC- pre op at the hospital. I could check each off till the big day.

 

[VSlowLife]

Sorry to hear your other hip is beginning to give you trouble, too.
I understand.
When my left hip, started feeling like my right hip’s first burning sensation, I knew I needed to get the right hip done. I could not imagine life with two hips as my right hip. I asked my OS about my left hip, but he said that one could have more time, despite the burning sensation.
I was disappointed. I was hoping to do one, then the other, because I will still have a limiting, painful hip after the first surgery.
Good luck with inquiring about a bilateral!

 

[Chris1962]

Hi Bruce, From your November 12 post on how peeps dealt with the intense arthritis pain. I personally swore a lot, I mean loud articulate curse sayings not normally in my repertoire (which is pretty fine ).
Seriously, this is about the only thing that helped me at the moment. I live alone. Earmuffs for your wife .

Your surgery is coming soon and you have the best of moderators to help with all of it. Happy New Year Bruce, I will be keeping you in my hippy, hoppy thoughts come Feb.