THR So scared.

littlesun

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Hello all,

I am going in for a LTHR tomorrow morning and have so many bad thoughts swirling around in my mind. This is assuming they'll go ahead with it. I've only had a Covid screening questionnaire in which I had to answer that I've had some runny nose, aches and pains (in hips of course) and fatigue. However, no one has contacted me about the screening, and so I think it may be possible that I'll arrive at the hospital to find they turn me away due to the questionnaire.

In any event, I've been reading on this site and others many positive recovery threads already, and tried to avoid any of the ones that seemed too scary. Still, I'm terrified of the possible bad outcomes. Currently my bad hip is actually quite good since I've booked the procedure, which of course gives me even more doubt.

I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready for this, but also don't want to cancel.
I'm not even sure what I'm hoping for by starting this thread. Encouragement I guess? I just feel like I'm whining though.
 
Hi @littlesun, 100% know those emotions and thoughts as I went through them 2 weeks ago for my LTHR. In fact, I was golfing (with a cart) just 36 hours prior to my surgery. I had doubt I was ”bad enough” for my surgery, and thought I should push it off.

I did the Covid screening + test 48 hours prior to surgery, no one contacted me either and it was the typical no news is good news.

At this point in time I am 100% happy I had went through with it
 
Thanks for your story, @minifab! I really appreciate it. How is the recover going for you now?
 
@littlesun everyone is different, but overall I can’t complain. Very happy with progress so far + how little pain I’ve had.

I did have anterior approach.

you can follow my recovery thread it’s fairly detailed over the last two weeks.

 
No problem - best of luck tomorrow and see you on the recovery side of this life improving operation
 
Just about everyone has those thoughts, I did with both hips. And it never fails that they stop hurting just before the surgery date causing more self doubt. The good part is once you get there it's over pretty quickly and you start on the road to recovery.
 
Hi @Eman85 I thought I read that you actually put it off for 30 years or something like? Is that true? If so, what made you finally decide?
 
Timing was finally right as far as work and early retirement. My GP convinced me that I was in good health and I would gain nothing more by waiting longer. Plus the fact my L was starting to lock up at times. Never stopped me and I never limped, few knew I had hip problems. Both hips were bad from my teens, pins inserted in femur when I was 14.
I was at the hospital and registered for my Rt. when I asked the nurse if I could go home. She said she didn't care one way or the other. I went back to sit and wait and my hip locked and popped. I looked at my wife and laughed, I guess it was time.
 
@Eman85 Thanks for that story! Anything at this point to keep me from overthinking things.
 
You can look at my thread for the rest of the story. I understood the surgery and the risks, had it all explained to me decades ago and the technology now made it more of a sure thing. I did approach it very simply and I took it one step at a time. I was apprehensive the night before at the motel when I took my shower with the antibacterial soap and went to bed. That was when I really committed to the first one. When I awoke in post-op that was the first step, then when I could see my foot and it was facing the same as the other that was the second step. From then on it was 1 step at a time. I had setbacks and did dumb things but overall it's worked out well. I just finished painting my shop building which was untold number of trips up and down the ladder between masking,spraying and unmasking and I feel good. Good Luck, it will all work out.
 
Hello @littlesun - and :welome:

I've done your signature for you and added your name to the September Sapphires surgery thread, but please will you confirm that your surgery date is September 8, 2020?
Thank you.:flwrysmile:

From reading other people's posts, I think you will have gathered that anxiety and worry are very common before you have surgery.
But once you get to the hospital, everything usually falls into place and goes smoothly.

Since your surgery is so soon, here's a sneak preview of our recovery guidelines:

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
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

6. Access these pages on the website


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 the 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 the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
 
@Celle , thanks for adding me to the list. Yes, my surgery is probably in 12 hours or less (Sept 8th), unless cancelled for the covid questionnaire debacle.
I really appreciate all that you and others are doing on this site to provide information, care and attention to the individuals like me coming for guidance.

And thank you to @minifab and @Eman85 for coming so soon to give me good thoughts!

Not sure if I'm going to sleep tonight.... ugh. At least I have this site to keep me company. :)
 
I think the hardest hurdle was just to keep enough courage to finally walk into pre-op, get into that gorgeous designer gown, and climb onto the gurney. After that, I let the good folks do what they do best and take good care of me. You kinda just let go and have to have faith you’re being taken care of by the seen and unseen. Before you know it, you wake up from a great nap and surgery is over and the healing (yeah, and some pain but good pain this time) can begin. Blessings for an uneventful surgery and a good recovery with great pain control. See you on the recovery side.
 
Best of luck, little sun. I tried hitting a few range balls about a week prior to my surgery and knew from the pain, getting a new hip is absolutely the right things to do. Now that I'm 2 weeks post surgery, I'm now putting balls with the best of them with no pain. I have my first follow up appointment with my surgeon tomorrow. I'll ask him about when I can start swinging clubs for real again. I'm pretty sure he'll say you start slow and work into it. Best of luck with your procedure. You got this!
 
Thanks, @Teacher Jim! Best of luck with your teaching next week too. I'm a teacher in Canada, and I have booked off for 12 weeks with my Dr.'s note. Although I'm now a bit worried about my job upon my return since it may look radically different than even last term before summer. This is because I'm a music teacher, and I believe we may be asked to cover other subject areas instead of these classes. We'll see I guess. I haven't heard from my school or the school board yet.
 
Hi @littlesun
The waiting is the hardest part.
I had terrible back and sciatica issues that we're finally traced back to bone on bone OA and surgery scheduled two months before my 54th birthday.
I had still be working, doing, and living but my bad hips turned me into a limping, sleep deprived, unhealthy mess.
New hips gave me my life back....better and stronger and happier than I have been in years.
Definitely the best decision I could have made.
Surgery means Recovery...but Recovery means getting better which cannot happen with rotten hips.
All the best as you begin the process...healing vibes in advance!
Bye bye hip pain:egypdance:
 
@littlesun... hope this post finds you on the recovery side of life! I taught in Calgary for the U of C in their Ed faculty for 8 years. What part of Canada are you? All the best for a new lease on life!
 
Hi Little Sun, hopefully by now you’ve had your surgery and feel better. My surgery is set for next Monday (9/14). I was reassured by your post, and many others, that being scared is part of the operation, and that not everyone is in horrible pain. I, too, wonder if having the surgery is a great idea. Sure it’s hard to put on my shoes and socks and shave my legs, but is that enough to warrant a visit to an operating room! But I keep telling myself my doctor said if I don’t take action now — or soon — I won’t be able to do many other things. Fingers crossed all goes well next week.
 

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