THR Very scared

Ava

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I’m having my left hip surgery 12/2 and I’m totally freaking out. I had TKR 6 years ago. I was completely overwhelmed by the pain in fact I think I had some PTSD from it.

I was so misinformed about how much pain I would be in and for how long. It took a good year to not have it on my mind constantly. I know they say the hip is easier but I’m not going to believe it.

The hip is the same leg as my knee replacement and I’m concerned about the pain in my knee now before the surgery.

Thanks for letting me vent and I hope I did the thread properly.
 
Hi and :welome:. I am glad you joined us. This forum was a godsend for me for all my replacements and provided much information and support through the recovery process.

I am another one that will say that hips are easier than knees and I have had both replaced or should I say all 4. However, that does not help you to deal with the fear of the pain which is real and needs to be addressed.

My replaced knees also hurt before I had my hips replaced and it was extra scary. My lower back also acted up with the hip pain. Much of this was from the way I was walking due to the hip pain. The knee pain went away immediately after surgery and the back discomfort followed.

You have an understandable fear and I would suggest you speak with your primary care about any medication that might help and/or a counselor that would listen and work with you on methods to deal with the extra stress and worry that fear brings to you. There have been members who have used these tools to help deal with the issues. Also, make sure you share these fears and worries with your surgeon.

Wishing you a peaceful day. I will include some pre surgery reading below. I also learned a lot from reading other members pre surgery and recovery threads.
HIP
If you are at the stage where you have joint pain but don't know for sure if you are ready to have surgery, these links may help:

Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic hip?
Choosing a surgeon and a prosthesis
BMI Calculator - What to do if your surgeon says you're too heavy for joint replacement surgery
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:

Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced hip, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing hip recoveries
 
Well, you've come to the right place. @leejaa is very wise and has some sound advice and she's been through it all. I’m just a newbie with one THR. I was anxious about it but truly, six weeks out I am SO glad to have done it. We all experience pain differently and yeah, the first couple of weeks were no walk in the park but it was manageable and you can work with your doc to get the right pain meds. By New Year's, you will be amazed at how good you feel and what a great way to say bye-bye to this crazy year!!!
 
Today is my day 11 post op, and I'm amazed that it didn't hurt any worse than it did. I too was terrified of the unknown. If you take your pain meds, ice and rest, it is tolerable. I only had 1 night that I had a tough time, but I think that was the hydrocodone. So at day 5 I stopped that, and am on only 1 Tylenol and 1/2 tramadol. I'm still on the walker, but feel I'll be on a cane by the weekend. I actually cooked dinner tonight!!
Take care, and these folks are here for you!! They are all amazing and always here for advise, and to let you know you are not alone!!
 
Thanks everyone. I need this ❤️
 
It is totally reasonable that you would be scared. Hip surgeons are good these days with the pain medication afterwards ... and not just with opioids. And just remind yourself: if you're having excruciating pain, you want to pick up the phone and call your surgeon immediately. Some of us need more (or less) pain meds than others. Don't be afraid to call your surgeon.

I almost always got a call back on the same day when I called my surgeon after surgery. His chief nurse would call me back. I didn't need any medication adjustments--I just had questions about the pace of my recovery. The bottom line is you can advocate for yourself. Your surgeon wants you to have a great recovery.

And definitely talk to your family doctor about your fear, especially if you think it's bordering on PTSD. You definitely want to go into surgery in good mental health. It will make the recovery easier.
 
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I am wondering if a lounge dr is good for my hip replacement for elevation. I’m trying to get things together before surgery on 12/2.
 
Yes, Lounge Dr is good for any elevation. It will position you correctly and let you relax while you are icing.

I hope you are feeling a bit more comfortable with your pending surgery. It's easy to get caught up in all the "what ifs". Stick with us here. We will be with you all the way!
 
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Yes, Lounge Dr is good for any elevation. It will position you correctly and let you relax while you are icing.

I hope you are feeling a bit more comfortable with your pending surgery. It's easy to get caught up in all the "what ifs". Stick with us here. We will be with you all the way!

I’m still very worried but planning is helping me feel more in control of my fear. Appreciate everyone’s feedback. Helps a lot.
 
If you can, order a lounge doctor now. I’m waiting on mine and meanwhile struggling with slippery pillows trying to get the right angles. I so wish I had it a week ago.
i aso wish I had started a stool softener and Miralax before surgery. I went into surgery slightly constipated and dehydrated - my usual morning “routine” after coffee was, of course, disrupted by surgery prep - and I ended up pretty constipated. keeping It from happening would have been better than having to fix it.
 
Certainly most all the post-op hippys can relate to the anxiety of hip replacement ...uncertainty seems to be the culprit.
I am so happy to have my life back, hip pain free, with new hips. We are rooting for you, friend.
Here's the link, Ava, if you are interested in the Lounge Doctor
 
Today I can’t get out of my head. Worrying about everything. My current worry is pain meds. The opioid crisis in my state and the rules and regulations for prescribing are very strict. If you ask your Dr for opioids for pain they don’t want to write it. I’m so worried about getting minimal pain relief and no refills. If I could be certain my pain is managed it would help with my anxiety.

They look at you like your a drug addict. Take Motrin and Tylenol it’s more effective for pain they tell me. That’s not true for me and I ended up with my knee replacement in so much pain I feel I had PTSD. That’s why I think my anxiety is so high. I can remember that pain like it was yesterday and I’m having flashbacks.

I won’t even see the dr till surgery day and only had a telehealth appt telling me I needed hip replacement and his assistant will contact me with a date. 10 min total.

I have a pre-op on 11/11 and If I’m not given the proper amount of pain meds for my recovery I will cancel my surgery. I’m told it doesn’t hurt that bad. I’m so upset
 
@Ava discuss your concerns about medication (including your previous experience with PTSD) during your pre-op. You will be given proper pain control post op and it will be your first priority to work with staff on what works for you before you leave hospital.

Ask anyone here on BoneSmart. Recovery from TKR is very different than from THR. Don't assume the experience will be the same.

Please let us know how your appointment goes on 11/11.
 
I can’t recall reading about anybody here who was not given pain controlling meds immediately after THR. Mind you, I have t been around all that long. I can’t imagine the surgeon would allow you to suffer needlessly. That’s just wrong! It’s natural to be scared but you can absolutely speak to your doc about your fear.
 
I had much better results with ibuprofen then the hydrocodone they prescribed me. I've been told knee replacement is much tougher to get through than hip replacement. I think you'll be just fine I wouldn't get yourself worked up about the pain meds
 
Had my pre-op appointment today. I asked about the implant and was told it’s Smith and Nephew prosthesis. I looked on line and seems it’s metal on metal. I know you can’t believe everything on the web but has anyone had experience with this hip replacement? Appreciate any thoughts.
 
Hi @Ava
I am certain your implant will not be metal on metal.

To date, there are no FDA-approved metal-on-metal total hip replacement devices marketed for use in the US. There are two FDA-approved metal-on-metal hip resurfacing devices available.
The information you got from the internet probably made you nervous as they reference earlier systems (not just Smith & Nephew) which were deemed problematic, hence the changes.
Your OS can verify this with you in regards to the components used with this system.
Hopefully this can be one thing off of your worry list.:ok:
 
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Hi,

I’m currently 2.5 weeks post op from my second knee replacement and I totally understand your concerns. I have chronic pain and go to a pain clinic, and take opioids daily for my chronic pain. My normal dose is the max that most hospitals give now for post op pain relief. So I’ve had a really hard time since the opioid crisis that si making it so difficult for those of us with chronic pain, and people recovering from surgery, etc.

I just read my post, and returned to the top to check it over - it’s super long! I hope it’s not annoying, and that maybe there’s a tidbit in here that you haven’t already heard about.

Some things that have helped me..............

1) to talk with the dr. about how I rate pain, and the fact that I would probably never say it’s a ten - because I’ve had a 10 (forceps delivery with no meds - none!) I talk to the nurses too about this, because the pain scales are a little open to interpretation, but, most nurses can tell when you are hurting. However, I’ve run into a couple who didn’t believe me when I said I hurt.......or maybe they are used to people saying 10! when I would say 7, so now I always have this talk.

2) I ask about combining pain med with anti anxiety med, and muscle relaxer. Anxiety makes pain so much worse, and pain makes us tense up our muscles, which then makes pain worse, which makes us tense up more, etc., etc. :)

3) if you are staying overnight in the hospital, maybe make sure they give you pain medicine in post op before you go to your room. This last time I didn’t have pain until the minute they started rolling me to my room, and it got worse and worse, and then when I got to my room, the nurse said she couldn’t give me anything (at least anything that would help me - it may be different for a non pain clinic person) until she consulted with the doctors. And she didn’t know when that would be. Ugh. I take great pride in being honest, but in this case, I wish I’d known to get some pain medication before I was transferred. with my first knee, I did have pain in post op and they gave me a nerve block. I had two different surgeons, and the one I used the second time did the nerve block right before surgery - maybe it was wearing off. Anyways, it got so bad that I was crying (I hate that because then you wonder if it looks like you are pill seeking) and it took almost two hours for me to get any pain relief. Unacceptable.

4) ask the nurses if your meds are scheduled or if you have to request them, I didn’t get any sleep because there was an error in my chart and they didn’t give me my regular medications that I take at home to prevent a migraine, and to help me sleep. I found out the next day that they were put in the chart as “as requested.” Ugh. It was a long painful night.

5) if you are able to, bring music that you love and bring good earphones with you so you can listen to it - it helps me a bit with the pain, or a good meditation - there are free apps and podcasts that are good, but you’d want to have it ready to go. You don’t want to be searching for something when you’re in pain.

6) I realized later that I should have put a timer on my phone to replace the ice on my knee. I found out twice, that the ice pack wasn’t even in the bed........and other times, it hurt so much and ice would have been helping, but my ice pack was warm.

7) earplugs and sleeping mask.....and your own pillow if you think that it will help a lot. Just put a colored pillowcase on your pillow. I lost one pillow in the past.........and a cream colored teddy bear.

Now that I write this out, it sounds like I had a bad experience. This experience actually was so much better than my first replacement. But I want you to know that their inability to control my pain while in the hospital had more to do with me having built a tolerance to opioids, even though I had tapered down to nothing prior to surgery. It takes so long for your body to adjust. The nursing staff were the most responsive that I had experienced in my multitude of orthopedic surgeries (4 back fusions too) and I loved all of them (the staff, not the surgeries). Truly the worst part of my stay there was the food. Yuck.

I hope some of this helps, or maybe gives you an idea of something else you would like to bring with you from home that will help you relax. I’m up at 4:00 am for the second night in a row because my legs are so achy......and while I was typing this, I didn’t notice it as much, so thank you for the distraction. LOL

Best wishes for your surgery..........remember to breath too. I always have to remind myself of that when I’m feeling pain.
 
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@Mcjola Welcome to BoneSmart! Why don't you start your own thread so we can get to know you.

Please note that your post above has been edited slightly. We allow members to talk about what has worked for them. However, members are not allowed to recommend any medication or procedures. Here are our Forum Rules.
 

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