THR Weight Related Question

[Layla]

Hi Abbylayla,
I had one hip replaced, my right, and all is well five years and two months later, PTL!
I'm thankful for this second chance and obviously don't miss the pain of a deteriorating hip.
Thank you for asking. I think you're going to love the result this surgery brings.
@Abbylayla

 

[Doubledose]

Has anyone had a hip replacement who is significantly overweight? Say 50-60 lbs? If so, what were your results? Are you happy you had it done? Any additional restrictions as opposed to a normal weight patient?
What was your recovery experience?
Thanks in advance everyone!

Hi Abbylayla I had TRH surgery 14 months ago with left hip due this month
I am significantly overweight around 4 stones over but it still made a huge difference pain wise and I think when the second op is done I will be more mobile and able to get down to a more healthy weight as being immobile hasn’t helped at all with weight gain
My recovery was very slow but this was due to an over eager physio who set me back with straight leg raises otherwise I have no regrets

 

[Abbylayla]

@Doubledose Thank you! I've lost 4lbs since I scheduled my surgery 5 days ago. I'm hoping to get another 10 off before my October 12 surgery date.
When I had my knee replacement 2 years ago I was able to get 23lbs off barely trying. Which pretty much is indicative of my whole life. Always able to get weight off once I put my mind to it. But now....I'm so ridiculously immobile, no longer able to do stairs, even a two inch step is a challenge. And the lack of mobility has atrophied & weakened muscles so I'm no longer able to burn calories efficiently. Just fighting a losing battle with these painful frozen hips.
I've just got to keep trying to get weight off in this immobile body. It will definitely help my rehab & that's a huge incentive.

 

[Abbylayla]

Phone call from hospital today to set up my Covid test for October 7th. It's a drive through. That works for me since I don't get around well.
Also heard from the hospital physical therapists. When you have a replacement in this hospital in addition to the PT in hospital they set you up with in home PT after surgery. So I'll have 8 sessions in my home starting the day after I come home.
Moving along!

 

[Abbylayla]

Got clearance for surgery. I'm ready to go on Wednesday for my left hip replacement. Right hip is just awful too but getting one done has to at least help. . I cannot stand the grinding & locking anymore. I just can't.
I had to stop meloxicam a few days ago and I've got to say, I've never been in so much pain in my life. You don't know how much these meds actually help until you stop using them. They did a good job of controlling swelling!!
I plan to ask my surgeon these questions but since there is such a treasure trove of information here, I figured I'd ask, has anyone had hip replacement back to back? What was the time frame you waited between each? And concerning meloxicam or other anti-inflammatory medications, how soon after surgery can you go back on them?

 

[Jaycey]

I figured I'd ask, has anyone had hip replacement back to back? What was the time frame you waited between each?

Plenty of our members have had both hips replaced within a short space of time. Some have had both hips done in the same operation. The time between the procedures varies. Ask your surgeon how soon they would consider scheduling your second THR.

And concerning meloxicam or other anti-inflammatory medications, how soon after surgery can you go back on them?

If you need them, you can start taking them again just post op. But your pain levels will be very different post op. No more locking and grinding.

All the best on Wednesday!

 

[Woodstockhip]

Hi, @Abbylayla — I’m pretty sure I remember you from my first go-round with hip surgery in 2020. You were recovering from your knee surgery. It was all at the height of COVID, as if the surgery itself wasn’t scary enough! This time, I’m a little ahead of you, recovering from my second hip surgery. I can’t imagine how difficult these past months (years??) have been for you and I am so glad you’ve gone ahead and scheduled your hip operation. Yeah, those 10 days without the pain meds were brutal but you WILL get through them. I congratulate you on your weight loss — wish I could peel off a few pounds. I was horrified to learn that my fancy new titanium hips weigh MORE than my gnarly old bones so I ended up gaining weight!!! But I suspect I also gained in height so there’s that… I look forward to watching your progress through your recovery and have a picture in my head of you walking, pain-free, once again.

 

[Abbylayla]

Thank you @Jaycey .I kind of wish I was getting a bilateral but I never discussed it with my surgeon because I was highly doubtful he'd want me to go that route with my arm issues and everything else arthritic.
My hips are so "locked". I can only take little baby steps. If I try to take a normal length stride the pain makes me scream. This is insane. I've let this go too far. I barely remember what it's like to have a hip that doesn't grind & lock.
I'm anticipating getting my second hip done 3 months after this one at the latest. I just want to get these hip issues that have put my life on hold in the rearview mirror.

 

[Abbylayla]

@Woodstockhip yes, I did have my knee replacement in 2020. Was cancelled once because of Covid & rescheduled a couple of months later. I count my blessings because I''d been told so many frightening stories of how horrible & painful a knee replacement is but thankfully, that was not my experience at all. The first week I needed to stay on the pain med schedule but after that it was pretty ho hum.
Both of my hips are SO bad. By xray my right is much worse than my left but surgeon said go with the one that hurts the most. So left it is. I just hope It will be enough to make life a little easier as I wait to do the right one.
So how are you doing with your new hip? Lately I've been seeing "Places to go in the Hudson Valley". I guess driven by the fall foliage season. Woodstock is always on that list. I smile & think of you.

 

[Woodstockhip]

Yes, you really scored in the knee department! Hope the hip will be just as smooth sailing. When I was diagnosed back in 2020, the surgeon said both of my hips were “horrible” but the left one was a tad more horrible than the right. I didn’t have the locking that you have, but I was never not in pain and the only exercise I could do (and not particularly well) was swimming. So….I spent the summer before my surgery swimming my tail off, in a sort of Pre-hab. This helped a lot with my upper body as well. My left hip healed so well that I decided to put off having the right one done as long as possible. I got a steroid shot at one point and that helped a lot, but after a few months the pain was back and unremitting. A second shot did nothing and at this point, I was about a year and a half down the road. I decided to spend another summer swimming and went back for #2 on Sept. 29. I’m doing great at the moment. Things changed when I was allowed to stop taking the nausea-inducing/appetite suppressing antibiotic and it’s amazing how much better I feel all over! I have an appetite again, I feel like moving around and here on, I think, Day 11, I feel almost human! It’s wonderful.

 

[Abbylayla]

I so hope I have a similar result to yours! Feeling human again would be absolutely amazing. I'm very nervous about the rehab. I've not been in a situation where I can do any meaningful pre-hab. I'm arguably in the worst shape of my life. I've not even been able to swim because I cannot kick my legs & my arms are so shot from two years of crutches I'm seriously afraid of getting in the water right now. I'd probably drown. Lol!
I know rehab will be a challenge but I'm ready to take it on. I want my great life back. I want to be able to spend time with my family again. I've let this go on for too long.

 

[Woodstockhip]

I'm not sure any “prehab” is actually necessary. I doubt it made any difference in the outcome, but it felt good at the time! Do you expect to go to a rehab facility after your surgery or will you be doing your rehab at home? Guess it depends on what the insurance will cover.

 

[benne68]

I know rehab will be a challenge but I'm ready to take it on

Hips actually don't need physical therapy to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. It just takes time.

Walking is the best therapy -- and even then not to excess.

 

[Abbylayla]

@benne68 yes, I've looked at the week by week Bonesmart recommendations as I did with my knee replacement. I'll have 8 sessions of PT in my home starting the day after my release. It's automatically set up by my surgeon & hospital. After that I'll play it by ear. The physical therapist, of course, wants me to continue after that in their facility but I did not go to PT for my knee so I can't imagine my hip would need it. If I do go it won't be specifically for my hip, but rather to strengthen my body as a whole. I've been extremely immobile for two years & lost much muscle mass & tone. It might not be a bad idea to have access to the various exercise equipment they have that I don't.

 

[Abbylayla]

@Woodstockhip No rehab facility. I'll come right home from the hospital. The PT will come to my house the next day for 8 sessions which the hospital sets up. From there they, therapists, want my to continue on in their facility. I highly doubt I will do that, at least for my hip, but I may use their facility for access to their equipment. I don't know. We'll see.

 

[Woodstockhip]

That’s exactly what I am planning. I will do the home PT then work on my own until my 4 week follow-up with the surgeon. Depending on how the leg length situation resolves, if I end up doing any outpatient PT it will be with someone who specializes in gait-work.

 

[Abbylayla]

Yeah I hear you with the leg length issue! My left leg is going to be longer than my right leg until I get my right hip done. I don't know how much of an issue that will be while I'm using crutches/walker but I'm hoping to regain the ability to finally on my own again in the very near future. If the leg length difference interferes with that I'll be terribly disappointed. But I live about two miles from Helen Hayes Hospital & if need be I might be able to go there for their help. If not there's also a therapist nearby that I have a good deal of faith in. As usual lately, just a wait & see. My surgeon is a non alarmist. Doesn't think it's going to be much of a problem & I could probably figure a temporary fix by putting a little lift in my right shoe. So if he's not overly concerned I tend not to be either. Won't know till I know.

 

[HollyNY]

I had to stop meloxicam a few days ago and I've got to say, I've never been in so much pain in my life. You don't know how much these meds actually help until you stop using them. They did a good job of controlling swelling!!

Good luck @Abbylayla ,
Before surgery I also had a prescription NSAID that was not touching the bone on bone hip pain.

Those 7 final days were hell.

Instead of fearing pain I tried to lean into it as a reminder that this was the right decision. If there was another alternative I would have found it.

Every day I thought 1 day closer to Feedom From Pain Day.

At my pre op on 8/30 I asked about my left hip and remember telling the surgeon 'I am not sure I could do this twice'. I could only walk w the cane and putting weight on the bad hip was agony

After surgery I was given 21 days of Celebrex to prevent abnormal bone formation and baby aspirin for 6 weeks to prevent blood clots.

When I walked w my cane (mostly for outdoor use only) into the 9/28 appt for my 2 week follow up I said 'what a difference a month makes!'. The nurses almost could not believe it was the same person.

I wish you a safe journey on these final couple of days, and see you soon in recovery land!

 

[Abbylayla]

Thanks @HollyNY! I remember being on a baby aspirin or something after knee surgery for awhile. I don't think I was on Celebrex or anything similar though.
Right now my left hip is just horrible. If I stand still for any amount of time it locks. Then I have to figure which way to move it to unlock it and the pain goes off the charts for a second. I am just looking forward to having ONE joint that is no longer causing me severe arthritis pain. I'll get the right hip done as soon as my surgeon gives me the go ahead. I have a much higher than normal tolerance for pain but I'm done. I'm absolutely drained by this.

 

[Abbylayla]

On the schedule for 10:45 tomorrow morning. At least the grinding/locking pain will be over in one hip!