Double hip replacement concerns

From my own experience im not trying to lecture you or to put you of but its not all plain sailing haveing one done is bad enough but two thats up to you but first think of your wife and children helping with your recovery!!! you have to work alot harder if you have both done firstly getting out of bed, coping with laying on your back,for at least 8 weeks thats only for one its twice as hard for you if you have both, been moved from one side to the other when you are in hospital is no joke how much it hurts and i mean its really bad can your wife do this for you when you get home i see youve had things done with your hip in the past but this is bigger op than you have had its the recovery thats important to you and your family im not beating behind the bush im been truthfull think of the frustration you will go through when you cant bend over to fasten your shoe's for weeks not been able to drive for weeks having to rely on your wife and pressure it can put on her

  If you have the chance i certainly would re-concider and opt for just the One just yet let your body ajust to the new prothesis and see how you react to it then see how you recover gose there are quite a few on this hip site that have re-conciderd you wont be the first thats chickened out if you do.

I am one of them thats had to have two done but wish i hadent now im worse than ever  

there are alot of ppl on here still having problems from there first going wrong if they find your question will tell you the same no two indiviual is the same in the healing process. There can be complication with any op but hip ops are in the first 3 no matter what you are told by your surgon and your age did your surgon tell you what Type and Model hes putting in, How long it will last even though ur younger you are the more likely you will want a revision in later yrs they dont last forever i dont want to frighten you its too close to your op unless you are in real agoney and really do need them both doing i would think again.also your OC theraphist should visit your home on what your needs will be they will tell you Not to use a recliner chair it has to be an hard bottom straight up right chair you must not execced your legs more than 90 degree's you will need a physio if you decide to go for one or two every day both in hospital and at home.i will tell you the truth about my own experience when you have had yours done. if you do chicken out dont think you are a wimp your not.I wouldn't want to think you are jumping into something you will regret there is alot to take in men think they have to be hard to prove a point this is not the case when faced with a major opperation like this and think what your wife is going through right now.

 your wife will need all the help she can get she sounds strong im sure she is for you and the children i sympathise with he.keep us updated i do hope everything turns out fine for you which ever way you choose

take care

Lots of Huggs to you all. 

chris.

I had bilateral THR 26 days ago and I can thoroughly recommend it. I am an active 53 year old who regularly went to the gym. You need good upper body strength for getting on and off the bed and out of chairs etc. There are lots of forums and videos on Youtube that will provide you with the knowledge pre-op that will help you plan how to manage post op. Lying on your back gets better after the staples come out. Sitting comfortably for any length of time improves after 2-3 weeks - so workwise you could sit at a desk for short bursts of time but its not something you want to rush into as your sleep pattern can be disrupted and it can be hard to focus for long periods of time. Now I dont need painkillers during the day but take paracetemol at night.If you are relatively healthy you should progress well. I have my own business and my consultant recommended 12 weeks off work- my response was that I cant possibly take that long off but my recovery matters the most and nowIi see the benefit of plenty of rest and recuperation. It's a case of takes things steady , be positive and enjoy the painfree life! 

Good Luck

xx

I can't help you out with the bilateral side of things but all I can say is it's the best thing I've ever done. I had the left one done in February of this year and the right one 2 weeks ago today. I'm doing absolutely everything for myself, just 2 weeks out and am feeling good. I put this off from 2008 when I was first told I needed it done and realise now what an idiot I've been.

The success rate of these ops is very high (I should know, I work in a very large, well known hospital in North East England and researched it myself from the inside). Many of my patients have had this done and the times you hear of it going wrong are rare. Nearly everyone you speak to will tell you that the surgery has given them a new lease of life so I would advise you to go for it. It'll be a difficult few weeks but it will be so worth it, being able to run around and play with your kids but most of all, without pain! 

Good luck, and hopefully someone will be able to tell you of their experiences of bilateral surgery.

Ali x

I had a thr 3 months ago - not a bilateral but just my right hip.  The first two weeks are hard - it is painful, you have restricted movement, your leg feels like a dead weight due to the muscle damage as a result of the op.  It is not easy.

However 3 months on I no longer even think about the hip - I have resumed all my previous activities and more since I am no longer in pain.

What procedure will you be having - anterior, posterior etc - depending on the way your surgeon operates has an impact on the recovery time and the precautions you need to take for the first couple of months post op?

If I had a choice I would not have both undertaken at the same time - personal choice based on the recovery process only mind.  If I could stagger this for a few months then that would be my preferred choice.

Good luck and keep us informed.

As you are in the US, you may be having  Superpath Hip replacements.  If so, this will make a (positive) difference to your recovery.  The surgery involves less invasive surgery - you have about a 3 inch scar instead of the usual 6 inch one, and they part the muscles rather than cut them, so the healing tends to be quicker.  Mark from Australia, who has posted on this forum, had one hip done and walked out of the hospital without aids.  I was lucky enough to have a right THR back in May using this technique, but only because my local hospital is the only one in Europe trialling this method.  So as a country, we're pretty new to this and you may need to bear this in mind when taking on any UK advice.  Do you know what technique is proposed for you ?

Whatever you do have, it will be far better than the pain you are in at the moment.  It gets better every day, just remember to do your exercises and allow yourself some bad days when you have done too much two days before and need to rest more.  Use the time to read to your kids - they'll love it, you can rest and have some quality time with them.  You won't regret it.

with best wishes

Cheryl

Stay positive my way of thinking was 1 op, 1 recovery.

Good luck.

Cheers for now Ian.

Now my my only concern is he stated I will not be total knocked out for surgery. He said I will feel sleepy but be aware at times. Is that normal?