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Feeling unsettled - surgery on Tuesday

Posted , 15 users are following.

cindy48619
cindy48619

Hi fellow hippies. My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, posterior left THR. I have been running around getting everything done and prepared as best I can. Then it hit me today that they will be taking part of my own body out sad and replacing it with a foreign hip. It just made me feel a little strange, a little sad and a little scared. Did any of you feel that way? I know that this is a wonderful thing to remove all of the pain but it still felt strange today. Love you all more than I can say. Thank you all for being here for each other - Cindy

3 likes, 50 replies

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  • angela1988
    angela1988 cindy48619

    Posted

    Good luck for the op Cindy.

    I feel anxious already and i have another 3weeks to wait.

    I am sure its natural to be scared or we wouldnt be human. Lots of posts on her are gery supportive and i think we can see they really try to help put us at ease.

    I tend to lay awake at night when pain is bad and imagination runs riot. Im a nurse and not usually squeamish but the thought of bones being sawn is really getting to me...cant even watch supervet ops now lol.

    Follow advice of the other hippies and i think we will be ok .

    All the best xxx

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 angela1988

      Posted

      Hi Angela,

      Thank you so much. You are right that if we stay in touch with our fellow hippies we will get through this much better. I try never to think about the actual graphics of the operation... I think if I did that I too would be having nightmares or staying up all night!! I am so glad that you will be having your surgery soon after I have mine. We will both be free of the pain from this smile I will stay on the site and keep everyone updated.  Thank you for the good wishes wink

       

  • lyn1951
    lyn1951 cindy48619

    Posted

    Cindy - I was lucky enough to have an 90 year old uncle, who had had double hip replacement in his 80's and was an amazing example of just how good you can be afterwards.

    He tapped me on the shoulder at family birthday and said your hips are stuffed, (stronger words than that) get them replaced, then did a little sideways dance jumped in the air and clicked his heels together and landed on his feet, and said never been better. 

    He assured me the first couple of weeks would be a challenge but all up and up from there, and also said the silliest decision he ever made in his life was to delay his surgery because of fear, gave him back his life as it has done with me.

    I was aked if i wanted to donate my bone to bone bank for others, that made me feel alot better that what I was loosing might help someone else, so signed the forms with no regrets, I hope it was of use to someone else.

    I have a very strong belief that cremating or burying perfecting good organs, when they are of no use to the orginal user is a terrible crime.

    • linda38528
      linda38528 lyn1951

      Posted

      Excellent post. Would have loved to have met your uncle - sounds as if you share his gene pool and zest for life. Good on you.j
    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 lyn1951

      Posted

      Thank you Lynn. Those words will help me through the challenging time. I probably would not have realized that the challenging time will end so soon and the new pain free life will come!! I will ask about the hip donation as well. I look forward to staying in touch. .
    • lyn1951
      lyn1951 linda38528

      Posted

      I managed to keep Uncle Bill, you are welcome to borrow him, in mind, through the scarey parts, "If uncle Bill could do this at 80, I can do this at 64".

      Nurses were expecting a very scared and frightened patient, and I was perfectly calm both times, I think they were surprised at just how calm I was. even theatre staff commented on how well I was, to the effect your blood pressure is pefectly normal.

      Kept saying to myself "if Uncle Bill can do this I can too"

      You are going to be fine, and better than you have been for quiet some years, and that da---d pain will be gone.

       

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 lyn1951

      Posted

      This is wonderful to read Lyn... thank you for loaning me not only Uncle Bill but your story about being calm. I think after the intial fear I have had that with the help of all of you, I will be calm and grateful. I am going to live up to your standards. I couldn't be more grateful for my fellow hippies today
  • helen56309
    helen56309 cindy48619

    Posted

    Hi Cindy I felt like you just before surgery and my daughter said if you have a

    part in your car washing machine etc. You replace it if it is not working as it is

    no good to you if it does not work so what is the differance with a piece of bone

    that is worn and causing you pain and it is not going to get better no matter

    what you do so replace it and get your life back painfree .So that's what I done

    I just thought new hip new me and hey presto 4 months later and I am back to my

    old self again.So just put these thoughts out of your mind and think how lucky we

    are that this replacement surgery is available to us all and so successfull

    Take care and good luck for Tuesday

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 helen56309

      Posted

      Helen....what a great way to look at this!! Today was the first time I felt that way. I have actually been super excited until I thought about my own hip being taken out. But you are so right. I will change the way I look at it!! I can't wait to feel like my old self. The pain has become normal... not a normal that I like of course wink

       

    • ACU_ONE
      ACU_ONE helen56309

      Posted

      Funny, a peer told me, II hear your headed to the body shop to get some replacement parts." Distilled to its very essence. I didn't feel weird as the pain of OA and trying to function normally overcame any timidity about a "replacement part." The other key is they (artho surgeons) have been doing this awhile and they have made significant improvements over the years. Good luck and keep looking for that light (pain free motion) at the end of the tunnel.

       

  • linda38528
    linda38528 cindy48619

    Posted

    I certainly felt a little ' other - worldly' beforehand and I have sensed similar feelings in many other posts. I actually felt a little excited anticipating my new parts on on my way to reprising my role as Robowoman from when I wore a fairly large mechanical brace after a bad fall. I still feel a little like that to be honest, but the hip itself seems very natural and it is really all the connective tissues that remain irritated and sore.

    Don't worry about the operation, try to glide through the first two weeks and as I firmly believe in the exercise root for strengthening and alleviating pain ... do your exercises regularly unless they cause pain and evaluate.

    Best wishes for a dependable surgeon, good surgery and fabulous recovery.

    And ...welcome to the group.

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 linda38528

      Posted

      Thank you LInda. I will follow that wonderful advise. I really need you all to remind me of what to do. I live alone so this group has really been helpful
  • MichaelTN1UK
    MichaelTN1UK cindy48619

    Posted

    I wasn't lucky enough to be inspired by an inspiring uncle, but I was asked by a workmate, if he could have the bone for his dog. I was so shocked, Iburst out laughing and he went VERY red.

    Sometimes, we just have to laugh.

    Michael

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 MichaelTN1UK

      Posted

      And laugh I did Michael when I read this!!!! Crazy stuff. In about 48 hours I will have my new hip and the recovery will have begun. I am exhausted from the pre-op emotion and getting my house, clothes, insurance etc ready ... and this is all pre-op! I am grateful to laugh Michael razz Thank you
    • MichaelTN1UK
      MichaelTN1UK cindy48619

      Posted

      I am so pleased you got it too. It is this sort of thing that you can not make up. And that makes it special :-)

      I have just got back from a day in London. We went up on the train, did the tube and went on a walking tour of Jack the Ripper. All in all, I have walked nearly 8 miles and all without a walking stick and very little discomfort (some towards the end). And I am 8 weeks post op,

      So, please remember that you will have a little difficulty for a little while and then many years of happy days :-)

      Michael

    • cindy48619
      cindy48619 MichaelTN1UK

      Posted

      Thats a lot of walking Michael! I am truly suprised and happy to hear this after only 8 weeks.  I will definitly keep my eye on the prize at the end of all of this!
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