IS IT all about THE PAIN????

I had 5cm difference in my legs but my main reason for the surgery was the pain.

Yes obviously i wamted to have even legs but after the surgery i now think my legs look even worse and my left leg sticks of to an abnormal angle which is worrying.

From what iv seen most surgeons dont want to do the surgery until you can no longer take the pain and that its turned your world upside down because otherwise why put yourself through it if you are still capable of living normally and without much pain xx

Hi Joy,

Yes I suppose I had mine because of pain, but both directly and indirectly.  There were things I loved but had to give up due to pain, so I had the operation so I could resume my enjoyment of life.  Also the grinding sensation made me feel sick.

I'm so glad I took the decision to go ahead.

Cels x

Hi Joy, I'm a double hippy. Left hip replaced Dec 11th 2014. Right hip replaced April 28th 2016. Left hip was replaced because it was badly arthritic and the pain it was sending into my knees was absolutely dreadful. Could hardly walk. But that pain in my knees is now gone. Now I am just over 3 weeks post op RTHR. There was no knee pain with the right hip, and I wasn't in pain walking either. But I was in pain bending over, getting in and out of the car, on and off the bed etc. Surgeon asked me straight out, do I want to carry on the way I am and just let things get worse or do I want him to fix it for me. So he fixed it. Left hip op was curing my bad pain. Right hip op was more about prevention. Now I've got two ceramic/titanium hips!

My reason for surgery was the pain. Although I had severe oa in my left hip - my leg lengths were still equal but I walked with a terrible limp due to the pain. 3 weeks post op and I don't know if I will walk without a limp again - too early to tell but I don't care if I have a limp or not - as long as I can go back to work and function properly and have more movement than I had pre surgery. Even tho I still have pain now post surgery it's nothing compared to pre surgery and i I know it will disappear in time.

Only you can make the decision to have the surgery or not - but I can be almost sure that eventually the pain will take over and u will be desperate to have it done. Chronic pain is very debilitating . Good luck with your decision xx

dearest, dearest Joy, 

My experience and probably many of us here, is that first there was pain or discomfort in my groin ...because of this , standing up, straight up and first steps became painful and more painful as time went on - I started to limp - getting worse and getting more pain - this was my right hip and my right leg became shorter by 2 cm - and pain getting worse and worse - bone-on-bone, grinding , tooth-ache like with jolts - I was in denial for at least 4 years -

It WAS the PAIN , darling that finally made me decide to go ahead with THR - it was not getting better and won't -

I could not believe that that pain was gone - I believe that because i waited so long, and subjected my whole body to incorrect posture, sitting, walking , my recovery is taking a bit longer ... 

Well, I had the 2nd THR 6 months later - 

I know you are still sitting on the THR fence .. It is major surgery, not an easy walk in the park - 

Now look at you ... you are saying that you are walking with a severe limp, cannot stand straight up ... what do you think this is doing to your body, your muscles and also emotionally - it is a tough decision -

will you be okay ending up in a wheelchair ???? This is not meant to be harsh or mean - what do you think is the solution for you ?

Sending you love and light

big warm hug

renee

 

Hi Gloria 

The main reason and rationale for hip replacement is almost always to address the pain issue , particularly so if due to arthritis the joint space has been worn away resulting in the bone of the ball rubbing on the bone of the socket - this causes severe pain which affects quality of life. I used to work with an orthopaedic surgeon who told all his patients that the pain was the reason for suggested surgery, and no other reason was enough to go forward. However in your case , as Renee has said , you have a severe limp etc which may well cause back problems etc etc - so if hip replacement is being offered then its because they think it will address the issue. In my case prior to my second op I had severe limp and the joint felt like it was collapsing in on itself causing me to fall. Only you can make the decision re if you want to have the op or not - i guess the thing is to ask yourself how much things are affecting your quality of life and will the op remedy this . I do wish you all the best however you decide to go forward - it does sound like you have significant problems  xxxx

I had pain, but it was more about not being able to walk, or do steps or get in and out of my car without lifting my leg. I was wheel chair ready, and I thought it all was do to my back problem..2 years of poor quality of life got me to the Orthopedic for a correct diagnosis, bone on bone left hip...I'm fine now....

Hi Gloria

You are the only one who can decide, in my case it was pain and the ruining effect on my lifestyle it just kept getting worse every week to the point taking 1/2 hour to get up out of a chair on occasion. I was having difficulty controlling it with pain meds and I didn't want long term use of strong pain killers either.  I now realise the my posture must have been hurrendous, I am trying to sort that out now. I was glad I had it done on the 1st post op day and have ups and downs but have no regrets yet. Do your research and speak to professionals as well.  Maybe seeing what other people have written will help you come to the right decision. Good luck with which ever route you choose.

I was having some pain too, I also had a 1.5 inch leg length difference.

The operation helped with my leg difference as I haven't one now and am 2 inches taller as I can stand up straight again.

One of the other main reasons was the inability to live a normal life and to do the things I enjoyed most. Like gardening, walking, cleaning.

After 12 months I can do all of these things, albeit I don't over challenge myself a little and often I find at 67 years old is the key to most things.

Hope this helps

Love Gillxx

 

Gloria, what is your diagnosis and the reason for your severe limp and inability to stand up straight? If it is osteoarthritis of the hip, and you are already having that much debilitation, then pain, and lots of it, can't be too far behind. Most people have the pain first and the debilitation comes second, then they are both shouting at you at the same time. 

 

How old are you? I dealt with the pain for years before giving in to having the right total hip replacement , had to give up everything I enjoyed doing like walking being with friends and when the pain gets to its worse you will do what you have to to help get back to living your life . I am 66 and going to be able to be a bridesmaid in my daughters wedding in August due to having the surgery or I would have been in a wheelchair . I didn't want to have the surgery I don't think anyone on here did it for fun because it Definetly isn't fun !

I was suffering with a severe limp on left side pre op and pain started a couple of years ago intermittently until pain was really bad. It limited a huge amount of things that I would have done a few years ago and I would be exhausted all the time. I'd had enough.  One of the first things I noticed after the operation was how straight I was and I noticed that it actually felt stronger than my supposed good leg.  Even now nearly 5 weeks after the operation I am not limping anymore.  The pain is mainly over the wound and it does ache if I do a lot of movements but in comparison to pre op I am really happy.  The only thing is that I am aware of the affect my limping has had on my good right leg for having left it so long.  My experience of the the op and recovery upto now has left me feeling that if my right leg goes then I will not hesitate to have that one done as well and the quicker the better. I had the oportunity last year when told that my left hip had severe arthritis to have it done within 18 weeks but I was frightened so I delayed it.  I shouldn't have done.

Good luck

xxx 

 

Hi Joy

I think l recall your 1st thread about deciding if to have thr's. I know you are scared. But a lot of us have had to have thr's because of severe arthritis in the hip joints and like sarah had a condition with her hips that caused the lenth diffrence and chronic pain. Like l said in my 1st post my gp said l would end up in a wheelchair if l did not have both them done. The pain had took over my life for the year prior. I am 43 and work full time. I had to get them done. If your doctor is saying you don't need them done and you are happy to suffer pain for the rest of your life and the chance of it getting worse then thats for you to decide. I needed my hips done and l am so glad l did get them both done. Yes the recovery has its bad point but one day soon l will be able to lead a normal life without any OA pain the surgery although being 2 big operations l managed like a most of the people on the forum you recover and sometimes pretty quick. The OA pain is gone and we all managed all age groups some alone some not.

I just don't think your doctor would say to you about gettng it done for the fun of it you he oviously thinks it will help. But again if you are happy about living in pain just to avoid the operations. Then go for it

But really if your honest with yourself is this not just fear and thats understandable but we are all here thats had it done and l would say most of us would do it all again to get rid of the psin. It would be a very sad life l think suffering pain.

Laura x

hi Gloria,

Im glad to hear your primary issues are not pain related. maybe this grants you an opportunity to do more research and evalutation of potential solutions??

I think my recovery is certainly enhanced because my body was used to doing things, and to this end Ill bet your reovery will have some additional struggles, so courage to you! dont throw in the towel and I wish you the best!

Pain was not the reason I went ahead with decision to have the THR. Mostly the pain was managed with Naproxen etc but it was getting worse. However, the driving force for me was the uneven gait, the stress on the opposite knee, the physical limitations that were growing day on day, my inability to move fast enough or far enough to be beneficial for my heart health. I had to put my case quite strongly to my surgeon before he would agree to do it, but after the op he said that the wear was severe and that I was unusual in that mobility rather than than pain was the driving force. Three weeks post op can just about walk around the house with no sticks etc. Over the course of the day I have walked 2 miles with very little pain and am feeling very positive for the future. Just do it!