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Newbie and golf balls!

Posted , 10 users are following.

kris1964
kris1964

Hi all,

I have recently found this forum, and very glad I did!  May I introduce myself?

i am 51 years young and only found out I have OA in both hips in October last year. This was by X Ray after I had gone to my GP with what I thought was a sore Psoas caused by running and aggravated by tennis. 

He referred me to the Clinical Assessment Team, who you have to see before you can see a Consultant. Waited 4 months for an appointment, pain getting worse. 

Went Skiing at Christmas, not too bad but definate loss of confidence and difficulty putting on Ski boots!

in Feb this year I had a second X Ray to see if there were any changes. I was pretty shocked to get the report. It said that there is almost complete loss of joint space in the left hip with acetabular and femoral head osteophyte formation. Yikes!

finally saw Physio who has referred me for a Left THR. Now waiting to see a Consultant.  I obviously have masses of concerns and some of the topics here are very helpful 

i did want to ask about the Golf ball thing?

i can no longer sleep on my left side and the right now feels like the left did 3 months ago. Sitting is a complete pain, like sitting on two golf balls or hot rocks!  Has anyone had this prior to surgery? I have only seen it referred to as a post surgery thing. Wherever I am I have to keep standing up which is a bit embarrassing but I am getting used to that. Any suggestions please? At the moment I just keep moving around and shifting position. 

Also not sure if I should cancel my holiday at the end of August. If I havnt had the surgery will I feel like going, if I have had it will I be able to go.

Got lots more questions but will start with these!

 

4 likes, 25 replies

25 Replies

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  • sarah1996
    sarah1996 kris1964

    Posted

    Iv had OA in my left hip since i was about 5? Or something like that

    Iv been on many holidays since and although yes the pain can sometimes ruin it, if you take strong meds and do lots of lying around in the sun i see no reason to cancel (thats my personal opinion)

    In regards to sitting i dont have the golf ball ball things (never heard of it) but i do get an incredibly bad back, the only thing i can suggest is sitting with your legs up, it helps me slightly but not completely. But i find sitting straight is the worst thing to do. If im in the house i sit slanted or lie on my stomach. When i go to my maths class which is 4 hours i tend to sit with my feet on another chair and stand up from time to time. Although that still doesnt mean by the time i get home i dont want to cry whilst lying flat on my bed.

    But i hope the best for you. Have you got a date for your op yet?

    • kris1964
      kris1964 sarah1996

      Posted

      Thank you Sarah,

      could I ask what meds you have found helpful. I do know it is an individual thing though. I am taking slow release Diclofenic during the day and Amytriptyline at night so that I can sleep. The pain at work today was not good. I was practically crying with it. I agree. Sitting is the worst. 

      No date as I had to wait over 4 months to be "triaged" and am now waiting for an appointment letter to see a Consultant. 

      Initially was not keen on surgery but beginning to realise that the alternative is worse!

    • sarah1996
      sarah1996 kris1964

      Posted

      Im currently on morphine and tramadol at same time so on top wack pain killers. But i get bad side effects from the morphine so try not to take it as much.

      But also on ammitriptylne for sleeping but can only take them if i havent taken the morphine because then i cant sleep. Its very odd haha xx

    • kris1964
      kris1964 sarah1996

      Posted

      Thanks Sarah, I did try Codeine but agree with you. I don't like the side effects (constipation!). So I don't take them. Bit of a balancing act isn't it?

      hey ho!

    • sarah1996
      sarah1996 kris1964

      Posted

      The morphine gave me awful motion sickness, shakes, headaches, dizzyness, headaches, nosebleeds and so on. Down side is it actually helps so i dont know what to do
    • kris1964
      kris1964 sarah1996

      Posted

      Oh my goodness that sounds terrible. Do you have a pain clinic where you are. They can be successful in sorting out pain relief as they are a bit more specialised than your GP?
  • CelsB
    CelsB kris1964

    Posted

    Hi Kris and welcome to the forum,

    Speaking personally, I only got the golf ball feeling post op but all our aches and pains pre-op are different.  I'm sure someone will come along who has experienced something similar.

    I think they say about 18 weeks from referral to surgery but that's only a NHS guideline and cannot be depended on.  Mine was only 12 weeks, some wait longer.  I cancelled my holiday in June and now it looks like I could probably could have gone anyway so it's difficult to say what you should do.  Of course, you could tell your consultant that you have a holiday booked and risk having a later surgery.  I think that has to be your decision.

    Fire away with the questions and have a look at Rocketman's website.  I will pm you the link as you can't put links in this part of the forum.  The post will not appear and will be put in a moderation queue.

    Cels xxx

    • kris1964
      kris1964 CelsB

      Posted

      Thank you!  Have has a look at Rocketmans blog which has loads of good information. X
    • Kate53CornUK
      Kate53CornUK sarah1996

      Posted

      i Sarah, the golf ball thing is the way your scar feels after a THR, the tissues around it are hard and lumpy at first, and hard to sit on!
    • sarah1996
      sarah1996 Kate53CornUK

      Posted

      Ahh i see. That may have been the case with my other scar but i dont remember. Had that scar for as long as i can remember haha 😂
    • kris1964
      kris1964 sarah1996

      Posted

      Ohh Golf ball thing is pain in the buttocks when sitting. Like sitting on two golf balls. The harder the chair the worse it is!  Basically a pain in the butt!

      have taken to lying along the sofa at night to watch tv like The Queen of Sheba!  Standing is fine, but you can't stand all the time. It looks weird in meetings! But starting to fess up at work as I am an Occupational Therapist!  Getting a few jokes about raised toilet seats!

    • sarah1996
      sarah1996 kris1964

      Posted

      Ahh well even if they joke then will understand haha. But got to do whats best to stop the pain haha. Even though nothing really does 😂
    • kris1964
      kris1964 sarah1996

      Posted

      Has anyone had the golf ball thing before surgery?  It is flipping anoying!
  • Kate53CornUK
    Kate53CornUK kris1964

    Posted

    Hi Kris, I described my pain before surgeries as like someone trying to shove a scaffolding pole from the outside of my hips through to my groin. I was also bone on bone with spurs. I had my right hip done last June and the left 5 weeks ago, before both I could barely walk.

    If you had your surgery up to about May I would say you are good to go in August providing all goes according to plan. You'll need at least 8- 12 weeks recovery. 

     

    • kris1964
      kris1964 Kate53CornUK

      Posted

      Thank you Kate, that is helpful. At least I will have an idea before I talk to the consultant. It is so good to speak to people who understand what it feels like. X
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