Newbie and scared

Hi Denise first of all don't be scared, I got my right hip replaced in 2015 and it was great the pain was away immediately unfortunately I needed my left hip done so did not get the benefit of the new hip as I walk with crutches.  Your surgeon would not operate if you did not need your hip replaced he must be able to tell by the X-rays how bad it is.  I also think not everyone that gets a replacement is not bone on bone.  I have no hip joint left at all and believe me it is agony, I am on highdoses of morphine which only dents the pain.  When are you getting your operation and what area are you in?  This site is really good and everyone is so friendly and helpful if you need any questions answered.  Good Luck and Take Care

Big Hugs

Jacq x

Hi, do not fill your head with such things, and l would tell surgeon how your feeling so he can asure you; and when you feel good after you will know you did the right thing .. mike

Hi Denise.  I had total left hip replacement in October of last year.  The improvement really is amazing.  Let the surgeon operate, & let the staff at the hospital look after you & get you moving again.  Take the meds they give you whether you think you need them or not.  Do the exercises they tell you to do & you will be whizzing around on your new leg before you know it.  Accept all the help & aids they offer you.  In fact, ask them what you're entitled to.  I found the aids they gave me invaluable & a great asset in the early weeks of my recovery.  Best of success to you Denise.  Ray

No surgeon in the NHS would operate if unnecessary. You have changes in your hip, been treated by steroid injections and the results, releif for a while only, are as expected for hip problems. He knows you need a replacement and has given you an idea of a date for your op.He possibly meant that in his opinion your pain is intense for someone who is not bone on bone. Bet he has never suffered. He has however forgotten that everyone has different reactions to pain and pain relief, there are no rules  I was bone on bone and pain and in comparison to others very little pain in the hip.The pain  killers worked well most of the time, but my posture and walk were very badly affected. My daughter once remarking that I hobbled quite fast.

you are not a fraud, the op will be worth it, recovery can be hard work and a bit of a roller coaster but well worth it 

Be very careful before you have the surgery - and read up as much as you can.  It's major surgery.  My hip was replaced in April - and I was bone on bone - but I wish I hadn't had it done.  I'm in more pain now, still, than I was beforehand.  I wish I'd stuck to the painkillers.  We're all different of course but I thought I'd share my experience.  Good luck whatever happens

Don't worry, I had catastrophic joint failure, bone on bone, the surgeon couldn't understand why I was still working.  They rushed me through as it was so bad.  I was a gibbering wreck by the time they got me to the operating theatre, I was so scared - but they were so kind in the hospital.  It definitely wasn't pleasant and they had to treat me for shock afterwards!! But , although i thought I would never be able to walk properly afterwards suddenly at 11 weeks, there was and is a daily improvement, (I actually didn't realise how bad it was pre op).  I now feel amazing, swimming, walking, gardening, Zumba and the gym.

I know not everyone's outcome is good, but just follow everyone else's advice and you will be fine!! Oh and remember - everyone is different.

Best of luck 

Chris

Be assured no surgeon would open you up unless it's necessary otherwise you could sue them not all problems show on trays my surgeon did not think one of my knees had much wrong when I went in it had split straight through the middle

No no no!! I am in AGONY. Nothing much on X-ray either. Surgeon told me it must be my hip as cortisone worked like magic for 1 whole day. Read my posts on here- how much pain I'm in, morphine etc etc and I too worried exactly like you. Had to buy a mobility scooter as I truly cannot walk. My X-ray showed minimal damage but op booked around start of November fingers crossed. xx

I know how you were feeling I had thr surgery on my right side in February. I also had bone on bone and I continue to work with made it  worse . Now I'm having problems with my left side too and injection it last about a week. The pain makes you feel that way, so   Hang in there. It's going to be alright. 

Denise sorry about the rushed message I sent you, I read your concern whilst travelling on the bus and because you were just as baffled and despondant as I was a few months ago I just had to write and say what I said. 

When I posted on here about everyone seeming to have bone on bone and be in great pain I felt something was very wrong with me. My pain was just as bad as theirs but I did not have bone on bone, just a "marked loss of space and a bone spur" on my xray report. My consultant told me that out of everyone  needing a hip replacement, a lot would have huge pain with very little to show for it on xray and others would have very little pain but terrible bone on bone xray pictures.. Both you and I had relief from that cortisone injection, albeit short-lived, but the fact that it took away the pain meant our pain was definitely coming from the hip. Hope this helps

Hello Denise,

I also had doubts about my OP going in.  The surgeon told me that I was pretty young..which at 56 I don't get accused of all that much anymore.  If I didn't do anything, the pain was manageable but if I lived life in any way, it got so bad that I could hardly move.  I was bone on bone, still am in the right side, but it was still hard not to have doubts.  I even asked the surgeon when I saw him right after we were done..."what did you find in there"?? I was so afraid that he'd tell me that it shouldn't have been done.  That all being said..everybody is different, a lot of us have some doubts, but nobody knows your body like you do. 

I wish you the best of luck,

Kel

in 2013 I had severe hip pain. had both hips replaced and for the past 4 yrs have more pain now than before surgery. same thing mri ,emg,nothing shows up.I cant walk 50 yds before I'm stopped by hip and leg muscle pain,,,i wait about 2 min then another 50 yds   same situation,,,doctor is clueless to cause....in conclusion check  everything else first especially  Piriformas  that's the nerve that runs from sciatica through buttox and down both legs and can cause severe hip pain,,,,,,, good luck hope things get better 

If they haven't actually found out what is causing your pain, why are they replacing your hip joint?  As others have said, there are real risks to this surgery, and you don't want to be going through it if it is not the cause of your severe pain as it may not cure it.   Have you asked for a second opinion from another surgeon?

Best wishes

Graham