Should I have a hip replacement?
Posted , 9 users are following.
Hello everyone, this is my first post here after I found the forums online. Apologies in advance for the long post.
I am 52 and have arthritis in my right hip which has got worse and worse over the last 5 or so years. Walking is quite painful (although this varies quite a lot, sometimes it is just a faint pain, other times it can be very uncomfortable to the point where walking is difficult, but most of the time it's somewhere in between). I now walk with a slight limp.
I had an x-ray and saw an NHS consultant in a London hospital who advised that I will indeed need a hip replacement as the arthritis is quite advanced. However, he told me that since it is not painful when I'm not walking or lying down, then I should use painkillers and try physiotherapy until the pain becomes too much. He added that if I really want to go ahead, he would be happy to do the op. This was 10 months ago and I have worked hard at strengthening the muscles around my hip after seeing two physiotherapists.
However, while this has improved the pain (before physio there were occasions when I actually had to stop in the street due to the pain) it hasn't changed things as much as I'd hoped. Mornings are particularly stiff and when I walk I still have the slight limp and feel varying levels of pain.
I also feel that the bad hip is impacting upon my general health and quality of life. I have lower back pain which I believe is due to my gait as a result of limping (I know there is no guarantee that this would be fixed after an op, but I suspect it would help). I try hard to get exercise walking but I feel I would be more active if I didn't suffer with the pain.
So my question is, how bad do things need to be before going for a total hip replacement? Should I hang on a couple more years, minimising the chance of needing a second op in 15 or so years time? Or should I go ahead while I am relatively young? I'll admit, the operation scares the life out of me (even the idea of sleeping on my back doesn't sound fun as I'm a real turner in bed!) and the message from the consultant and physio seems to be that 'this is a serious operation and you shouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary'.
How did you guys decide whether to go ahead? I hover between wanting to go ahead and thinking maybe it's not so bad and I should wait. It doesn't help that there doesn't seem to be anyone you can talk to in great detail. The doctors are all so busy, you only ever get 10 minutes with them.
Another factor that helps me is that I work in IT, meaning I can work from home during recovery (especially during covid as working from home is becoming the norm). Therefore loss of income is not an issue.
Once again, apologies for the long post, any advice much appreciated.
0 likes, 41 replies
Hip2020 james56388
Edited
Hi
Im 35 & just had a THR 10 days ago. Sadly the pain only gets worse. like yourself I was in so much fear about it especially with being so young but i had no choice but to get it done. It got to a point where i was hardly going out because i literally could not walk or get on with things. im in recovery mode so hopefully just like the majority i too can say how greatful i am with my new hip 1 day very soon.
james56388 Hip2020
Edited
Glad you got your operation and I hope you make a speedy recovery. Good luck.
ptolemy Hip2020
Edited
Is the pain you have the same pain you had before the op or is it pain from the operation itself?
Hip2020 ptolemy
Posted
@ptolemy no its more surgery pain. still quite tender on my hip area and its more muscular pain cause it will take time to heal i guess. looking forward to painfree days and finally get on with my life.
ptolemy Hip2020
Posted
It is early days and a hip op is not a walk in the park. Have you been given some good painkillers? You will find soon that you are just a bit better each day at doing things. I am nearly seven weeks and looking back I am amazed how far I have come.
Hip2020 ptolemy
Posted
wow thats brilliant! yes im currently on paracetamol, ibuprofen, Codeine phosphate & Asprin. how long were you on the meds & crutches for?
ptolemy Hip2020
Posted
I must admit I stopped any painkillers when I got home, but I was in hospital for nine days as I managed to dislocate my new hip much to the horror of my surgeon. He had to come and fix it when he should have been off home! Also I am hopeless with crutches so had sticks. When I got home I used one outside and I furniture surfed in the house.
dale94413 james56388
Edited
The work you have been doing to strengthen the muscles around your hip will really help your recovery (should you decide to go ahead with the op)
james56388 dale94413
Edited
Thanks Dale, yes I'll make sure I keep up with my exercises whatever happens.
caroline40608 james56388
Posted
hi there
I'm 45 and 4 weeks post op. my pre-op symptoms and state were very much like yours and i decided to take the plunge to have a better quality of life sooner rather than later.
i had it done on the NHS and wasn't aware you could pick your surgeon but got lucky with mine as he was very experienced and in particular with young hip replacements (got to say I've enjoyed being referred to as 'young' throughput all of this!). one thing he did say to me was that yes, this replacement is unlikely to last for the rest of my life, but if you leave it too late there is a risk that your bones are too far gone for a replacement to be successful.
everyone's recovery is different but 4 weeks out i can feel a real difference. I'm now clocking a minimum of 5k steps a day as part of my rehab. pre-op if i did that many in a day I'd be laid up for a couple of days to recover. I've been off all painkillers for a week now. that's not to say I'm not feeling discomfort, i am and sometimes quite a bit but the big difference from my pre-op state is that day by day the discomfort is gradually decreasing.
hope that helps!
james56388 caroline40608
Posted
Thanks for the encouragement Caroline and it's great to hear you're moving in the right direction. Keep up the good work re exercise and I hope you're 100% soon. Can I ask how long you waited for the op after deciding to go ahead?
caroline40608 james56388
Posted
i was very lucky i think. i approached my GP for a referral Jan 20, saw the consultant at the end of March. he could have scheduled it for May but i asked for October as at the time i was still hopeful of doing a long haul flight to take the kids to Florida and you need 3 clear months to reduce risks if blood clots. obviously none of that happened and i was fortunate that they were able to keep my original October date despite the 'covid cancellations' in the interim. i wouldn't be surprised if waiting lists are a bit of a postcode lottery at the best if times (I was under Northumbria NHS) and likely exacerbated again by covid. will keep my fingers crossed for you!
james56388 caroline40608
Posted
Thank you. I'm in a busy area of London so not too optimistic on waiting times, but I think I'll feel a lot better when at least I'm on the waiting list. Good luck in your recovery.
ruth39320 james56388
Posted
HI JAMES i had my first hip replacement 5 years ago at 55 i had my other hip replaced 6 weeks ago, personally i would say go for it , it will enhance your life so much . my second hip was far worse than the first and i am feeling the benefit already as the pain was so bad before the op . I can deal with this recovery pain cos its not forever.
I hope you make the right decision thats right for you.
james56388 ruth39320
Posted
Thanks Ruth, it's nice to hear from people that it's made such a difference. It's scary but knowing it will get better must be a great help. I'm lucky that I have a job where I don't strictly need to go to the office and also have a wife who will be able to look after things during my recovery. After hearing all the positive and encouraging comments here I've decided to go ahead and get an appointment. Thank you.