Terrified to have hip surgery
Posted , 4 users are following.
My doctor told me I needed THR because of arthritis. At first I was ok with it because
I trust him, he did my surgery for tibial plateau fracture 2 years ago. I have very thin
strong bones. Never break anything when I take bad falls. I had a tibial plateau fracture
because a 140 pound dog ran into the side of my leg.
I worry my pelvis is not strong enough for THR. I worry my femur could break which
I would find devestating.
But my biggest worry is sleeping after the surgery. I cannot get to sleep on my back.
I cant sleep with my legs out straight. I cant sleep with pillows between my legs. If
I eventually fall asleep in an acceptable position for the hip, as soon as I fall asleep
I will thrash until I can get into a comfortable sleep position which will mean knees
bent high and legs twisted. I know this because during my TPF recovery, I had to wear
my big cast to bed to protect my leg during the bedridden period. For the first 2 weeks
I could not get off my back. I would do nothing but thrash until I could get comfortable
enough to sleep. I finally, in my sleep at first managed to haul the big cast on top of
my good leg. My good leg would be sore in the morning but at least I could get some sleep.
I become almost psychotic when I cant sleep. My husband had trouble sleeping when I
was recovering because he was so afraid I would hurt myself in my efforts to sleep.
So this is a huge worry. I am undecided what to do. I have been doing a lot of reading on
THR recovery and the more I read the more panic-stricken I get when it comes to
sleep. Daytime would not e a problem. I am not afraid of surgery in general.
Also I have a language problem with my doctor. I live in Panama, dont completely trust
the medical system. Having it done in the US is just not an option right now.
Anybody have any ideas?
0 likes, 2 replies
thea63057 Chickenbone
Edited
Hi, you may want to get a second opinion before agreeing to get THR. once you get the surgery, there's no turning back and if you dislocate it you will have to get more surgery. THR will require sacrifice for atleast the first 90 days then after that you can generally resume your normal sleeping pattern. The restrictions are to ensure the muscles around the hip heal and strengthen so that the hip is held in place securely. Dislocation of it is extremely painful. I speak from being a experienced THR recipient of 26 years and 4 surgeries. Hope this helps, God bless!
barbara66703 Chickenbone
Edited
osteoarthritis is a progressive disease. my doc told me i needed THR surgery and also explained that its important to not wait to long . damage to the hip can complicate surgery and recovery. once the hip joint is bone on bone its misaligned it can cause many other serious injuries to the hip that could compromise a good turn out. the surgeon needs good quality bone and soft tissue to optimize a good recovery. when the pain becomes a 10 points on the pain scale and daily walking is impossible its time to take the the plunge and THR is a good alternative , better than stuck in a wheelchair. the whole premise behind THR surgery is to improve mobility and a better quality of life.