TO DO OR NOT TO DO

Thank you dawn speaking to consultant tomorrow

Hi Karen, the reality is that we are just putting it off as at some stage it has to be done. I ve just made another appointment to discuss in more detail about going for the operation

Wise words. I think I'm still at denial stage, thinking doctor will say made a mistake and not that bad. Especially since had a good day today, hardly any limping lol. Like you, I think I'll just have straight talk with Doc. Get the details of what happens if I just leave it etc. Think this is going to be a tricky year. Good Luck.

Mark, it is your body and liver are being abused by the pain pills. Also your moods, your memory, your energy. ....change doctors and get this done before your body erodes more. Sorry to sound so bossy, but your doctor is not thinking of you, and I do not know where you live, but here in my part of the USA, there are laws governing the dispensing narcotics.

Best of luck to you.

Dawn, USA

💛

I seem to have told you the wrong thing, I'm NOT taking pain killers. I only have them for the odd day (maybe 14 in 365) when I do something exessive like climb a mountain or go skiing.

The surgeon has told me (for the last 5 years!) that he will not operate on my hip until I'm in more pain. I'm not in enough pain at the moment. Trouble is, walking with a limp is putting strain on the rest of my body, my back was really bad for 4-5 days and just when it was getting better a physio "cracked" my back and made it worse for 4-5 days again. What will get affected next? My knees?

The X-Rays and MRI scans show my hips are very deteriated, bones touching bone at a few points around the edges. But little pain, just my body has accomodated the problem and I walk with a slight limp.

Hi mark I was diagnosed 3 years ago with Osteo arthritis and tried to manage the condition with medication, but it deteriorated rapidly and I had to increase the amount of medication I was on. I like walking and go to the lakes a couple of times a year and have been climbing in the fells, even April 2014 I went up catbells which was a struggle and I was on a lot of meds prior to doing it, which I managed much to my delight, however by June I had to walk with a stick due to deterioration as I just couldn't walk at all without it, by September I had to use 2 sticks and by December I was in a wheelchair. I was referred to consultant in may 2014 and had my op finally 23/1/15 a right total hip replacement, which is amazing, I can walk better now than I have been able to for best part of the last year, however I have problems with my left leg which I know also has Osteo arthritis in it which means I am still having difficulty. I also have problems with my spine both of which I believe are worse because of the pressure I've had to put on them since not being able to put my weight on my right leg. Obviously this is a conversation that you will have to have with your gp. It depends on how long the wait is at your local hospital, unless you go private. At my pre med I was told by my consultant that when I go the lakes I should only climb one fell when i go and do lower ground walks because the more I do the quicker it will wear my new joint out even though it is ceramic which is the strongest type of replacement to have. I had no cartilage at all on my right hip when it was xrayed september 2014 so at that point they would operate. Obviously the joint only lasts approx 12 -15 years depending on the type of use it has and the success rate of a second replacement is less than that of the first. I think you have to make a decision based on how much this is affecting your day to day life bearing all the facts in mind and discussing with your gp. Although there are thousands of total hip replacements done on a regular basis, its certainly not a walk in the park, the 6 weeks post op are very uncomfortable, frustrating and painful, it is a major operation so shouldn't be considered unless really affecting your life in a big way, however no-one else knows how much the pain is affecting you. I'm not sure if this info is of any help to you, i am 3 weeks post op now and its my story so far. Good luck with your decisions what ever you decide.

Mark, it makes no logical sense that your doctor wants you to wait until you are eating pain pills like candy. It is your liver, your body, YOUR choice. Are you aware that your body can build a tolerance to pain medications and they will not help you with the pain when you really need it, like after surgery?

I feel your doctor is being a bit reckless when he said that.

Hoping the best for you!

Dawn, USA

So your doctor does not really want to wait until you are eating pain pills like candy?

Must be an error in translation somewhere. My Dr will not operate until I'm in pain. He says the operation is good at reducing the pain, but not good at stopping a limp, that may continue. He can judge how much pain a patient is in by how much pain relief they have to take. I don't take any unless I'm going skiing or mountain walking. When I'm popping pills like candy i.e. Taking lots of tablets, then he will operate on me.

I was diagnosed at 45 and seeing as a new hip only lasts 10 years on average in a healthy and fit individual, and you can only have two becausethe size of the third splits the bone and they have to resort to jubilee clips to hold your bone together.

He claims a 45 year old will still want to run around and therefore wear out a hip, whilst it is likely to last longer in a 70 year old who no longer plays football every day.

In theory, the better ceramic hips should last longer as the bone grows onto them for a better fit....but they have not been around long enough to confirm they will outlast 10 years. Apparently the metal hips eventually fail at the connection with bone....you hope they last the rest of your life, but no-one gives guarantees!

If you pay for the operation, the surgeon will happily do it at your request even when not necessary and well before time, you stump up the cash and anyone will fit it for you; if you wait for the NHS to pay for it, they wait until it is required and you will get the longest use out of it. I have nothing but faith in my Dr, he has never let me down yet and I trust him/them completely in helping me make the correct decision.

At the moment I still ski, I have hiked in Antarctica through deep snow and I can do whatever I want, pain does come in my hip when I push it and then I'm happy to take some pain relief if I don't want to rest.

This is a decision that is always hard to make, forums like these allow us to see others and how they cope; hopefully allowing us to make the right decision at the right time. I'm sure we can all cope with different amounts of pain, only each of us knows what it feels like.

Hi Christine, great to hear from you. Only last year I went up catbells with my kids and they said too easy so we then went up the old man next day (actually claims to be a mountain due to its height). I took a trekking stick and two co-codemals in the morning and two at the summit (30mg). Not sure they do anything for pain relief, but makes me feel better prepared!

I don't take any pain killers daily and walk the dogs all the time. It's not pain I'm in, my body has naturally turned into a limp when I walk, and if I try to run...that hurts!!!

Trouble is after 5 years my limp has given me a bad back, it was quite painfull for 4-5 days after Xmas, so was upped to oramorph. Back now seems ok, on no meds at all...but wary of choosing if it is a suitable time for a hip op. My joint is actually in good condition witha  few millimetres seperating the main bones, but I have these osteophytes (bony lumps) which are around the joint and they inhibit full movement of my left hip. My physio has kept the hip moving with lots of exercises to build up the surrounding muscle....but I can kiss my right knee, my mouth can't get withing 15" of my left knee!!!!

I do understand Mark, it was probably a difference in cultures. Here in the USA, if a doctor said that and truly prescribed enough pain killers to eat it like candy, he would be arrested!

Ha! Sorry. In our country we are constantly putting new legal restrictions and protocol on the dispensing of narcotics because too many people abuse them and lie to get them in order to sell them. It is quite difficult to obtain pain meds because of this, and the people who really need them often cannot obtain them and many non abusers are being treated as drug addicts for even asking for pain relief. My State has a high incidence of prescription narcotic abuse and people kill people over it.

Anyway, I understand your doctor's logic in waiting, but I am having hip revised in 13 days at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee in the US and they guarantee the hip prosthesis will last for 30 years. By the time you wait, they might have a longer lasting prostheses.

My best to you!

Dawn, USA

Hi mark, ha ha yes i can imagine your kids, we were planning on going up haystacks but decided halfway over the honiston pass the snow was too bad for us to try so we went up catbells instead and latrigg next day. The pics look we were in the arctic!

I was doubtful whether I was going to do any to be honest - I was so pleased that I was able to do them.

Sounds like it is best you wait a while, at the moment you can't do any damage that can't be put right but once you have the implant you could easily dislocate it especially in a fall either skiing or mountain climbing. Sounds like your physio is doing a good job, I think I'd stick with that for now. Good luck in your pursuits.

Cheers Christine, I particularly liked the Old man of Conistan, it is a circular walk past a lake with good climbing wall and back down through an old mine area with abandoned cables and brickwork. Highly recommended. I'm lucky to have an Uncle living in the Lakes so visit often. Mind you, I've still never seen a wild red squirrel and I keep going back to all the hides!

WOW, I don't know of anyone here guaranteeing a hip replacement for that long. I want one of those!

We used to get hip resurfacing done as a part-way idea, they use a much smaller component so you can still get hip replacements at a later date. But our local Dr's have stopped recommending them, even when I suggested I went private and paid for it. They seem to work for many people, but it's still major surgery.

Best of luck and keep the forum informed on how you go.

Hi mark, We usually go twice a year and meet up with friends from a photography group that come from all round the country. One if them lives in Barrow and walks the fells regularly and so leads us, which is great and when I finally get to do all these things I've always wanted to do my leg gives way, to be honest it could be that which has caused it to deterioate so quickly. We did angle tarn pike a couple of years ago and went through the squeeze, to be honest its a good job I didn't know about it before I did it or I probably wouldn't have done it, but what a buzz when you have, isn't it and the views are amazing, it wasn't snowing that day but had been and we had to walk through 2 ft or so of snow. I loved it. I loved to climb when I was younger but don't think I dare now with my hip done. Will look at old man though. Are you on striding edge website, Sean's pics of his walks are amazing. He walks the fells on a near daily basis with his two dogs. I take it you've been to whinlatter then for the squirrels, we haven't yet but would love to. There's so much to do there and so little time to do it all.

I hope your back continues to hold out and your physio continues to keep you supple enough to enjoy your climbing, may see you up there some time lol

Well Mark, you could come on up and get one that lasts 30 years! Fortunately you actually have some time to wait and do research. I did not. Avascular Necrosis, instant death of my hip joints as well as my shoulder joints. My first THR was perfect, second one a nightmare as the prosthesis came loose, doctor abandoned my case, (I might have a legal case) and found Vanderbilt. My surgeon specializes in revisions. Then I will tackle the shoulder replacements.

Looking forward to getting my life back.

No, not on Striding Edge, but it is one of my favourites and hope to take the kids there soon. Just come back from Dartmoor and parts of the South East Coast. Took pain killers for one days walking (codeine prescription strength), and took nothing the next days walking....both felt identical, I don't think pain killesr are working for my hips. I can still do the walking no problem, but can't jog at all and climbing up steep steps is definately slower than it used to be.