Today I meet the surgeon

Hi Billy,

Sorry to hear the surgeon they gave you was so arrogant in his approach to you and completely understand your reluctance to risk him doing such a big operation. I know people on here go on about choosing your surgeon and checking them out but, the reality is we go to the doctor, get given a consultant, end of, especially if it is our first time dealing with an operation, we do not know any better. In Wales where I am living, the surgeon's do not have to put their success/failure rate on line anyway.

I personally, would not have another one done by choice as I had a blood clot in the lung at week 7/8, the injections did not stop it nor, moving about.

Exercise Billy, it will keep pain at bay and any reliance on painkillers, it really does help. Good luck for the future, whatever you decide.

Do you really want to cancel your surgery? You have gone through a lot to get this far. You can always request a different surgeon and you don't want to have to carry on with the awful hip pain.

Hi Ptolemy

I have already cancelled the surgery and I am afraid I know I am going to have a rough road ahead but so be it. This seems to be the story of my life .

Can you get back onto the op list at all? It seems so sad that you could have to go through a lot of pain when you don't have to. Things are not going to change as far as the NHS is concerned, they will just go on as usual. I could not imagine saying I did not need my op, I was in such pain.

really don't want to go back on any list after the way I was treated yesterday.

I am in pain and do need an op but I would rather be in pain than dead to me it's a no brainer

If you feel that the medical profession might kill you I think I would think twice too, although I must admit I don't know if I would have wanted to live with the pain I had for much longer. Quality of life was too important to me.

His attitude was doom and gloom , he said that it was better to treat thin old ladies as they are better to do in the sense that they do not have the muscle structure of people like me , quality of life is important to me but when a consultant makes you feel how i felt its not good honestly i was already and excited for the op but I dont do BS and thats what I got yesterday

The Register who put me on the waiting list wasn't worried about me being over weight, (I am 4 ft nothing and just over 10st) I n fact he said with the pain I was in it was bound to happen. When I finally met my surgeon, on day of op, he never said anything either!!!

You know when you have or have not a good surgeon.

But I hope you get the result you need soon Billy.

Ann

just reading posts about teeth etc and there is way too much hassle about teeth and infections etc.

I got my teeth cleaned and polished and was told i needed 2 fillings but the dentist said i was good for the surgery

ghee how lucky am i

To be honest I didn't know about teeth....

I had spinal block and asked to be sedated as I didn't want to know what was going on. I probably paid for the sedation afterwards but would go that way again. It was good not to have anesthetic!

Ann

Hi Billy, I have followed your progress or lack of on site. You need to swallow your pride mate and get the bugger done. Nobody can help you but yourself, my consultant was a nutter, but is famed for writing up and introducing the brace position in aero accidents. He has no bedside manners but made me howl laughing, with his brusk attitude, dont give it up, get sorted!! Best wishes

Helen

Hi Helen,

you are RIGHT i need to get the bugger done. Its not a question of swallowing my pride honestly I would have the operation done in a heartbeat.

My point is that a consultation should be a disscussion of whats going to happen and what you think about things. Surely the patient has an opinion or at least a question or two that the consultant should at least talk about.

The way the consultant put things I was going to be no better off than i am now (Which i know is not right) and with this in mind should you take an op just for the sake of it ?.

Believe me I am still working at getting it done as it is extremely painful everyday.

Referring back to my anetheatist last week who said stop all sugars and you will loose weight but if you dont we will still do the operation in 8 weeks, to me this was the time table they had preplanned for me so why not just say it at the Start.

At the end of the day i want this op done I need this op done but I will not do so until a proper consultation is done , I did pay £200 for a private cnsultation before I was sent to Glasgow and he listened to me and understood my situation , If the consultant last week had been the same I would probably be on the road to recovery.

Its my body lol maybe not much of one but I have to do what I think is best and not take a gamble .

But again you are RIGHT I do need it done ASAP

So thanks Helen for yur advice I have taken it onboard

Cheers

Billy

Hi Billy,

When I saw the surgeon before my hip op I asked if I would be able to put on my socks and cut my toe nails as they were two big things I could no longer manage he said no, the only thing different is you will be out of pain.

Well, he was right about the pain I have never had any since op therefore did not need painkillers, but the nurses made me take them in hospital.

I have been cutting my toe nails for a few months, it is slightly difficult on the left, the operated side but, I am hoping it gets easier as time goes on.

I think our recovery is down to ourselves and how much we put into it, to be honest no surgeon can possibly know how someone will recover or the patients attitude to their own recovery. Some people push on while others whinge at the slightest ache.

Consultants are known for their arrogance but, if we need something done we need to pander to their own self importance at times.

Hope you get sorted sooner rather than later.

Hi Jen

Lol maybe i am expecting miracles but i thought i would be able to touch my toes and have a lot more movement with my leg, I have even read that some people can even do the splits after surgery lol .

O know things would never be perfect but due to the range of aproaches the surgeons can use now and the different combinations of replacement joints there should be a noticable difference surely.

The one thing i am is honest ll and ne of my biggest fears is hat i ver d things once i get a replacement as i would be pushing to get mobile as fast as possible

Billy

Billy, I am eleven months post op today and can touch the floor. I have always been worried of dislocation therefore probably slower than some people.

I did not enrol at the leisure centre until five and half months as we had moved to Wales the previous year and I did not know anyone in the classes, still I enrolled in step aerobics, pilates and zumba. If there is one thing I would recommend post op is pilates, it gives a full body workout and you will touch your toes sooner rather than later.

After the hip op, my lower back hurt, when standing I had to wait before moving when I did move it took a few steps to straighten up, the pilates cured this problem without painkillers which I will be honest I do not believe in and for me is always the last resort never first.

That's amazing Jen

I was told I would not be able to sit and cross my legs for the rest of my life

not sure how it effects everyone

There is a lady in my pilates class in her seventies, she had her hip about six years ago, she sits with her legs crossed on the floor. I am using her as my inspiration to do more.

Lol now can you see why I had no confidence in the consultant

The important things about how well your hip op goes is the ability of the surgeon, your fitness, your age, your attitude. A tip top surgeon is really important, they may be rude and dismissive but if they are first class at hips and done lots of them that is really important.

So true!

Remember this surgeon said it was a hard operation for him to do due to "Muscle Mass" , I have since found out he uses the Posterior approach and cements the joint in, Some of this concerns me but since it was his "lunch time" I could not ask the questions let alone get answers . I just had a gut feeling and I could be totally wrong about the guy but I usually always follow my first instinct

I had the posterior and cemented in, I cannot see a problem with it, the hip is ceramic and metal.

Did you find anything out about how good the surgeon was? Or have you found another good surgeon? I am sure there are some excellent surgeons around your area. I have never heard of muscle mass being a problem, in fact I haven't a clue what it means. I know I had cysts which made my op more difficult.

Found out he only started there last year, waiting for the NHS to get back to me as they are looking in to things.

As for muscle mass the way he described it was my legs are large and have strong muscle thats what first started the alarm bells

I would love to know what is meant by muscle mass and the problem it causes for a hip op. It does sound like your surgeon may not have been very experienced.