Yes, today is the 1 year anniversary of my right hip replacement, then on Thursday (2 days after) they did my left hip. They didn't want to do them both on the same day. My doctor said he got better results if they had a couple of days before making me lie on the side they just did surgery on.
Obviously I decided to go ahead with the surgery. I talked to at least 6 orthopedic doctors, I talked to the rep for the implant parts and I talked to at least 5 people that had done the surgery, 3 with the doctor I decided on and 1 of them with a double hip replacement. It's very tedious to find peoples contact info and to actually talk with them and time consuming. Plus, what questions should you ask?
What to ask the doctor: How many of these do you do? What technique do you use and how long have you used this technique. What should you expect for your recovery? Are there other options he might suggest? What limitations will you have, if any?
What to ask other people that have had the surgery? How old were they when they had surgery? What doctor performed the operation? What was their recovery like? Are they happy with the results? What are their limitations, if any?
No matter what take a couple days or even weeks and let all the information percolate. Don't rush into any decision, think it thru so you can decide what is the best course of action for you. It may be to postpone surgery or maybe by the time you need it they have more options available.
One of my doctors talked about a partial hip for my right side but the results for females in particular didn't look very good. Maybe I would have been one of the lucky ones but I wasn't willing to take the chance. They are also making progress with different injections for the hip such as hyarulonic acid which was not approved for the hip when I needed it. There is also some other process that does something with other substances injected that a physical therapist told me about. All may be things you can try. Since my hips were so bad I didn't think what was available to me helped. I did get cortisone shots in each hip. Which was not any different then the MRI with contrast, it was shots without the MRI. the shots are uncomfortable but I thought my doctor did an excellent job and it really wasn't that bad.
While I was in the office for my first shot, Dara Torres (the Olympic swimmer) happened to be there in physical therapy. My doctor operated on her shoulder just after the Olympics. I really wanted to meet her but after I got my first shot of cortisone in my hip I passed out cold. Don't know why, sometimes when I get a major shot - out I go. I'm not afraid of needles, most of the time I'm fine. Needless to say I didn't get to meet Dara at that point. I was lucky enough to get to meet her at a later date though. The next time I got a cortisone shot in my hip I was fine.
The cortisone shots did nothing for my hips. I thought they might because I've had a cortisone shot in my shoulder, years ago, and I got back full use of my shoulder and it's still good. Some things you have to try, specially if there is no down side to the procedure.
I've exhausted all options and I've interviewed everyone I could possibly find to ask questions to. I decided the time had come for surgery. I also did the research on doing both hips at once. Since both of mine were really bad, what did I have to lose. The recovery isn't any longer, you just have to spend a couple of extra days in the hospital. I find rehab and recovery such a tedious and boring process. I understand how necessary it is but boy does it take mental discipline to get through it. It's another reason I decided on doing both hips at the same time. I didn't want to spend 6 months recovering then go through it all again.
I picked the doctor I wanted to do my surgery and made the appointment. I thought I was ready and as informed as I could be. Next I'll walk you through the surgery and hospital stay. Such fun!
At my 1 year anniversary I swam this morning with the master's and then when I got home at 7 am my husband was waiting for me because the surf was up! So we went surfing for 3 hours, great waves, lots of fun. Was going to go for a run with the local running club but too tired from both swimming and surfing. Tomorrow I'll do stairs with my friends. We run up and down the stairs at one of the bridges that crosses the intracoastal. We do it for about 20-30 minutes and it's an intense workout.
Having the surgery when I did was perfect timing for me. I am so very glad I had it done and could not be doing any better. I still need to work on my hip flexion range of motion but my doctor said it's up to me, whatever I want to achieve as long as I don't cross my legs I'm good to go. I am still seeing improvements in my hip flexibility and if I actually dedicated time to it I know I could get my flexibility where I want it. That will be my next fitness goal.
Obviously I decided to go ahead with the surgery. I talked to at least 6 orthopedic doctors, I talked to the rep for the implant parts and I talked to at least 5 people that had done the surgery, 3 with the doctor I decided on and 1 of them with a double hip replacement. It's very tedious to find peoples contact info and to actually talk with them and time consuming. Plus, what questions should you ask?
What to ask the doctor: How many of these do you do? What technique do you use and how long have you used this technique. What should you expect for your recovery? Are there other options he might suggest? What limitations will you have, if any?
What to ask other people that have had the surgery? How old were they when they had surgery? What doctor performed the operation? What was their recovery like? Are they happy with the results? What are their limitations, if any?
No matter what take a couple days or even weeks and let all the information percolate. Don't rush into any decision, think it thru so you can decide what is the best course of action for you. It may be to postpone surgery or maybe by the time you need it they have more options available.
One of my doctors talked about a partial hip for my right side but the results for females in particular didn't look very good. Maybe I would have been one of the lucky ones but I wasn't willing to take the chance. They are also making progress with different injections for the hip such as hyarulonic acid which was not approved for the hip when I needed it. There is also some other process that does something with other substances injected that a physical therapist told me about. All may be things you can try. Since my hips were so bad I didn't think what was available to me helped. I did get cortisone shots in each hip. Which was not any different then the MRI with contrast, it was shots without the MRI. the shots are uncomfortable but I thought my doctor did an excellent job and it really wasn't that bad.
While I was in the office for my first shot, Dara Torres (the Olympic swimmer) happened to be there in physical therapy. My doctor operated on her shoulder just after the Olympics. I really wanted to meet her but after I got my first shot of cortisone in my hip I passed out cold. Don't know why, sometimes when I get a major shot - out I go. I'm not afraid of needles, most of the time I'm fine. Needless to say I didn't get to meet Dara at that point. I was lucky enough to get to meet her at a later date though. The next time I got a cortisone shot in my hip I was fine.
The cortisone shots did nothing for my hips. I thought they might because I've had a cortisone shot in my shoulder, years ago, and I got back full use of my shoulder and it's still good. Some things you have to try, specially if there is no down side to the procedure.
I've exhausted all options and I've interviewed everyone I could possibly find to ask questions to. I decided the time had come for surgery. I also did the research on doing both hips at once. Since both of mine were really bad, what did I have to lose. The recovery isn't any longer, you just have to spend a couple of extra days in the hospital. I find rehab and recovery such a tedious and boring process. I understand how necessary it is but boy does it take mental discipline to get through it. It's another reason I decided on doing both hips at the same time. I didn't want to spend 6 months recovering then go through it all again.
I picked the doctor I wanted to do my surgery and made the appointment. I thought I was ready and as informed as I could be. Next I'll walk you through the surgery and hospital stay. Such fun!
At my 1 year anniversary I swam this morning with the master's and then when I got home at 7 am my husband was waiting for me because the surf was up! So we went surfing for 3 hours, great waves, lots of fun. Was going to go for a run with the local running club but too tired from both swimming and surfing. Tomorrow I'll do stairs with my friends. We run up and down the stairs at one of the bridges that crosses the intracoastal. We do it for about 20-30 minutes and it's an intense workout.
Having the surgery when I did was perfect timing for me. I am so very glad I had it done and could not be doing any better. I still need to work on my hip flexion range of motion but my doctor said it's up to me, whatever I want to achieve as long as I don't cross my legs I'm good to go. I am still seeing improvements in my hip flexibility and if I actually dedicated time to it I know I could get my flexibility where I want it. That will be my next fitness goal.
Take your recovery one step at a time. I admire your patience and endurance throughout the whole ordeal. Since you had an active lifestyle before you the hip operation, it's no wonder that you're doing well in going back in shape and do the things you use to do.
ReplyDeleteI agree about taking the recovery one step at a time. Don't rush anything, use common sense and listen to the professionals. It can seem slower than you'd like and certainly can be tedious but you want the best results possible don't get impatient.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing you experience with us. I know how information hungry one can be before such a major surgery. I'm doing the researching part for my mother. She'll need hip replacement surgery. I found out about the anterior approach, which supposedly offers a faster recovery. The surgeons in my city are not experienced enough with this method, so we'll have to choose to do the surgery in another city. I talked to another doctor who said that he has the most experience with one specific type of implant and of course after a little research I don't want my mother to have that specific implant.
ReplyDeleteAll things short, I know how important is to do a thorough research, but hopefully all will add up to a problem free recovery.
Best,
Colin.
Hi Colin, You can't research enough or ask too many questions. Make sure your Mom donates blood before hand in case they need it during or after surgery. I would not hesitate to go to a different city or state for a surgeon who specializes in the method you want. Don't hesitate to talk to the rep for the implant the doctor uses too. If all goes well recovery should be good for your Mom. The key after a successful surgery is the rehab. I can't stress enough the need for a good physical therapist and to do what they say and not more because you feel you can. More is not good, things need to heel specially the first 1-3 months. Good luck, would love to know how your Mom's surgery and rehab go.
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