Hip replacement surgery

gllama · 2017-01-14T22:24:49+00:00

At age 60, I'm looking at needing hip replacement surgery. I have severe osteoarthritis in my left hip that has just gotten progressively worse over the past...

PA-PLAYA

A friend of mine struggled with a bum hip for years. Had hip replacement surgery several years ago, and has often said since having it done that he wished he'd had it done sooner. If you're gonna have it done, winter is a great time... recovery and rehab should have you ready to hit the links within 3-4 months.

Of course, the financials can't be overlooked. And not every experience is one in the same. But his quality of life increased significantly. Wishing you the best, whether you wait or have it done sooner rather than later. Most people have positive reviews after having it done.

LBlack14

You still try to walk? I, seriously, have a hard time walking up to my bed every night.....so I try to sleep down stairs in my chair. The pain keeps me awake. I have a handicap tag now as well. It's horrible!! I never EVER expected anything like this. I was told when I had knee surgery in 1998 that I'd probably need knee replacement, but NOOOO, it's a damn hip. I'm miserable. It's got to where it bothers everything on my right lower side. My sciatic nerve is irritated as well. I have a constant burn in the front of my leg below my knee on the right side. I'm seriously considering signing up for disability. Hopefully gonna have this done either Feb or March. The clots ya know. Gonna cost me 2K outta pocket the wife said.

Best of luck G!! This sucks, BIG TIME!!

Sorry for the rant.

gllama

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all of your responses.
I've always been a very active, physical man. Always walked playing golf, hiked miles, been able to do almost anything physical. But this hip issue is really bringing me down. I saw my x-rays and there isn't anything left between the bones. The pain is either a dull ache that goes down from my hip socket to my knee and then my ankle, or it's a sharp shooting pain where I can barely walk after getting out of bed. It's weird, some days it's manageable and I can walk fine, other days I'm really in pain. Nothing seems to help that much now. I've tried prescription anti-inflammatories, tylenol, ibuprofen, even cannabis (some strains do help relieve the pain). I'm at the point where I'm just going to go ahead with the surgery and spend the money. It's a quality of life issue and I want to be able to do the things I enjoy like golf and walking my dog. Waiting to 65 doesn't seem like an option now.
LB- Best of luck with your surgery. Yes it does suck, but so many people have said that they wished they hadn't waited so long to have it done. Apparently, they do give you blood thinners to help prevent blood clots.
It's the shits getting old...

LBlack14

gllama

The thinners are because the day after i found out I need the surgery, they found 2 clots in my calf. they won't do the surgery if you're on the thinners or I'dve already had it done. Now I have to wait for the clots to be treated. Good news though, I went for a follow up on 12/27 and they told me I could have it after only 3 months of treatment because the clots were below my knee. Otherwise it was a 6 month wait, at least.

Typhoon

Guy that works for me had his done a few years back. He was your age. They had him on on of those constant motion machines as soon as the next day. He had it done in the winter and was playing golf in the summer, no problems.

I have a guy now, in his 40's that has been limping for years, thought it was his knee...turns out its his hip. Dr says he's too young for a replacement so they are going to try cortisone first.

gllama

I'm going in on Jan. 31 for a cortisone shot to see if that helps. But I think that's only going to be a band-aid for the inevitable... hip surgery. I wish I had better insurance that would pay for it instead of me having to fork over 6 grand out of my retirement nest egg. Oh well, it is what it is and I'm sick of the pain so I'll do what has to be done and get on with my life.

Orlimar1

The mother in law lived with a bad hip for years. I think she had a really high pain tolerance. But there at the end she was sleeping in a chair to keep from lying flat and it got to be too much.

braveheart

I work in PT on an orthopedic floor and I directly involved in the rehab post surgery while in the hospital. People do amazingly well and return to activities that don't include running and jumping much faster and do them better. No longer in pain, less compensations and thus see improvement. I often say to golfers who have it done, " you may get 10 yards back" and they are even more all in then. I do recommend you consider having the anterior approach rather than the posterior approach. It is less invasive and has less precautions. Both approaches do very well but consider it before you decide. Other thing is after having it done, focus on achieving the immediate mobility goals to get you home rather than to a rehab facility. They do a fine job but there is less chance of infection going home.
Let me know what you do. I'll be glad to offer my advice and anything else.

LBlack14

braveheart
I'm scratching my head here. I asked my surgeon which method he would do based on everything I've read/heard about anterior being preferred over posterior. He said he preferred posterior for guys like me, whatever that meant. Said he's trained to do both, but something about me being a big guy. That make any sense Mike?

gllama

Thanks Braveheart, I will definitely seek out your advice. At 60, I can't run or jump anymore, so I should rehab pretty quick! I'm in good shape and lean so that should help. The anterior approach seems to be the way to go. I'm not sure what approach my surgeon favors but will have the conversation soon. I appreciate all the comments. It's encouraging to hear that most people find the surgery a success and a life without pain is a good life.

mulegolf

My former league partner (about 60 yrs. old) had a new hip last spring and was playing golf in about two weeks. That wasn't his Dr's recommendation but it worked for him. He just couldn't swing hard and the pain wasn't bad that way. My wife (age 68) had it done this past September and had lots of pain due to taking warfarin. It caused bleeding inside the incision area and her whole leg swelled so badly that an emergency room Dr. was afraid her incision would burst. Once they got that under control, she was able to start therapy sessions. She fairly rapidly improved after that and now you can't tell she had it done. She has no limp unless she is quite tired. He incision was about 10" long and was at the upper side of he thigh. Our next door neighbor (mid 50's) got a new hip around Thanksgiving and his incision was only about 4' long and was more toward the front part of his upper thigh. He had some problems also and had quite a bit of pain. He also had some bleeding and swelling but improved rapidly after that was controlled. In the long run, each of them were much better off two to two and a half months after the surgery. Good luck when you do get it done.

braveheart

LBlack14
Yes, it does make sense.

bogeypro

I speak not from my personal experience but that of my fiancee. Make sure you look for a surgeon that will do the hip replacement via the anterior approach rather than the posterior approach. My fiancée had the anterior approach (incision made about even with the side seam in your pants just behind the FRONT pocket opening) and she was up & walking 3hrs later with no cane, no walker, just a bit of arm holding from the physical therapist. She even did a couple stairs.

The old school posterior approach cuts into you right around the middle of your BACK pocket, meaning there's a lot of muscle that has to be cut. The surgeon is able to just move muscle aside when using the anterior approach.
Post OP, she never took any pain meds, never used a cane or walker and said she wished she had done the surgery sooner.

Best of luck, I saw the pain she was in & wouldn't wish it on anyone.

braveheart

Yes, it is true that the larger individuals still have the posterior approach. After surgery complications are less and as one surgeon has told me. There is more bleeding with the anterior approach.Now what is the cutoff number of Body Mass Index that allows you to have the anterior approach I don't know. I recently had one guy was solid and by no means thin and he had two anterior approach surgeries at the same time. Rare but he did fine. So yes if your surgeon feels that in YOUR CASE the posterior is better he has his reasons. He may feel it will be more stable in the posterior approach.It would not hurt to have another consultation.

bogeypro

My finacee is petite & a 4x-5x a week gym rat, her surgeon said she was an ideal candidate for the anterior approach. She just retired from a 40+ career as a pediatric PT working with kids with severe physical disabilities. The years took their toll on her joints when they added kids to her workload that were physically bigger than her.