What have you tried to avoid it?
WD-40
Do it now, BEFORE our entire medical system collapses.
...and then do EVERYTHING regarding the physical therapy, or you’ll wind up with a lot less capability (as in range of motion).
Hips are a lot easier than knees.
No metal on metal.
Mrs. Slim got a Stryker ceramic and titanium, it’s working out great.
At your age get it done ASAP. Find an orthopedic doctor with lots of experience in hip replacement and choose your hospital carefully. Look for infection rates with hip replacements when picking your hospital. Ask your surgeon lots of questions and be comfortable with their responses before going ahead. Be prepared for a long rehab and stick with the rehab your doctor gives you.
ps:
many people (including me) experience that glucosamine with chondrotitin ... can provide significant pain relief, it apparently goes to the joints and layers in some of the missing surface material. I am not an expert but I do find that this stuff helps me, and I have several friends who’ve had same positive results.
I am NOT suggesting this as a cure.
I am suggesting you ask your doctors if they’ve any objection to your trying it awhile, and then do so if OK by them.
It may take a couple weeks for you to start feeling the difference, so keep at it awhile.
It is very commonly available in almost all major drug stores and online like Amazon in pill form. Inexpensive.
I do not take well to pills.
So, I take mine in liquid form now.
Wellesse brand 33.8 fluid ounce plastic bottles, available many places including online...I usually find the best price is offered at Costco.com
it is “natural berry flavor” — it doesn’t taste particularly wonderful but if you screw up your face a bit, it tastes tolerably OK. Far better tasting then the regular pill form, at least.
Check your doctors and if they give you the OK, then this might (after a couple weeks maybe to start in) help relieve some of your pain, pending any surgical correction.
So far in my case, it has staved off, prevented the need for surgery....
All the best,
faithhopecharity
Like yours mine was also bone on bone and the pain was horrible. Finally after living like this I decided to go ahead and I am so happy I did. I had an anterior procedure instead of the posterior. I was only in the hospital 3 days, and actually could have gone home after 2 but was enjoying the pampering so stayed one more day.
If you'd like to Freepmail with questions I'll be more than happy to answer what I can. I'm not medically that astute, but I might be able to assuage your fears a little
It’s amazing what they can do these days. Some can be done as a minimally invasive procedure, and the results and recovery time are so much better than they used to be. On a related note, GWB had a knee replacement recently that was done on an outpatient basis.
For the types of replacement that you study, also study how patients make their way thru the recovery and rehab process.
Different ball-and-socket arrangements may affect how you previously slept at night. For example, you may realize quickly, that you can no longer sleep on one side or the other ... which may be a side on which you used to be “most comfortable.”
You may find that you need to sleep upright in a laid-back / reclining chair for some time after the surgery, because you “just can’t sleep in bed like you used to.” That kind of thing.
Some “natural motion” or your “typical gate” that has been familiar to you, may change for a while ... or in some cases, permanently.
There is some chance of your being limited *from* motion and positions, in other words, that were previously “normal” for you ... but after surgery, you find that you have to mentally keep reminding yourself, “Nope, I can’t do that.”
There will, in other words, likely be a period of adjustment.
Get a good number of reacher-grabbers (Lowes and Home Depot have them). You’re going to be needing them; and possible one for every room in the house, so you don’t have to go hunting for one.
Get used to the idea, that you will *not* be bending over to pick up things. You’ll need to learn to “plant one hand on something, in order to take some weight,” and then ... maybe ... you can reach some things out in front of you.
Very likely, you’ll be advised, that you can reach out for something, but not down for something.
To some degree, you’ll have to police your motions for some time.
As the months go by, and you maintain a regimen of getting thru it all, you’ll adapt and eventually become accustomed -— that is, if for some mechanical reason, you “can’t do this or can’t do that” anymore.
That could spook you, at first, but don’t worry (repeat *THAT*); just hang in there and take it a day at a time and sometimes part-of-a-day at a time.
You’ll make it.
All tips based upon the experience of a friend.
There are two kinds or replacements, the traditional kind where muscles are cut to access the replacement and the new kind where the muscles are spread apart. If the second kind can be done find the best in the city that does lots of them. Go there.
I just called Obama to see if he could help you out. He said since you were 79 years old, that you were $hit out of luck, told me to tell you to just take some pain pills.
Get it sooner rather than later. The more deterioration the longer the recovery. Make sure you ask your surgeon how many hips he has done. It should be a high figure. Practice makes perfect. Some guys have done 500 or more. The more the better.
If you are lucky and follow the physical therapy regimen you could be back to normal in about 3 months. That’s if it goes really well. 6-12 months for full recovery is not unusual. If you are bone on bone you don’t have another viable option.
My sister had both hips replaced within a short period of time. She was in her 80’s when she had it done. Relieved pain about 90%, been living with sciatica for years. One was 100% good and the other still gives her some problems from time to time, but nothing like it was before surgery
The operation itself isn't fun...but not horrible either.Expect difficulties for 2 months (or more) after surgery.Expect post op therapy that's not at all fun.But if you're like me you'll be asking yourself "why did I wait so long?" about 3 months post op.
Also expect to get clearance from your primary care doc...if not others as well (I need cardiology clearance as well).
It's a nothing deal.
One day,during one of my post op PT sessions I was telling the therapist how much I hated him (actually how much I hated the sessions) and he replied,in a whisper,"see that guy over there? He had a knee replacement.Hip replacements are a piece of cake compared to knee replacements".
Don’t even think about waiting. I’m 74 and had it done last August. Couldn’t walk 100 feet. Went to the Rothman clinic in Philadelphia and had Dr. Rothman himself do it. He has done over 30,000 and designed his own joint, after being dissatisfied with what was on the market. They use the spread the muscle technique and don’t use the minimum invasion deal because he says it limits the view too much.
I was awake and saw the old joint and the new one before it went in. Operation was done ay 9:00 AM and I was walking at 1:00 PM. Went home the next day.
Also had a shoulder done a few years ago and that was a much tougher deal. This wasn’t really hard to recover from, but you need to do the therapy and the exercises religiously.
After 10 months I never think about it, and can do most anything I want to do. Haven’t kick started my Triumph motorcycle yet though.