Coping after hip replacement

[Fib36]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry its me again with yet more concerns about forthcoming hip replacement on 5th December.

Despite my emphasising to the surgeon at my recent pre-op assessment that I was having excruciating pain in my right hip (which is what I had assumed would need replacing) BUT because the x-rays showed bone-on-bone in my left hip (despite me experiencing far less discomfort from it) the surgeon insisted that the left hip should be replaced immediately - to my total amazement!

I am now experiencing even more pain from my right hip to the point that I cannot stand up for more than a couple of minutes until the pain becomes unbearable and I just have to sit down immediately. Naturally I am now getting very worried indeed especially when post-op I will be very dependent on two crutches AND putting extra weight on my right leg, bearing in mind activities like showering, meal preparation etc etc. and as I live alone I just don't think I will be able to cope at all.

I am going to call the hospital on Monday to express my worries & concerns and the fact that I just don't think I will be able to cope in any way shape or form. Time is obviously not on my side as in order to cut the long waiting time I have elected to go self-pay which is a huge dent in my finances but living with constant pain is a big motivator and payment must be made no less than 7 days before the date of the operation.

Any helpful suggestions will be much appreciated as I am now beginning to feel desperate & extremely worried.

Fib 36

[BobD Volunteer]

Sorry hardly something we AF people can help with.

[Fib36 in reply to BobD]

Sorry I AM an AF person and currently on Flecainide 150mg x 2 - the point is that all this extra stress regarding which hip etc is putting me at risk of AF before or during the hip replacement procedure and indeed afterwards as well- that I am convinced of as I am a total stress-head and have been all of my life. Anyway a phone call might help.

Fib 36

[Jalia]

My sympathies, having gone through total hip replacement ( and needing more...).

As you are self funding you should phone your surgeons secretary with your concerns.

[Fib36 in reply to Jalia]

Hi,

Yes I reluctantly am as the NHS waiting time was something I knew I couldn't cope with due to the severe constant pain. I am also very concerned about the AF rearing its ugly head again having been AF free for over 11 months now since my Flecainide dose was increased. Anyway, as you suggest a phone call might help.

Fib 36

[Jalia in reply to Fib36]

I had to reluctantly self fund as sleep was badly affected with the pain.....70 week wait for MSK before even seeing surgeon !!

Do try to put your AF aside and concentrate on your surgery. Once the initial few weeks post op are over you should feel so much better.

You will be given help to manage your crutches before you leave the hospital and may well be surprised how well you can cope. I had stairs to climb and managed those without crutches...just rails each side. You will have to manage with just a wash until you are up to using the shower. Unless you have a walk in shower this could be several weeks.

Can you get someone to call in to give you a hand for the initial week or so ?

Ps I had no episodes of AF during my procedure or in the following weeks and mine can be stress related

[Fib36 in reply to Jalia]

Hi,

Many thanks for your reply and encouraging information . However my main concern is that the really bad pain in my right hip seems to be getting worse which is affecting everything that I attempt to do and making sleep virtually impossible and yet despite me explaining this to the surgeon he insisted that he wanted to replace the left hip as it was bone on bone. I know that some replies have said balance between both hips is vital and that may be the cause of the pain in the other hip BUT my big worry is how on earth will I be able to cope after the op when I will need the support of the other hip with mobility etc which will be almost impossible because of the intense pain - anyway I will phone the hospital and seek their advice.

Fib 36

[Jalia in reply to Fib36]

It would appear that the severity of pain does not always correlate to the condition of the joint. I once had the worse pain ever in one knee where I needed a wheelchair to take me to xray. It turned out to be mild osteoarthritis. My other knee was bone on bone with much milder symptoms.

I hope you get some useful advice when you make contact. The answers to your worries should be addressed at your pre op consultation usually with the nurses from the team.

[Physalis in reply to Jalia]

I have read that it is also true that the actual condition of the joint when removed is much worse than it looked on the x-ray.

[Fib36 in reply to Physalis]

Hi

I now suspect that may be so in my case as the very painful right hip still shows some evidence of remaining cartilage- time will tell after the MRI scan now arranged.

[Fib36 in reply to Jalia]

Hi

New surgeon-fresh start - MRI scan on right hip now arranged -replacement of left hip now cancelled- watch this space!!

[Jalia in reply to Fib36]

I await with interest !

[Fib36 in reply to Jalia]

Hi

Thank you for your info and it would appear to be the same in my case as with my new surgeon emphasis now changed to my right hip and MRI scan booked!

[Physalis in reply to Fib36]

I'm very pleased for you that you now have a new surgeon. Please let us know how it goes.

[Desanthony in reply to Jalia]

I had to be able to manage stairs before they let me out of the hosital.

[10gingercats]

Because I have a showert in the bath and would have had to lift my leg to get over the edge of the bath...not feasable.... I did not shower for a few weeks after hip replace and managed quite well with washing up and washing down .Also you can probably get away with ready meals for some weeks as long as you slip in some salad for fresh food from time to time.

[Desanthony in reply to 10gingercats]

Yes this is what I did - even though we had a separate shower the step in was just too much for me.

[opal11uk]

Having broken my hip last year, whilst playing table tennis, I had a full hip replacement and the other hip was indeed painful afterwards, due to the fact that it was taking more pressure as a result of my incapacity. Thankfully, a year later, it is fine but initially I thought that I would have to have a replacement for that hip too!!!

[Fib36 in reply to opal11uk]

Hi

Thank you for your comments -hopefully I am finally making some progress with a new surgeon and now have to wait for an MRI scan and follow-up appt to find what happens next!

[Golfer60UK]

Hello Fib36, I have had both hips replaced and repaired with little problems. Also I have a good friend of mine who decided to have both done at the same time, he said it was difficult first couple of weeks but then massive improvement. He is now back playing golf.

Its an option for you, best of luck

Dave J

[Fib36 in reply to Golfer60UK]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply - I will patiently wait now for the MRI scan and follow-up appt on 14th Dec with my new surgeon who this time was very sympathetic & did his best to explain the ins and outs of my predicament.

[Auriculaire]

I was in a similar position. My right hip was diagnosed as being bone on bone by x Ray in Dec 2019 and my GP advised a replacement. My pain was not that bad. As it got worse I went back to the GP in March 2020 for the referral to a surgeon. What with the confinement and other delays due to Covid I did not see the surgeon till early Sept and my op was scheduled for mid Dec. But in the meantime the pain in my left hip which had shown arthritis on x Ray but not bone on bone had got even worse than the pain in the right. The surgeon operated on the right hip and for some reason the left was better too! Maybe being able to walk normally on the right helped. This improvement lasted a few months but then it deteriorated badly and I had it replaced. Do not worry about favouring the unoperated hip when recovering. I was able to see from my very first steps that I could walk normally on the replaced right hip . It felt strong and stable and any pain is from the wound not the joint. I had very little pain and recovered quickly. Unlike the second op on the left hip where there were complications and I had to use a walking frame for 6 weeks.

[exmouth]

Hi So sorry to hear you’re in so much pain. I’m on the waiting list for my right hip and right knee. I also paid for my left knee to be done.I think if you’re paying you should have a say in it. My hip doesn’t look too bad on the X-ray but apparently something in the joint has ruptured as this is what is causing my pain. If I was in your position I would definitely have a word with secretary and tell them, after all it is your money. Put your foot down it is your body and you know how you feel. Hope you sort something out and feel better very soon Sending you best wishes x

[Fib36 in reply to exmouth]

Hi

Many thanks for giving me details of your own experiences. As you will see from my reply to Desanthony I have now seen a different surgeon for a second opinion and now await the MRI scan and follow-up appointment to see what the result of the scan shows.

[Desanthony]

Hope you manage to get through to your consultant's secretary and discuss your worries. I have been thinking of you and something came to mind last evening was that if your right hip was replaced - which seems at the moment to be the one that is giving you pain then relying on your worst hip which seems to be the left one - although you have no pain from that one may mean that your left hip could actually collapse once you would have to rely on it to get you through the recovery? Just a thought. Also my consultant didn't rely on just an X-ray, X-ray came first and initial diagnosis made then a couple of weeks later a CT Scan to see more detail - is this planned for you do you know?

[Fib36 in reply to Desanthony]

Hi,

Well I decided the personal face -to-face approach was best and rather than phoning the hospital I travelled there -and guess what - "very sorry your surgeon is on holiday for two weeks!!! You can either book an appt for when he returns or go on the list for an appt with another surgeon though there could be a delay in getting an appointment for an op etc..."

No no mention of C,T, scan so just have to wait for opportunity to see him on 30th Nov at a brief appt. slotted in between other appts when he can give his opinion as to whether the pain in my right hip is related to trauma from my left hip or not and then what he is prepared to do about changing to replacing right rather than left hip!

No further comment!!

[Desanthony in reply to Fib36]

Oh good grief!Let us know how you get on when you eventually see him!

[Fib36 in reply to Desanthony]

Hi,

Progress at last!? Having discussed my predicament with my son (who lives in Skegness) we decided to request a second opinion from a different surgeon and finally this happened yesterday. It has now been decided NOT to replace the left hip despite the xray showing bone on bone and to concentrate on the right hip which is the one causing so much pain and despite the xray showing that there is some cartilage still left the new surgeon suspects there is "something more sinister happening with this joint" and has now arranged for me to have an M.R.I.scan of it on 4th December and to see him again on 14th December when provided nothing else abnormal has been found he is going to inject my hip with a steroid injection to try to alleviate the pain until a replacement op can be performed. Not in so many words but he expressed his surprise at his colleague ignoring my pleas about my right hip pain and for arranging the left hip replacement anyway! Nothing in my life is straightforward!

[Desanthony in reply to Fib36]

Brilliant! I had an MRI Scan a little closer to the operation as I had a personalised hip so needed more exact measurements. This was so that I could continue to be as active as I was prior to the hip replacement and because of my bad back and neck - any significant change in posture could have caused paralysis so at that time - 2010 had a new fangled personalised hip from the US - I believe they are now available at some hospitals over here - though not sure how personalised they are. Within 6 months I was skiing - I even fell over, also fell off a step ladder whilst still int he recovery phase and then fell off the roof just a year later - but no damage to either hip - even though I fell on the left hip when I fell off the roof. Good Luck but don't climb step ladders or climb onto a foof after your TV antenna has been blown over in a storm!

[Fib36 in reply to Desanthony]

Hi,

Will follow your sound advice! Thank you so much for your kind concerns.

[Desanthony in reply to Fib36]

Also do your exercises as often as you can and then more - it really does mean a lot.

[Fib36 in reply to Desanthony]

Hi,

Well here I am with a quick update! Been back to see my new surgeon following my recent MRI scan and his verdict now is that the scan has highlighted a vast amount of inflammation of my right hip joint due to my Rheumatoid Arthritis and thinks this is the cause of the severe pain & discomfort - his proposal now is that I am to go back on 9th Jan to go to the operating theatre for a dye to be injected into the joint so that under xray he can inject a steroidal based fluid precisely into the affected right hip joint with the hope that this will work to reduce the pain etc - also as there is evidence on the xrays that there still appears to be some cartilage left in that joint he is now reluctant to be in a hurry to replace it just yet!! Should all of this procedure be successful then he will instead do the replacement of my left hip!! Never thought it would become so complicated!!

[Desanthony in reply to Fib36]

Yes who'd have thought a hip replacement could be so complicated. Your new surgeon certainly is on the ball so you are seemingly safe in his hands.

[MummyLuv]

what an interesting thread and wow Fib36 your new surgeon sounds on the ball and not just moving straight to replacement! Best of luck.

I am scheduled for left hip replacement end of Feb by the superpath method, I’m travelling again to the surgeon as he’s in Leicester. Right needs done too but he has refused to do both at once due to being too much trauma on the body.

I am a little nervous surgery and trauma to the body knocks my sinus rhythm back to afib, well soon find out 🤞🤞

[Fib36 in reply to MummyLuv]

Hi,

My right knee replacement 5yrs ago (with epidrural) was a 'breeze' BUT I was not experiencing any A.F. at that time. However although free from A,.F. for almost 12 months now (since Flecainide increased to 150mg twice daily) I too am fearful of the A.F. rearing its ugly head again although having seen the anaesthetist I have been told that I can continue with the Flecainide up to and including the morning of surgery! My other major concern is my Acute Rhinitis Medicamentosa (over- use of nasal decongestant sprays for most of my adult life such that I suffer from what I call 'nocturnal asphyxia' when I wake abruptly struggling for breath as my nose is tightly sealed shut and my tongue stuck to the roof of my totally dry mouth also my heart racing due to lack of oxygen(rather like sleep apnea!) During each day my nose begins to pressurise, my head starts to pressurise & the only relief is to reach for my Oxymetazoline Spray which gives almost instant blissful relief BUT which eventually gives rise to a bout of incessant sneezing, a violently runny nose and then back to square one (rebound effect). So yes I am very apprehensive about the forthcoming surgery BUT at the same time I know that I have to seek relief from this ever increasing agonising pain from my hips.

Thank you for your thoughts and I will hopefully soon have some positive outcomes to report!

A further bit of information for which I would appreciate a response from anyone who has any suggestions ;- The hospital rang me yesterday to confirm my appt on 9th Jan 2024 for the steroid injection in my right hip - I said "how much will this cost me please..." the reply "sorry I don't know but I will find out and call you back...." Some time later had a call back - £1,974 - I gasped with shock and told her I would have to discuss this with my son who is visiting me this weekend (being a retired senior citizen all of this expense is beyond my means £95 + £305 + £1,974 + £10, 740 and will need me to do an equity release on my home! I have also done some research online and opinions on the success of steroid injections are very varied ranging from "didn't work at all" to "gave some relief for a few months.." So I am quite sceptical as well as overwhelmed about all of this expenditure being thrust upon me!

I was beginning to feel some easing of the pain in my right hip and beginning to feel a little optimistic about avoiding the steroid injection but after the phone call yesterday informing me of the cost of £1,974 I became very agitated & stressed such that I immediately donned my hat & coat and forced myself for the first time in ages to go for a walk down towards the village only to begin to struggle with the numerous inclines such that it was a struggle to get back home. Soon afterwards the severe throbbing pain in my right hip became so intense such that last night was sleepless/restless and the pain is persisting badly. I now am beginning to wonder "what have I done...?" Any experiences and advice by other members would be very much appreciated.