A little advice please?

[Yellow77]

Good morning all and I hope you are all keeping safe and as well as can be.

I don’t post very often at all, I hover.

I had a right hip replacement on the 20th February this year and now due to these awful circumstances I have not had a check up. I have called the surgeons secretary but have been told that only emergencies are being dealt with.

Understandably.

I don’t know what pain I should still be feeling. It is still extremely stiff and painful when I get up in the morning. I am still taking maximum medication. I am still using two sticks, I’m never pain free.

I do have very severe arthritis in my left hip and was supposed to have surgery quite soon after my other one, which now will not happen.

I guess my question is, how were you after 7-8 weeks post surgery? Should I be feeling less discomfort?

I’m 43 years old and just feel like things haven’t really moved as well as I hoped.

I was in agonising pain before surgery, which has improved but my mobility is still really bad.

Can anyone offer me any advice?

Thank you.

[suzy1959]

I have had 2 hip replacements and 2 knee replacements. I am currently 8 weeks post knee replacement.

The problem is that we are all different in how we recover!

This is especially so if you have any other painful joints- they tend to interfere with recovery because your body is trying to manage it all and so unbalances it all.

It has not been until this final op that I am in so much less pain and have finally got rid of my limp.

In some ways I was lucky to have this last op done privately and my consultant rang me last week for my follow up consultation. He works for the NHS in London too and said that actually they weren’t that busy as all their elective surgery had been cancelled and the number of traumas coming in were much reduced!

I’m sorry you haven’t been able to get a follow up appointment. Dare I suggest you try again and, failing that, talk to your GP. I do think you need advice from a medic in case there is anything wrong like an infection, that may be causing your pain.

Meantime, do your 3xercises as much as you can and keep moving!

Good luck!

[Hidden]

Hi yellow77

hope today is not a bad day.

I can't help unfortunately but rather am looking for some feedback from yourself,if you could.

I am 51 and been waiting for bi lateral hip replacements for ten years, the doctors kept telling me i was too young at 40.

Just get near the time of surgery and boom corona!.

I understand your still having complications but the surgery itself, what was the process like? its grown to be a concern over the years waiting and i keep putting it off in my head.

I made a mistake in viewing a film about the surgery and its really playing on my mind. but then i tell myself 90 year old's cope with this. but the doubt still stays.

Did you have doubts beforehand being so young? if so how did you get past it?

Hope you get your issues sorted and the pains not too much.

Be well keep safe.

[Yellow77 in reply to Hidden]

Hi there Cjba05550

Hope you are keeping well and safe too.

I suffered so much with pain before surgery that I didn’t really have a choice. I was on the waiting list for over two years, and I was kind of counting the days until I had an appointment. The surgeon then told me that there was no other option.

I have no idea why I have osteoarthritis so badly at my age. Bad luck I guess.

Anyway, I got to the point where I couldn’t wait to get on that operating table!!

So my experience was this, I hobbled into the anaesthetic room. I had a spinal anaesthetic. This was temporarily a bit uncomfortable but only for about 2 minutes. Then your legs go dead, and then they lie you down. I then remember being taken into the theatre and seeing my surgeon. He is really lovely and he was so reassuring. Then I was given some medicine into the needle in my hand and I don’t remember anything. I wasn’t put under general, it was a heavy sedative, but still I was out for the count. Then I woke up in the theatre, and it was all over. I wand still numb in my bottom half for about two hours. At this point I was in the recovery room. I had these pumps on my feet for circulation. The pain wasn’t pain anymore, more like, I’ve just had an operation pain. I think I was more frightened of moving because I didn’t realise how much I could move. I was left then until the morning. I did have to wee in a bedpan the first night. Next morning, the nurses got me up. I sat in the chair, then the physios came in and I walked down the corridor and practiced the correct way to turn around and sit down and stand up. You are given as much medication as you need, and the advice is, to definitely take it. Keep up with the medication when you go home too. So then I saw the physios once more and the occupational therapist who just checked about equipment at home and I went home the next morning.

Since I wrote my post, I have spoken to my surgeon who has said until I get my second one done, I am going to feel pain.

So, all I can say is as soon as coronavirus has gone, get it done and get them done as quickly together as you can. If it wasn’t for the virus I would have had the other one done by now. He was planning a six week gap. But that wasn’t to be.

Please don’t put it off. The pain of arthritis is so debilitating and upsetting when we are young, well any age, and I can say that the movement I have in my operated hip is amazing. I’m sorry that I can’t say that I am completely pain free, but hopefully after the second one, this will be a different story.

If you want to ask me anything else, please do.

In the meantime, take care and stay safe. Xxx

[Hidden in reply to Yellow77]

Thank you so much, your reply has helped with some of the anxiety. to know you were up so quickly is good. my surgeon is really nice as well ( i think of him as a mad professor, he has the hair and everything!) he goes out of his way to explain but it doesn't ally the fears, he's a doctor he's going to say it will be OK! some days i can barely walk but i just stand up straight put the mask on my face ("Yeh, all's good, you? "(how many times have i wanted to say "No not really and just standing here talking to you is killing me")) and carry on no matter what until i can take the weight off again. the arthritis is the worst part to be truthful, i can deal with the grind and groan, but when just moving is the killer it's soul destroying isn't it. well as you may have guessed this is the first time i have spoke out about what is going on inside so i do apologise for going on! hopefully this won't go on too long and you can get your second one done. thank you once again.

Keep safe and well.

[Yellow77]

Ah I am glad I may have helped a little bit. My surgeon is a bit of a dish, so the main thing I was worried about that he was going to see me nudey!!! How silly of me.

I know what you mean about putting a mask on. I don’t think anyone who has never experienced arthritis would understand the magnitude of pain we suffer. I tried not get too depressed and down about things but some days I shut myself away from everything as the pain and mobility really got to me. You can talk all you like to me and everyone else. Ask any questions you want and I will be honest with you. Xx

[1outof2hips]

Hi, I have just joined and seen your post. I am 40 and had a right hip replacement in January. I saw my consultant for a follow up 7 weeks later. To be honest it was a pointless appointment. My physio lady is amazing and she said it is perfectly normal to have some sort of pain for up to a year after surgery. I have been very lucky and only have the odd bit of pain. My left hip is desperate for a replacement,I had a steroid jab 4 weeks ago and I feel it has made things worse. It's so hard to keep going. I started painting my bedroom today and was so pleased with how my right hip held up but now I am reaching for the painkillers because of the left. Definitely keep going with the physio. Do you have an exercise bike? I do 15 mins on that everyday as well as some other muscle strengthening exercises. Hope the pain settles down soon.

[Yellow77 in reply to 1outof2hips]

I’m so sorry 1outof2hips. I’ve only just seen your message. I haven’t even had a physio, not a peep out of anyone since I had it done in February. The thing that has made an improvement for me, I got a kitten!! I have to get up and down and walk around a lot more than I did and sometimes I can even walk without my sticks now and I don’t even realise. It’s all thanks to my little ginger buddy!!!! Have you had any news on your next hip? X

[1outof2hips in reply to Yellow77]

My turn to apologise. I turned off notifications for this site. I can't believe you have had no physio, I think the reason I am pain free is because of the amazing physio I had. Had an MRI last week to see how the left is getting on so hopefully I will get the results soon but to be fair I am feeling pretty good.

It's really important you do exercises, glad you have a furry friend to help get you a bit more mobile. If you want to know some exercise I was set when I first came out of hospital let me know and I can send some across. Fingers crossed you are out and about soon! X