Hip replacement recovery?

alde

alde

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I went to the doctor with severe hip pain about 8 months ago. He did an x-ray and told me I have a bad case of osteoarthritis. He said he didn't know how I was getting along as well as I am. He did a second x-ray about 4 months ago and it was quite a bit worse and gave me a prescription anti-inflammatory and said I need a hip replacement. The pills do help along with over the counter pain reliever but it really just takes the edge off.

I plan to retire in 6 months and will have it done some time after that so I can recover without thinking about getting back to work. I will be 55 years old. The pain is to the point that it's really messing with my life. I also care for a handicapped wife and don't know how that will work out. I won't be able to help her for a few months from what I understand. She needs help with most of what she does but does have a professional caregiver while I'm at work. I might be able to get her more help while I recover.

What is a realistic recovery from a hip replacement? Should I deal with the pain and put it off a couple of years? I understand they usually last 15 years and a second replacement is even more difficult.
 
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If you have health benefits through your employer, I would get it done while you're still working. Recovery is individual. Some heal faster than others. You should be on your feet with crutches on day two after the surgery and will progress from there. If the pain is already interfering with your life, it won't get better until you do something about it. I have heard people say they have less pain immediately after the surgery than they did before it. Good luck with it and keep us posted.
 
ordy said:
If you have health benefits through your employer, I would get it done while you're still working. Recovery is individual. Some heal faster than others. You should be on your feet with crutches on day two after the surgery and will progress from there. If the pain is already interfering with your life, it won't get better until you do something about it. I have heard people say they have less pain immediately after the surgery than they did before it. Good luck with it and keep us posted.
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Ordy, My health benefits will continue into retirement. No worries with that. I would be thrilled to be on crutches a few days after surgery. I can deal with post-op pain as long as I know I am recovering.:)
 
My wife had her left hip done in July 2014. It was a complete replacement.

She was walking with a walker same day. She was out of the walker inside a month. Pain from the surgery was moderate. They gave her huge scripts for oxycodone that she took moderately for the first week then tailed off to nothing by the end of week 2. She was healthier and getting around better after a month than she was before the surgery. It was a little over a year before she was 100%. The difference in quality of life is DRAMATIC. She has said many times that she wishes she hadn't waited so long.
 
They had me walking the day after surgery, not great but walking. Recovery naturally is in stages. Do the physical therapy religiously.

I started my own form of hand gun therapy, (term coined by another forum member, Mitch_D) set up a pistol target about 50 yards and had to walk back and forth from the target. This was made therapy fun and I progressed rapidly. If you can make therapy fun you get better faster.

After three years hip locks up sometimes but is much better than before, the longer you try to walk on a bum hip the more damage you do to the rest of your body.
 
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my brother in law, had both of his replaced 18 months apart. He is now bike riding about 1000 miles a year and has complete mobility. Is he pain free? sometimes yes sometimes no. Cold weather really gets him. I asked if he would do it again, he said absolutely. I just went to the barber and one of the ladies had hers done about 3 years ago. it took her more time and she was and is not as pain free as my brother in law. I asked her the same question and she also said for sure. go ahead and do it.
 
I know everybody is different but this is encouraging.:) I had just gotten more into rifle shooting at 100 plus yards when it started to hurt and have all but given it up for now. I was working up black powder 45/70 loads for my Sharps to participate in friendly silhouette competition. I have been forcing myself to walk out to the 50 yard target line but twice about does me in. I tried cleaning the garage a couple of weeks back but had to give up after an hour or so and my truck sits in the driveway because I can't work the clutch. I have also given up fishing because I am afraid my hip will give out while I'm in the water with my waders.

I am really looking forward to getting it done. Several people have told me they wish they did it sooner.
 
Had mine done six years ago and was a fool for waiting so long. Dr. kept telling me it was my back. He finally sent me to an orthopedic surgeon who showed me the x-ray, the joint was shot.

In hospital four days. Up the next day (slowly), they start physical therapy exercises right away which they said I need to continue forever.

Driving in four weeks, had a cane for about six weeks. Can never run or jump but I got my life back.
 
I was up in 24 hours after surgery and home a day later. I used a walker for a couple days and crutches for a few days more. I kept a cane handy for a few weeks. For me recovery was in "milestones" and they came pretty quick. The biggie was driving. It took me about 5-1/2 weeks to get behind the wheel. Sleeping in bed (I was in my recliner) took about a month. 3-1/2 week to put on my own socks. Pain was tolerable in less than a week and I was only taking OTC stuff.

I would suggest you start doing exercises now to get a good range of motion and strength in your other joints, core, legs, etc. It will greatly aid you in recovery.

I don't know the extent you help your wife, but I was up and around within a few days and was cooking, doing light stuff around the house, going to the mailbox (with a cane), etc. So you will be able to offer some assistance. More as time passes. It will take a while if she depends on you for physical help.

I would say I was 60% in a couple weeks and 85% at like 4 weeks and 95% at 6 weeks. I never got back to 100% but very, very close. I was back at work in a bit over 2 weeks and only did PT at home with a nurse. I never went to a PT clinic, but I continued to do the exercises they gave me.

DO NOT PUT IT OFF. It sucks, but I felt so much better within a couple days that I knew it was well worth it and a very small price to pay for total pain relief and my life back! I work out, run, bike, play racquetball, everything I used to do and don't give it a second thought.

PM me if I can be of further help. Good luck!
 
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Putting it off will only make it worse for all concerned. Also if you fall before it is done and damage your hip further, the surgery might no longer be an option.
 
"WAIT A COUPLE OF YEARS?" SERIOUSLY?

Required medical attention does not care about your retirement plans, or anything else & can go from bad to real bad in the time it takes to fall down. If your car is down a quart of oil, do you wait a few years then buy a new engine? If you put it off too long, you will have 2 people requiring long term care. Much depends on how much you want to be able to do afterwards & everyone's recovery time is different." IF ALL GOES WELL" You should be ambulating OK with maybe a cane within a few weeks but no strenuous heavy lifting/bending/ etc. for??? 1-3 months maybe less. You aren't going to be running a marathon for a while. Much has to do with the surgery itself & your rehab. Talk to your surgeon, ortho Rn's, physical therapists, previous patients, familiar with this Dr & the method used for that type of surgery. Not all hip replacements are the same. There was a relatively new (in 2010) procedure to use your own treated blood, sprayed into the sight that would speed up recovery greatly, I never got to see it used, but it's worth asking the surgeon about. Good luck from a former ortho RN, but not your RN.
 
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kozmic said:
The biggie was driving. It took me about 5-1/2 weeks to get behind the wheel.
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What took driving so long? Did you have your right hip done? Mine is my left so a clutch will be out for a while. I can't drive my truck as it is, and the clutch is not hard to press.:(
 
hangnoose said:
Required medical attention does not care about your retirement plans, or anything else & can go from bad to real bad in the time it takes to fall down. If your car is down a quart of oil, do you wait a few years then buy a new engine? If you put it off too long, you will have 2 people requiring long term care. Much depends on how much you want to be able to do afterwards & everyone's recovery time is different." IF ALL GOES WELL" You should be ambulating OK with maybe a cane within a few weeks but no strenuous heavy lifting/bending/ etc. for??? 3 months maybe less. You aren't going to be running a marathon for a while. Much has to do with the surgery itself & your rehab. Talk to your surgeon, ortho Rn's, physical therapists, previous patients, familiar with this Dr & the method used for that type of surgery. Not all hip replacements are the same. Good luck from a former ortho RN.
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I hear you loud and clear and you are right. There is no way I can put it off too much longer. I will go ahead and make an appointment to talk about a course of action. The wife needs to be pushed in a wheelchair and have lift assist to transfer and such. I have learned to use my right leg to do most of the lifting. She tries to do as much for herself as she can but she has been getting worse over the last couple of years. She had a bad stroke going on 18 years ago now and has lost the use of her left arm and has a very weak left leg.
 
alde said:
What took driving so long? Did you have your right hip done? Mine is my left so a clutch will be out for a while. I can't drive my truck as it is, and the clutch is not hard to press.:(
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Yep, right hip. But the hip wasn't the issue per se. I had a very difficult time rotating my body to the right enough to look out the back window. Bending (sitting/driving position), twisting and working the pedals together was a really hard task for me. I just didn't feel I could safely drive with that limitation so I took it slow. Then one day I told my wife I was going for a drive and off I went. End of story!

Like every other part of recovery, you'll know when you're ready to "do" something and you'll get instant feedback if you screw up!:)

My brother had a stroke and is in a similar situation as your wife. Knowing what it takes to get him in and out of his chair and van, I doubt you'll be able to help her for quite some time. IMO, 8 weeks or so before you are both safe.
 
I had both hips done at the same time (anterior method) when I was 55. I think it was 2 weeks before I was driving again. Couple of months and I was feeling pretty good.

A little over 2 years have passed and I'm back to playing tennis now. Best thing I ever did. My hips were really bad.
 
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Get it done as soon as possible, I just had my 3rd one done last January. It was a revision of a replacement that was done 18 years earlier. My other hip has about 15 years on it so maybe that is in my future. The had me on my feet the day after the surgery and I went home the next day. Best advice is to just walk on it. The muscles are what keep the joint together.
 
I'll give ya a nickles worth of advice.

Find a surgeon that is skilled in performing the Direct Anterior Approach (DAA) technique.

There's a lot of advantages with this technique over the "standard" method and you'll probably be walking several blocks within 2 weeks. I was driving the 3rd week and in my opinion I'm 99% back to normal - the only thing I've noticed is I can't raise my foot enough to easily step into my boxer shorts - if I lean against something I can, but that leg lost just a bit of "timing".

https://patients.stryker.com/hip-replacement/procedures/muscle-sparing-techniques
 
Hip Replacement

I had my left hip joint replaced on Aug 26 2015, home in three days, using a walker for 6 weeks, driving at 6 weeks and using a cane, Jan 11 still using a cane and it still bothers me but Iwas able to climb into a cab tractor and feed cows at 6 weeks but it was a stretch. It has been hurting pretty good lately and I have a Dr appointment on the first of March for an xray to make sure something has not happened I have to take pain pill in the morning to get going. I had put up with this for seven years before I got it fixed, on the farm I had to get every thing done for hay for the cows and I got caught up in July and then had about a month delay to get the surgery. The worst thing was getting into and out of bed at nite and in the morning and the fellow that slept in a recliner is right, you cannot believe how heavy your leg is until you try to get into the bed and your wife will want to help you lift it, just do it your self. Good luck with your replacement and take the hydrocodone and you will be fine. I think my age might have been part of my trouble I will be 76 on Sat the 16th. Jeff
 
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