Has anyone had both sides done at the same time?

[JMP8888]

I'm new here and was wondering if anyone has had both sides resurfaced at the same time? I am going to need both hips resurfaced, although one side does seem to be worse than the other. I am a 43 year old male, in very good physical condition. I am looking to not have to go through double the recovery time, and resume my active lifestyle asap. Any feedback would be great.

[newdog]

Welcome to this site. You came to the right place.

Your question is one that is brought up often and we will be glad to help you as much as we can. If you get both done you will be what we call a Bi-lat Hippy. That just means you had bilateral hip resurfacing.

Whether they are done on the same day or are separated by days, weeks or months depends a lot on your surgeon and what he/she prefers. I had one done on Monday and the second done on Wednesday of the same week. My surgeon prefers to do it that way. There are others on this site who had them both done the same surgery and others who had more time in between surgeries either because of personal choice or because their surgeons preferred it that way.

I can only answer about myself and what my experiences were like. First of all I'm glad I did it that way. You are right, there is one recovery and you can resume your active lifestyle sooner. I am just 8 days short of six months post op. At six months I am cleared to do anything but hard impact types of sport or activity. I was going to ask my surgeon about having them both done, but he beat me to it and suggested it himself. It was mostly because I traveled 600 miles to him and it meant one trip and one recovery. Also my hips were both really bad. I don't think I was in that much more discomfort after surgery. Just be prepared because it is a mental challenge to be in a "physically disabled" condition for a while. You will be dependent on someone to help do everyday tasks at times. That doesn't mean someone has to tend to you 24/7 but it is a huge help, especially the first week. I didn't say a lot in this post but at least it is a start for you.

The most important issue is choosing an experienced, qualified surgeon. That means experienced and qualified in Hip Resurfacing Surgery. It is a technically demanding and difficult surgery and not all hip surgeons are capable nor will they all ever be capable of performing it properly. Good luck and keep talking to us.

[hipnhop]

JP, I needed both done but my surgeon would only do one at a time. She was concerned about blood loss and how my body would react to the metal on metal BHR implant. Also, I have heard that surgeons don't like doing them because they are physically demanding.

I really don't know what to tell you. In a way I wish I had both done at the same time; in another way I am glad I didn't.

Here are my reasons

Glad I Didn't
-Doc's recommendations (above)
-Recovery much easier
-I live alone and would probably need more care and assistance
-Longer time to get back to work
-needed to get my mind and finances right. Really wasn't mentally and financially ready for surgery (self-employed)

Wish I did
-I got to go through this again!!!!!!!!
-It would be behind me
-Insurance deductible
-I could call myself a Bi-Lat Hippy
-No pain in my unoperated hip. (it's a 3-4 now)
-No more pain meds (I am currently on Volatren)
-Don't want to be a burden on friends and family
-Can;t really take more time off for work

Hope this helps and see you on the Hip side.

[wayne-0]

Hey Jmp, I had both hips done the same day. It's been 2 1/2 yrs now since surgery. I know many docs won't do it but there are some that will. For me looking back i would definitly do it the same day. The main reason for me was only one recovery to go thru. I have to say the first 8 days were for sure the hardest but after that every day became better and easier. The hardest part really in the very first few days is trying to get out of bed to get to the bathroom and getting in and out of the shower. I spent eight days using a walker then went to two crutches for 5 days, one crutch for 3 days then day 17 post op i started using a cane only. 4 weeks post op I did not need the cane anymore to get around but i carried it around with me just in case, and also my legs would get tired after walking a mile so i would use it to get back home from those longer walks. It will definitly help if you have someone around for the first week after surgery to help you do the little things like get ya some food and drink and help put the Teds on. I know that it is a harder recovery process having both hips done the same day because you don't have one good side to rely on. But that being said I don't believe the whole recovery process is harder than having one hip done, only the first couple of weeks is harder, then i believe the recovery process becomes similar to one hip. Just to let ya know things in my life couldn't be any better and this surgery has been super successful for me. Good luck with your future surgery and recovery. If you would like to ask me any other questions you can e-mail me and I will be happy to answer any question I can for you.
Wayne

[moe]

I had both mine done at the same time. The previous hippies did a great job of covering the details. It sounds like you are in good shape, that helps. One other thing is to make certain your surgeon has done doubles before and is comfortable with that. Ask to speak to his other patients who went through it and see what thay say. My surgeon was very confident and didn't hesitate when I asked about it, that was a good sign. I never regretted it. I am very active, no issues.

Good luck, moe

[Tin Soldier]

JMP - this is a well-discussed issue here.  You might take a look at the "bilateral stories" forum.  However, I think each of these posts sum it up well.  I'm with HnH in that I think I would have a good bunch of negatives and positives for going either way.

My surgeon doesn't think that you have any difference in time off.  He asks for 2 weeks away from work for each operation.  Not sure if a bi-lat (same time) would get back to work within 4 weeks.  It certainly depends on the job.  Also, eventhough my surgeon has done more than 3000 HRs, he doesn't appear to be pulling in candidates from all over the world, like De Smet, Bose, and Gross.  I think each of them do bi-lat surgeries, they may do them seperated by a couple days, like Newdog.  Actually, I think I've heard of Bose doing them in the same surgery.

Being a single event bi-lat (awaiting no.2), I have a hard time picturing myself being essentially unable to walk for a few days, if both were done at the same time.  Maybe it isn't that bad, but man, getting in an out of bed was super hard for a few hards and that was with one good leg.  On the other hand, I'm the kind of person that thinks it's best to get things done and out of the way, so if I went with the single event bi-lat, I'd probably be promoting it.

I think the hardest way to go would be the 5 to 6 week separation.  I originally planned to do that, but I couldn't gear up for no. 2 quite that quickly.  It's been 4 months or so and I'm feeling pretty good about getting no. 2 done in August.  There are a few folks here that went the 5 to 6 week seperation route.  Good luck

[Lori Cee]

I am a bilateral that had both done in the same surgery.  I think that this really was the way to go for me as both hips were really bad and I don't think that if I had of had one done that the other would have coped with the rehab.  My rehab would have been a lot easier had I been in better shape but I had left it too long and many of these muscles that I am trying to get to work now haven't been used in a decade or more.  Don't wait that long! 

Having your physical fitness like some of the other guys here is going to make the rehab process easier.  I did my best to be as strong as I could be pre-op but there were limitations.  There was just no way that some of my muscles could be worked.  Given my pre-op condition, my surgeon is really happy with the speed of my progress (even though I am sometimes impatient!). 

My big list of positives in hipnhop style are:
No more Voltaren (after more than 20 years)
No pain
Incredible smooth movement and amazing range of movement
I have started some mild cardio exercise (on an elliptical) for the first time in over a decade (yup they were that messed up pre-op.  I did pilates and hydro but there were a lot of things I couldn't do)
Even though it's taking me a bit longer than the other bilaterals, once I'm done with my rehab, that's it!
I'm now well on my way to having a quality of life that I've never experienced before and I wouldn't be as close to that goal had I done one at a time.

The main thing though, it was the right time in my life to do this (work, family and just about everything).  It wasn't something that I had thought about really and when my surgeon came out with said that I was an ideal candidate to get both done at once, it just seemed like it was such a matter of fact best way to go, I didn't really even consider getting one done.

You'll figure out what is right for you and it will be the best solution for you!
Best wishes!