Need a push........

[jjmclain]

I am so happy you found this site Molly...we all were overjoyed when we did and found out that we didn't need to live in pain any longer! I wish I had known about resurfacing sooner and not wasted 3 years of my life...but that is in the past now, I feel like I have been given my life back. You will too! Good luck in your research and I hope you find an experienced surgeon near you...if not, there are so many hippies who have made the trip to a reputable surgeon. Just keep that in mind...experience counts when it comes to this procedure.

June

[got2newhips]

Agree with June, don't be afraid to travel if you don't have a VERY experienced surgeon close.  Lots of folks here have traveled to other countries to have the surgeon they felt comfortable with do the work.  I passed on a local guy who had done 300, figuring that since I was only (hopefully) ever going to go through this once, it was worth the trip to have the guy who had done 3000 and likely seen every situation do the surgery.... If you read through the forums, you'll see that the more experieced surgeons have all aspects of the process tuned for the best possible outcome and quick recovery (surgical approach, pain management protocal, etc), not just that actual surgical part. Good luck with your decision!!

Richard

[AlanN]

But......here's the thing:  I'm scared.

Don't be scared! This is when you get your life back.

The best one-liner, I 110% agree!

[Tin Soldier]

You're not alive if you're not scared.  Don't know how many more surgeries I will have in my life, hopefully no more, but that's a long shot.  I'm not sure it ever gets easier on the front end.  It's a big decision, there's lots to think about, and no matter how hard you try, the pre-op jitters will probabaly always be there.  However, there a lot of people here who were in the same position, but can look back now and tell you there is no need to worry, just do your homework and all will be fine.   

[einreb]

I'm now at a point where....if I am sedentary.....I can be fine.  But, if I even cut the grass, I'm hobbling for about 4-7 days.  Most of Any of you KNOW it was the right thing to do, but were still hesitant?  What pushed you over the edge?

I had to come to terms that there is no perfect answer and there were no guarantees.  That was my first step and it included a trip to a psychiatrist.  I had the added issue that i had a nasty cyst and that my hip was in baaaaad shape.

The next step was following through on my decision once I had scheduled surgery.  I did that by being in control of everything that I reasonably could to make it a success.  I prepared my work life, house prep for post surgery, asked my family for help, educated myself on the procedure, post surgery requirements, etc. 

The last step was to let go and put myself in the hands of those that I felt were able to take care of me (surgeon, staff, hospital, airlines, pt staff, etc).

I used to faint at the sight of needles (I'd hold my breath and didn't know it  :)  ).  I now look back at the surgery fondly and am mildly jealous of those that are going to go through the process. I realize that's a little crazy, but its an amazing thing to have top notch people take care of you and make you better.

Push mowed the lawn Saturday and did 40+ on the road bike.  No hip pain.  My 5 year old had a birthday party today, and we had a jumpy in the back yard.  It was wonderful being able to participate and know that I wasn't going to 'pay for it' with days of aching.

[KirkM]

As many here have said in many ways, I went through each day realizing I was more deteriorated than the last.  Now, I get up each day excited knowing I will be stronger than the last.

You can fret, worry, justify, rationalize, compensate or use any other device behind which to hide, but all the while you do this, you are burning days that could be filled with renewed joy and energy.

The surgery and recovery are so easy and FINITE relative to an ENDLESS existence of pain and limitations.

I just rode a hard, PAINLESS (well, no hip pain, my legs were screaming for mercy) 40 miles for my 10 week anniversary and can't even remember the couple of weeks of recovery anymore.  The only pain I have now is my body begging me to give it a break since I can do all the athletic things I love.  I can't wait for my 6 month mark so I can start running again.

I was scared too, but not of the surgery.  I was scared of living the rest of my life not doing the things that gave me such joy.  Now THAT is terrifying!  I just wish I had discovered resurfacing a few years earlier.

[Tin Soldier]

Kirk - excellent point about the relativeness of being a few days or weeks post-op compared to the farther-out perspective.  I can sit here with ice on my hip, crutches at my side, but feel good that in few weeks it will be a whole lot different and in a year or so, this whole year of HR for me will be a finite memory. 

[Anniee]

Kirk and Tin, you are sooo right!  It is obviously very normal to be scared about major surgery, and nobody should try to push anyone into having surgery they're not ready for.  On the other hand, almost everyone on this site, including me, wish they had not waited so long to have it done. 

I remember Lee Webb coming into my pre-op cubicle, giving me a big hug because I was scared to death, and telling me my hip would be so much better after the surgery.  It made me feel better at that time (along with the drugs), but for the first two weeks post-op, I didn't really believe her.  Now, that leg is pretty much back to normal strength, and there is no pain in the joint - it just feels completely stable and pain free, and I wish someone would have pushed me into having the surgery at least a year earlier!

I guess all we can do is tell our stories, and hope that it helps someone else make the decision that will change their life for the better.

[imgetinold]

Well.......it's done.  Scheduled with Dr. Gross for January 11th.  Of course, today I pretty much have zero hip pain.  Then again, I haven't done anything athletic other than 30 minutes on an exercise bike yesterday.

I just have to keep reminding my self that one week ago, I could not put on my sock or tie my right shoe.  Or stand up for more than 2 minutes.

Thanks again, all.

[KirkM]

Congratulations!  Don't buy into your hip trying to act all nice now that it is going to get done.  My hip felt better than it had in years for a brief period after I scheduled my surgery.  I didn't buy it.  I knew it wasn't better or OK.  Sure enough, it started to hurt as bad as ever after that short attempt at dissuasion. 

There are a lot of mind games that happen when one is faced with fear and uncertainty, just stay clear on the reality of the situation and move steadily forward to the solution. 

Your hip isn't going to get better and your life isn't either without solving the problem.  Now you have a plan and schedule to solve it so count down the days left in pain to the moment you can start counting up the days without it.

[shipnc]

Andy....there would be something wrong if you WEREN'T concerned about this procedure.  Any surgery, including resurfacing, is a serious undertaking that should only be done after weighing the risk/reward.  But in this case, the reward really outsweighs the risk.  I had to stop playing competitive tennis, which was a big part of my life, because I just couldn't move on the court.  I stopped playing for several months while I researched my options, and no surprise here, the hip started feeling better.  So, I was thinking that maybe I didn't need the surgery afterall, but all it took was one trip back to the tennis court and I knew what I had to do.  To make my long story short, I did my research, found an experienced doctor in hip resurfacing, worked hard on my rehab, and a year later I am playing in the state tennis tournament.  For those of us who love sports, competition, and an active lifestyle, the risk reward equation overwhelmingly tips toward the surgery.  Good luck!

[imgetinold]

Thanks again, all.  I have a new strategy:  When my hip starts playing nice, I start exercising as if I had no issues at all.  It lets me know in a hurry that it is still there, and that it is still bad.  I am using this both as a way to remain as fit as possible prior to surgery, and as a way to maintain my motivation for the surgery.  It's an effective strategy for anyone else on the fence!

[imgetinold]

My strategy is working!  I have been feeling great lately.....limited hip pain, and it wouldn't last more than 12 hours. Thoughts of postponing creeping back in.......

So, last night I copied my wife's afternoon workout:
3 miles running, including many long hills, then....
run a suicide on the tennis courts, then...
plyometric jumps on each level of the bleachers, then...
2 min. jumprope,
4 100 yard sprint drills,
2 min. jumprope,
4 more 100 yard sprint drills
3 minute jumprope, then...
Stop.  Try not to puke.

My hip woke me up 1/2 the night, and is killing me today.

So, to anyone who's hip is "playing nice": use it as if you had NO hip issues.  It will remind you quickly (Don't do this if you are risk for necrosis, or whatever it's called).  Anyway, I found that I was just avoiding the exercise to avoid the pain.  That starts a bad cycle of just not doing anything.  No pain, but no fun and bad health.  From now on, if I'm not in pain, I'm going all out.  That will keep me on track.

-Andy

[obxpelican]

I looked at your x-ray and it appears that you're far from bone on bone except that small area on your left hip, although we are all affected in different ways from OA.

I would work real hard at building up your upper body, that is what you will use a lot during your recovery, although don't think your recovery is going to last that long.  When Dr. Gross did mine within 10 days I was up around the house using one crutch here and there.  It did help me that I lifted weights prior to my surgery. 


Chuck

[imgetinold]

Yea, chuck, that's what it looked like to me, too.  That's one of the things that keeps me second-guessing my decision.  But, I can't do the things I like without pain.  I could postpone....IF I change my lifestyle completely.  That's the depressing part.

With my limited (except recently) cardiovascular exercise, I've been focused primarily on weights.  I'm on a break from P90X (which is awesome), but still hitting the weights hard.  I think I will be okay in that respect.

[curt]

I would guess that your OA while not crippling ALL the time, is not going to get better without help.  Most of my early symptoms of hip pain were masked by other pains further down the chain.  Knees, ankles, shins...kept running.  My hip felt a little stiff most days, but stretched that and continued to run.  Finally tore my achilles tendon (operative side), and had increasing "non-related" maladies thought to be ITband, etc.
Turns out I was severely OA in my hip, with spurs and bone-on-bone and was injuring myself pretty badly while my body and messed up gait tried to compensate and stay away from the root of the pain -- my hip!
If  someone could have xray'd or diagnosed my hip earlier, it would have saved me years of other pains and injuries.  I would talk to Dr. Gross about his prognosis, but waiting is probably risky.  Most of us that waited too long weren't doing P90X or cardio.  We were not walking at all.  Let the surgeon guide you.  I can only tell you that I now feel soooooo much better!  Curt

[imgetinold]

Thanks, Curt.  I had my consult with Dr. Gross, and he said I was a perfect candidate for HR.

I think (most of the time) that I would rather get it done now before it IS completely debilitating, and before I get depressed and fat.  But, I do need the pain to remind me every so often......

[Anniee]

Definitely better go get it done before it gets too debilitating!  I scheduled my left hip for surgery in October last May.  The left hip was really not bothering me at the time, but between May and October it really deteriorated to the point that I had a difficult time walking.  I'm glad you got on Dr. Gross's schedule - you'll be very happy you had it done!

[curt]

Not sure, but did Andy insinuate that I was fat and depressed?  My hip hurt, sure, but I was only chunky and melancholy!!  Curt

[WTW15]

Glad I found this post.  I've been experiencing all the stuff Andy has - even still riding my motorcycle thinking all is OK.  But it's not....  I have been now seriously looking for a doctor and will be making a consult appt in the next month.  From there, if we hit it off, I hope to schedule for after the first of the year.  I can't say enough about the encouragement from this group/site.  I get tears in my eyes every time I come here just cuz you all have been there and are so positive and willing to share and help!  Thanks!!