Hi. I am wondering if anyone who has had a bilateral HR procedure (both hips at same time) can share their experience and how they are doing or any thoughts on advantages/disadvantages of doing both at the same time vs spacing them out. Thank you.
Hey Peter, check out the 'Bilateral' page on the forums here, there's plenty of us who've shared our stories there.
But, to briefly answer your questions here... I'd do it again without a second thought! The major benefit of going bilateral is suffering through ONE recovery, albeit a harder one. The first week or so isn't easy but it gets better quickly. Again, I would not hesitate to do it again.
My advice is if you're in good physical shape and have a little assistance available for the early days post surgery to go for it. I think others will say the same.
I agree with Quig, one surgery, one rehab. You will need more help at first. It depends on the surgeon also, most won't do it. Mine were done the same day, no regrets.
Hi Peter,
Definitely do not do them at the same time. That's insane! It's much better to wait one, two days between surgeries. :-) *rim shot*.
All joking aside, I had bilateral resurfacing with Dr. Gross on a Monday and Wednesday in the same week *exactly* one year ago today. I'm doing great. I wouldn't hesitate to do go for the bilateral option all over again. If you waited far longer than you should have, and let your hips deteriorate really bad like me, then it's a no-brainer. I don't think I'm stretching the truth when I say that for normal activities (walking, sleeping), I was already better at 2,3 weeks post-op then I was before the surgeries. So for me, if I'm going to be moving around for a few months with a semi-sore hip occasionally (which by the way, should be much less sore compared to the pain you feel before the surgeries), why not get them both done and get it over with?
As Quig recommended, head over to the Bilateral Stories section and read our accounts.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
8) :) Yep no probs. Depends how much pain your in and how crappy your legs are. Your choice totally. Good luck.
I had both hips done three months apart and while I relied heavily on the better hip each time, which w as helpful, the psychological stress of having to gear up for surgery and deal with the difficult first few days after recovery twice within three months was pretty rough. So I would agree that it's probably best to bite the bullet and have them both done in the same week.