Surgery Scheduled: Still questioning "is it the right time?

[Clarkefan]

Hello:

I finally made the call and am planning on a BHR for my right hip. I would like some thougths on if I'm making the right decision. I am still VERY active: I teach fitness classes, workout everyday, and pretty much deal with the demands of life.

I'm a former martial arts enthusiast. While testing for a higher blackbelt, I believe I popped my hip out, and then back into socket. The pain was brutal. I went for weeks barely able to walk any distance. A later MRI showed a torn labrum -- cysts, OA.

Now I have to tie my right shoe on the side (can't bring my knee anywhere near my chest), I have groin pain when I take full strides (I use short strides while running), I need a pillow between my knees to sleep (have for the past 3.5 years), and I can't really do martial arts -- just teach cardio-style. I have been getting steroid injections for the past year or so, but they now only last about 3 weeks.  Oh, I'm a 42 year old male--weighing in at about 125. I want to be at a point where I can train full force in martial arts, teach fitness classes, maybe run a few miles a few times a week. No marathons or distance running.

In conclusion: I can "live" with it for a while more (with Advil and a noticeable limp). The question is "should I?" Will I -- 6-8 weeks post op -- wonder why I waited so long, or curse a bad decision in my life?

Thoughs?


 

[takilasunrise]

I am only 6 weeks post-op, but I can tell you that I'm glad I did it!  The first 2-3 weeks, I was wondering why the heck I did it (the 1st week, I was REALLY wondering why I did it).  But now that I've gotten through the hardest part of it, I can tell you that I no longer feel the arthritic pain that I felt up to the few minutes before they put me out for the surgery!  Yes, I'm still dealing with the surgery discomforts and following the hip precautions and I still have to have my family tie my shoe for me (and I haven't been able to properly shave my legs in 6 weeks....LOL), but am I glad I got it done???  YES!!!!!!  Am I glad I didn't wait any longer?  YES!!!!!  When I finally get to the point that I don't think about my hip anymore, it will be a wonderful day!  And at the rate I'm going, I will be there soon enough.  I am 44 years old.  I didn't feel like wasting any more of my "life" dealing with pain and not getting to do the things I love to do!

[Elaine Y.]

Hi,

You making the call and going for a BHR is the totally right decision. I was at 6 weeks postop on Tuesday, 3/4/08, and am driving, walking without a cane, went to a Bon Jovi concert at 5 weeks postop and totally enjoyed being able to dance in the aisle. Don't wait -- you are way, way too young to be putting up with such pain. All you described is exactly what I was going through before finding a surgeon that would do a BHR. I'm older than you, but very active. My biggest discomfort is my quad muscle is still a little weak in that I have just the slightest soreness, muscle soreness, at the end of the day. And, yes I still can't bend completely over to tie my shoe, but everyday it gets better. That is, I believe, a stretching issue.

So be glad you made this decision and don't look back. I would say the time in the hospital will be uncomfortable and probably the first week at home, because it is very hard to lift your leg. But, truly, 2 weeks of discomfort is well worth it to get rid of that awful pain.

Be sure to do posting on your recovery. We are all so very excited to hear about everyone's recovery....

And, P.S. to Marni (takilasunrise).... have your hubby shave your legs.. that's what I did 

Good Luck
Elaine Y.
RBHR - 1/22/08 - Dr. Eugene Lopez

[Pat Walter]

Hi
There are a few things to consider.  What does your doctor say is your condition?  Did he/she tell you if you wait, you could miss the window of opportunity?

Continued steroid shots will destroy the joint worse.  I have many articles about that on the main website.

If you can't sleep at night even with heavy meds, then it might be time for the BHR.

Everybody feel pain differently.  Some people have terrible bone on bone hips and don't feel the pain someone else with less destruction does.

You need to have good input from your surgeon looking at your x-rays. Just where do you stand? 

Only you know how much you don't do any more.  Hip pain quietly creeps up on you and you do less and less.  You don't even realize that you decided to not walk the extra block, sit sooner, or just not do somehting you did 3 or 4 years ago. 

You don't want to stop your life because of hip pain.  I did.  I didn't know about hip resurfacing and waiting almost 10 years before I found out about a BHR. My life had come to a complete standstill.  No meds could stop the pain at night, no PT could help, no steroid shots could help, no chiropractor could help any more.  You finally have no choice. 

Some of us had quick recoveries and others did not.  You can't predict what it will be.  I will say that people that use the overseas doctors and very experienced doctors do seem to have quicker recoveries.  The US doctors are much more conservative in the post op recovery protcols.  You need to ask your doctor specific questions about what they will allow you to do and when.  If you don't like the answers - look for a different doctor. 

It is not unusual to be on one crutch a few days after surgery and no crutch 4 weeks after surgery from the Overseas doctors.  Some of the US let people get moving quickly too - but you have to check with them.  Some have kept people on walkers for 6 weeks. 

Ask questions of your doctor and then you will have good information to make a decision with.

Pat

[dgm]

I strongly encourage you to take action soon.  I am 46/female  and 3 weeks out yesterday from RBHR.  I endured about 3 years of pain and an embarrassing limp and almost waited too long to be a BHR candidate because I thought I could tough it out.  There is no reason, assuming your doctor says the time is right for you, to wait any longer to have this procedure - it proves nothing to wait.  Three weeks post surgery, I am walking partially with a cane and going a bit without anything at all.  The most amazing this is that I finally have no pain and I am so pleased.  I have had a pretty easy recovery, so I feel quite fortunate.  But from all of the stories I've read here, it is not at all unusual.  Since you sound fairly active still, I would highly encourage you to do as much as you can in terms of building strength prior to surgery (I called it the crutch workout) for your upper body, it helped me tremendously. I'd also recommend doing whatever you can cardio wise, that is the least pain and okay with your doctor, too. I think it made my recovery fairly smooth and comfortable.   Good luck to you and keep us posted!
Denise
RBHR 2-14-08 Dr. Rogerson

[Clarkefan]

Thank you all for your kind support and information. This past week has been one of my more confortable in the past 3 years, so I guess I'm questioning the timing, but my wife reminds me that the past 3 years have not been my best, so it would be the right move for the family to get it done and move on. While visiting Disney with the family recently, I couldn't lift my daughers or sit on the floor to watch some of the shows. Guess that's a good sign.

I am working out agressively leading up to this. I find if I stand while using the exercise bike, I can do about 30-40 minutes (I haven't been able to sit in the saddle to work out since 2004) -- I hope a high-degree of fitness will help.

I'd like to create a daily blog to report on what's happening leading up to surgery, and how I'm recovering on a day-to-day basis.

Cheers all...

[Pat Walter]

Hi

 You can add news stories as you go along, or just go in and edit your original one adding new info each day.  Be glad to have your story there.   I can also just post it on the main website if you want to write a story after surgery too.

Good luck with getting your new hip.

Pat

[marathonhippo]

Chances are, that hip will get worse and not better over the long run.  If you wait another year or two (like I did unfortunately), you will probably get by, but you will most likely still be facing surgery.  If you get it done now, my guess is you will be happier spending the future recovering and getting back your old flexability rather than getting worse and knowing surgery is still coming up.  Plus there is always the idea that more time using anti-inflammatories is just more time allowing them to eat up your stomach

I am a former runner, and wish now that I had done these surgeries years ago.  What ended up happening is that I let it get so bad that I couldn't stay in shape, and went into the surgery overweight and with no muscle tone (although it still went well).  If I could turn the clock back, I would go back to where I was running and cross-training a lot (but still in pain), and go into the surgery as fit as possible.  I think my recovery would have gone better (and I hate being out of shape!).  As it is, I am going to have a lot more work to rehab both legs and lose the extra weight.

Best of luck - we will look forward to hearing either way.

Alan Rhodes
RBHR 2/4/2008 Dr. Hickman - LBHR 3/10/2008 Dr. Hickman