Bilateral next month

Snowbound · December 17, 2014, 10:52:00 PM

New member here. I've been browsing lots of good info on this site for the last few weeks, this is my first time posting. I'm scheduled to have both hips resurfaced the end of January. This Friday I go in for my pre-surgery appointments. I don't really have any questions, but I'm sure I will once I start the recovery process.

I gave up skiing a couple of years ago and had to quit hockey last year. Since then my activity level has dropped right off. My biggest problem is just standing or walking. 15 or 20 minutes on my feet and my hips are aching, particulate the right side. Social events like house parties just kill me.

I started going to the gym a couple of months ago and doing yoga to get my self in as good as shape as possible before the surgery. It's a challenge at times with bad hips but I feel a lot better for it.

I'm 54 and just celebrated 4 years of being cancer free. When I turned 50 I went for a physical and with the psa test discover that I had prostate cancer. I was fortunate I caught it when I did because the tumor was large, but hadn't started to spread yet. The hip surgery scars will nicely bookend the centered one I have from the prostatectomy. ;D

Dannywayoflife · December 17, 2014, 11:14:07 PM

Hi and welcome ;) who is your surgeon? And where in the world are you?

Snowbound · December 18, 2014, 07:47:22 AM

I'm in Ontario, Canada and my surgeon is Paul Beaule.

hernanu · December 18, 2014, 12:33:30 PM

Congrats on deciding to have it done. It's been great for me - I'm a bi hippy also, at 4+ years now.

I had mine done with 3 months between, but several of our hippies have had both done at the same time. It's harder but then you're fully done.

JHippy · December 18, 2014, 09:47:26 PM

Welcome, Snowbound. You'll do well.

LAR · January 11, 2015, 09:26:22 AM

Hi Snowbound. I had bi-lateral hip resurfacing 10 months ago at HSS by Dr Su. I am an avid skier. I skied a few days last year just before surgery, but it was a painful experience.

I am on an extended ski vacation right now in Breckenridge, CO nd have skied 9 days straight without any issue. On day one, I jumped back on ski's and started turning just as I do at the beginning of every season. I'm actually skiing technically better than I have in many years.

If necessary, bi-lateral hip resurfacing is the way to go. Just get it done once and for all.

Good luck!

Snowbound · January 13, 2015, 06:05:43 AM

That sounds very promising LAR and I'm jealous. I'm really looking forward to being able to ski again. I used to be a fairly aggressive skier but by the end I was quite tentative.

How was the rehab. I've been going to the gym the last few months to get myself back in shape as much as possible before the surgery. I'm hoping that I'll be able to ease myself back into it starting with the machines where you're sitting before too long.

LMS · January 27, 2016, 06:54:13 PM

Hi Snowbound, I realize your thread was last active a year ago but I was wondering how you fared with your surgery?

Dr. BeaulÃ© was/is also my surgeon. :)

Snowbound · January 28, 2016, 01:34:55 PM

Hi LMS, my case was a lot simpler than yours. The first time I went to my GP (I was in my early 50's) he sent me for xrays which showed arthritis in both hips. He said I should give it 10 years and then get the hips replaced. I went back to him after a year and told him I couldn't wait that long so he sent me off to the clinic to be evaluated.

The therapist examined me, checked my range of motion and referred me to Dr Beaule. I lucked out with the timing, he had stopped taking new patients because his surgery wait time had gotten too long (it seems there's lots of us with bad joints). She'd just gotten an email that morning saying he was taking new patients again so my wait time for surgery was only 3 months.

I think Dr Beaule is an excellent surgeon but he's an extremely busy guy. Any time I've been in to see him they're at least and hour behind schedule and I only get to see him for a few minutes.

The surgery itself went very well. I stayed awake during surgery (it was optional) and it was fascinating to hear everything going on. Even though I had both hips done I was up walking the next day and able to go home after 2 nights in the hospital.

I'm in a small town that has a Civitan that loans out medical equipment. I was able to get everything I needed there (raised toilet seat, walker, crutches). I set up a bed in the living room beside the recliner and spent about a month sleeping there. Because I had both hips done at the same time I was on crutches for 4 weeks.

Recovery has gone very well. I go to the gym several times a week. My left side has been great. I do still get pain on the right side but that was my worse side prior to surgery. Mostly it's been pain in the upper hamstring area, but it's slowly improving. It mainly a muscle imbalance issue. Because the front and inner legs (quads, hip flexor, etc) were so tight for so long, they're stronger than my hamstrings and still tight which tilts the pelvis forward stretching the hamstring. Also I stand up straight now where before I was hunched forward with my butt sticking out. Now that I understand it I'm focusing more on strengthening my hamstrings.

Deep tissue massage has helped a lot, as has yoga. My massage therapist is very impressed by the scars.

Overall it's been a life changer. I be on my feet for long periods of time without pain. I'm no longer chewing on pain killers like candy and I'm back to playing hockey. Next week I'm taking my son on a ski trip, it's been about 4 years since I was last able to ski.

Good luck!