Jill’s Bilateral Hip Resurfacing with Mr. McMinn 1999/2012

November 27, 2012

 I had my second hip resurfaced on 6th Nov by Mr. McMinn. Its early days and I am still experiencing some lower back pain on the operated side – especially at night and also on the right side of my knee from time to time.

I had my first hip resurfaced 13 years ago also by Mr. McMinn. It has been great and I am hoping that once things have settled down this one will be the same. My first hip resurfacing has been a complete success and is still going strong.

After being diagnosed with osteo arthritis at 40 years of age I saw my local surgeon who asked me if I wanted the ‘good news or the bad news’. He then went on to tell me that the good news was I did not have cancer. The bad news was that I had the hip of an 85 year old woman!! He then went on to tell me that he would not let me have a hip replacement until I was at least 50 and even then I would have to be in excruciating pain and beg him on my hands and knees before he would do it that young!! I was devastated – I had only been married about six months at this stage.

Two years later after trying physio, steroid injections, reflexology, homophony a regime of exercises, none of which made any difference, I saw the story about Mark Edwards who had just had his hip resurfaced in a National Newspaper. He was jogging shortly after surgery. I asked for a referral to Mr. McMinn. At my first appointment he told me I needed the hip resurfaced and said he would offer me the procedure immediately. I struggled on for another two years and then decided to have the operation. The rest is history.

If I had waited 13 years for my first hip to be replaced I would have doubtless been wheelchair bound by now. This time my GP suggested that I have the same surgeon who had refused to operate on me all those years ago to replace my right hip, partly because of all the worries about metal on metal implants. I read the research and response by Mr. McMinn and decided to ignore my GPs advice! So far I am very glad that I did!!

January 17, 2013

I find I can walk for miles with one crutch but without it I limp after a fairly short while. My first operated hip and leg (13 years ago) has begun to ache after walking without the stick.
I have tried to ignore it and continue to walk but my gait deteriorates as I go along and I have to stop or use the crutch again. I also still have lower back ache from time to time and am not sure what I am doing to cause this. After an incredibly fast recovery following my first resurfacing I am feeling deflated and frustrated!!

January 24, 2013

 I have done something seriously wrong now because my back has gone into spasm and I cant stand up straight. Turning over in bed is hell. Cant bend over and cant walk hardly any distance. I think I may have overdone the exercises. The pain is mostly on the longest operated side – not the one I had done 10 weeks ago.

March 15, 2013

I have some good news to report and some not so good news Four months after the operation to resurface my second hip and my back is good and no longer painful. It seemed to hit a peak and since then it has slowly recovered. It is my longest operated leg that is now painful. It has been tetchy since I had the other one done but I put it down to over compensating and weight changes along with differences in my gait. However, it now has a steady ache if I stand even for a fairly short period of time – mostly around the buttock and outside of the hip and radiating down to the outer side of my shin. The pain increases if I stand so that I have to sit down. It is not as bad if I walk and is fine if I am sitting or laying down.

May 12, 2013

 I am now 6 months post op and I feel great! Back pain gone, ‘most recently resurfaced hip’ is brilliant and I have noticed that I do not compensate with my older resurfaced leg because I don’t need to! It still gets a bit sore sometimes (the older resurfaced hip)  for no apparent reason, but it always goes away and is helped by exercise. I can walk through it and it stops hurting after a short while. It is getting less and less and I am very happy!. Just to say that I feel better than I have for years. I think Mr. McMinn is a very fine person!  all that stuff about being patient is spot on because  three months ago I would never have thought I could feel like this today!