am i ready for my BHR?

[smdmf]

im confused. so many of you here are in so much constant pain it makes me feel guilty. for the last year or so i've had hip pain. its almost impossible to get my left sock on, ( on my back of course ) along with my long shoe horn. can barely clip toe nails. i have to use my arms to get up anytime im sitting and i have to pull my leg up when ever i get out of the car. i walk a little funny and im always in a little pain. the fact is, i still work out, carry things @ work, play golf and even play basketball ( half court and in pain ). am i ready for a resurfacing? at this point i could survive but im told its just going to get worse. can i hear your opinion?

                                  thank you,

                                                                      mike

[mpschrader]

Hey Mike,
It sounds like we have a lot in common.  I'm 38 and just had my resurfacing done last week.  I had all of the inconveniences that you mentioned.  I also have 2 young kids.  I went back and forth with the decision for a while until I met Dr. Jacobs in Baltimore.  When I left his office I knew that I was going to pull the trigger.  I made the appointment and was done 6 weeks later.  My previous Dr's didn't seem to understand how important quality of life was to me,  they only wanted to focus on my age and pain management.  I'm very happy that I had the procedure done.  I'm only 7 days post-op but I'm already feeling better than I did prior to surgery.  I was a nervous wreck the week prior to the surgery but the whole thing was actually enjoyable. (I'm sure some readers will shake their heads at this.)  Good luck with your decision, it would be hard to justify waiting.

Mark

[smdmf]

thanks mark, im thinking december for the resurfacing. i forgot what it was like to put on my shoes & socks unassisted. do you feel more flexible yet? is going to the bathroom a problem getting back up? thanks,

                                                                 mike

[wayne-0]

Hey Mike
Reading your post reminds me of how I was last year prior to my surgery. From your description I can tell you I was in worse off  condition then what you have described, although all of the symtoms you have I had also. I am coming up on my 1 yr post op and life now is wonderful again. I can put my socks on ,bend down, surf, snowboard, play baseball, run, skateboard again. I got to the point in my life were I just couldn,t take it anymore so I had the surgery and for me it was a life changing moment for the good. One thing to keep in mind is that everyone here stresses the importance of having a very experienced doctor perform this operation. Good luck.

Wayne

[smdmf]

thanks wayne, thats news i like to hear. congradulations to you. i cant imagine bending over and putting on my socks. when im laying down i can only lift my left leg about 2" and the pain is huge. i have one more opinion wednesday then i think im going to schedule.
       
                                thanks wayne

[muzza]

Sounds to me like you're well and truly ready, Mike.  I've had both hips done and my dictum is "sooner rather than later". If it's inevitable, don't wait, just do it.

Best wishes,
Neil

[LOGAN13]

Hey Mike..For the past two yrs I have struggled with pulling the trigger myself. I delayed the decision for many reasons age(43 now), quality of life (my symptoms match yers..work outs tweaked to avoid as much pain as possible), lastly I have been scared (what if I end up worse?). Doc's have not made it easier ( Remind me of the need for more surgery down the road since I am still young..( hold off if you can handle the pain they say..grrr). Well two weeks ago today I pulled it..Finally. Enough is enough...I want my normal life back, not the one I have where Ice, hot baths, lack of sleep, suffering through pain ( more cause I hate taking pain pills). I have trained myself to deal with the physical pain, but the mental side of the equation is what pushed me over the edge.

 From everything I have read here on surface Hippie..There is a light @ the end of the tunnel. I am looking forward to enjoying my regained health & wish you all the best.

Tim

[Pat Walter]

Hi Mike

Welcome to Hip Talk.

In reality, only your hip resurfacing surgeon can tell you if you are ready for a hip resurfacing.  If you are experiencing problems as you explain, then the only way to know is to go to one of the really experienced hip resurfaicng surgeons and let them look at your x-rays.  None of them will perform a hip resurfacing if your hip has not deteriorated enough.  You can also wait too long and miss the window of opportunity to have a resurfacing because your hip has deteriorated too long.  Your pain level and your activity level is not the only indicator of your hip problems.  ONly and x-ray will really tell what stage it is at.  Some people feel a lot of pain when their hip is not too bad while others don't feel much pain and their hip is very bad. 

My suggestion is to stop guessing and asking others - but go to a really experinced hip resurfacing surgeon and find out for yourself.  That is the only way to really know.  Once you get their opinon, then you can decide what to do.

Good Luck and keep in touch.

Pat

[obxpelican]

Mike,

Because it's possible that you may lose the window to get an HR, I would seek out an experienced surgeon, get some x-rays and listen to what he says.

It sounds like you are close to the point where you'll have to do something as many times when you get to end stage bone on bone OS the decline in your ability to walk comes on real fast.

Only a hip surgeon can tell you at what stage you are in, if they tell you that you have time then it's up to you to decide when act, if I had to do it all over again I would have had my surgery done earlier as opposed to later.


Chuck

im confused. so many of you here are in so much constant pain it makes me feel guilty. for the last year or so i've had hip pain. its almost impossible to get my left sock on, ( on my back of course ) along with my long shoe horn. can barely clip toe nails. i have to use my arms to get up anytime im sitting and i have to pull my leg up when ever i get out of the car. i walk a little funny and im always in a little pain. the fact is, i still work out, carry things @ work, play golf and even play basketball ( half court and in pain ). am i ready for a resurfacing? at this point i could survive but im told its just going to get worse. can i hear your opinion?

                                  thank you,

                                                                      mike

[lindarose]

I keep asking myself that question. Ijust don't like the idea of sitting/lying down around the house being feeble.  BHR seems the best option if it's for you.  I don't have lateral movement in either of my legs, altho I still teach a strenght training class (in a pool), carry in large bottles of water, garden, walk up & down my porch steps everyday, but the pain at nite is indescribable.  I am now looking into going to India & have received an email from Dr. Bose.  I live in Mexico & this is scarey for me to travel to India solo & recup there solo.  I'll keep posting. 

[smdmf]

thank you for all the responses. i will keep you informed. one more doctor tomorrow. i'll see what he says. i love this site. it feels like were all in this together. ttyl everyone,

                                                         mike

[jay]

Mike, I am at the same stage you were last year. What did you do?
Jay Texas