Need a push........

[imgetinold]

Hi everyone.  I joined the forum about 5 months back during my research phase (lost my login stuff....had to re-join.  Sorry).  I appreciate the support I received then.

At the time, I would go into periods where I could exercise normally without pain, but would have bouts where I couldn't stand still or sit without pain.  I found out then that I was not alone in that, and that many others experienced the same thing.  Thank you all for that.

I'm now at a point where....if I am sedentary.....I can be fine.  But, if I even cut the grass, I'm hobbling for about 4-7 days.  Most of my life (and marriage) is around doing active things, so this is not helping me mentally, either.

I've met with Dr. Gross (over the phone), and am looking to schedule surgery perhaps in November/December.  But......here's the thing:  I'm scared.  I've read about recoveries......I can handle them, mentally at least.  I've read about complications......not likely, but possible.  My mind is telling me DO IT.  But....still.....I have this apprehension.

Any of you KNOW it was the right thing to do, but were still hesitant?  What pushed you over the edge?

One last thing:  When my hip hurts a lot, I also end up with pain that starts in my knee and goes down my shin.  The local orthopedist (NOT my surgeon) said that was unrelated, because the nerves for that area don't go through the hip.  But, they seem to occur too often to be coincidental.  Anyone feel something similar per-op?

Thanks in advance.  This is the best support community ever.

Andy

[Ernie]

Andy,

I went from running the Peachtree Roadrace on July 4, 2010 to not being able to run due to the excruciating pain in my right hip whenever I tried in September to hobbling around painfully with a cane by February of 2011.  I was so ready to have my hip resurfaced (by Dr. Kenneth Kress at Resurgens here in Atlanta) on April 1.  The pain of recovery from the surgery was not nearly as bad as the bone on bone hip pain.  It felt qualitatively different from the beginning.  Four and half months later, my resurfaced hip feels great, no pain, increased range of motion.  I am so glad I did it.

Ernie

[newdog]

Most of my life (and marriage) is around doing active things, so this is not helping me mentally, either.

Andy,

You said it right there.

My hips deteriorated rapidly. Example: Five years and more ago I could backpack anywhere with up to 50lbs. or so on my back. I completed a rim to rim hike of the Grand Canyon in September 2006. Just some stiffness afterwards that was gone in a few days. Fast forward to 2008. I was walking with a limp, hunched over slightly and could not do any of my favorite activities. I gave up going for walks with my wife in 2009.

I did not know about hip resurfacing until July 2010. Before that I was a mess mentally. Mean, short tempered and just miserable. I know exactly what you are feeling. Yeah, it hurts but the mental part to me was the worst. One thing I can honestly say is, I never felt sorry for myself. I don't know why. I will say something here that I never told anyone before. I left a store that my wife and I were shopping in and went out to the parking lot to sit in our car and wait for her to finish shopping. This was about a year or so ago. The pain from walking was really bad and I had to leave and sit somewhere. I sat in the car and just "lost it". I bawled uncontrollably. It was the first time that happened. Sorry about the drama but I guess I need to explain to you that you are not alone. Tough guys and gals on this forum pour their hearts out everyday doing there best to help others like yourself with your situation. We all got the bad news about our hips and had to come to terms with it somehow. It's not fun. I was devastated and so were the others.

If you do go with Dr. Gross, you picked one of the best in the world. He and his team pride themselves in every aspect of the surgery. It's almost as though the surgery is too easy for him. Dr. Gross, Lee and Nancy are very open and honest and will help in any way they can. Talk to them about your concerns. An experienced surgeon with an excellent history in hip resurfacing is a must. The others on here will tell you the same thing.

I could not go on living with the pain and lack of mobility. When I found out about hip resurfacing I was so excited I could hardly sleep. I knew I was going to get it done and could hardly wait. It's a challenge but not anything like putting up with the bad hip(s).

I am 7 months post op and feel great. I can't tell I have implants in my body but man what a difference. When you get it done you'll see what we Hippys are so excited about. 

Please keep coming back to this site and ask away about anything. And call Dr. Gross and get on the waiting list. You'll be like the rest of us and you'll be saying it wasn't anything like you thought it would be.

Oh, yeah, the knee pain. I had it in my right knee and thought my knee was going bad. Since the surgery, the pain is gone. My knees aren't the greatest but the bad hip(s) made the right one a lot worse.

Steve   

[ScubaDuck]

Andy-

I am currently post op day 15 from a left hip resurfacing by Dr. Pritchett in
Seattle.

I dealt with reducing range of motion and pain that sometimes bordered on excruciating.  I went from running a marathon to not being able to walk around the block without pain.  Of course I gave up the running 13 years ago.  But when I could no longer bike, walk, or even swim comfortably I knew it was more than being out of shape.

As newdog said, we all went through tough times.  When I was finally diagnosed with OA in the left hip I at least knew what I was dealing with.  When the first surgeon suggested I wait for years and then come for a THR, I was devastated.  Then I found out about hip resurfacing.

As I learned on this website, you need to pick the right time, one of the most experienced surgeon, and the best device.  I scheduled my August 1st surgery in March I believe.  Then I followed the ups and downs of participants on this site.  I read the horrible article in the NY
Times.  And I second guessed my decision.

For me I realized that my hip is going to deteriorate.  There is nothing I can do to reverse it.  It was affecting my quality of life.  And this was a perfect opportunity.  I reread the data and decided that the revision rate taking into account picking the best are incredibly small.

I am still dealing with the post op restrictions, pain, night sweats, swelling.  But I can already tell that my hip pain is gone.  I have no regrets.

Best wishes in your decision.

Dan

[Luann]

Wow, Andy if you only knew!! You are soo not alone!!  (by the way, Steve, well said!)

 Yes, a lot of us here are tough. A lot of us are younger and not content to think about life in pain with little or no activity. I lot of us are (ex-)athletes, sport junkies, and, although it is often not discussed, most of us need to keep our "love lives" going! It is hard on our sig. others, too.
 
 I used to ride race horses. I hit the ground hard with horses crashing down on top of me at 45 miles an hour. After a wreck, if I still could, I got back on them not more than 15 mins later and did it all again. I never cried, and was never afraid.
 For the past 10 years, I broke young horses to ride. I broke bones. They bucked, I laughed.
 
 Then came the bad hip years (no wonder, huh?). I was scared. I cried. I felt sorry for myself. I had many sleepless nights (like Steve said, more mental than because of pain). I scheduled the surgery once, even, and then cancelled it because I had a "couple of good days" and decided I didn't need it yet.
 Then I had some really bad days; they came fast after my cancellation. I laid in bed and was terrified. At 45, my active happy life was over. I made an assumption that if things kept getting worse, at the rate it was progressing, I would be in a wheelchair in, at most, a couple of years.
 Then I wondered if it was all even worth it. My life sucked.I think you know what I mean. I'm thinking I'm not the first person here to ever toy with that thought. AND THAT IS WHAT MADE ME DECIDE TO FINALLY DO IT. The thought of NOT doing it (and where those thoughts were taking me) was more terrifying than the surgery.
 It also, again like Steve mentioned, helped that there was this wonderful alternative called HR. I read in horse publications about a couple of riders who had it done and were riding like crazy again. I also had the help of this website. Pat and all the hippies that helped me here are my heros (as well as my surgeon)!!
 I have heard many people post about your chosen Dr. He is said to be one of the very best. If you are more frightened by the prospect of where your hip is taking you in life, than the HR proceedure itself, then you will know you are ready.
 I am pain free, riding horses everyday (just won a cutting championship!) and my husband and I are back to a completely normal love life. I can hike all I want, drive long distances,pretty much do whatever I want. It is wonderful.
  I did cry one more time after the surgery, and that was during my first pain free hike without a walking device! Tears of pure joy!
 We are all here with you, Andy.  Good Luck,  Lu
 

[Lopsided]

But......here's the thing:  I'm scared.

Don't be scared! This is when you get your life back.

[bothdone]

Hi Andy

For my first BHR back in 2004 three things persuaded me to get the op done:

1.  A physio friend of mine saw me limping past him and said if I didn't get it done soon I'd be damaging my back.

2.  I saw myself in the background of a video of an athletics race and realised how badly I was limping.

3.  Waking up in the middle of the night in severe pain and knowing I couldn't get rid of the pain.

As an extra point, researching BHRs made me realise there is a window of opportunity for it to be done.   Leave it too long and there may not be enough hip left to take the device.  When I went in for the operation the surgeon had my permission to do a THR if the BHR was not possible.  You can guess my first question when I came out of recovery.   It was a BHR.

For my second BHR in 2008 I didn't leave it as long.

Only you can know when it is right for you but I'd rather do it a bit early than too late.

Hope all goes well.

Ed

[Aerial]

I actually have an appointment with Dr. Gross in early September.  I communicated with Lee via email already.  I am a university professor right in Columbia, SC.  Due to my job, surgery during winter break makes sense for recovery purposes.  She did tell me they are already scheduling November.  I was penciled in for surgery in early December (even prior to my appointment) after giving a little history and my diagnosis of severe arthritis from another in town orthopaedist.  I was very happy I could be put into the schedule since if they were booked in December that might push me to May (i simply could not wait that long).  If you really want a particular surgery time, you may want to get in touch with them.

[jjmclain]

Andy,

I too had the pain down my knee, to my shin, to my foot, etc. pre-surgery. All of that pain is gone as well as the hip pain. I am now 9 months post-op and feel about 10 years younger. I am a much happier person and will resume racing triathlons next year. I am fully capable and healed to race now...pain is not holding me back and my hip is definitely strong enough. LOL!! All of my money and time is going to my kids' sports right now!!!

Your family will notice a difference in your overall demeanor post-surgery. My husband and kids notice the change in me and are so excited for me to get back racing next year! Prior to surgery I had trouble climbing up and down the bleachers at the hockey rink during my son's game as well as walking or running downhill. I don't even think about it now!

Even though I knew the time was right for surgery, I was very nervous. I was afraid that during surgery my surgeon would find that he could not do a BHR and I would end up with a THR. But by the time I had surgery, I didn't even care anymore. The pain at night and when I was not moving was something I did not want to live with. I wanted my life back no matter which option I ended up with. My surgeon did find a very large cyst but was able to deal with that and I ended up with a successful left BHR!

You are not alone and we are all glad you found your way back to the forum!

June

[imgetinold]

Thank you all for the heartfelt, sincere repsonses.  It is amazing how similar so many of our stories are.

Steve, I appreciate you sharing that.  I think many of us can handle physical pain more than the mental pressure at times.

Luann.....remind me never to mess with you.  You sound like a particularly tough lady.

Ernie.....maybe in 2013 we'll run the Peachtree together.  I live in the Suwanee/Sugar Hill area.

 I will stay on track and get this done.  Again, thank you all.

[Aerial]

Wow Lu what you said is so true for me " the thought of not doing it is far worse than doing it".  It has gotten to the point for me that I have a constant awareness of my limitations and how bad my hip hurts.  I find myself planning my day to avoid things like walking a great distance, going up stairs, etc.  In addition, for me, I love to be active and right now I have to psyche myself up to get my body moving because it is painful most of the time.  This is not the me I know.  I love yoga and is (was) quite advanced but I am becoming more and more limited in what I can do due ROM and pain.  I broke down in tears one day in yoga and the next day I made an appointment with Dr. Gross.  I feel a little defeated right now...at first it was physical but now it is both physical and emotional.  I know it is time.  I have three years of increasing hip pain with arthroscopic hip surgery for a torn labrum and bone spurs thrown into that mix.  I am ready to feel a hip that does not hurt.  I feel very lucky to have insurance and wonder how those without it manage.

[lori.36]

It took me 9 months after my diagnoses to make an appointment for surgery.  The pain was horrible and I was trying every avenue before surgery, including postive thought.  None of it worked for me, but when I scheduled my surgery for May in March, I was ready!  I was ready to be out of pain, I was ready to not cry at night from the pain, I was ready to go for a walk, I was ready to teach my kids how to ride bikes.  I did not want to live with the OA in my hip, I just could not do it anylonger.  I am now 3 + months post op and I am delighted!  Best decision I have every made about my body!  I am without pain, able to walk, hike, bike, and most importantly play with my kids.  I have a video where I am teaching my 1 year old how to walk, and you can see me limping, and now I can carry her to school!  Do it, there are risks with everything, but this is worth the risk.

PS,  I had pain that ran down my thigh to my knee and would go all the way to the ankle.  My back was also in really bad shape, but when you hobble you change your body mechanics, which creates more problems.  Best of luck to you.

[jjmclain]

Aerial,

I too felt defeated at times prior to surgery and couldn't imagine living the rest of my life that way. You will be so happy once you have the surgery done and wonder why you hadn't done it sooner. Good Luck to you and hang in there! Everyone on this site is fantastic and will offer you all the support you need. They are so wise and very funny too!!! 

June

[23109VC]

Imgetinold-

I just read your post and it sounded so familiar...

I'm 39, and had major hip pain in my left hip. It started about 10 years ago but was minor..it only hurt when I really excercised hard or played intense sports.  Up to 5 years ago I was unable to play sports that required a lot of directional changes - like basketball, tennis, etc... but I could still jog.  For some reason the impact did not hurt, it was the range of motion.  if my leg went forward and backward, it was ok... twisting and side to side hurt.

my range of motion was getting worse though.  It was harder to put on my shoes, etc.  I had seen several doctors.. alls aid it was arthritis..and that eventually I'd need surgery.  I was taking tramadol for pain, and aleve.

About 3 years ago the pain got worse.  My doctor said I was about to go bone on bone and he told me when that happened it was going to get a lot worse..and it did.  I was not able to run anymore.. my range of motion got really bad.. I could only lift my left leg 20 degrees or so at most.  lying in bed at night, my hip would throb.  no matter what I did it just hurt.

I was taking medication to sleep.. mostly tramadol and aleve, sometimes vicodin.  vicodin dind't help the pain but knocked me out so I could sleep. 

My local orthopedic surgeon told me the only thing to fix it was surgery.. but he only did THR.  He was very up front however, and told me about HR and said if he were me, he would look into it becuse of my age and the change it would buy me time... his logic was, do a HR now and if it eventually fails, i'll be a more appropriate age for a THR... 

that was a few years ago..  i went home, did some research on it.. and found some youtube videos on HR.... that was a bad idea.  I was very scared...the idea of my bones being torn apart grossed me out..and like you I was afraid of all teh what if and things that coudl go wrong.

I put off surgery at least a year and just suffered along on pain killers.

about 1.5-2 years ago it was so bad that I would not tie my shoes or clip my toenails.  i had my 9 year old son help me put on my shoes. I could not run at all..hobbling was all I could really do.  if i doped up on aleve, tramadol, vicodin, etc.. I could get through certain activies..  I wans't bedridden or debilitated..but everythign hurt.  I managed a hiking trip at Zion one summer.. but it hurt the whole time and really took away a lot of the fun.  when the kids got really tired and had to be carried- my wife did it.. it hurt too much for me to do it... 

when i got to that point where I could no longer tie my shoes, and my littlest, my 3 year old could outrun me... I decided I had to do something about it.

I was very scared.. jsutlke you.  even when I knew I had to do it..I didn't want to.  I was afraid of the procedure, afraid that something might go wrong...  but I also knew I didn't want to live my life like I had been.

when the surgery got closer, I was even more scared.  a lot of the people on this website really helped me through the nervousness, with reassurance that it wasn't really that bad.

I saw Dr. Gross.  I flew from CA to see him based on all the great reviews and my thought that uncemented sounded like my best shot for a permanent fix... 

I can truly say - theprocedure was nothign to worry about.  they give you sedation when you get to the preop area... the worst and most painful thing I felt was the IV going in.  seriously.  they did a blood draw..and that was a slight prick... but aside from that, I didn't feel a thing.  the last thing I remember was being wheeled to surgery and someone telling me to sit up.  that was to get hte spinal shot.. I have ZERO recollection of getting or feeling it at all.  i don't remmeber the OR or anyting.  i remember waking up in recovery thinking "am i done???"

there is some pain in recovery, but it's not much.  the  meds Dr. Gross had me on kept the pain totally in check. i'd call it mild soreness at most.  i was able to walk and the bone pain was GONE.  totally GONE.  that was amazing.  it was like that constant nagging stabbing pain just was gone.  that was awesome.  i was only on the heavy pain pills for about 10 days..and then it was just tylenol...

oh - i also had that knee pain you are talking about.  i remember when my hip woudl hurt I"d get a sharp pain in the front of myknee... doing down the kneecap... my local doctor checked my knee and said my knee looked great and that it was referred pain from my hip.  after surgery.. it was gone.  I did have a weird pain in my knee after surgery... only if I moved in certain positions..but that went away in a couple of weeks. 

i'm at just about six months post op.  my hip pain is GONE.  knee pain.. GONE.  I occasionally get stiffness if I sit too long... but once I get up and walk around, it goes away.  my operated hip feels almost as good as my "normal" one... maybe not quite as good, but darn close.

getting my hip fixed was the BEST decision I have ever made regarding my health.  I wish I had done it much sooner.  I feel 10 years younger - while I"m not back to running just yet, bc i have a week or two to go until my "official" six month mark.. which is what Dr. Gross wants his patients to wait until before running - I have been swimming, cycling on the exercise bike, stairmaster, etc.

i have taken little "sprints" lately.. no running but very fast trotting I'd call it.  zero pain.  i know I could run right now if I had to..

if you are in pain and you are worried about all the "what ifs" and are afraid of the procedure.. don't be.  it is not painful.  it is not scary.  you will not wake up in the OR...  if you can handle an IV prick - you will be golden.

I had a hernia operation about 5-6 years ago.. the recovery from that surgery was 100X more painful that anythign I experienced with my hip.

I got my life back!  good luck.

[Anniee]

Andy,

I can only echo what everyone else has said.  Most of us who have had the surgery wish we had had it a lot sooner than we did.  I think a lot of times, we make ourselves believe that things will get better, especially if the pain is intermittent.  On the other hand, you do have to be ready mentally to "take the plunge" which I think sometimes does not happen until you admit to yourself that you will not get better without surgery.  My "breaking point" was an inability to sleep at night because the hip was aching so bad.  Also, I knew that if I waited too long, resurfacing might no longer be an option.

Dr. Gross is my surgeon too, and I must tell you that you could not have picked a better team than Dr. Gross and Lee Webb!  I was quite nervous before I had my right hip resurfaced last April - Lee came to see me in the pre-op area and gave me a big hug because she could tell I was scared.  The post-surgery pain was minimal.    I'm having my left hip done in October, and I cannot wait!  No apprehensions this time!  At 65, I'm older than most others on this site, so I was a little worried that I would have a tougher recovery due to my age, but that was not the case.  The first few weeks were a bit rough, but now, at almost 4 months post-op, I have no pain in that hip, and my leg strength is close to back to normal.   The worst thing for me was that I had trouble sleeping for the first couple of weeks because I could not get comfortable. 

Best of luck to you!

[imgetinold]

Again, thank you all for the encouragement.  I have found myself - on the good days - saying that there's no need right now.  Then comes the bad week.  But, you're right......I know this will continue indefinitely, getting worse each time.  As soon as Nancy emails me back, I'll have a surgery date on the calendar.

Your words are all very encouraging.

Andy

P.S.  I might have to change my handle to "Imgetinyounger".

[hipnhop]

Andy, it doesn't get better without the surgery.  Each week the pain will get worse. I am waiting for my second HR and I am just hoping to make it to the next day without needing a cane or crutch. I question myself each time I go the gym: "will this be the day the hip fails?"

I find myself hurting more in the unoperated hip with each pedal stroke, during every swim.  It is really starting to affect the recovery of my operated hip.

My other hip went out quickly and I could not walk unaided for seven while wading through insurance and bureaucratic rigmarole. Be proactive and move on surgery.  It will only get better after that.

[Tin Soldier]

Excellent title, "Need a push...."  Everyone here has already said it, they were in the same position as you - Andy.  It took me about 12 months after diagnosis to take the plunge.  I probably had decent OA for about 3 or more years prior, just didn't know why I was so stiff and in pain.  When you feel like an old dog with arthritis who snaps at everyone and you're not doing what you want to,....and everything suffers.  Why wait? get your life back.

Steve - I like your post, heartfelt.  I felt like that a lot, never sorry for myself, though.  I have a couple friends in wheelchairs and a coworker facing terminal cancer.  It's nice to have some perspective, but it still sucks.

I was in pretty much the same position as everyone here.  I'd go for it, but you do need to make that decision.  Beyond all the excellent info just in this post, I'd recommend continuing on here and studying up if you want.  I felt like the more info I gained here, both good and bad, mostly good, the more I accepted it and decided to go forth.  Also, everyone here will give you lots of support.

Knee pain was there, so was a little upper shin pain.  It went away after HR on the left.  I have it in the right and I'm hoping that in a couple weeks, it will also be gone on the right. 

Good luck

     

[hernanu]

Hi Andy, I can't really add much to what everyone has said, all of my reasons are contained in their responses. The biggest thing for me was removing the IF part of my life as it became more and more constrained by the OA. IF I  don't do sports, IF I don't take walks with my family, IF I stop dancing, etc.... then I don't have pain.

Eventually you have pain no matter what you give up, so the best thing I ever did for myself is to get the procedures. It's your decision alone, but for me, the pain afterwards is not the negative, degrading feeling of losing the ability to live, but like life was opening up again.

Last night I went to a concert by one of my daughter's acquaintances / friends (my daughter is a singer), April Smith and did something I never would have thought possible two years ago: I stood comfortably during the entire concert, coming out of it with my feet a little sore, but the hips were rarin' to go.

[Hippychick]

WOW!  It's amazing to read everybody's story and see myself in it...especially the parts about my 3 y/o running faster than me and walking through a store and having to sit down bc you can't take another moment.   I find myself using the shopping cart as a walker a lot of the time!   But the thought of being so immobilized I have to ride in one of the motorized carts is not acceptable to me.   I also have the back and forth thoughts when I have my good days and think I was just going through a "phase" of pain...HA!  It's the next day when your hip decides to show you who is boss and hurt 10x's more than ever...I have also experienced the knee pain and what feels like a shin splint where the shin just aches/burns.   Was beginning to think that was a whole other problem...maybe not!   I can remember the first visit with my Orthopedic Surgeon who came in and said "Yes, there is something wrong, and I can fix it"   I almost cried right there...but waited until I got in my car.   Without realizing it or realizing I needed it, somebody had validated my problem and acknowledged it wasn't just in my head or me "getting older" and feeling like I should just suck it up...unfortunately, that was for arthroscopy, which worked briefly, but now I think I am going to go for the resurfacing (after I find out how much it will cost!!!).  This website has changed my mind and my life...I am so excited!!  Best of luck and I will keep posting and reading and looking forward to the day I can say I am pain free too!!!     Thank you to all you brave people who have forged a path for us that are waiting in the wings trying to decide...my heart goes out to you all!  Molly