Hip starts behaving right before surgery.

[Miguelito]

Hello! This is my first new topic. I am a 41 year old male scheduled for surgery with Dr. Gross in (gasp) two weeks. My hip has (in hindsight) been deteriorating for 7-8 years. The pace accelerated greatly over the last 2+ years, and I have been actively looking forward to surgery all this winter while living in constant pain. I curtailed all physical activities but the most basic since last summer to try to get thru the day, week, etc.

Then about ten days ago, out of the blue, my hip stopped hurting. Groin is still a little sore and I have (a little) outside thigh pain, but it's like night and day compared to how it was for the last 6-8 months. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the phenomenal weather in Boston of late, but I'm a little unnerved by how much better my hip is now.

I still need a new hip (x-ray shows bone-on-bone) but a little shadow of doubt has crept into my mind, particularly in light of the current metallosis imbroglio. I am going through with the surgery but I guess I just wanted to hear from others who (I have heard) have gone through the same doubt after last-minute improvements with their hip. Reassurance anyone?

Thx,

Mike

[cassiewoofer]

 Same thing happened to me, must be psychosematic or something.... go ahead you won't regret it!. I'm a year and three months and now playing tennis and going for the odd run. Feels brilliant!
 Don't let that brain of your's confuse you! It can be evil sometimes!

LBHR Dec15 2010 Mr John O'Hara

[midiowa]

hey mike, iam 6weeks po, i had the same bone on bone, the last few days before go time i thought i was feeling better and considered rescheduling i think everyone has done the same before surgery, the best advise i received was just keep doing whatever you do before the big day then show up at hospital and go along for the ride, once your there just let them do there job and you will be in your room before you know it. you will be on your way to a better you. the pain was minimal for me, more muscle aches, 1 st week hardest, after that piece  cake.  you will be fine and will know you made the right choice just like the rest of us. hang in there you'll get there just fine. just get everything prepared at home ,  ice, grabber thing,  good chair, and more ice. good luck. Brad.

[imgetinold]

Aaaahhh, Mike (try to read that like I'm an old, wise, knowing, father-like figure)......

You sound exactly like I did, and just about like 90 percent of folks here.  I'm 44, and my hip started going bad slowly, and right up to surgery I had good periods mixed in with bad.  I had a Wednesday surgery with Dr. Gross, and I ran 4 miles on the Monday morning before that.  BUT.........I had just as many periods when I couldn't walk/stand/sit/sleep without discomfort.  Those periods were becoming more frequent.  I had given up playing tennis.  And, I never knew when an activity would result in pain. The fact is, it will never get better, so the decision is when you want to get on with your life.  If you go through this website, you will read that a thousand times.

Here is a discussion around your same question that I posed last year:

http://surfacehippy.info/hiptalk/index.php?topic=3081.msg26144#msg26144

And, again:

http://surfacehippy.info/hiptalk/index.php?topic=2656.msg20521#msg20521

Your feelings are totally normal.  But, as a 10-week-out hippy, I can tell you that Dr. Gross, his entire staff, the hospital, and the whole experience are outstanding.  You won't believe how easy it is, and how quickly you recover.  While I operate within my restrictions, I rarely even think about having an implant......AT 10 WEEKS !!!  And while I haven't forgotten what the hip pain felt like, it is a distant memory.

Also, if you haven't read it yet, read this "sticky" from Pat about the metal issue:

http://surfacehippy.info/hiptalk/index.php?topic=3529.0

Follow the links to learn the facts about it.  Most news accounts of the issue only look at selected results, then report on them out of context.  Unless you have a known allergy to metal, it is unlikely that you'll have any issue at the hands of an experienced surgeon.  And, Dr. Gross is one of the very best.

Good luck, man.  It is....honestly....so much easier than you can imagine, and so much of a relief.  Why wait to get back to life?

Andy

[Pat Walter]

Hi Mike

A lot of people go thur the same thing, all of a sudden their hip feels better.  Don't know if it is just in the mind or sometimes if you take it easy, you hip just doesn't hurt as much.  You know you had pain in the past and you saw the x-ray with the hip bone on bone.  Some people feel a lot of pain without much deterioration while others feel almost no pain with much deterioration.  So pain is not the only determining factor for a hip resurfacing.  Dr. Gross or any of the top surgeons would never do a hip that doesn't need to be done.  They have plenty of patients without trying to find extra work.  Dr. De Smet would not do my second hip because it was not time yet even though I had some pain.  It still comes and goes, so I wait until it has deteriorated to the point it is bone on bone.

Take it easy and think positively. You made a decision that your hip needs to be resurfaced.  Worrying about MOM will really upset you since there are not many options in THRs without MOM.  You can go large ball ceramic or plastic/metal versions.  You are very young and don't want a large hunk of your femur bone sawed off.

Stick with your decision.  You will have a great late summer when you are healed.

Pat

[Spanielsal]

I'm with you Mike, it is weird when it gets better.  i was enjoying a whole 2 weeks of feeling good, not much pain unless i overdid it and Bam, today am back there watching the clock until i can take another pain killer.  Just wait until you are on the other side... you won't know yourself, then you will remember what pain free really is.  hang in there, it sounds like you really need it doing.  The good weather probably does make a big difference.  I look forward to reading your story on here.  Sal

[kamoynsgi]

Hi Mike

Toothache always disappears when you are sitting in the Dentist's Waiting Room.

I had an operation scheduled for November last year but I 'didn't think I was ready' - reasons too numerous to mention.  Now four months on I regret not having taken that opportunity and have to wait until June for my op.  I'm sure I'll feel the same way you do 2 weeks away from the op.  This is a great site to gain support and feedback. 

Go for it.

[Dan L]

Toothache always disappears when you are sitting in the Dentist's Waiting Room.

Well said.

Mike

The one certainty is a hip that is bone on bone or ravaged with OA etc is never going to get better, it can only get worse.  The day you get resurfaced, you will immediately begin to improve, and once completed with recovery, the vast majority of people do very, very well.  You may have low pain times on your bad hips, temporarily, but increase in activity doing things you may do will remind you of the bone on bone.

Providing you have a good, experienced surgeon, and you follow the program for recovery, you'll be doing great in no time.

Dan

[obxpelican]

I got my new hip August 2008, my other hip is starting to give me a twinge, as soon as that twinge starts becoming nagging pain I will have the other done.

You can read on here many stories where people have had doubt, then read post-op, an overwhelming majority will tell you it was the best thing they could have done.

Your hip will not get better, NEVER.  It will only get worse, then it's going to get like mine where I could only walk 50 yards at a time.  You're not going to die from the pain, you will also not die from the operation, at least nobody has died from hip surgery that I've read.

In regard to the metal ion issue, talk to Dr. Gross again, I do not believe he has run into many people at all.   I just got another set of x-rays done and blood tests for metal ions, I am not symptomatic at all but many docs are checking, probably to be safe and for data purposes.

Personally I think the metal ion issue is far overblown, if it was really a problem every other post on here and on surface hippy on yahoo would be smacked with posts.

You have to do what you think is right for you, but, for me, I would have no problem visting Lee, Nancy and Dr. Gross for my left hip, it's just changed my life that much.

Whatever you do, I wish you good luck.

Chuck
 

Then about ten days ago, out of the blue, my hip stopped hurting. Groin is still a little sore and I have (a little) outside thigh pain, but it's like night and day compared to how it was for the last 6-8 months. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the phenomenal weather in Boston of late, but I'm a little unnerved by how much better my hip is now.

I still need a new hip (x-ray shows bone-on-bone) but a little shadow of doubt has crept into my mind, particularly in light of the current metallosis imbroglio. I am going through with the surgery but I guess I just wanted to hear from others who (I have heard) have gone through the same doubt after last-minute improvements with their hip. Reassurance anyone?

Thx,

Mike

[ScubaDuck]

Miguelito-

I also had some doubts leading up to surgery.  I had five months to think about it.  At times it felt fine.  But I didn't realize how much I was still limping.  The last week before the surgery I did a lot of walking and biking to wear out the last of it.  And it left no doubt that I was doing the right thing.

Last week I went to So Cal for spring vacation.  We opened and closed three theme parks and spent two full days at Disneyland.  We were constantly running and standing in lines.  I didn't have to avoid any rides.  And I kept having to remind myself that's couldn't have done this a year ago without excruciating pain and many rest stops.

Your hip isn't going to get better but you have a chance to make your life better.

Best wishes.

Dan

[Miguelito]

Thank you to everyone who responded. It was exactly what I needed to hear.

Mike