How do you know?

[greateressex]

Hi. I'm new to this.  I'm scheduled for hip resurfacing in September. I'm just wondering for those people that had this done when did you know you were ready for this.  Did you second guess yourself? Did you think before the surgery something will go wrong ? Or is this a common theme before surgery. Do you not just wait til the pain is unbearable before you go through with it.  Some days the pain is not bad but some days you cant walk.How do you know the doctor advice is the right one? A lot of thing go through your head.  Its crazy.

[catfan]

I was in no means in serious pain before I had the surgery, but decided I wanted to regain the ability to do activities I was given up.  For example I wanted to be able to take a hike with my wife and not be afraid to go to far fearing the pain would start. 

I could have waited several years until the pain got so bad I could not stand it, but I knew at some point I would need to do something so why not address the issue now versus suffering for 2,3,4,5 more years.

I am only 4+ weeks into my hip resurfing and feel I made the right decision, but only time will tell...

Good luck with your surgery...

[greateressex]

Thanks. I hope it goes well.  Did you do anything thing different before your surgery.  Exercise your hip muscles,lose weight? Is it true if you strengthen your hip muscles it helps recovery?

[curtieman1]

Greater, I think the risk of waiting too long can make you not a candidate for resurfacing. The hard decision is made to have surgery. I think most everyone on here can say that once they decided to have surgery they started having second thoughts. You will have days with little pain but the the bad days will let you know you made the right choice, at least that's what I found.
Good luck with surgery.
Curtis

[Jason0411]

I made the mistake of putting mine off. Had the oppertunity to have it done in August 2011 but bottled it because on the day I went to see McMinn it didn't feel too bad. By November I was almost in tears trying to walk a few hundred yards and had my BHR 6th December 2011. I think I was on the tipping point as in August I had a little cartlidge but in December was bone on bone.
Go for it and get pain free

[greateressex]

Thanks. It's nice to talk to people that have gone through this. Makes you feel better about the decision you make:)

[MikeF]

I'm three weeks and a day from my resurfacing. I had hip arthroscopy in June 2011 by a different surgeon. I will forever wonder if I hadn't gone to the surgeon who did my resurfacing instead, if I wouldn't be two years ahead in my life right now. 
Just to be brief......if you're asking the question (like we all have) get it confirmed from your surgeon and go for it. Good luck and stayactive on this site.
Mike

[hernanu]

Thanks. I hope it goes well.  Did you do anything thing different before your surgery.  Exercise your hip muscles,lose weight? Is it true if you strengthen your hip muscles it helps recovery?

I think anything you can do to strengthen yourself helps. Losing weight will help in many facets, so if possible do, but if not it's not a deal killer.

Arm strength is important early on, for dealing with crutches, getting up and down from / into seats (of all kinds).

Core strength is important also, so pilates or something like that will help.

[greateressex]

Good luck Mike. Hope all goes well

[kimberly52]

I was one of those who kept dealing with it for years and would "try" to maintain my once normal active life and dealt with what I called "payback pain" for a very long time.  I would hike, bike, or whatever and would pay dearly in pain afterward.

It wasn't until I was Christmas shoppingin the mall this past winter that I went to take a step and could ot bear weight without excrutiating pain.  Needless to say, I had a horrible time hobbling to my car that day.  This started to occur more often and I finally cried uncle and scheduled my surgery.

Today is my 4-month anniversary with my new hip and I look back and wonder why did I put myself through all those limitations and deal with the pain.

I have had a somewhat long recovery compared to what I read about most on here.  I still have soft tissue that is still healing and experience tenderness and do continue to have stiffness but mostly because of sitting too long at work. Laying on either side is still uncomfortable for me.  However, those things a minor inconveniences.

 Prior to surgery I could not stand still for more than 10 minutes without pain.  A few weeks ago I was at an event and after 2 hours standing still in the crowds, I was pain free.  When it dawned on me how long I had stood without the pain, I just had a flush of joy run through me knowing that I am healed.

When you have had enough, you will know it.  No one can tell you, it is to you. I too looked here for the answer and learned that the answer was with me all along. And if you have doubts whether you need to have it done, no competent surgeon would ever do this or any other surgery if they didn't think it would benefit the patient.

My best wishes to you in making a decision that is right for you.

Kim

[Lauren Lee]

Following a snowmobile accident 30 years ago, I had on and off pain every year or so. PT and antiinflammatories calmed it down and I went on with my somewhat limited life due to poor range of motion and fear of re-injury. Over the past couple of years the pain became more chronic- sometimes better, sometimes much worse and always unpredictable. I was waiting until I was a little older for a THR and then I heard about BHR.
I had my surgery on June 17th and was feeling so good two weeks before that I thought about cancelling it. I had gone to a retreat, received prayer and thought for sure that I had been healed. Not that I doubt Gods ability to heal, but I had also just finished a 6 week course of PT following an acute flare up. I made an appointment with my doc to confirm. It was all still there...the OA, the osteophytes, the narrowed cartilage space, bone on bone in spots. So I got my healing another way and 7 weeks later I am doing great! I read the OR report and during the surgery the doc put the new joint through its paces and called the ROM "excellent". I haven't had range of motion in the hip for decades. Even my PT, immediately post op, said my ROM was better than it had been pre-op-even with the restrictions.
I was a little afraid pre-op-it is a major surgery which impacts everything you do and I did have some minor complications- allergies to medications and skin issues but overall it has been a steady improvement day by day.  The first two weeks were the hardest...not so much with pain, although there was some of that (controlled with meds)  but everything I did  was a supreme effort and took so much longer. And you are fatigued.  The skin allergies I had to medications, laundry detergent (never will know for sure what caused that) were probably the most uncomfortable part of all ...but it all passed and between Benadryl and Vicodin I slept a lot.  I would definitely agree that it is important to work on upper body strength. The OT coming to my home was invaluable in giving me practical solutions to maneuvering our unusual home set up and correcting some things I was doing in regards to my activities of daily living.
For me now was the time. I was not getting any younger, in reasonably good shape, and the hip wasn't going to get any better unless there was some kind of miracle and quality of life was slowly being eroded. Now I feel younger, I am in better shape than ever, my hip is healed and my quality of life is on the uptick.  So I got my healing on June 17!
Best wishes to you as you work through your trepidation and move forward! You are in great company!

[Elsie]

Kim, Just a little over five months out, I'm just now starting to consistently enjoy a significant diminishment of what I've called my startup gimp, a/k/a "stiffness" upon walking after sitting (I, too, sit a lot at work).  Mostly now I hobble not because of the LBHR but because of the osteo in my other hip.  As you expressed, there are still so many joys despite some continuing mild deficits in our resurfed hips due to the healing curve.  For me, what I was calling bursitis for 30 years (and on a strong prescription NSAID for as long) is gone.  Chronic low back problems, gone. Groin giving out upon standing, gone.  Chronic hamstring pain gone!  My gluteous medius was quite torn up and it was repaired during the surgery.  Quite amazing what I was enduring for so many years and how much pain was referred to other areas.

Greater, I, too, have been wondering about the right time to do my other hip.  At 58 I feel that I am close approaching the candidacy deadline as related to a resurf.  Logistically it really behooves me to have it done next mid-August.  I will have new accruals of sick leave and vacation and on top of short-term disability I stand to have overlapping payments and even after my $2400 annual medical deductible will be ahead quite a bit of money, unlike my first hip this past March when my paid leave was exhausted, having been dealing with so much pain from the labral tear and having taken so much time off from work.  FMLA leave isn't available to me until next March in any event.

I echo Catfan.  After biking, hiking or even just swimming my native hip aches and is very stiff.  It sometimes wakes me up and I quickly have to change position.  That said, another salient question is surgically being a clinical candidate, that is, will an x-ray (or MRA) make me a surgical candidate in terms of my surgeon's willingness?  Do I get to make that choice if the x-ray only shows moderate osteo?  It seems a horrible shame to have one new, excellent hip but have to curb my activities because of the other hip despite what the x-ray shows (or doesn't).  Certainly it's possible that my surgeon can look at the x-ray and say sorry, your hip is not yet a clinical candidate for such a major surgery.  I am going to see him in the near future to ask these questions.  It would sure be nice to have almost a year's head up!

[podgornymd]

The apprehension and indecision you have are normal. I had those same feelings and i am in the medical field and have alot of experience with hip replacement patients.

My story was alot like yours in that i did not have years of pain.My pain started last october and i ahd injections including stem cells but nothing worked and ended up getting BHR in april. I had days where i felt pretty good but knew i had to be careful and became sedentary and usually i am skiing and biking.

I am 3.5 months out and it hasnt been an easy recovery but i know in the long run it will be worth it.

I had friends my age 48yo, who i bike race with who waited 2-3 yrs to have a THR and wished they had had it done sooner. I could have waited but i did not want to lose anymore time. I lost out on last ski season and have lost out on my biking season and will lose out most of this ski season . If not for work i would have done it sooner.

But in the end it comes down to personal decision and you have to be ready.Hope that helps

Eman

[greateressex]

Guys. Thanks for the stories. This site actually makes me feel better,just by reading your stories. It's amazing how many people are going through or went through this process. I wish everyone the best recoverys.

[Charvel101]

Hi I am being done next week and I have the same thoughts ,,, I have had days last week I ran up stairs and felt fine walked straight and stood comfortably ,, almost changed my mind ,, this weekend I was hobbling again ,,, truth is you get used to it ,, the pain dulls !!!! movements you can't do you stop and adjust ,, before you know it you don't bend , crouch , sit crossed legged , run , jump or twist but you still keep managing ,, I believe we are adapters and we kid ourselves don't we.  I want to be able to keep up with normal life and not second guess every movement as I'm sure you do ,,, it's tough but I think it's less about pain and more about ability to do the things we want to .

Good luck I hope I've called it right to I feel early but then I can't do so Amy things I could a year ago even.   

Chris

[HippyDogwood]

Hi I am being done next week and I have the same thoughts ,,, I have had days last week I ran up stairs and felt fine walked straight and stood comfortably ,, almost changed my mind ,, this weekend I was hobbling again ,,, truth is you get used to it ,, the pain dulls !!!! movements you can't do you stop and adjust ,, before you know it you don't bend , crouch , sit crossed legged , run , jump or twist but you still keep managing ,, I believe we are adapters and we kid ourselves don't we.  I want to be able to keep up with normal life and not second guess every movement as I'm sure you do ,,, it's tough but I think it's less about pain and more about ability to do the things we want to .

Good luck I hope I've called it right to I feel early but then I can't do so Amy things I could a year ago even.   

Chris

Good luck Chris - I am still "fighting it" but that doesn't make me right and you wrong, but from what I've read you MUST totally back your decision once you've made it. There is mental, as well as physical recovery and you have to stay positive that you have made the right decision to stay focussed on the light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm still not quite there yet, in terms of being able to make that decision and may well be the worse for it, but I keep coming to this site and reading about how others have changed their lives for the better. I guess there is a stubborn streak in me but make sure when you go into that operating room you have done with your doubts and can be positive about the decision from the getgo

Good luck
David

[Miguelito]

OP,

I had my doubts and fears about the surgery like (almost) everyone else. What (largely) erased them was deciding not to take what I perceived as my "chances" with a local surgeon, and going out of state to one of the acknowledged leaders in the field, in my case Thomas Gross MD in South Carolina. A large part of my previous doubts arose from meeting with other doctors who were either skeptical of HR or downright opposed to it.

After I mailed my "application" to Dr. Gross I felt a burden lift off of me. After I spoke with Dr. Gross two weeks later I was convinced I was making the right decision for me and the whole process was a lot less stressful and uncertain for me from then on.

I am quite certain I would have been a lot more nervous and uncertain if I hadn't had such great faith in my surgeon.

Good luck!

Mike

P.S. You also mentioned the question of when. I have reflected more on why I decided to have HR when I did, instead of waiting. Frankly it was just the pain. I think I over analyzed my decision making previously, but in reality I just wanted to escape the pain. Now it faded significantly shortly before surgery for a little while, but I never forget that night when I had to crawl because I couldn't walk (and didn't have a stick handy).

[luann again]

Hi Greater,
 Yes, all your thoughts regarding surgery TOTALLY normal. Every emotion you described feeling, I experienced also. When it comes right down to it, I knew it was time to do surgery when the thought of NOT having the procedure was far more troubling than the thought of going through with it. Does that make any sense? I was in so much pain and missing out on so many activities that the thought of being disabled was scarier than going through with the surgery that could give me back my life. ( And it has!!!!!) All of us here are with you!   Luann

[Reno]

Hi Greater, Chris and All-

I am a newbie on the site, and over the past three or four weeks it has been a lifeline...  Like you, Greater and Chris, I am awaiting my surgery, THR of the left hip.  I have chronic avascular necrosis and my left hip just collapsed without any warning about three months ago. There was no question for me, as to whether or not to have the surgery.  Rather, it was how soon I could get in to see the surgeon who is renowned here in Cincinnati Ohio. My surgery date is in less than two weeks now, on Aug 26th. Woo Hoo!!!  On the other hand, I am scared to death. I feel like I am half way across a river, can't go back, but afraid to go forward.  But, I am so looking forward to being without the pain in my sick hip. Some of you seasoned vets talk about the pain post-surgery as healing pain. I am looking forward to it!

Chris, I wish you well with your pending surgery, and Greater I wish you well also in September.  I will update you with my progress, and I will be on the lookout for yours.

Take care.
Reno.

[whyme]

I know because the X-Ray shows no cartilage left and the bone started to deform, because the surgeons said it was time to do it, because I prefer to sit and stay at home than going out, because the after cycle has got worse (still ok during cycling), and the after swim got worse, because my father walks better than me (he is 80 and I'm 46) and he has one THR from 6 yrs ago or so, because dressing/undressing is not funny, because getting in and out of the car is not funny either, because I stopped running almost 2 years ago (the pain was not worth it anymore, and I was getting slower and slower, and there was no enjoyment in it whatsoever), because now people notice I'm limping most of the time ...

Having said that, it looked still far away only 11 months ago, and I still reach my toes, and haven't taken any painkillers to date, and for some strange reason the pain while sitting on a sofa has disappeared completely in recent months ...

I've my surgery scheduled in 3 weeks (04-Sep) and of course there are doubts as things might not go according to plan, and I know it will be hard for a while, and now I realize the post-surgery sporting goals might happen or not, but there is no better option... So I'm optimistic most of the time!