Left Hip Resurfaced in July 2011, Right Hip is shot now!!

[MikeinNeb]

Hello,  I had my left hip resurfaced by Dr. Michael Mont in Baltimore back in July of 2011. It had been giving me problems for at least 8 years. And the operation has been absolutely wonderful. It gave me my life back and I have had zero issues with my left hip. But even though I was having no problems back then with my right hip, my local Doctor told me per the x-rays that it was not much physically better than the left one. Well time has marched on and my right hip now has become arthritic with bone on bone in places. So I have started the process of seeing about surgery on my right hip. I was very lucky with my original surgery in that I didn't have a hard recovery. I was putting weight on it the next day, I was off the prescription pain killers after a few days, and I was back at my sit-down desk job after a week. And one of the things I noticed immediately after waking up from surgery was that, even though I felt like I was hit by a truck, the arthritis pain that I had dealt with constantly was gone. So we'll see how things progress with my right hip's saga.

[MikeinNeb]

Here's my post from July 5th, 2011. 4 days after having the surgery on my left hip;    I just wanted to share my story as to how my recovery from last Friday's surgery is going. I'm typing this, sitting in a regular chair at my computer, at home in Nebraska. I've got both legs bent normally and equally.

I want to emphasize that I think the biggest thing I can brag about right now is a lack of pain. I received 10 mg Oxycodone pills on Friday and Saturday, and nothing but a couple of Tylenol and ibuprofen a day since then. I think I can now actually just stop with the pain pills alltogether, 4 days out of surgery. I don't think this is typical. The guy across from me at the Hospital was right after me with surgery and wasn't ready to get on crutches yet on the day I was leaving. (which was Sunday, July 3rd.)  But I'm moving around quite well on two crutches. I've even loaded and unloaded the dishwasher.

Now I definitely felt like I got hit by a truck on day one. I have a scar that's almost a foot long on the side of my left butt, and a couple of big primary and secondary bruising. Dr. Mont does the anterio-lateral(?) approach. I can't imagine having to sleep on that huge scar if I'd had the posterior approach. Pulling on the surgery site as I'm getting in and out of bed is the most painful thing that happens to me currently.

As I said, my mobility with my left leg is quite good. I still can't lift it up or sideways with any strength. But I am probably using 30%/70% between my left and right leg when I sit down. I'm getting ready to "run laps" around my kitchen island for 20 minutes, working on having my left leg make "normal" walking motions with the help of the crutches.  Again, I think I've been lucky because I think my mobility right now is unusual this early after surgery.

Dr. Mont is a pretty unique, talented guy. I will say I didn't get to see him much when I was conscious however. I believe he did 7 different surgeries on Friday. I couldn't make 7 batches of cookies in a day, much less operate on 7 different people!! I would have liked more face-time/organization regarding post-operation steps and life. I got it, but it was somewhat piecemeal, with much of it coming from the nurses. (All of who were great!!)  Sinai Hospital in Baltimore is pretty "vanilla" also. I definitely wouldn't wanted to have been stuck there a week. But actually, I wouldn't want to be in any hospital a week, even if it was at Disneyworld. The tubes and IV's and catheter, and these pneumatic compression stockings that I'm still wearing....I don't ever want to be in a Hospital again!!

Here are some closing observations....I didn't want to get the catheter pulled or have to take a stool softener until I knew I could move around. (The pain medicine gives you constipation. You then have it pressing on your bladder, I ended up having to go to pee every two hours..) But I will never take a stool softener again. I took it for two days, and it decided to kick in at the airport. And I guess the way it works is by giving you symptoms exactly similar to an intestinal virus. I had diarrhea and vomiting up to 30 minutes before getting on the plane. And finally, fly Southwest Airlines. They have open seating, and seat people in crutches and wheelchairs first. We got the front seats of the plane an all four flights coming and going. That would not have happened on any other airline, none.

Hope this is informative to anyone considering this procedure. I can already tell my "old pain" is gone. And I'm getting clues that I've already gotten a better range of motion. I have a lot of work to do yet, but this surgery with Dr. Mont so far appears to be a "home run."  And that's exactly what I wanted. Get this surgery, be reasonable in your lifestyle afterwards. (i.e., no marathons, skiing, clog dancing, etc.) Maybe we'll have this last for the next 30 years!!

Mike Hromanik  (46 year old Male)

[JHippy]

Sounds like you're not waiting as long the second time around, I can't say I blame you. At least now you know what to expect. Are you going to use the same surgeon?

[gasyz]

Hi,I've been sat on the fence and reading with interest (for the last 18 months) all the useful info on this site.I check in every day to see the latest blogs to try and gain as much knowledge as I can.
Some 20 years ago I was diagnosed with early osteoarthritis and told to calm down my sporting activities and expect a replacement at some point in the future.Needless to say I never calmed down and carried on with Martial arts,Moto-x,Enduro and Mountainbiking.With no regrets.
Slowly my hips got worse.First to go was the kickboxing then moto-x,then 2 years ago I rode my last enduro.I found xc mountain biking was a good compromise and have been regulary competing in marathon style events of between 50 to 90km.
The last 3 or so months the pain has gone up a level and I'm having more bad days than good.Only this sunday I was doing an event in wild wet Wales and at 27 km into it I had a major bike problem which forced me to walk a few km to the food stop where I could get a lift back to the start.Those few km of walking where agony and made me question is now the right time to throw the towel in and get surgery.
Rewind to November 2013 and I was within a few weeks of having a THR at a local hostpital,luckily before the axe fell I stumbled across this site and thanks to it's members and gr8 info I found out about BHR and Mr Treacy.A private appointment was made where I was told I was a good candidate and was then put onto the NHS system as his patient.
My xrays are showing bone on bone areas and Mr Treacy is happy to perform his magic when I feel the time is right.
When is the right time?
Apart from hip pain (which I can put up with most of the time)will the knee pain and shooting leg pains go when I get BHR?
Will I feel more stable on my legs,any sideways movement or fast changes in direction are a big no no at the moment.Tried doing some bag work(boxing) last year and stepping off the centre line while punching was very painfull.
Long term I would love to get back to Enduro,but to be able to run a little and play football with my kids would be gr8.
I think most of you will say the time is right and I think maybe it is,but then when I have a good day I think I could hold it off for longer in the hope of a miracle cure.
By the way my diagnosis for the hip problem is Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis.so I suppose I've been lucky to have got as much use out of dodgy shapped hips anyway.
I'm a young 43 and still have a lot of sporting ambition.
sorry about the bad gramma and spelling,I'm more of a pyshical than a mental person.
Perhaps I should train my brain for a while and give my legs a rest.

[Dannywayoflife]

Hi and welcome mate. I as you can probably see from my signiture am a Treacy Bilat.

We have some things in common like the martial arts and the active life style. But also the fact this site has enlightend us! I also nearly went with a local surgeon and get a THR.

I would say from a symptom front now is the right time for you mate. You can leave it too long and casue too much damage and end up not being a candidate. Also if you get it done now then by the end of the year you'll be nearly fully fit again! And come the new year you'll be able to start back properly with all your sports. This time around i was very lucky in that my joint was actually so badly damaged Mr Treacy took over an hour and even he struggled to give me a BHR so im very lucky!

Life is too short get it done mate and get your life back!

Danny

[ecchastang]

As someone who also was diagnosed with hip issues 20+ yrs ago, I knew eventually I would need something done.  About 18 months ago, It started getting worse, and by the beginning of January it was about 50/50 good and bad days.  But once it turned, it went to where nearly every day was a bad day within just a few weeks.  Don't wait.  I am getting resurfaced Apr 8th, and the last month has been miserable. 

[mmooney42]

Hi Everyone,

Today, I hit the 1 year post-op mark on my resurfacing.  The year has gone by quicker than I expected.  My resufaced hit feels great at this point.  For several years leading up to the resurfacing, I really dreaded getting it done.  But looking back now, it wasn't as bad as I expected.  I took my PT very seriously and was very diligent with it.  I think my recovery was probably a little quicker than average and I credit that to the PT.  My surgery was last April and I was able to get back to working as a college football official by September.  I was sore throughout the season, but my surgeon assured me that it was just a matter of the muscles getting used to the impact activities.  I can now do anything I want and it's not an issue.

Unfortunately, 4 weeks ago I was shoveling heavy snow, and while lifting and turning to throw the snow, I felt a rip/pull through my right, non-resurfaced hip.  It scared me enough to get it checked out by my doctor.  He felt it was a straing but ordered an MRI arthrogram anyway, and it turns out I have a small tear in the labrum of my non-operated hip.  He has since sent me to a hip-scope specialist.  After examinging me, that doctor feels it's a muscle strain too, and feels the small tear was already there and they pain and soreness I have is not sypmtomatic of the tear.  What I have since learned is that a lot of people are walking around with small labral tears and don't know it nor does it give them any problems.  I feared a labral tear, as that is what started the whole process on my resurfaced hip, so that is why I got it checked out right away.  A PT friend of my mine told me "if you don't want to find out you have a labral tear, don't get an MRI".  He had told me the same thing about the statistics of people with labral tears that don't even know.  So I am still figuring what to do with recent injury, and currently going to PT.

Anyway, my resurfaced hip is doing great.  I've hit the 1 year mark and very happy with the results.  It's allowed me to get back to doing so many things I either had to avoid or limit prior to the surgery as I would have to much pain.

Matt

[MPH]

Hi mate, nice to see Wales mentioned! Don't wait any longer if it's at that stage. Most of us felt exactly as you do but the total lack of pain at rest, when working out or when just doing normal activities post op should not be delayed. It's awesome. I'm 47, know exactly where you're coming from, but 11 weeks post op I'm sitting here wishing I done it earlier. Rode 93kms on the road yesterday with no ill effects at all. I couldn't say that 12 weeks ago. 

[hernanu]

I'll echo what everyone here has said. You can get back to martial arts and probably the rest, but the real benefit is to have the pain gone.

There are no guarantees, but before the surgeries (bilat here) I had bad back pain, knee issues and so on. Those are gone now.  I got back to bag work about a year after the last surgery and have been pretty happy since.

There's no extra benefit from suffering more, and the quicker you get to it, the quicker you get back to life.

Good luck...

[hernanu]

Congrats on the one year! Hope things work out on the other side, but at least you've got one going 100%.

[JHippy]

Seems like shoveling snow is an activity to be careful about judging on this and another recent post. Congrats on the 1-year mark, sounds like you're doing great. Hope the other side heals up good.

[JHippy]

It's a personal decision and a tough one.

What pushed me over the edge was seeing a video of myself walking. I thought I was hiding my limp but in fact my gait was quite obvious and awkward. I was already getting knee pain, and back pain was starting as well. It was obvious when I saw it that I'll just destroy my other joints if I wait. Plus my hip turned a corner for the worse and could see where this was headed.

For years I always looked at surgery as a risk and imagined what could go wrong in spite of the odds. Just felt that I'm not doing too bad now so why take the risk however small. And maybe there was a natural way I haven't discovered yet. But as I got toward the end the idea of getting surgery felt less risky. There was more upside than downside.

If I knew what I know now I would have done it earlier.

IMO since you're bone on bone, it's time. It's going to get worse at a faster rate now, and, you don't want to get to a point where you lose bone.

[JHippy]

P.S. - I haven't noticed any knee pain since surgery. Maybe at the very, very beginning. No shooting leg pain either. Usually those pains are just referred pain from the hip. I was hoping that was true in my case and it seems to be. I'm a little over 15 weeks post-surgery.

[DirkV]

Wow! Officiating college football within the first yr. That's impressive. Glad it's going well for you. Good luck on the other one.

[Daytona Dave]

Do it. Scary as it might seem now.
Mr Treacy will have you done in about 6-8 weeks from you contacting him, then you can get on with the rest of your life. Good luck

[chuckm]

Will I feel more stable on my legs,any sideways movement or fast changes in direction are a big no no at the moment.Tried doing some bag work(boxing) last year and stepping off the centre line while punching was very painfull.
Long term I would love to get back to Enduro,but to be able to run a little and play football with my kids would be gr8.

Gaszy, when you have your hip resurfaced, it isn't a compromise, it is a fix. If you are a disciplined patient, you can rebuild the strength to whatever level you put your mind to. Picture the strength and stability your hip had 20 years ago before you complained of hip soreness. You can achieve that.

Chuckm

[Granton]

Your knee might well improve. As your hip wears, the leg rotates so that your foot turns outwards. That obviously means your knee is under pressure.

We have seen that, with a good surgeon (which you have) the BHR will just go on and on. My first is now over 15 years old. And the absence of pain is so good.

[HowieF-16]

Having HR is not just a medical choice. It is also a lifestyle choice. Most of us seem to have fairly high pain tolerance, but when we can no longer do the things we love, it is time to swap out the original equipment for an HR. That is how I made my decision. As for the knee pain...mine disappeared within a few weeks of the surgery. My only other comment, remember rehab is a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck with your decision.

[Kick Man]

I 'm a 4th Dan taekwondo which emphasizes kicks. I had my right hip resurfaced and have had no pain while stretching or kicking. The only thing holding me back now is my left hip which I plan on having resurfaced later this year, I wore it out compensating for the right side. You can't do the things you want to do now so why wait, get it done while you are young enough to enjoy it. For most after the first six weeks it's a piece of cake and even sooner for some.

[Jake]

Gasyz,
Unfortunately, there is no book you can read or test you can take that will give you the answer.  It's a personal struggle that can only be solved when a choice is made.  The choices are to get the surgery or not.  If you have already decided to get the surgery in my opinion it's not worth waiting.  The condition doesn't get any better and we don't get any younger.  Trust your gut and you won't be disappointed.  I had mine done almost two weeks ago.  In the weeks leading up to the surgery I had some good days and that made me second guess my decision, I was hoping for bad days just so it would confirm that I made the right choice.  Here I sit 10 days after the surgery and I have a lot of hope.  I look forward to getting up and going for a walk, I look forward to tomorrow when I wake up and feel that much better.  I look forward to playing some golf this summer and getting back on the motorcycle pain free, skiing next winter etc.  Before the surgery I didn't have that hope.  All I had was concern and anxiety about all of those activities that I love.  I know I made the right choice now and very much look forward to getting back to an active lifestyle for myself and my children/family.
Good luck,
Jake