You are doing the right thing if you are giving up things that you love. I gave up a lot of fishing, hunting and beach time with my family the last year or so.
Being nervous is very normal, things I would ask your doctor:
1) What is the pain protocol that he/she uses?
2) How long on average how long will it be until you lose the crutches?
3) How long before you can put full weight on?
4) Does the doctor have a 90 degree rule?
Ask as many questions as you can.
Some doctors allow full weight bearing first day post-op, that can help get those muscles working. Some doctors use general anesthesia, some do a spinal. Some doctors do not have a 90 degree rule.
So what I am saying is, all doctors can be different in the way that they approach everything. 6 months of no high impact activities is pretty normal as your hip capsule, muscles and tendons need a lot of time to heal. Some doctors allow you to ride a bike @ 6 weeks, mine does not (arghhhhhhh!).
One thing my doctor assured me of, he said that he does not let his patients suffer from pain post-op and he was right.... I never had more pain than what I had on my worst day with my bad hip. You really should quiz him on the pain management--- tell him that you're an avid hunter and you do not like pain and you tend to go postal when you suffer from a lot of pain (just joking).
Personally I would not worry about having my left hip done, EVER. When I awoke from my surgery it was like waking up from a nice nap and I had no pain whatsoever, although of course I could not feel anything below my hip either ;-) Don't worry the feeling does come back to you.
This is a good site, everyone is very nice and we do not have the "patient advocates" that try to point you to the doctors that only they prefer. You've come to the right place and you will meet a lot of really super people with some really neat stories to tell you. We even have a "shark girl" in our midst.
One thing that you do have in your favor, you sound like you are in good shape, that does seem to help some of the people when it comes to rehab.
All you have to do is ask and you will get support here.
Chuck
Well...I finally scheduled my BHR w Dr. Hozack out of the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. The big day is Nov 25th. To say I am a bit nervous would be an under statement....I am wondering if I am doing the right thing. I can currently continue w a standard life with a bit of pain and discomfort...I am eating Advil and Meloxicam to help w the discomfort. The reason I am getting it done is because I can't do the things I used to love to do....play sports w my kids, compete in Ironmans, go for a jog w my wife, etc. Well actually, truth be told I have done several Ironman triathlons over the past few years with these hips...but there has been significant walking during the marathon.
I have read many of the posts and they have been very helpful....Surface Hippy has also been very educational. Some of the questions I have are: Is there anything I need to be nervous about? How long is the avg recovery....crutches, cane, when can I start swimming, biking, etc? When can I drive? How do I sleep the first few nights? I am in good shape now, but I guess the better shape I go in...the quicker the recovery. I need to recover quick...I have an Ironman that I am already signed up for in Lake Placed (July 2009)...I am not looking to set a personal best, but am looking forward to doing one without any pain. Dr. Hozack stated that I should do no running for 6 months...which I can live with.
Any advice or guidance you could provide would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Magnus