I'm going to be assessed for a hip replacement.

[Vinca]

The right hip is going south - even the neurologist I saw for Post Herpetic Neuralgia mentioned it when she looked at my spinal x-rays. The whole idea is pretty scary. The only surgery I've ever had is a tubal ligation decades ago. What is most frightening to me is the recovery period. I'm a really independent person and can't stand the thought of not being able to do much. Has anyone here had a hip replacement? How long were you sidelined? How painful was it? Were you happy you did it?

[madinmaryland]

1. My brother in law has had both hips replaced. They had him up and walking the next day.

He really did not have a lot of down time.

[Vinca]

2. Wow! That's good to hear. How old is he?

[madinmaryland]

4. He was in his late 40's when he had it done.

They have what they call a "low invasive" surgery, which makes the recovery much quicker.

[SlimJimmy]

3. Not a hip replacement, but major surgery that required about a year of recovery time.

I went from wheelchair, to walker, to cane, to legs. It was the most frustrating time of my life. But all's well that ends well and I am back to my active self. You will be too - but you must be patient and heal at your own pace.

[uppityperson]

5. Typically you recover fast after hip replacement.

Knees are a different story but you usually are up and walking shortly after the surgery. It takes a while to fully recover, but unless there are complications, it is pretty fast and people I know who have had it done are happy with it. They said they felt better immediately. Good luck to you. Surgery is scary, but overall it is a good thing.

[niyad]

6. a friend in her late 80's had both hips replaced (a year apart) and was, in fact, up and walking the

next day (no stairs for quite a while, but she was able to get around fairly well in just a couple of weeks.

[Faygo Kid]

7. Had them both replaced, in 2005 and 2006. You'll be fine.

Too many years of high impact aerobics in the 80s-90s did me in. The first one took a month of recovery. Pain in the ass (ha ha). I was off work for a month and drove my roommate nuts. Second one was easier, but still nearly a month off work. Stock up with good books (Civil War sesquicentennial, remember) and some movies you've been meaning to watch. The pain wasn't a big deal.

I'm damned glad I did it, and you will be, too. When you need to do it, you have to do it. If you're an independent person, you better have it done, or you will lose that independence. Be sure to get details on the product they are using, and why. Other than that, go for it.

[countingbluecars]

8. I had my left hip replaced on January 4th.

I had a visiting nurse and in home physical therapy for three weeks. By week two I was feeling pretty good. I had internal stitches that dissolved, so the actual wound healed pretty quickly. At my one month, follow-up appointment yesterday they did x-rays and a doppler to check for blood clots. I also met with a physical therapist who gave me a list of exercises to do on my own. I can now drive and go back to normal activity. I feel good. If it were not for the fact that my other hip is shot, I would feel great! I'm hoping to get that one done in four months. I should have done this years ago.

[David__77]

9. You will recover quickly.

Please do have the surgery. My grandmother didn't when it was recommended, and now is largely incapacitated because of not having the surgery. These days, the implants are very good and techniques are good.

[hwmnbn]

10. I've had them both replaced, six years apart...

The advancements in just that period was incredible. The last time in 2006, I was in and out of the hospital in 3 days and the physical therapy was a breeze. Although they recommended walking on crutches for two weeks, then a cane for two more, I was comfortably walking unassisted in one week.

There was only a 2" incision scar.

The only pain was in post op and they gave me some sweet medication for it.

Since I had both arthritic hip joints, the pain was debilitating to the point I had to prop a pillow in between my legs just to sleep. I had very little range of motion and needed a cane to even walk with a severe limp. I was in bad shape.

After the surgery it was like night and day. To be pain free is so liberating!

I don't know your pain situation but for me, both surgeries were life changing. I'm so grateful for my bionic hips and the medical technology which made them possible. And it's now considered a routine procedure!

In my case, I can only give two big thumbs up for the surgery. I hope this helps alleviate some of your concerns. If I had to do it over again I would've done it SOONER. LOL

[OutNow]

11. Wife had hip replacement

My wife had her left hip replaced two years ago. She was in a lot of pain before the operation. She had 4 days in the hospital and then 4 days in a nursing care facility. She is also very independent and didn't like it that she was TOTALLY dependent on other folks.

Physical therapy was hard but very important. You need to get moving against as soon as possible to avoid becoming a couch potato and then not having the strength to become idenpendent again. It's also important to avoid gaining weight after the operation.

Two years later she is walking great with no pain.

[spin]

12. My doctor says that I am a candidate for a hip replacement ...

based on a cat scan. I also have degenerative disk disease in my back.

The clerks in the doctor's front office warned me not to get a hip replacement too soon as they normally wear out. At that time I was 62 years old and walking more than 10000 steps a day. I decided that I probably should cut down on walking and concentrate more on riding an incumbent bicycle for exercise. That was two or three years ago.

That might have been a mistake as the results were a 30 pound gain in weight and my ability to walk decreased significantly. I could ride the exercise bike at 12 mph with moderate tension for an hour and a half, but found walking around the block difficult. I would get short of breath and suffer significant pain in my lower back. Obviously riding a bike wasn't conditioning me for walking.

So I decided to cut back on drinking beer from a six pack a day to one or two. I hate taking any pain medication and probably substituted the beer for the medication hoping to avoid the addiction to pain meds that I have seen many people develop. Beer does little to stop pain but to be honest any medication that my doctor prescribed never did much either. I'm Irish and the Irish have a tendency to solve all problems with beer, poetry or explosives.

Three weeks ago I bought a motorized treadmill and went back to walking. I've increased the amount of steps I walk per day from less than 2000 to 10000. It's not easy and I can feel a fair amount of lower back pain and hip pain. Today I went shopping and found the activity much less taxing then it had been before the treadmill. I did have some hip pain, but still I was impressed with the improvement.

For the last three weeks I've avoided the bike, but plan to start using it again. I have lost about seven pounds which I attribute to cutting back on the beer.

My object is still to go as long as possible before getting the hip replacement. If I can knock my weight down and get in better shape, the recovery period should be shortened.

What pisses me off is that I loved walking and exercising all my life. I retired at 60 and am now nearing 65, I have a handicapped sticker for my car and I used to be the fool that would park way back in the outfield and walk to the store laughing at those who I passed as they waited for a prime parking spot. I jumped rope for 15 to 30 minutes for several years until I developed plantar fasciitis or heel pain (a common problem for those who use a rope for exercise.) I then wore out a rowing machine, a cheap exercycle and a Nordic track skier. I enjoyed walking my dogs through the years often for several miles a day.

My daughter tells me that I always overexercised and that I'm just paying the price for abusing my body. She's currently worried that I will overuse the treadmill. Perhaps I'll take her advise and try to moderation for a change.

I'm not advising anyone to walk if they have a hip problem. Much depends on the exact nature of the problem and my walking might actually cause me to have to get the hip replaced sooner. I see people riding around on motorized chairs and my son in law says that he would love to have one. That's something that I intend to avoid at all costs.

My uncle was in his middle eighties when he broke his hip falling down a set of stairs. It was replaced but an inflection set in and the operation had to be preformed again. He had almost recovered and was able to walk using a cane. He went to visit his mom's grave in the winter and as he was walking the cane punched through the snow into a empty hole that had held a potted plant. He fell and consequently broke his other hip. It too was replaced but he never recovered. He spent three months in a coma and died.

My mother was also in her late eighties when her husband stumbled into her and knocked her down breaking her hip. She never recovered fully and could only walk using a walker. Her weight increased dramatically and her will to live decreased. She died peacefully in her sleep.

These events occurred over 15 years ago, and I understand the operations have a better success rate today.

I hope that if you do have an operation that it is successful and you regain your mobility.

[sarge43]

13. Yup. I had mine in August - left hip.

First, all recovery is individual, so YMMV.

1. Yes, very happy I did it. I don't have ground glass in my hip joint anymore.

2. Went in on Tuesday, back home Friday.

3. I used a walker for about two weeks, then a cane for about two to three weeks. I was driving, shopping and puttering around within three weeks. As of today I don't have complete mobility (still a trick putting on socks); scar still itches a bit, but all up things are back to normal. I am very glad I got it done.

4. For myself the biggest hassle was limited movement following the operation. You can't cross your legs, even ankles. You have to take care how you walk. Stairs are a no-no the first few weeks. You'll have to sleep on your back for at least a month or more. In short for the first weeks you'll stand, walk, sit and sleep robot style. It's annoying, but tolerable. The reason: The muscles in the hip are weak and they need time to grow back around the replacement. You really don't want that puppy popping loose.

5. Post op pain was again tolerable; nothing like the pre-op and it fades away quite quickly.

6. The key to getting back to the Saturday night dance is physical therapy, building back muscle tone and strength. The exercises are simple, easy to do and absolutely necessary for full recovery.

You'll do fine. I hope this helps. If you have any questions, PM me.

[Nay]

14. My MIL, at age about 75, had both hips replaced after we nagged and

nagged her. (she was afraid of going under the anesthesia.) Afterwards, she was mad at herself that she hadn't done it sooner. She was up and about pretty quickly and was extremely happy with the surgery.

[Vinca]

15. Thanks for all your responses. I'm really encouraged that I'll be able to resume

my activities pretty quickly. I was especially worried about when I could drive and get around. I sell antiques and collectibles and spend quite a bit of time "on the hunt." Of course, the past couple of years hasn't been quite so much fun since it's been painful getting around. Yesterday was my 62 birthday, so I decided to give myself a hip replacement. Let the partying begin!:party: I read somewhere that they last a good 25 years, so that should see me through until I keel over in the garden and go to the great compost heap in the sky.

[sarge43]

17. Good on you

My doctor said warranty about 15 to 20 years. Lots of variation: Bone density, general activity, weight, etc

You let us know when you're scheduled so we can get the Lounge Vibes operational.

Belated Happy B'day.

[HockeyMom]

16. My husband had it a week ago last Thursday

He was up and walking the next day. He left the hospital that Saturday. He walks around the house on his own. He drove to the store on Friday and is right now driving to get the paper. He is going back to work on Monday. He told the doctor he cannot afford to sit at home and not get paid for three weeks. He doesn't have disability for this (elective surgery not covered) and has to take sick/vacation days. He had home care and therapy for the week he was home, but once he goes back to work, that stops. If he wants/needs it, he will have to drive to them and pay the entire cost out of pocket.

He says he is still in a lot of pain, and is in a very bad mood most of the time. Honestly, he had major surgery 3 years ago, and he seemed to recover much better after that painwise). He is 62.