Have Any of you guys had a hip replaced? I went to the Docs office yesterday and he gave me the bad news,said it was extremely arthritic. Also told me one of the discs in my lower back is disintegrated and is pinching a nerve. I knew I had something wrong back there but this is unbelieveable,I'm only 40 yrs old! The hip he said should be done soon. So I was wondering about recovery time, He said 6-8 weeks Then once recovered it's time for the back. anyone been through this? Dan
My Mother-in-law had this done a couple years ago, but she's in her 70's. She said it was extremely painful. She now needs the other one done but is putting it off because of the pain from the first one. I would ask your Dr. about your other hip. If it is going to need replaced in the near future I would have them both done at the same time if it is an option and get it over with. Good luck, this doesn't sound like much fun. Hopefully it won't be so bad since you're younger and stronger than a 70-something woman.
No experience with hip replacement, but at our age, I would personally get a 2nd opinion if you can. Once it's out, they can't put it back in... :eek2: Good luck and good health...
Dan, I would deffinataly get a second opinion on both subjects. When I was in high school (18 yrs old) I was having som major pain in my lower back. Went to doc and he had it x-rayed. He refered us to a surgeon who said that the bottom three discs were crushed and that I would need surgeory to correct the crushed discs and that I would probably be bed ridden for 4 to 5 months. 2nd opionion from different Dr. said that that was not a problem but wanted to do a biopsy. Apperantly he thought he saw something on x-ray that he thought looked like cancer. 3rd opinion from a back specialist in Omaha. He had several more x-rays taken from about 10-15 diferent angles. I thought I was going to become a contorsionist. He then did a lot of poking around on my back while I was laying in different positions. Conclusion was that "crushed discs" were normal to me, deffinatly no cancer, all that was wrong was that i had some strained muscles. Gave me some muscle relaxers and told me to take it easy for a few weeeks.
Bummer! I agree with David, get a second opinion. At least at our age recovery time should be pretty short. That is if you absolutley need it.
My wife is an OR nurse for the neurology team and does back surgeries daily.....she also suffers from 2 severly herniated discs. She's seen alot in the OR.....and talked to ALOT of surgeons and specialists about her case. Here's what i can offer: If you see a (Neuro) surgeon about the disc, his solution to any problem you have will be to operate - thats his job. You should seek out other specialists related to back injuries that aren't surgeons. Operating on a disc should only be done if you are suffering nerological disorders and the affected nerve will deteriorate. Things like dropped foot, permenent numbness, loss of feeling or function are reasons to have a disc removed. Pain, in our opinion, is not. Having a disc removed results in other long term problems - its a solution to permenent damage from the pressure its exerting on the nerve, but will present other problems later on. My Wife's experience working with alot of different neurosergeons is - you better find a really good one !!!! Out of about 15 at her hospital that she works with, she would only let 2 or 3 of them touch her after what she see's going on first hand in the OR Lastly, For ANY surgery (and this applies to EVERYONE) You MUST openly EXPRESS to the surgeon that HE, and ONLY HE is to operate on you. ABSOLUTELY NO RESIDENTS/STUDENTS are to have any hands-on dealings in your operation!!!! I hope this helps.....Good Luck Alan W
My mom had her hip replaced earlier this year. She's 74, and was what the doctor calls "a text book" case. She was home in 1 1/2 weeks, and is doing fine. Of course, after walking all those years with a bum hip had affected her walking. Now that she's walking straight, the other leg is bothered. It's always something! It's unusual for them to offer a hip replace to someone so young. Usually they hold out until a person is in their 60's or so, because they do not last forever and don't want to do a second one. Second opinions can't hurt. Hope this helps. Shari
Wow, Thanks everyone! You folks have put some wind back in my sails. It pretty much felt like Doomsday today. The doctor I saw is an Orthopedic doctor. He has done 3 arm operations on me in the past (rotator cuff,carpal tunnel,severe tendonitis in my elbow). They have all healed well, but this guy is 65 yrs old and I am definately leary about him carving me open. John, I lost your phone # I would love to have your opinion. Thank you again, Dan
Hi Dan. I had my hip replaced 5 years ago at the age of 44. It's a long story, but to make it short, I broke my hip in a bicycle accident. I had surgery to pin it back together, but it never really healed. Hips are kind of a weak part of the human anatomy and there isn't great blood flow to it. Anyway, after two years, the pain was very bad, and I could barely walk anymore. The Dr. finally said I'd need the hip replaced, so I got up enough nerve and had it done. It wasn't as bad as the initial surgery for the broken hip, and not as bad as I expected. I'm not saying it's a breeze, but when you're all healed up, you should feel much better, at least I did. I went from being barely able to walk with a cane, to walking normally. If you saw me now, you'd never know that I had my hip replaced. I would suggest a second opinion also. I can't help with your disc problem, and it could impact your hip replacement recovery. I had mine replaced in May, and the Dr. released me to return to work in August. But, I had been crippled up for two years prior, and I was going back to police work , or so I thought (that's another long story) Make sure you keep up with the physical therapy afterwards, it's important for good results. If I can be of help, email me and I'll give you a phone number. Good luck, Steve
