Hip replacement.

[McTeeko]

I’ve had a hip issue for 5/6 years now. Started off as a wee twinge now and again, nothing that stopped me from doing anything. Played fitba, ran, gym, cycled etc. 

Now I’m at the stage of a constant dull ache, short stabbing pains all the time and serious lack of flexibility on the left side of my hip. Can only jog, no fitba, squats etc are impossible due to pain and lack of movement. Yelped in pain a couple of months ago as my wife nudged my leg to reach down for her handbag while it was in the footwell of her car as I was in the passenger seat. Fuck this, time to do something about it. 
So, after a couple of physio appointments, a GP appointment and referral, an X-ray and a consultation with a hip specialist it turns out I have severe osteoarthritis of the hip. Basically the cartridge has worn away and it’s now bone on bone. It’s beyond repair and the only option left for me is hip replacement - I’m 46 (forty six!) ffs! 😩

Due to Covid there is a FOUR year waiting list for hip replacement on the NHS or if I went private it would cost between £12k-£15k. 
There is nothing that could have been done to prevent it, and nothing I can do to help it (except lose weight if I was overweight - I’m not).

Has anyone here had hip replacement surgery? How big a difference did it make to your life and is it something, if you were me, at my age who is still very active, would you commit and go for it?

There is also potential hip resurfacing (the op that Andy Murray had a few years ago) that may suit me better but there are pros and cons to that.

Just looking for some advice to help me decide I suppose…..

 

 

[thplinth]

Four years seems a long time to be in that amount of pain. Maybe look into medical tourism. Perhaps some countries specialize in cheaper deals like getting your teeth done in Turkey. 

Hip replacement surgery is pretty swift versus the old days. I think you are in and out pretty quickly now.

[McTeeko]

Aye my wife (who is Polish) sent me this link. To be honest it looks very good and half the price but the 14 day stay is putting me off. It IS an option though!

https://eurotreatmed.co.uk/treatments/orthopaedics/total-hip-replacement/

[fringo]

About 15 years ago a friend of mine had a double hip replacement when he was about 40.

He's a doctor so must have weighed up the pros and cons and went for it.

He was/is still pretty active. Not sure if he was still playing football then and/or went back to it.

He golfs a lot and cycles and is a regular at the gym.

The day after the op he was told to walk around a little on crutches and was home in a couple of days.

I think he was off work for about 3 months on rehab but he obviously felt the need to get it done.

Another friend of mine (59 year old) had a hip op last year and I was out golfing with him yesterday.

[McTeeko]

Thanks Fringo 👍🏼
I have no doubt the op would be a success, but I also have to consider my age. There’s a high chance I would outlive the new hip and it would need done again in say 15/20 years, especially if I continue to be active. 
I realise high impact sports (football) would need to stop, but I’m no ready for a pipe and slippers yet. 

[fringo]

23 minutes ago, McTeeko said:

Thanks Fringo 👍🏼
I have no doubt the op would be a success, but I also have to consider my age. There’s a high chance I would outlive the new hip and it would need done again in say 15/20 years, especially if I continue to be active. 
I realise high impact sports (football) would need to stop, but I’m no ready for a pipe and slippers yet. 

I think that's correct but well worth it to be pain free let alone active. Shocking waiting lists though.

I've not thought about it but I'll need to ask my doctor mate if/when he'll be getting another op.

[kumnio]

A 4 year wait, that’s bloody ridiculous 😳. Didn’t think you were old enough to get a hip replacement, you kinda think that’s a 60 odd not 40 odd year olds treatment. Good luck. 

[McTeeko]

19 minutes ago, kumnio said:

A 4 year wait, that’s bloody ridiculous 😳. Didn’t think you were old enough to get a hip replacement, you kinda think that’s a 60 odd not 40 odd year olds treatment. Good luck. 

Tell me about it! In the 30 seconds the consultant told me it’s fucked and I needed it replaced I felt like I aged 25 years. 
I asked him how common this op was in people my age and he said it was a lot more common than you’d think. If it needs done, it needs done. 
He said they do 1000 hip replacement ops per year, there’s 4000 on the waiting list. Covid obviously pushed everything back a couple of years. 

[chaff]

6 hours ago, McTeeko said:

I’ve had a hip issue for 5/6 years now. Started off as a wee twinge now and again, nothing that stopped me from doing anything. Played fitba, ran, gym, cycled etc. 

Now I’m at the stage of a constant dull ache, short stabbing pains all the time and serious lack of flexibility on the left side of my hip. Can only jog, no fitba, squats etc are impossible due to pain and lack of movement. Yelped in pain a couple of months ago as my wife nudged my leg to reach down for her handbag while it was in the footwell of her car as I was in the passenger seat. Fuck this, time to do something about it. 
So, after a couple of physio appointments, a GP appointment and referral, an X-ray and a consultation with a hip specialist it turns out I have severe osteoarthritis of the hip. Basically the cartridge has worn away and it’s now bone on bone. It’s beyond repair and the only option left for me is hip replacement - I’m 46 (forty six!) ffs! 😩

Due to Covid there is a FOUR year waiting list for hip replacement on the NHS or if I went private it would cost between £12k-£15k. 
There is nothing that could have been done to prevent it, and nothing I can do to help it (except lose weight if I was overweight - I’m not).

Has anyone here had hip replacement surgery? How big a difference did it make to your life and is it something, if you were me, at my age who is still very active, would you commit and go for it?

There is also potential hip resurfacing (the op that Andy Murray had a few years ago) that may suit me better but there are pros and cons to that.

Just looking for some advice to help me decide I suppose…..

 

 

Ye know ye've been around a while when posters like yersel need a hip replacement, no advice mate but hopefully ye will be fixed soon and time slows down 

[thplinth]

I swear a decade passes now in the same time it feels like a year passed when I was 10.

[chaff]

39 minutes ago, thplinth said:

I swear a decade passes now in the same time it feels like a year passed when I was 10.

Yer no wrong. I'm going to funerals now with a regularity that my bowels would be proud of 

[daviebee]

I'd get it done if I was you. I had my wrist fused 10 years ago cos of osteoarthritis (the joint eventually wore out and I've heard every joke imaginable).  In my experience there's absolutely nothing like the pain of osteoarthritis, it's way beyond fkin hideous.  I couldn't get it done fast enough.  Getting rid of that horrible feeling of not knowing when the sudden pain is going to shoot you through the roof will be like a new lease of life for you.  Good luck.

[McTeeko]

Thanks daviebee!

I think in my own head I’ve made my mind up to get it done. It’s a lot of money to self fund but there are payment plans available. How many of us wouldn’t really baulk at a £10k loan for a new car, extension or even a World Cup trip to Qatar had we qualified? Your health supersedes all of that. 

If I get it done and one leg ends up shorter than the other (that’s one of the risks!) then you can all rip the pish as I run around in circles 😆

Edited June 24, 2022 by McTeeko

[dandydunn]

9 hours ago, McTeeko said:

Thanks daviebee!

I think in my own head I’ve made my mind up to get it done. It’s a lot of money to self fund but there are payment plans available. How many of us wouldn’t really baulk at a £10k loan for a new car, extension or even a World Cup trip to Qatar had we qualified? Your health supersedes all of that. 

If I get it done and one leg ends up shorter than the other (that’s one of the risks!) then you can all rip the pish as I run around in circles 😆

Please allow this to happen 😂😂

[ParisInAKilt]

[TDYER63]

20 hours ago, McTeeko said:

Thanks Fringo 👍🏼
I have no doubt the op would be a success, but I also have to consider my age. There’s a high chance I would outlive the new hip and it would need done again in say 15/20 years, especially if I continue to be active. 
I realise high impact sports (football) would need to stop, but I’m no ready for a pipe and slippers yet. 

I wouldn’t be concerned about needing it done again in 15/20 yrs , in that time medical science will have moved on even more and recovery time etc is likely to be quicker . Look how medicine has come on leaps and bounds even over the last 20 yrs. And if you end up with one leg shorter than the other its not all bad, you might get a wee bit more TV exposure which will pay for the op 😉

Seriously, I wish you luck. Take whatever pain relief you can get whilst you wait for the op . I have a painful hip, not bad enough for a replacement but I need to take 1 , 30mg cocodomol every night as it too painful to sleep . I hate taking it as I have never really used painkillers but it’s either that or I dont sleep. You just need to admit that with age comes health problems,  and just do whatever you need to make life as pain free as possible. If it were me I would stump up the cash to go private if I was financially able to. 

 

[McTeeko]

Thanks Tidy 👍🏼

Sleep - I didn’t even mention that in my opening post. Brutal. I work 12 hour shifts so I have a crap sleeping pattern anyway, and now if I wake up during the night (or day if I’m nightshift) a lot of the time I can’t get back to sleep until I take painkillers. 
I live in Edinburgh but work in EK and years ago I fell asleep behind the wheel coming home after a nightshift so having an even worse sleeping pattern now enhances the chances of doing that again. 

Reading through all I’ve posted on this it’s quite clear that I need this op. Gladly no-one has blurted out a horror story to convince me otherwise!

[TDYER63]

5 hours ago, McTeeko said:

Thanks Tidy 👍🏼

Sleep - I didn’t even mention that in my opening post. Brutal. I work 12 hour shifts so I have a crap sleeping pattern anyway, and now if I wake up during the night (or day if I’m nightshift) a lot of the time I can’t get back to sleep until I take painkillers. 
I live in Edinburgh but work in EK and years ago I fell asleep behind the wheel coming home after a nightshift so having an even worse sleeping pattern now enhances the chances of doing that again. 

Reading through all I’ve posted on this it’s quite clear that I need this op. Gladly no-one has blurted out a horror story to convince me otherwise!

I would say the quicker you get the op the better. Anyone I know who has had it done has had a successful operation. They are so common these days and you should not be going through this pain needlessly . I think it really will make a big difference to you. Lack of sleep can lead to all sorts of additional health problems and 12 hour shift patterns will be gruelling.

And if you are not fully recuperated by September I will wheel you into Hampden myself ! Thats something to look forward to 😁
 

[McTeeko]

So I took the plunge and went through with the hip replacement. Operated on yesterday. The full whack, full hip replacement. 
Everything seemed to go well, just slight pain and stiffness for now and the physio was happy with my movement during exercises. 
However just to please DandyDunn, here is a post-op photo of my left leg which is now longer than the right!! 😳🩼

Doc said it’ll bed in after a few months 🤞🏼

[fringo]

Nice one. You'll be tap dancing again before you know it.

[McTeeko]

2 hours ago, fringo said:

Nice one. You'll be tap dancing again before you know it.

Dunno about that! A wee 10 minute walk was my limit tonight. Even that was tough 🩼

[Kirk]

4 hours ago, McTeeko said:

Dunno about that! A wee 10 minute walk was my limit tonight. Even that was tough 🩼

Good on you mate.

 

I'm currently recovering from a tibial plateau fracture which for anyone that doesn't know is a broken tibia and knee bone joined 🙈

 

Getting out with the Mrs/my mates and the dog is the only thing keeping me sane. Hands are killing from the crutches but worth it to get out.

Got the bad news that it's not healing as quickly as hoped yesterday. 6 weeks down and another 10 to go at least with knee brace on 😭

 

Hope you're back to your best soon mate 👍

 

[McTeeko]

Likewise Kirk, good luck to you too!

How’d you break your tibia/knee? 😳

I had a good day at hospital on Friday so they were happy to sign me out. Finding it difficult at home though, obviously everything you need isn’t as accessible at home. Took a wee whitey at 3:30am while going to the toilet. Had to shout on my wife as I felt I was going to faint. Should’ve had another night in the hospital 😰

[TDYER63]

Good luck to both of you for a speedy recovery, though I could have done without a close up picture of your crotch at breakfast McTeeko 😁

 

[dandydunn]

On 9/23/2022 at 9:27 PM, McTeeko said:

Dunno about that! A wee 10 minute walk was my limit tonight. Even that was tough 🩼

Did the dog get dizzy with you walking in circles with your half leg?

After seeing the X-ray , it looks like that’s not the only bit they took an inch or two off of 😂😂😂