Hip Replacement Surgery - Your experience?

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Noboundaries

Noboundaries

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Found out yesterday I need to have hip replacement surgery. It wasn't unexpected and I'm ready to have it done, I just thought it might be a few years off. I know I can get back to diving after a proper recovery, so that isn't a concern. If there is anybody on the board who has had their hip replaced, please share your "quality of life" improvements and time to complete recovery. How long did you want before being able to safely dive again? Thanks in advance for your input.

Ray
 
Can't speak for myself, only my wife. You should get blood banking started, and store at least 3 units of blood. The recovery depends on your fitness, and the type of replacement. From what I understand, if your hip anatomy if fairly normal, you can opt for the "birmingham" resurfacing, which can get you back to racing form like Armstrong within a month.

My wife was on a walker for almost 3 weeks, and used a cane for almost another 2 weeks. But her opposite hip is also bad. I've heard folks walking a full mile 1 week after the surgery, so it all depends on how fit you are and how well you heal. My wife was too small to donate blood, and ended up getting 3 pints transfused. With the risk of blood borne infections - you should opt to bank your own blood. I would say it took her about 3 months before she ambulates better than "before" the surgery.

My father in law got permanent femoral nerve paralysis from his second hip, and now is bound for life using a walker. It is unusual, and rare, and happens only with significant abnormal anatomy. But it scared the heck out of us. My wife now has one leg about 1 inch longer than the other, and is a pain in the butt at first. But when her second hip is done, they should match better (knock on wood). I was very disappointed as the orthopod never mentioned it at all before the surgery.
 
My father Bert Kilbride - Legends or Lies - Last Pirate of the Caribbean had both hips replaced in 1983 at age 69. Doctors told him he should not dive for at least a year. He was back diving in 2 months doing 2 dives a day.:blinking:

He had to learn all over again how to walk.

As an aside, his dancing skills were much improved :D
 
Thanks folks. Appreciate the input. I'm not a candidate for the resurfacing.

Good to hear about the diving.

I'll definitely bank the blood.
 
Noboundaries:
Found out yesterday I need to have hip replacement surgery. It wasn't unexpected and I'm ready to have it done, I just thought it might be a few years off. I know I can get back to diving after a proper recovery, so that isn't a concern. If there is anybody on the board who has had their hip replaced, please share your "quality of life" improvements and time to complete recovery. How long did you want before being able to safely dive again? Thanks in advance for your input.
Click to expand...

Go somewhere that does a lot of them. It's like regulators. You want someone who does them almost every day.

My friend had hers done (full joint replacement) and was walking around like a real person in about 2 months. It actually felt normal in just a couple of weeks, but they make you take it easy while it heals.

If you're anywhere near Central NY, SUNY Upstate Medical University has a whole department that does nothing but joint replacements, and does a really nice job.

Edit: Nevermind... I see you're on the other coast ...; 8-)

Terry
 
Web Monkey:
Go somewhere that does a lot of them. It's like regulators. You want someone who does them almost every day.

My friend had hers done (full joint replacement) and was walking around like a real person in about 2 months. It actually felt normal in just a couple of weeks, but they make you take it easy while it heals.

Terry
Click to expand...

My orthopod surgeon is a guy everyone wants. Sports guy. Does a couple hundred hip replacements a year only working on hips one day a week. Knees on another day. Shoulders a different day.

He's previously worked on me (knee), wife (knee), both daughters and a buddy I referred from work (shoulders). When all goes well my experience should be like your friend's. It was good to hear her experience.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Post-surgical update for any of those who've been told they need a total hip replacement.

I had my left hip replaced on 8/4/08 with a non-ceramic Stryker prosthesis (the ceramic ones can squeak). Surgery took 1:40 minutes. No additional blood required. Scar 4.5 inches long.

I was in the hospital for three days. Walking on the second day. Tried the walker and didn't like it so I went right to the cane. Pain easily managed with meds.

Once I got home I was pretty much self-sufficient in less than two weeks. I performed my physical therapy regularly, both for recovery and to help avoid blood clots. The fun part of the recovery was that I was told to increase my calorie intake by 30%-50% to feed the healing process. I love to eat so that was an easy prescription to follow. Now I get to lose the weight!

By three weeks I was walking half a mile. By four weeks a mile. By five and a half weeks two and a half miles. There were incredible improvements in movement and pain reduction during my fourth and fifth week. I am now basically pain free, walking without a limp, and returning to work on the 16th, out a total of six weeks.

My doc says I can start playing golf once I return to work and he'll clear me for full activity, including diving, at my final appointment on the 30th of September (just shy of 8 weeks).

I know each person is different and there can be both minor and major complications from surgery like this, including death, but what a difference in my quality of life. I had constant hip and lower back pain; couldn't walk more than few hundred yards at a time; limped excessively; and marital fun was more pain than pleasure, (pain for all the wrong reasons). Weightlifting (my favorite physical exercise) and hauling dive gear around became practically debilitating. Heck, even lifting a bag of groceries was painful. All those limitations and pain sensations are now gone. I haven't felt this good in YEARS!

Medical science is amazing. If you need a hip replacement, think good thoughts, expect the best, get it done and follow the doctor's orders. I'm so glad I did and I'll be back under the water in October.:D:D:D:cool2:
 
Thanks for the update. Since you have been through the process and have done a lot more research than average maybe you can answer a couple questions.
>Any idea of how long the replacement should last with an active, high energy lifestyle?
 
How long will it last with an active, high energy lifestyle? It all has to do with lifetime impact and the prosthesis installed. I have a Styker product with a polyethylene bearing designed for an active lifestyle. The wear is reduced by 90% over older polyethylene products. Due to my age I had an uncemented femoral component installed where the head (the ball part of the replacement) is titanium. I had to have the uncemented version due to my young age and the chance I will have to have the components replaced when they wear.

I've been told that with my lifestyle (walker, hiker {low weight backpack}, golfer, and scuba diver) I should be good for anywhere from 10 to 15, possibly 20 years. If you're a runner, dirt-bike racer, basketball player, etc, take 5 years off those numbers.

The ceramic components are supposed to be a one-time, good for life replacement. Unfortunately, there are those that squeak. I read only 7 out of 100 are squeakers, but based upon all the questions I asked, no one was comfortable with that number. They felt it was higher. I met and heard a squeaker when I having my post-surgical X-rays done. Man, it was LOUD!!!! (relatively speaking). He had his done five years ago and finally couldn't take the noise anymore. There may have been a lawsuit involved too by what he was saying, but I didn't probe further.

The only change I'm going to make to my lifestyle, besides getting more active again, is deciding to quit riding my motorcycle. I want to avoid another possible dislocation, which is how this all got started 30 years ago.

Hope that answered a question or two.

Ray
 
It sure did; thank you.

With my lifestyle I suspect I'll be in for one of these in the not too distant future.
 
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