hip replacements?

[jerseygirl81]

I'm going to need a hip replacement on both hips. I work as a teachers aide and I'm trying to do most of my recovery time during the summer. I was told the recovery is about 3 months so I'm thinking of taking the last month of school of so I could be ready to go back to work in Sept. My DS is autistic and a handful and I'd like to do most of my recovery while he is in school he will be out for a week in June and then back for the summer program and then off again for a month from the beginning of Aug. till the start of the school year in Sept. I'm thinking about having both my hips done at the same time because in the long run it would be easier with my DS and my job. I'm wondering what to expect with the recovery how painful it is and how hard it is to get around and how much physical therapy is needed afterward. I did hear they get you on your feet the day after surgery is this true? What ever you can tell me would be helpful. Thanks, Linda

 

[Janice B]

I had my hip replacement about 5 years ago. I have not had them both done, just the left. Yes they do get you up the day after your surgery. I left the hospital about 5 days later using crutches for about a week. The I went to a cane for about 2-3 weeks. I never found the pain to bad at all. Maybe because I was in so much pain before the surgery I found the pain was much reduced after the surgery was done. I got the staples removed about 10 days after my surgery then started physical therapy which i did for about a month or so twice a week. If I can answer any more questions, just let me know.

 

[peemagg]

Personally I would not do both at once. If you do then you don't have one good (ok not good, but not compromised by surgery) to stand on while recovering. You may be able after a few weeks after the first surgery go in and get the other one done. What does your doc think?

 

[jerseygirl81]

Thanks for the info. I was'nt thinking about the length of stay at the hospital. I hav'nt spoken to my dr much about the surgery, he told me it's my last resort when I can't stand the pain anymore yet when he looked at my x-rays he said they looked really bad like a square peg in a round hole. If I waited to have the hips done separatly DH would have to take more time off work to watch DS and he does'nt get paid when he takes off. Although the thought of trying to get around with crutches after having both hips done would be tough. I am looking into a different Dr to do the surgery that the Dr. I am seeing now. I'd just like to get it done, so I don't have the pain every day, some days it's more bareable than others but I don't know if I could put it off till the following school year at the same time so I don't have to take off too much time. I guess I need to make an appt and see what the Dr. says, but it's good to know others personal experience since the Dr. does the surgery and moves on. Thanks, Linda

 

[chaoslobster]

I have had both hips replaced, though not at the same time. As Janice said, yes, they do get you up and walking the next day after surgery. And it's not that hard to do, either. I know what you're expecting; that for weeks after the surgery putting any weight on that leg is going to be horrifically painful -- but it's not like that at all. You do definitely get some soreness from having the titanium rod inserted in your thigh bone, but it's just that, soreness. It's not sharp or shooting pain. Actually, the majority of the post-op pain comes from the incision, and once that's healed and the staples come out, the worst of it is over. Depending on how much pain you're in NOW, you may find that you're better off in as little as two weeks after the surgery, as far as pain levels.

I'm not certain I'd recommend having both hips done at once, either. It depends on how much help you'll have for the month following the surgery. You may be walking the day after, but by "walking" it means a few trips down the hallway and 'round the nursing station. You won't be spending much time out of bed \ couch for the first few weeks. Even if your pain level is manageable, you'll have balance and endurance issues, and you'll need to avoid stressing the incision site and the new prosthetics too much while your body heals itself. You mention a DS, but no DH or DW... will you have someone in the house to help you following the surgery? If not, then I really don't think having both hips done at the same time is going to be an option for you. Plan on spending two weeks post-op laying on the couch watching bad soap re-runs, and only getting up for trips to the bathroom and to answer the door for the pizza guy.

Jenni
(formerly chaospearl)

 

[jerseygirl81]

Thanks for all the info. Sorry I mentioned DH in my second post, I was thinking about having both hips done at the same time because of my job and DH's job since he won't get paid when he takes off. All this information is just what I was looking for. Linda

 

[chaoslobster]

If DH will be home with you and your son for the first few weeks following the surgery, then it becomes a much better idea to have both hips done at once. Your down-time won't be all that much longer and that way there is less financial stress on your family -- you don't wanna be trying to rest and recover from a major surgery when every morning all you can think of is the day's pay that DH won't be earning because you can't go to the bathroom by yourself yet. That kind of thing only makes you feel guilty and it makes you try to push yourself past your limits, which is exactly what you SHOULDN'T be doing the week after you've just had your body sliced open and then stapled shut again with a bunch of metal and plastic inside.

Talk to your MD about the feasibility, but I bet he or she is going to tell you to go for it and have both done at once. As long as you've got another adult in the house to handle things while you recover, it's better to go through it just once.

Edit: You know, this just occured to me. Do you sleep on your back, normally? After both my hip replacements one of the worst parts for me was the fact that I couldn't sleep on that side for over a month until the incision had totally healed. I'm a side sleeper and I was uncomfortable enough not being able to roll onto my other side; if I'd had to sleep entirely on my back for that long due to having incisions on both sides, I think I'd have gone insane (and probably not slept more than a few hours a night). Just something to think about!

Jenni

 

[jmartinez1895]

Many doctors will not do both at once. A man at my church was asking to have it done for work reasons and the doctor would not because he said that you have to have one hip to bear most of the weight during recovery and therapy. His surgeries where set at about 6 months apart. I don't mean to be a downer to your plans, but I just wanted you to be preparied in case your doctor will not do that.

 

[Storm632]

In our hospital, I have not seen a physician do both hips at once (knees occasionally, but not hips). One thing to discuss with your physician is the restrictions you will have after your hip surgery. Depending on the procedure, you may not be able to bend more than a 90 degree angle for 6-10 weeks. With one good hip you can modify your activities and protect the surgical hip. Not sure how difficult it would be to have the restrictions on both hips at one time. Good luck with whatever choice you make!!

 

[SueM in MN]

I worked with someone who got both hips done at the same time. This was about 10 years ago - his idea was one surgery, one recovery, maybe a little longer recovery, but still better than going thru everything twice. He felt like he was going into it knowing a lot about recovery since he was a speech therapist in a busy therapy department and had observed people going thru therapy. He talked his doctor into it and has the surgery on both at the same time.
His comment after was that having both at the same time was better in theory than in reality. He said that if he needed 2 of something done, he would never have both at the same time again.
The biggest problem he had was, as someone mentioned, with both hips done at the same time, he didn't have a good leg to stand on. That increases the risk of falls and makes the therapy part of the procedure less efficient.

 

[momhmmx2]

Jerseygirl81 I would go to the healthboards (a different website) and ask your questions there. Look under your specific problem (hip replacement) and you should find a board there. I did this for my ankle injury/surgery and recovery and found others with the same/similar problems it was quite helpful

 

[jerseygirl81]

Thanks for all the advice! I guess the dbl hip replacement was wishful thinking on part. I researching Drs. right now and plan on making an appt. soon. I checked out the healthboards it's a very imformative website, I plan on going back on there again. Thanks, Linda

 

[chaoslobster]

Definitely, definitely speak to your personal MD about it before making any plans based on what you can and cannot do. My surgeon actually encourages patients to have the double replacement, as he says that it's better to put the body through such a major stress only once. It really will depend on your own health and your surgeon's assessment of what's best for you.

I noticed you're located in Vernon NJ, and I wanted to ask -- are you familiar with the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC? It's the top-ranked hospital in the country for orthopedic surgery, and since you're so close by I figured I'd mention it. I had all three of my joint replacements done by Dr Mark Figgie, and I'll go back to him when I finally admit to myself that I need a new elbow.