Anyone had hip replacement surgery? Come and tell me about it.

[ApolloandDaphne]

After an x ray I have had confirmation that my hip is a mess and hip replacement is probably on the cards. I really want to be pain free and able to walk and kneel and do normal things easily but i feel a bit anxious at the thought of the operation and recovery. I'd like people who have had this procedure to tell me their experience. Also how long was the NHS wait? I could go private. Thanks.

I had hip replacement surgery on my right hip about 9 years ago. I was an NHS patient.

I found the first month's of the recovery period post op absolutely horrendous. Not because of pain but because of the problems sleeping on my back, the initial immobility, the lack of support from the health service regarding what I should and shouldn't be doing and the exercises I should be doing. Also the practicalities of the experience whilst living alone with no personal support net work.

BUT after the initial horrible experience once I got to the six month post op mark things improved tremendously and honestly the operation has given me my life back. I could hardly hobble before the operation but now my walking is as good as before the hip problems emerged.

I think if you have support from family and friends and get good advice regarding post op exercises and dos and don't you will be fine OP. And the long term benefits are just immeasurable.

I have my DH at home and he is very supportive. I sleep on my front so I guess that might be an issue but something I will need to work out. I'd really like my mobility back.

I had a replacement at 41. I had bupa so it was done privately. Other than the pain in the hip I was pretty fit and that definitely helped with the recovery. It’s now about 15 years ago and no regrets at all. I cycle, ski, walk a lot…

I was able to walk about 5 mins twice a day (collecting kids from school) from a week after the op. No serious pain but I was really tired and had to sleep during the day. Once I pushed the walk a bit far and I had to sit on a bench to recover. Not pain but exhaustion!

8 weeks later I was in the mountains doing Go Ape on our summer holiday. I don’t recommend it 😃 but I was so much better than before the op.

I don’t know where you live but in London the NHS has an orthopedic centre which is speeding up operations.

Good luck!

I had my left hip replaced in Sept 2018 and my right hip 6 months later.
Things to help recovery:
a gazillions pillows so you are properly supported in bed as it’s 6 weeks sleeping on your back, this was really hard but lots of pillows wedged from my lower back all the way up to my head really helped
an afternoon nap every day
private physio at home from about week 3 made a massive difference
as many long handled grabbers as possible around the place and always one where you put your crutches when you’re in bed
I spent the first few days at my sisters but then went home where i was by myself, and had a kettle etc by the bed so all I had to carry upstairs was some milk
An over the bed tray thing on wheels, that was brilliant
remember it takes much longer to get to the loo, especially first couple of weeks when it takes a while to get your leg out of bed!
The awful hip pain goes immediately. I didn’t find recovery horrendous at all, but you do need to be patient and follow advice. I’m so grateful that I’ve got my life back. I’m very active with 2 horses. I still do my hip exercises daily though.
if it would help to chat about the op, if you’ve any questions please do PM me, always happy to try and help.

Thanks @Johnogroats I live in Scotland but my local hospital has recently opened a new orthopaedic unit so hopefully that will be a positive. If the wait is long i will go private.

I didn’t get too much kit, but a high loo seat was invaluable! Handy for MIL’s visits later on too!

Noted!

I’m in Scotland too. I had mine replaced last March and was able to go up 20 stairs to get in the house on the day I came home from hospital so within 48 hours of surgery.
i won’t lie, the first 4 weeks are hard but it’s discomfort rather than pain. The best thing I found was the physio. It’s tiring but makes a huge difference!
One tip - Tena Lady is your friend at first as it can take take you a wee while to get to your feet and totter to the bathroom! Just saying 😜.
Good luck, you won’t regret it x

I have started doing hip exercises prior to being seen at the clinic - also in Scotland and I’m on a way 72 week waiting list to be seen.

I have to confess the crutch and exercises in the swimming pool given to me by the private physio and adequate pain management by the GP are making a huge difference.

The hip exercises will hopefully help my recovery.

72 weeks to be seen! Is that for a first appointment. If I have that wait I'll be going private. I've been going to a physio for years and he keeps me mobile. I also need to lose some weight.

I had my left hip replaced exactly one week ago!
I went private as I’d been dismissed by the NHS for years so sought out a consultant who specialised in younger patients as I’m only in my 40’s.
I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia in February and was told that a hip replacement was inevitable and that I might as well get on with it and reap the benefits while I’m young (ish).
I was still quite mobile but it was getting worse and starting to impact my life so decided to go for it!
I had the mako robotic assisted surgery which apparently make recovery easier but obviously I’ve nothing to compare it to!
The surgery itself is fine - I had spinal anaesthetic and sedative. I woke up towards the end but was so relaxed it didn’t bother me! It meant I was back in my room 30
mins later with DH and DS. Much better than general anaesthetic!
The pain kicked in the day after but was manageable with pain killers. I was classed as independently mobile 24 hrs after surgery which meant I could get myself out of bed and to the toilet using crutches.
I stayed in hospital for two nights as my blood pressure was quite low and they were worried about dizziness. My consultant actually prefers you to stay in as it’s good for you to have 24 hour nurse care while you adjust.

The first few days were quite painful but I turned a corner on day 4. One week post surgery I’m already down to using only one of my crutches and minimal painkillers ( paracetamol every now and then!)
It’s still too early to see the full benefits but I’m amazed at how quickly I progressed after those initial few days.

Sorry for the essay! But it’s quite therapeutic to write it down!

I had surgery on the Wednesday, first thing. When I woke up, even with all the effects of surgery, the pain in the joint was gone. I was walking with a frame by the afternoon of the same day, and was able to climb stairs with just a stick by Thursday afternoon, so was allowed home. On Saturday I was fine to go for a festive lunch at the local pub. I had to do anti-coagulant jabs for a couple of weeks. The scar healed cleanly within a couple of weeks. I did the physio religiously, and walked as much as possible. I was back in work on reduced duties after four weeks, and back to normal duties after another two weeks. The main take away - do the physio and walk as much as you can.

So, the first thing for me was the relief of the hip pain having gone, after excruciating agony for months before.
Its 15 year since I had mine and I believe the op has improved since then but it all went well for me.
They like to have you out of bed as soon as you have an ex-ray to see all ok.
I just sat in the chair but felt a bit sick and weak from the anaesthetic, so asked to go back after half a hour.
Next day I was walking up and down the ward, day three I went up and down stairs and was sent home.
As I live alone I stayed with my Dd and was fine, I live quite close, so about day 10 I walked home with two crutches to see my cat and was too tired to walk back, so I stayed home from then, Dd was not pleased with me but I was fine.
You have to sleep on your back as you already know but you can also buy a type of cushion that attaches to your other leg so you can lie on your side with your operated leg resting on it.
Most important, make sure you do the excercises, I was religious about them and walk perfectly normal but have friends who limp because they didn’t do them enough.
I still do them now and then, just to keep the muscles healthy.
Btw didn’t say, I had the other hip done 6 months later and found that even easier, probably because I knew what to expect.
Look forward to being pain free after you recover 🥳

Get a spare pair of crutches so you can have three on the stairs - leave one upstairs, one downstairs and one to take up and down with you! So much easier and safer than trying to get up and down carrying one.
Loo raiser, grabbing stick, and the device for putting socks on all helpful. Get a good flask/bottle so you don’t have to walk balancing a cuppa.
Keep up with the pain killers.
Took a good year to feel it had really bedded in, you’ll read stories of people skiing 24hrs later, but for some it’s a much longer slower recovery so don't be disheartened if your one of the slower ones, you’ll get there!

My mum is 80 and has just had her hip replaced. She went home the next day and was able to use the stairs fairly easily with a crutch.

Three weeks after the surgery she was out and about, walking without a stick at all and no pain. It's amazing the difference it has made. She was very diligent with her post op exercises and I think that is really important, the people I know who have struggled have not kept up with them.

She went private, NHS wait was around a year.

I (M60) had my surgery in November and it was very successful and easy.

I had no pain, (only taking paracetamol after day 3), no bruising, no swelling.
After 3/4 months I've pretty much forgotten about it.

The most important thing I would say is to research the different approaches used to carry out the surgery, ie posterior (backside), lateral (side) and anterior (bikini line).

The end result of any of these approaches will probably be a successful new hip but the amount of pain and suffering you experience in the first few months will vary according to the approach taken.

I had Anterior and I would highly recommend it because they cut through very little flesh/muscles etc so your recovery is almost immediate.
Posterior cuts through a lot of flesh and muscle so you will have more pain.
I think lateral is somewhere in between.

Most surgery of this kind in the US and Europe is done by the anterior method but in the UK we still do mainly posterior.
If you're getting it done privately you should be able to get it done using anterior method.

Good luck.

I had both hips replaced within three months of each other, prior to that the pain was excruciating, the first thing I noticed when I came round from the anaesthetic was NO PAIN it was a wonderful feeling, the recovery was a long one for me, because as one hip was recovering the other was deteriorating at the same time, I’ll definitely ‘second’ getting plenty of pillows, my case was particularly advanced ‘rapid onset OA’ the surgeon said I was the worst case he’d seen in over 20 years so I was advised to avoid exercise till I was walking again (but this advice is not given generally) when I was walking again took up Pilates which improved my range of movement significantly.

Yes to the grabber, and thing to help with socks. I’m also finding a long shoe horn helpful.
Also, a small cross body bag so you can carry your phone and other small items around with you.

A relative has had theirs done after avoiding it for several years and putting up with the pain but unfortunately her hip joint was such in a mess (the surgeons words) that she’s now got nerve damage and foot drop. It’s been four months and she still can’t drive or climb stairs. She has a foot brace and stick to help with walking. She’s making slow but steady progress with the help of physio and exercises. But she admits that the surgeon told her she left it too long before agreeing to get it done (5 years ) and that the risk of nerve damage increases the longer you leave it. She has vowed to not leave it as long when her other hip needs doing. Anyway I don’t want to scare you op but just to say don’t let it get too bad before you have it done.

The GP said much the same to me. I should really get it done sooner if possible.

DM had just had hers done. She is 83.
She Lives alone on 3 floors and has a dog.
DSis moved in for 3 weeks and did everything for her. Walking, bending, stretching, cooking etc.
Consultabt said that the first fortnight would be hell, and he was right.
surgical stockings in a heat wave weren’t fun!
DSis did “make” DM do her exercises every and walk a bit every day.
DM was independent other than loading the washing machine when DSis went home after 3 weeks.
It’ll be 8 weeks tomorrow. We saw the consultant last week. He is very pleased.
DM is independent, driving short distances, walking the dog, walking about a mile at a time, but 2 or 3 miles a day.
Hip pain went straight away.
Surgical pain became discomfort after about a fortnight, and now is barely noticeable
The initial painkillers were not kind to DM, made her forgetful and lightheaded. She knocked them on the head as soon as she could.

She was recommend a book by an orthopaedic surgeon who’d had a hip replacement - Hip Expectations by Jonathan Hull.

72 weeks for first appt. I’m in Scotland. I also need to lose some weight! The crutch, pain relief and pool exercises have made a noticeable difference. I don’t know if I’ll be able to last the 72 weeks.

I had my right done in 2019 and my left last summer. Google Superpath hip replacement. Its fairly new and I had it done at Leicester Nuffield both times. The recovery is so fast, I was back at my Pilates class bang on 4 weeks later, to the day (which involves getting up and down off the floor, kneeling, etc). Didn't need any special equipment like toilet risers. Just crutches for about a week.

Warning: honest truth below. Not trying to put you off and despite my experience, I'd still recommend it!

I had both done at the same time, though not in the UK, a few years ago, anterior approach. Surgeon assured me that recovery time for one or both hips is actually the same. So, I was walking unaided a couple of days after the surgery but I had reacted badly to the anaesthesia and pain meds, so my Lazarus moment was actually later than it should have been. I was home from hospital after five days, able to climb stairs with one crutch.

I didn't have toilet seat riser, or grabbers, or anything like that, just a cloth bag to carry my bits and bobs with me around the house!

I found the post-op pain quite hard, not least because I didn't tolerate any pain meds except paracetamol/ibuprofen. The worst part was the sleeping - or lack of it, and the sheer discomfort at night. I don't and cannot sleep on my back, but had to for 4 weeks. So I literally didn't sleep for anything more than an hour at a time for several weeks, and it was awful. I spent the nights with ice packs on both hips. As soon as I could sleep on my side again, it changed everything!

I had read accounts from others before the surgery saying that the hip pain would be gone instantaneously, etc, etc, but this wasn't my experience. It took more like 3 months to feel remotely able to do "normal" stuff - even sitting for more than 30 minutes wasn't possible for me, and it took 6 months to be able to kneel again. That said, I went on a foreign holiday with just my 2 kids 6 weeks post-op, drove around on holiday, swam, shopped, etc. So I could do stuff - but it was tough. I still can't do certain Pilates positions that I could easily do before the op and am much less flexible in my right hip.

I'm not saying this to put you off, as for me it was still worth it, life post-op is 1000 times better than it was. But just to show that everybody's experiences are different. I'm fit, healthy weight, no health issues, but had a relatively slow recovery and higher amount of post-op pain than others, even taking into account the double-whammy op that I had.

I had mine done at the end of 2023. It was private. Honestly I don't really remember the recovery much but I know I didn't find it massively painful. I stayed for 3 nights because I didn't react well to the painkillers they gave me, rather than because there were any issues with the hip.
The bloke in the room next to mine was out the same day as his op, but I was a bit more tentative about the process (you have to work with the physio to get up steps before they let you leave)
I'd got a second hand riser chair beforehand which was great for the first month as I could nap in it (I didn't sleep in it) and I think I used a walker to start with but moved to crutches quickly. I also found the loo riser seats useful ( I got mine from superdrug) and a grabber.
I have never had any issues with the new hip - its the best bit of my body!