Hip replacements

[noddyholder]

Has anyone had one or know anything about it?I have intermittent extreme hip pain which is caused by the drugs I have been on for my transplant.I have been on them 25 yrs and the doctors say i am the only patient ever to be on them that long with out having a fracture as they are renowned for weakening bones.At my last scan the hip bone did look thin but I didn't really entertain the. talk of hip replacements etc although they are the norm for people in my situation but I can feel that some day this will be a reality for me.How long is the recovery and more importantly do they work?Any info gratefully recieved xxx

not personal experience but my dad said that when he came round after his first hip replacement, he couldn't believe the difference - no pain for the first time in years.

thanks tommy xAnyone else?

My mum has had three - she is currently recovering from her first replacement, and expecting to have another next year. She has osteoathrytis. Hip replacements are very routine operations, but I think that they can have variations depending on what is being replaced. Simple ball and cup jobs are fairly bread and butter (for the surgeons anyway!). Generally they involve being under GA (you can have them done under spinal epidural, but there is a lot of sawing and yanking, so it's not recommended!), and a hospital stay of about a week. They will get you up as soon as possible after the op, and then onto crutches and send you off with outpatient physio. You'd need to check about recovery times, because I think it depends on your general health and the complexity of the surgery (my mum has had bone grafts this time round, and is still on crutches two months post op). Most people that I know who have had one have said it was great. They last for about 15yrs (depending on the type of joint used).

hip replacements are now very common. Usually done under spinal(with sedation) to add recovery. you are up walking with physio within 24 hours and often home within 7 - 10 days. if not sooner. 3months seems to be the norm from op to full recoverey

My dad had one last June, he is only 55. He was out of hopsital after 4 days. Recovery was quite quick and was going for long walks within a month. My daughter is the ultimate physio. She makes him dance, jump and run. The other day he had to lie down on the floor with her and "do exercises"!

He said the only thing is that if he lays on that side it feels as if he has spare change in his pocket!

Good luck

i know a lady of 26 who has had 2. her first one broke recently so had to have another one done. she was doign the school run after 2 weeks with the second one.

Noddy - hop replacements are now a relatively routine operation and I wouldn't 'worry' about having one though there are a few considerations.

Patients I've had generally fall into 2 groups - people who've had them because of long term chronic pain (like you) are generally very happy with them - your hip may still hurt afterwards but nothing like the pain of arthritis. The second group are people who have them following trauma and they tend to be less happy and complain theat it still hurts a lot.

Depending on the type of hip replacement you have there are also some 'precautions' to take afterwards - including not aving your hips at more than 90 degrees for some time (can't remeber exactly how long but I think it's 6 wks) which affects things like bathing, sitting in cars, on chairs, the loo etc - this is due to risk of dislocation while it all heals. Therefore it's worth making good plans and making sure you'd have help after the op. There are certain types of replacement that don't need the precautions but the doc will choose the type most suited to your medical need.

Also it's worth asking about individual doctor's success/complication rates since you can now choose where ytou go for this type of op.

hth.

hip replacements even!

I am 42 and have had a good run with my bones but I am in a lot of pain atm so it may be on the cards