I am a mass of arthritic bits (neck, jaw, spine, wrists, feet, toes) - but my hips have been my particular bugbear for almost 20 years. I have finally reached the end of the road with painkillers, osteopathy, physio, chiropractic etc, and have been offered a hip replacement.
Could anyone tell me, please, what the recovery period is like, and what it involves? Obviously the internet is full of stories, but I am hoping that trusty MN will tell it as it is.
FWIW, I am 49, as fit as I can be in the circumstances (I can at least ride my bike), and not overweight. I was a fast long-distance walker until the hips became a nuisance, and would like to return to that.
One problem which is immediately evident to me is that they will only do one at a time, as the 'better' hip is supposed to help the operated-on hip to recover. However, I don't have a 'better' hip - though they won't do both at once. How is that going to work?
I'd also specifically like to know:
How long do you realistically have not to drive for?
How soon can you have sex after the operation? 6 weeks would feel like a very, very long time - though it's true to say that it's very painful at the moment, as hip rotation and opening my legs is about the worst thing of all (sorry if TMI).
How soon can you climb stairs? My only bathroom is up a twisty flight of stairs.
When can you resume any kind of normal activity?
Sorry - lots of questions. The one thing I am anticipating is that post-operative pain is going to be a nuisance, but nowhere near on a par with hip arthritis pain. I can cope with pain - I have coped with it for a long time now - but am very impatient to get moving and doing things as soon as humanly possible!