[74gto]

Anyone had their hip and or hips replaced?? What options are out there as far as materials?? Recovery time?? Any details appreciated.

I was having issues in the mid to late 90's. Was only 30 yrs old at time, but my dad had his own business that I've worked in since I was in my early teens, standing on concrete many hours a day. Then we got into construction and landscaping, up until 2000 worked outside. Then I got into small engine/ equipment repair, so again long hours on concrete. Doctor in 1996 told me they can only cut legbone twice in your lifetime, to live with it as long as I can so i'm not in a wheelchair in my 60's I'm now 48, and cannot bend down or pivot, hip and back have been locking up on me.

Saw a highly respected Doctor a few weeks ago who told me my left and right hips have no cartlidge left, and there are bone spurs on my left pretty bad. He said he want's to do the left first, then the right about 6 months after. Talking about an eight week recovery period. Thank goodness for Aleve, or I probably would be on the ground now

Anyone with any experience with this, or pro's in the medical field, feel free to chime in!! JOHN

[poncho-mike]

I have been nursing a bad right hip for more than twenty years now, and I'm getting close to having it replaced.

You can google and find the main technologies: metal on metal, plastic and metal, and ceramic.

It's my understanding that if you are involved in an accident with a ceramic ball, you're hosed if the ceramic shatters. You have a lot of painful debris in the joint that is nearly impossible to completely remove.

I was seriously considering hip replacement about ten years ago, and the doctors were pushing metal on metal. I know you've probably seen all of the legal ads looking for people who want to sue for metal on metal hip replacements. I believe the problem with metal on metal is that wear between the two components puts tiny heavy metal particles into the blood stream, which can cause various problems such as cancer, congestive heart failure, and liver and kidney damage.

The plastic on metal hips have been around for a long time. The problem with those is the plastic wears, and the body's immune system attacks the plastic, and can damage the bone around the femur insert.

There are a number of new replacement procedures that have reduced the recovery time from a hip replacement significantly. One of the guys I work with had a hip replaced at Duke Hospital, and was out only about five weeks. You definitely want to find a doctor that has performed a lot of hip replacements and is aware of the new techniques.

Some of this information is probably eight to ten years old, and there may be newer information available. I'll be 57 soon, and I'm glad I waited.

Mike

[Radman]

Not hip, but I had a total knee replacement on June 30th of this year. Bone on bone is no fun in any part of the body. The first few days after the surgery were not that bad. The next two weeks are a bitch! I can walk for a short distance without a cane now. I started out on a walker, then used the cane for short distance and the walker for longer distance, now up to no cane or walker for short distance, and the cane for long distance. Yes, get the surgery. The big thing is believe the physical therapy people. They will give you exercises to do before the surgery. Do them.

[poncho-mike]

I will add one thing. If you're serious about getting the hip replacement done, don't watch a video of an actual procedure. I was very close to surgery and watched a video. It suddenly didn't hurt nearly as bad.

[6TEE8GTO]

I had my right hip done two summers ago. While recovering, I found my blue '68 GTO on Ebay...

I can offer up some insight. Make sure you get these items ahead of time- A walker, a "dead leg strap" so you can get in and out of bed, a "sock installer" so you can put your socks on without help, and you will need a pooper stand so you can take a crap without bending too much. If you have a walk-in shower, get some grab bars (suction cup style to help you get in and out) and a shower stool. Be prepared to be somewhat helpless the first few days. Take the pre-surgery class most hospitals offer to you so you know what to expect. They will make you get out of bed and stand up right away in the hospital, but you will need help at home with common tasks. Do the physical therapy that they prescribe also.

I waited way too long and had so many bad bone spurs that had to be ground off my femur that my surgery was complicated and they cut me up pretty good. Looked like a shark bit me, my scar goes way up my thigh and halfway across my butt.

Be careful not to get hooked on pain pills either, it's not uncommon after hip surgery.

My recovery sucked and I had a bad time of it for months and months. They said 6-8 weeks but I am only now starting to feel "normal" again. Rode a bike for the first time in years just the other day. I remember going to PT after a few months and the gal said "Greg it will probably be a year before you feel right" and others have said the same thing. Got a lot of metal in my pelvis now and can set off metal detectors from pretty far away, it's kinda funny...

[J.D.]

if they give you vicodin , start taking a laxative BEFORE you haven't gone for 5 days !

[400 4spd.]

I can only speak from a perspective of knowing someone who had hip replacement about 20 months ago.
My friend is in his early 70's, and was a jogger and marathon runner in his younger years. I would guess that contributed to his condition quite a bit. He was a business professional in his career life, even doing investigative work for a large law firm.
Having known him prior and post surgery, this what I've seen.

Before surgery, he did not look his age and seemed energetic and extremely sharp minded.
For months after surgery, his mind and memory were mush. He would speak of the same thing 2-3 times in a visit, or forget what he wanted to tell me. He was giving things away to others. I know it was the medication.

Post surgery exercise and mobility is VERY important. I can't stress that enough. He used to tell me he was required to walk X distance per day, but would never do it. He wasn't motivated enough and suffers for it today, always seeking a chair.

He stopped caring about personal hygiene and appearance, again I blame it on medication dependence. His wife got fed up and finally threw his medicines away. That was his turning point, from what I could tell.

Today he is closer to his old self and wiser for the experience. He has more mobility and less pain, and has a clear mind again.

If there is anything I can offer from what I witnessed, it's this.

1. Follow Drs. orders and push yourself through the rehab period. It WILL hurt.
2. Don't become dependent on the prescriptions. You WILL survive.
3. Stay in touch with friends. Push yourself. Get out.

Good luck to you!

[ron cozzo]

I'm 49 now, had a hip replaced a couple years ago. I have a condition called Avascular Necrosis. Basically no blood flow to the ball tip of the femur and the bone dies and deteriorates. I'll probably have to have the other replaced sooner than later, but it's OK so far.

Research Anterior approach. Less muscle damage from this approach through the front, smaller incision, and quicker recovery. I think my joint is a plastic/ceramic. Going for lowest wear, longest life. I was on my feet in the hospital the night of my surgery. I was out of the hospital in two days. Couldn't leave earlier due to constipation. As mentioned earlier, keep hydrated. Use laxative. Apple juice is your friend, for days after surgery. I was driving and back at work in 5 weeks. I recommend doing it during warm weather. Then you don't need to put on socks and you can go outside for walks. Do the physical therapy. Push yourself. I rode a bike at three weeks. I never forget the hip replacement is there, but I have forgotten how bad the pain was before. Feel free to ask me more questions here or PM. Good Luck.

[ron cozzo]

Oh, and find a surgeon who has a great reputation. I used Dr. Lombardi at Joint Implant Surgeons in New Albany, OH. You should be impressed by your surgeon.

http://www.jointimplantsurgeons.com/

[6TEE8GTO]

Originally Posted by ron cozzo

Push yourself. I rode a bike at three weeks.

Maybe we had different types of surgery, but I was warned NOT to push it because you want bone to grow around the cup they pinned into my pelvis and the insert into the femur. My doc said if I pushed it too hard I could un-seat the metal receiver cup and have to have repair surgery. In fact they told me not to attempt to run for a full year. The "recovery" they said would be 6-8 weeks and by that they meant getting back to normal walking. When we went up to Green Bay to pick up the GTO, my wife drove me up there and I drove the Goat home and that was the first time I had driven in two months. When I got in my driveway I was so stiff from the drive I could not get out of the car on my own. But it was a fun ride anyway.

What really sucks for me is that prior to the operation, I was in very exceptional physical condition; 33" waist, 49" chest and very low body fat. I couldn't work out like I had been and I put on a lot of weight. I've had some kidney and pancreas problems this year and lost 22 pounds in only 6 weeks without trying, so it's been a roller-coaster ride.

We can have $$$ and toys and success, but your health is most important. You can't enjoy life in pain...

[ron cozzo]

Also, for research, and hearing from others with similar issues Bonesmart has a wealth of info and a useful forum.

http://bonesmart.org/

[quick67bird]

I had my hip replaced 2 years ago. I had the Stryker hip prosthesis implanted that had the mobile bearing end on it. http://www.stryker.com/en-us/product...bearing/139617 This implant gave me a greater range of movement as I was only 41 when I had the implant put in. I am a heavy person as well.

I was told by my doctor to put as much weight on my hip as pain allowed me to. I walked the night of my implant for 6 steps without crutches. I never did have to use a walker and I was totally off crutches in 4 or so weeks. http://www.aboutstryker.com/hip/expe...s/recovery.php

I still need to lose some weight, but have not had any issues with my implant. As far as mobility goes I can not do the splits anymore and have to watch how I move sometimes.

As was mentioned I would screen your doctor very well before your surgery.

[bird72]

My mom had arthritis bad. I am getting bad at 58. My hips hurt, hands, feet, lower back, neck.... some bone on bone right knee which I has worked on months ago! Now when I wake up my ring finger left hand is locked, takes 2 minutes to be able to bend it.... I read this thread and man I hate this stuff.... I take Ibuprofen 0-12 a day depending.... I am in denial and back at the gym again lifting, Phoenix from the ashes 12 times, cat with 18 lives Thank God.... I am starting to feel why old codgers b*tch about aches all the time..... yikes!

but Good Luck to you on the hip work, I will read for knowledge, might just need it....

[lust4speed]

This is so true:

Originally Posted by 6TEE8GTO

...Make sure you get these items ahead of time- A walker, a "dead leg strap" so you can get in and out of bed, a "sock installer" so you can put your socks on without help, and you will need a pooper stand so you can take a crap without bending too much. If you have a walk-in shower, get some grab bars (suction cup style to help you get in and out) and a shower stool. Be prepared to be somewhat helpless the first few days...Be careful not to get hooked on pain pills either, it's not uncommon after hip surgery....

Also the laxative as JD pointed out. I decided early on that the little pain I had in the new joint area after the surgery was nothing to the stomach pain the Vicodin was causing me.

I'd say my recovery was very slow also. A couple years have passed since the operation and the only time I even think about the fake hip is when the scanner at the airport goes insane. I've been through quite a bit medically, and recovering from the hip replacement was definitely the most helpless I have felt. Sort of a what-the-hell-have-I-done recovery. Then things started snowballing to the good side at about 6 weeks, and I think I was ahead of the norm at the two month mark. I even tested the strength of the joint with a nasty fall backwards when I got caught up in the air hose out in the garage. Never happened before and never happened since, but I went down really hard on the hip. Scared the hell out of me, but in hindsight it might have been good I went down on the bionic side and not the natural hip.

[Drag Star Le Mans]

A lady I worked with was in lots of pain because of her hip. She was angry all the time, I mean anything would set her off. She was a new person after her hip replacement. Skipping around like a little kid, it was great to have the old Shelly back. Listen to your Doctor and do as they say, not as they do. You will be better off. Good luck!

[hotrodrx]

When I was 30, I ran 30 to 60 miles a week. My hips starting hurting and I saw an orthopedic surgeon. He took x-rays, said I didn't have much cartilage left and that I would need hip replacement. At that time , 1980, they didn't last long. I decided against it and continued on. I'm 64 now, I walked 2 miles in the mountains yesterday on 2 knees that have torn miniscus. When it gets bad enough, I'll give in and get it done. Working out and stretching along with low doses of ibuprofen get me by fine. Make the best decision for yourself. When I can't go, that's the time for me.

[quicksilver97ta]

Anterior approach, Anterior approach, Anterior approach. Walking the same day, faster recovery. Dont let any surgeon talk you out of it, if they try then there is a problem. It requires a special table and specific training so not everybody does it. Here's a video interview with a doc and patient.

Scroll down to the video. Patient is up and walking in just over 6 hours!
http://www.thebonedocs.com/our-practice/testimonials/

Another interview.
http://www.wfaa.com/good-morning-tex...119843789.html

[Todd553]

[QUOTE=quicksilver97ta;5239797]Anterior approach, Anterior approach, Anterior approach. Walking the same day, faster recovery. Dont let any surgeon talk you out of it, if they try then there is a problem. It requires a special table and specific training so not everybody does it. Here's a video interview with a doc and patient.

Scroll down to the video. Patient is up and walking in just over 6 hours!
http://www.thebonedocs.com/our-practice/testimonials/

Another interview.
http://www.wfaa.com/good-morning-tex...119843789.html[/QUOTE

Great advice on the anterior approach. I sell knee and hip implants. I'm not going to get into company vs. company, but the anterior approach is The way to go. I have been in the industry over 15 years and this has been a game changer. I attend joint replacement surgeries everyday and if I needed a hip replacement I would insist it be done through an anterior approach for many reasons. There are many good surgeons in your area. Best of luck.

Todd

[4mula73]

Praying for you man.

[77 TRASHCAN]

Originally Posted by 4mula73

Praying for you man.

X2, here!!!