Hip replacement. It's my turn.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I wish the shoulder thing was the same walk in the park. Seems like hips and knees are much easier.

Heal up!

Yeah, it seems like THR is a real success story in the medical industry.
Shoulders, notsomuch!
Thank you, Milt!

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Shadetree930

Word of advice .....

Make sure your doc starts checking for cobalt/chromium poisoning every 3 months. Especially if you start to experience 'weird' auto-immune symptoms.

The wife had a hip 10 years ago. All was good for the 1st year. Things went south after that. Hives, heart, nervous system, depression, you name it. Ended up being metal poisoning from her metal hip. Had a revision (serious bone/tissue damage as a result of the metal implant) and symptoms went away for a while but cobalt/chromium will remain in her bloodstream.

Medical device industry is aware of the problem but .... capitalism. They settled her lawsuit but money can not buy good health.

See the Netflix title ... The Bleeding Edge which touches on the problem.

Hers is not the only case. There are thousands and thousands of people with this problem. The tip of this iceberg has not even come on the radar screen yet.

I was flipping through Netflix the night before surgery, saw the blurb for that and decided that I would hold off watching it for a while.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Yeah, yeah, car wreck, still too young to get it done, 58 is too young too, Captain.

Minimally invasive is the way to go, anterior approach I believe.

I'm not waiting for pre-existing condition to be taken away.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by GG Allin

Careful how far down you reach. My dad had his done back in May, dislocated it last week reaching to put lotion on his foot. It was the most pain he's ever felt in his life, the X-Ray portion of the ordeal. He's 88 BTW.

Yea, one firm rule is never bend your hip more than 50%. So sitting upright is the maximum bend. Don't lean forward and bend at the waist more than 50% needs to be said a lot. Putting on socks or shoes is a challenge for a while. After the healing is done, and the doctor says it is safe, start bending more. After the scar has lost all the pink and is the same color as the rest of your skin, your are likely 100% healed.

I can now cross my legs and I have zero symptoms and forget about the replacement except every morning when I step out of the shower and see my scar.

[smadsen]

Right there with you my friend. Tripped over a parking lot bumper in Calabasas Friday, July 20. Drove myself 30 miles to the ER in the 911. Took two men & a hoist to get me out the car. Hurt like a SOB by then. Got admitted about 7PM after much painful (no meds) x-raying. Full hip replacement Saturday, July 21. Felt immediately better since there's no joint anymore, just titanium & Teflon or whatever. Made my legs equal length for the first time in 70 years.

I'm 71, 6'3" 200lb. & a bike rider, so I think I had a little head start on the re-hab. The stabbing pain ends fairly soon, but the bone-numbing pain will remain on days when you do heavy activity. I use the pain meds to sleep, pretty much nothing during the day because moving just a bit seems to keep the numbing pain at bay. Already doing knee bends to horizontal thigh, leg lifts, windmills, etc. Range of motion is returning, but still using walker for security to leave the house. The in-home therapy fellow is really great and a very knowledgeable guy

That Percocet is great stuff. I found the 325-10's seem to work better than the 325-5's and ultimately you end up using less of the stuff. You're probably aware of the addictive component, but also beware of the acetaminophen component. Too much of that stuff is hard on your liver. But damn Skippy, it's smooth when the pain is keeping you awake at 3AM.

See you on the tennis court in about October.

[jyl]

I think herr-o must be the dream candidate for this procedure, because he's fit, athletic, slim, and has PPOT to keep him on the right path.

So, how long until he can ride a bike again, anyone guess?

[Don Ro]

I have no clue.
.
How does a fit person(s) come to need a hip replacement?
I jumped off garage roofs as a kid...playing Army, etc. Jumped out of trees, etc.
I hope that I'm not next. Seem to be OK, for now.

[jyl]

Running is evil.

[Jandrews]

Originally Posted by jyl

I think herr-o must be the dream candidate for this procedure, because he's fit, athletic, slim, and has PPOT to keep him on the right path.

So, how long until he can ride a bike again, anyone guess?

That's what I was wondering. Seems like cycling would be a great, low-impact way of strengthening and regaining range of motion, once you can tolerate it. Obviously an off/crash would be disastrous, though, so need to be extra careful.

JA

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

How does a fit person(s) come to need a hip replacement?

For me, it was slightly subpar skeletal geometry from the factory and then an accident where I broke my kneecap which resulted in a new way of walkin'. It was enough of a change in my gait that the cartilage couldn't handle the new motion.

I will say, the recovery is going real fast so far. Range of motion has improved tremendously each day, and the soreness and pain are receding in a timely fashion, too.
I'll go back to the doc in about a week, but until then, I will keep on working towards the goal.

Thanks again to everyone for your well-wishes!

[Don Ro]

^^^
I see now.
Best of a good recovery to you, brother.
How about swimming for low impact?

[9dreizig]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Mine will need to be done within a year so looking forward to your and others' experience.

Shaun, I HIGHLY suggest you use my doc up in Wolfboro.. He's done my hip 2x, both knees, and last Nov my shoulder.. He's the best in New England!!!

[9dreizig]

Originally Posted by Shadetree930

Word of advice .....

Make sure your doc starts checking for cobalt/chromium poisoning every 3 months. Especially if you start to experience 'weird' auto-immune symptoms.

The wife had a hip 10 years ago. All was good for the 1st year. Things went south after that. Hives, heart, nervous system, depression, you name it. Ended up being metal poisoning from her metal hip. Had a revision (serious bone/tissue damage as a result of the metal implant) and symptoms went away for a while but cobalt/chromium will remain in her bloodstream.

Medical device industry is aware of the problem but .... capitalism. They settled her lawsuit but money can not buy good health.

See the Netflix title ... The Bleeding Edge which touches on the problem.

Hers is not the only case. There are thousands and thousands of people with this problem. The tip of this iceberg has not even come on the radar screen yet.

It depends on what device you have.. 10 years ago they were re-visiting metal/metal which I believe is the problem. Most these days are ceramic coated titanium (the head) and compression molded polypropylene for the cup.. Makes for a very quick re-vision (45 min for my last one). However this is good advice , you should know what device they put in..

[GH85Carrera]

This is what is in me. Well, one like this.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by 9dreizig

Shaun, I HIGHLY suggest you use my doc up in Wolfboro.. He's done my hip 2x, both knees, and last Nov my shoulder.. He's the best in New England!!!

Thanks Todd! I will definitely go see him when I need it done.

[GG Allin]

Here's my dads X-ray

[john70t]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Yea, one firm rule is never bend your hip more than 50%.

I used to load trucks. Thousands of heavy boxes per night.

This is the way the company trained us. It didn't feel right. Off balance. Hips and knees and ankles snapping and popping at the end of the night. They yelled at me to do it their way. I did it their way until I got hurt too many times and couldn't take it anymore:


This is the way I lifted. Except I used my forearms and slide the box left and right up near my waist and then stood up to pivot. Counter-balanced. Much easier for me personally.