Double hip replacement question

Hips73

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Nov 19, 2017
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50
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Australia Australia
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Hey all :) I'm 44 and have had bone on bone osteo with FAI for years. Up until now I've had stem cell treatment which was so successful that I managed to carry twins last year! Unfortunately I ended up with a staph infection with my last stem cell treatment and spent a month in the orthopaedic wing, had two washouts and 2 months of PICC line antibiotics.

Long story short, the surgeons now agree not only that I need both hips replaced soon, but I should have had them done years ago. That feels pretty good to hear because I've been pretty compromised and nobody would listen until now, due to my age.

I've opted for a double hip replacement which they've agreed to do, as my recovery from the two washouts was speedy and fairly easy and I was essentially off crutches etc within two weeks and back at work. They "say" it's a similar recovery for hip replacement, but without the pain of the infection (which was excruciating). I have a 4 year old and 18 month old twins but lots of family support.

Am I making a dumb decision to try and avoid two recoveries and just doing both at once? I'm reasonably fit, have lost 12 kg during the arthritis debacle and have a pain threshold that's super high :)

Thanks in advance!
 
I’m nearly seven weeks post op bilateral hip replacements. I’m glad I don’t need to go back to have a second op. It was pretty awful the first week but after that not so bad. Good luck with your decision.
 
I was due to have a double resurface tomorrow but due to a long story I changed my mind and am now going for 2 thr ops however my main reason for not doing the double was my age 62 in some ways I regret changing and if I was nearly 20 years younger I would have kept to my original plan and done the double it is a tough decision for you but there are many people on here who have been great having the double any responsible surgeon and anethasist will be monitoring their patient through the procedure and if they feel there is any reason not to do both they will stop at one. Good luck with your decision and hope you can finally sort out all these problems your hips have given you soon.
 
@Hips73 I'm going to tag my colleague @Mojo333 who had BTHR. I am sure she will help you see the benefits of having one surgery and one recovery. Sure, this may be challenging at first. But if you have support in the early days it shouldn't be a problem.
 
Hi @Hips73 I am very happy with my decision to have one surgery, hence one recovery. I did not have any other health issues -heart, blood pressure, etc that gave my surgeon any reason for pause and I also had lost about 8kg over the year prior to my surgery in an effort to help my poor OA ridden hips. My decision was a hail Mary as the surgeon said I was a good candidate and both hips were equally bad. Of course, I didn't have 3 small children and as Gretel says, first weeks were pretty rough. But not as tough as I thought it would be with two as the main thing was My Hip Pain was gone.
Back to work in two weeks...no.
But IF you have support and IF you can give it the time it needs...I think you would do brilliantly.
I started back to work at one month but only for few hours per day with low key activity...and plenty of off time.
At 6 months out I am only dealing with very minor issues that stem mostly from bad gait and stance prior to surgery.
Life changing for me, and guessing it can be for you if you can absolutely commit to giving yourself the time to heal...thinking about lifting small children and retraining brain not to do things at first that are second nature when you have kids.
Great feeling to know I have both hips done, and recovery is well on its way!
 
@Hips73 Welcome to Bonesmart! I think you've made the right decision to do both hips at once - I'm nearly 6 years out from my BTHR and I am totally thrilled with the outcome. Probably the hardest part for you is going to be persuading the kids to not run at and jump on Mom! Start now teaching them gently to be very gentle with Mom and also to designate some toy-free areas around your bed and favorite chair(s) and paths to get to bathroom, kitchen, etc - you will probably be using a walker or crutches for a while after surgery and don't want to stumble over random kid things

And I agree with Mojo333 - sounds like your doctors are quite optimistic about you going back to work in 2 weeks! BTHR is 2 MAJOR surgeries done at the same time - and this will take time to heal and time to get all your muscles back into the working shape they are supposed to be in. It is usually suggested - even for one hip replacement - to plan on 8-12 weeks off from work. That does depend on the type of work you do - sedentary, desk work you might be able to go back sooner .... but any work requiring you to be on your feet for long periods of time or do heavy manual labor ... well that you'd really want to heal up well before starting back!
 
Thank you everyone!! I plan to take a month off work but I only work 12 hours a week (3 shifts) will be given light duties (as I was this time) and after my last wash out surgery, I had a PICC line in, so couldn't do any child lifting at all or heavy housework - my mum essentially moved in, which she will do again :)

I came home with a walking frame, and crutches which I used for a full two weeks - does this sound similar to hip replacement recovery? And excuse if this is TMI, I couldn't get on and off a toilet for weeks lol!

My surgeon has told me that given I have 5% mobility at the moment, I'm going to have a new life! I haven't been able to put on socks or do up my kids or my shoes for years, or get up and down from the floor, get in a bath or ... the list is endless as I'm sure you all know! And they're used to being gentle with me because I lock up so easily.

So I'm quietly excited but the worry of having such major surgery is huge.

Thank you all! I do feel like I'm better prepared for the reality!
 
Hi @Hips73, I’m 39 and just had my right hip done. If faced with a choice, I think I’d also do both at the same time and just get it over and done with. All the best


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
Getting your life back IS exciting. And with time, mom is going to be a new woman.
This is what you need to do and for your family. Best thing I ever did bar none.
I'm also 6 months out and worth all the time I gave things to heal.
Still restrict myself on certain tasks, heavy lifting, twisting, jarring...but I am the healthiest I've been in years.
With the proper mindset with recovery, you will get your life back. Happy for you. Double hippies rock!:chuckmarch:
 
Thank you susan209 and mojo333
I'll definitely be back with more questions when they give me a date!! I have to be infection free for 6 months, so I've got a while to wait but I love to hear how much I have to look forward to! And I'm sick of using tongs to pick up all the kids toys
 
I came home with a walking frame, and crutches which I used for a full two weeks - does this sound similar to hip replacement recovery?
Not really. THR is a bit more complex. Many people need walking aids 6 weeks out or more. And if you are returning to work so early you may indeed lengthen your recovery time.
 
I had BRHR last Thursday. Was home, at Mom's, on Friday. Live alone in rural area. Need to stay here until I am able to drive. Today I finally feel normal!! Had med issue. Once that was changed things looked up! Dreaming of my own bed!!!!
 
Hi @Hips73
There are so many fantastic recovery stories of bi-laterals on BoneSmart to read.
I read through your thread but don't recall if anyone mentioned you hopping over to the Hip Replacement Recovery Area and scanning the threads of other Bi-laterals.
They are flagged with a green banner before their thread
title which reads - Bilateral THR -
Some great stories from some very brave souls in my estimation.
 
I came home with a walking frame, and crutches which I used for a full two weeks - does this sound similar to hip replacement recovery?
Not just familiar - it's perfectly normal!
And excuse if this is TMI, I couldn't get on and off a toilet for weeks lol!
Did you have a toilet seat? If not, you need one. You can find good examples in here Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
My surgeon has told me that given I have 5% mobility at the moment, I'm going to have a new life!
Believe him, believe him!
So I'm quietly excited but the worry of having such major surgery is huge.
Actually it only seems huge to you because you've never had the experience before. But do remember that for the surgeon, this is just another day at the office. And I think you will be nicely surprised after a week or two that it's not quite as bad as you might have imagined!

You can do some research on here for yourself. Just go into the Hip Recovery forum, find any post with the
bilateral THR.JPG
prefix, click on it and you will be presented with a list of ALL the BTHR members we've had!
 

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