Not looking for sympathy or exact roadmap, but have hip surgery scheduled for about 5 weeks from now, and interested in others experiences and how they came to the decision to have it done, and how reality compared with your expectations based on what your doctor had communicated to you.

Been dealing with the pain (relatively low level most of the time, but perpetual and tiring), and finally decided that I should take care of at least the right hip now, then deal with the left one way down the road.  Having had two knee surgeries with good results, and hearing from SOME people that recovery from hip surgery was maybe even a little less intrusive or invasive, made the decision to proceed.

Had seen the Orthopedic Surgeon twice previously and he doesn't seem to be a "cutter', having even told me that despite my x-rays showing I clearly could benefit, that as long as I was able to function realtively pain-free, he saw no need to schedule surgery anytime soon.  Still...   after several months of constant dscomfort (except when taking a pain killer), i scheduled the surgery and patted myself in the back for being decisive and moving forward.

But ----you KNEW there was a "but" coming....right?  But the Doctor's nurse had asked me a question after setting the date that troubled me after thinking about it.  She asked if I planned to go home or to a Nursing/Rehabilitation facility for a few days after the surgery.  I thought this was off, as I am in good health otherwise and am in my mid to late 50's....not 70's or 80's.

Told her I was ---of course---going home, and I meant the day OF the surgery too....not a few days later. Cause this was afterall Outpatient Surgery, was it not?

I didn't directly ask that question of the nurse, partly cause the thought hadn't yet crystalized in my mind and cause she was still dodging and weaving as I tried to get a clear answer as to approximately when i could expect to be able to bowl again, or start bowling again.

To wrap this up somewhat, I have two serious questions/issues with the Doctor's nurse and what she did and didn't tell me:

1) She was very evasive when i asked for SOME idea as to recovery time as it related to bowling and other normal, though non-essential activities. Wasn't asking for any guarantees or formal dates. Just a balpark idea, or even a very rough range  of where most people fall (no pun intended !  . If she said between 6 weeks and a year, i wouldn't hav been happy, but would have been satisfied. Instead, she basically hung-up on me.  It wasn't the receiver crashing loudly down in the cradle type of hang-up, but she kind of trailed off and clearly knew I wasn't done yet and then I heard the receiver click.  She didn't say she had another call or anything and judging from her tone of voice, she either wanted to start her weekend (was about 4:00pm) or just didn't want to give me any information ---or both.  I thought that ws incredibly rude, especially since I was being very respectful and low key despite being fully capable of the alternative.

2) The doctor may not have actually used the word outpatient on the last visit, but i can almost swear he did on my previous two visits over the last 24-36 months. My wife was with me for the first visit and this most recent one and she ALSO remembers the doctor's low-key description of the surgery and recovery process, so it can't be ONLY my mind hearing just what t wanted to.  So...  the question is....was the doctor intentionally or inadvertently misleading me into thinking this procedure is in the same category with the knee surgeries I had gone through (not knee replacements, but more than just a look-see), or is the nurse in addition to being rude, not on the same page as the doctor and myself and talking about a different or more extensive kind of hip replacement?

I fear the answers will be that it's not outpatient and that the posts I have seen on the web about being in the hospital for 3-5 days afterward and needing to be taught how to get up and down from a couch or toilet are what it will entail for me, but figured I'd post here to persons like myself who  see bowling as  much more than just a game, to see what they have been through and maybe shed some light.

Am going to call the doctor's office on Monday (they're not available for any part of the weekend) and do some digging and complain about the hang-up. But maybe I can  be enlighted somewhat before that--- even if it's not what I want to hear.

Thanks

 

I just caught this thread.  I had hip resurfacing surgery in 2007.  As far as I know I don't need to worry about dislocating my hip.  My case was special and I am lucky I was able to have it instead of a thr. I had the surgery in my early 40's after living with a bad hip for thirty years. 

Right now, there are some bad press about about metal in the blood.  I discussed this with my orthopedic doctor(not the one who did the surgery) and he wasn't really concerned about it for the majority of people who had hip resurfacing.  The survival rate of HR is about the same as THR.

You will be out of the hospital within three days.  You will be out of bed the day after surgery and begin rehab.  You may or may not be on blood thinners to prevent blood clots.  You may be taking iron pills as well.  You probably need certain tools to help you out at home.  One should be a raised toilet seat.  Another could be a shower seat.  There are several other things that I used and I can't think of their names but I can give you descriptions; One is to be able to pick up things on the floor; another is a tool to help you put on your socks; another is a long shoe horn.  I had a nice recliner I sat in for weeks while rehabbing.  Going to the therapist is mandatory.  However, if you feel they are rushing you consult your doctor.  I had a pump that circulated cold water through a pad that was wrapped around my hip to reduce swelling.

Walking a lot will be your best therapy.  It will help you strengthen your muscles around your hip and help restore your gait. 

While I was stiff and my hip was weak I didn't have any pain after the surgery and during my recovery.  I filled a prescription for Codeine and I didn't take a single pill.  That in itself was a miracle.

Six years later, my hip is still in great shape with no pain. 

Good luck.

edit:  I had minimal invasive option.  The scar is smaller and supposedly it helps in the healing process. 

I used crutches from this company.

http://www.millennialmedical.com/Catalog/

They cover their products for life and did a warranty replacement for me with a very fast turn around time.

It's depends on why your hip needs replacing.  Generally speaking, a lot of times cartilage is reduced to where it becomes bone on bone.  Thr or hr will eliminate the bone on bone pain.  The better shape you are in the faster your recovery.  I had the hip resurfacing surgery because it allowed the same physical activity with less risk of a dislocation compared to a thr.  Plus, I still have almost the entire femur intact.  There still are risks.  If the surgeon has not performed many of the hrs I would seek another or go thr.  The angle of the cup is very critical to the long term success of the hr.  it's much more complicated for the surgeon and he cannot bill any additional for it.  It's still coded as a thr. 

With that stated, the pain I felt after surgery and during rehab was minimal bordering on non existent.  Each person will respond differently.  Minimal invasive should speed up recovery time as well. 

You are correct in your assumptions that this is major surgery.  The hammer and chisel bones. The femur is literally twisted out of the hip socket.  Muscles and veins are cut and seem back up again.

Here's my doctor discussing hr

http://www.wach.com/m/news/story?id=886858

Pm me if you any additional q's.

Good luck

edit for typos - posted via smart phone playing typo corrector