One Boomer At Large

Hips Are Going Bad
 

This entry is part of a series:  Hips Replacement

discovered last year that my I discovered last year that my hips were “wearing out” according to the osteo surgeon.

This I discovered when an activity I was undertaking required my legs to be angled out. And to lift my legs from that angled out position. The pain was pretty excruciating. Oddly enough, as long as I kept my legs and feet aligned forward and rearword, it didn’t bother me — I can walk, right a bike, no worries.

But, to angle them outward hurt like hell. Think of straddling a chair facing the back.

Back then we tried a couple of stopgap measures — physical therapy (which I actually enjoyed rather immensely), and steroid injections straight into the hip joint (enjoyed that less.)

Between the PT, home exercises and stretches, occasional steroid injection, and less occasionally an NSAID in the form of 200mg of ibuprofen.

That got me through last summer and fall and I thought, “Ok, I think I can manage this for the interim.” But the reality is the only real fix is going to be to have a “bilateral hip replacement” procedure performed.

Surgery.

How soon? Due to schedule conflicts, the soonest I could commit to is July 18.

I reinforced my thought: “Ok, I think I can manage this for the interim.”

It’s Getting Worse

Then winter came. I don’t know if the cold is responsible for accelerating the deterioration, or the time factor has just gotten to the point where the deterioration is self-feeding, but it hurts. More.

A lot more.

I’ve tried to up the exercise level, but they (the hips) aren’t cooperating.

I called the scheduler with the osteo department and checked to see if perhaps there was a cancellation and the hospital might have an opening available earlier?

Yes, she informed me, she could do May 21st, but they wouldn’t be able to do the injections (there’s a required waiting period after the injection — if we stuck with the June 18 date, we’re just under the wire.)

No-go — Rose will be in the middle of her trip, then. Let’s stick with the original date and do the injections, both hips.

This we scheduled — today, 11:00

X-Rays, Injections and Discusson with the Surgeon

In the waiting room, they took down the usual information and the Surgeon entered. X-Rays were over a year old, let’s redo them.

On receiving the images, he looked them over: “Mmm-hmmm. Well, you’ve got severe arthritis in both hips, bone on bone, some bone spurs and cysts.”

“Really?” I asked, somewhat incredulously. “Just last year we called it “moderate” arthritis. Has the deterioration accelerated that badly over the winter?”

“Yeah,” he responded. “Once you’re at this stage, things go bad pretty quickly.”

How to process that? What does that mean? If left untreated will I be in a wheel-chair this next year or so for the rest of my life? In the next couple of months or so before the surgery?

Don’t know.

We went ahead with the steroid injections. This involves a syringe with a long needle — looked to be about five inches. I dropped my drawers and pulled up the the of my underware to expose the left hip joint. He monitored the area with an ultrasound probe, and then staged the needle.

“A little poke”, he said.

The needle goes right into the joint to deliver the payload. Breaking the skin wasnt a big deal, but as he went deeper, it felt pretty uncomfortable. I started to squirm a bit. I get into deep breathing exercises in these kinds of things, trying to lay still as possible, repeating to myself, “I am a machine, I am a machine…”

In just a couple of minutes, he withdrew the needle and did the same procedure on the right side. More deep breathing and chants — less squirming, though. Judging by the discomfort, the left side must have been more badly deteriorated, although this is the side I feel the more persistent pain. Interesting.

Surgery

So, the surgery is scheduled for the original date — June 18, barring any other issues. A bilateral (both hips) will have to be done at the hospital, not the surgery center, which is why we have to schedule so far ahead.

It’s still considered an outpatient procedure, interestingly enough.

I asked the surgeon a few questions during this visit and am satisfied he’ll using the latest materials and procedures — everything correlates with my research on the topic. I’ll probably have a few more questions as the day gets closer.

Meanwhile, I’m going to have to scrape my pennies together to cover my part of the cost. Medicare will cover most of it, but I’ll still be liable for my 20%, which I figure will be around $6000 to $8000.

Chronicling Plan

I’ll be chronicling the progress here, right up to the surgery and beyond, including the recovery process. It will initially show up here as blog entries, but eventually get archived into to the “Medical” topic as a series.

Keep in touch - you can follow updates with the RSS feed in the footer.

Return to series topic page:  Hips Replacement
More entries in this series:
Hips Are Going Bad —> (This entry)
Latest visit with osteo surgeon indicates hips are deteriorating more rapidly. I get steroid injections into the hip joints to alleviate the pain until surgery.
The steroid injections are successful - vast improvement. Diabetes issues with the steroid, though.
After months of waiting, the day finally approaches.
The day is approaching, I'm starting to get things ready for the surgery and the convalescence at home. A hiccup from the hospital.
And, we're here. Today is the day. I perform some required prep, starve for the day, and reflect on the risk of infection.
Surgery done, I've been in the hospital for two days. Some convalescence, but overall not too bad. I have a couple of nice scars on my thighs.
I can't believe it's only been four days. Feels more like a month. Update, medication, exercise, etc.
Five days out and the pain has increased stupendously. Didn't think it would be like this...
Sixth day, trying the Hydrocodone. Lots less pain, but it messes with my digestive tract. Dropping it.
And here we are at 7 days/1 week out. The pain is reducing somewhat, and I'm doing ok on the Tylenol. More 'monkey walks'.
This morning seemed tougher than usual, a sore on my right heel needs attention, PT visit.
Morning stiffness, knee involvement(!), Vrooming about mid-day.
Back to the slog - tough mornings, better mid-days.
Back to the slog - tough mornings, better mid-days.
When I came out of surgery, I had an open sore on the back of my right heel. That and the fact that the foot is slightly swollen and painful is an interesting side note.
Visit with PA, today. Staples out, X-rays of hips and foot. No breaks in the foot or the ankle - we're calling it a sprain. Not untypical, apparently.
Getting more confident in walks. I went outside today with a pair of hiking sticks and walked about 100 feet or so. Feels better walking than not walking. Fluid build-up in my right hip, again.
Really starting to feel better, walk better. Feet still hurt like hell in the mornings, but quickly subside. More fluid buildup.
Week 3 has come, seems like it should be some sort of landmark. The seroma (fluid under the right incision) is returning. I've scaled back my activities to try to not aggravate it, but that has its own consequences.
Mornings are still a bear, but I'm walking more and better. Reducing the Tylenol a bit - giving my liver a break. The Seroma (fluid buildup under the right incision) is still with me. Best to leave it alone, according to the PA.
Just passed the four week mark, doing reasonably well but still a ways to go.
Just past six weeks and I'm confident enough to ride the scooter. Can mainly dress myself except for socks...
One day shy of seven weeks. Visiting with the surgeon, new X-Rays. Essentially all well, but still recovering.
12 week mark - I'm on the slow part of the healing curve, now. Still issues, especially with my right hip. Left hip is (mostly) great.
After 12 weeks, I feel like I can synopsize the experience
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