# Hip replacement. Dammit. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2019, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990 "2019-09-29T13:23:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/21 "2019-10-14T17:13:16Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > I had a PT fellow coming to the house about 3-4 times a week for a few weeks. I’m sure arraignments can be made. Yeah, maybe. I live pretty remote, and if it snows, ya gotta have 4x4. I have another appointment with my Dr’s NP coming up, so that will be on my list of questions. Thanks > [@Kayaker](#): > > A friend of mine in his early 60s had a hip replaced last spring. He was told the same times as you (6 weeks for work, 3 weeks for driving) but he was back at work (a desk job) in a week, using a cane. He followed the 3 week driving restriction, but that was more so that he could have his wife chauffeur him around. > > According to him, the surgical recovery was a bit rough the first few days, but after that “it was nothing”. Thanks for the info. My Wife will be home with me for the first 4 days. Or whatever I need really. She did just start a new job, but they seem cool with it. (In her previous job, she had 21 WEEKS of sick leave saved up, and could have dug into that within reason). Got the surgery scheduled for Nov 21st. Have a walker borrowed. Still need to round up some crutches. Gonna buy a cane. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/22 "2019-10-14T17:46:06Z")
Hip & knee replacements seem to be quite common these days. I had a hip replacement about 4 years ago, using US veteran’s facilities. Highly traumatic, but I have high praise at the care and work that was done on me at the VA hospital. Due to some complications, I was in the hospital for 6 days – other patients were discharged in 3-4 days. Overall, I’d say it was a success. All nurses, orderlies, etc., were polite, pleasant, and seemed to enjoy helping patients. How do you thank someone who has to wipe your ass when you can’t? Except nasty nurse Laverne…you really need to retire, bitch. The docs told me that there were two different procedures, incision from the front and the rear. The front was the newest one, and had fewest post-op complications. The rear procedure had a lot of “caveats” to the patients; things they couldn’t do, ways they couldn’t stand or sit, etc. In contrast, although my front procedure was far from painless, I had very few restrictions. Doc said if I could do it (sit, stand, walk), I should. I couldn’t drive for about a month, used first a walker, then a cane, until about 6 weeks after the operation. Physical therapy continued twice a week for another few weeks. It didn’t hurt that the physical therapist was not only physical, but a pretty girl. Sit on me anytime, baby! ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/23 "2019-10-14T17:53:07Z")
Just wanted to add that my next door neighbor (we are in Western Colorado with the snow and everything too) is 58 and she just had a new hip done. After her recovery, she is literally dancing around in her front yard while she is pulling weeds. She told me to specifically tell anyone that is thinking about getting a new hip to “just do it man”. It changed her life and she wishes she could get back the time she was fretting about getting it done in the first place. I promised to her I would tell the next person (which I guess is you, OP) that is having to get one done that its okay, and will be great once its healed. She would be the person you would put on the poster for hip replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/24 "2019-10-14T19:28:00Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Still need to round up some crutches. Gonna buy a cane. Unqualified recommendation!! [M+D Crutches](https://www.mobilitydesigned.com/shop/) Brilliant. Ergonomic. Watch the videos. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/25 "2019-10-14T19:36:04Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Unqualified recommendation!! > [M+D Crutches](https://www.mobilitydesigned.com/shop/) > > Brilliant. Ergonomic. Watch the videos. > Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk Huh. Those look nifty. Thanks. And thanks to previous posters for ideas/stories. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/26 "2019-11-22T19:30:55Z")
OP here, I had my surgery yesterday. All in all doing quite well. The bad - [ul] [li]The hospital screwed up the schedule and I ended up in the preop/surgery room for 6.5 hours. Not my fault, I got there 3 hours early. All wired up to EKG, Intravenous, PB cuff automatic pneumatic compression sleeves on my calves. But when you got to go, you got to go. They had to unhook me a coulple of times.[/li] [li]Now I don’t want to scare anyone, but I had a serious pain event when my spinal block started waring off. I got muscle spasms in my legs. Not good after that type of surgery. The nurses got it settled in about 30 minutes.[/li][/ul] The good. [ul] [li]Was ‘walking’ about 2.5 hours after surgery, and we went home.[/li][li]I use a walker around our house but just for safety.[/li][li]The pain is about 1-2. Seems more like muscle than bone. The anterior approach to hip surgery moves muscles around instead of cutting them, and I suspect they are a bit irritated.[/li][li]Little swelling, no redness. The wound has not seeped into the bandage at all.[/li][li]We created a sort of bedroom on the first level of our house. It works real well.[/li][li]Grilled cheese on sourdough and tomato bisque soup for dinner.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/27 "2019-11-22T21:38:24Z")
i just now saw this thread. Man, you do go for the “old folks stuff 20 years early” thing, dontcha :D. I’m amazed that it was same-day surgery, but I’m glad you’re home already! I saw the posts about skin scrubbing: a friend had a hysterectomy and she had to use Hibiclens or something like that, all over, beforehand (even her hair). You never think of things like that but it really does make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/28 "2020-01-27T08:49:00Z")
I am interested in knowing what kind of not-obvious pain any of you experienced that getting the replacement actuallycorrected. I understand the concept of referred pain, and I have been grappling with a ludicrous variety pack of pain for years now. I am genuibnely disabled now, the impairment has taken over my life because every minute of the day, everything I do or think of doing, no matter how minor is a trade: how much will it hurt to do this, and what do I get in return? Most things turn out not to be worth it. I am desperate to be healed. This is not a life, not the way I want to live until I die. Surgery is a huge terrifying deal for me, but as I just explained, I am highly motivated. But it would be devastating for me to go through it all and yet be left a significant selection from my pain variety pack bec ause it isn’t about the hip; it is nerve or something else. Best example: my quadricep frequently feels like a blowtorch is being applied to the surface of my thigh. Not an ache, not a throb, a severe, sharp burning sensation. So does anyone have a share about an unlikely-seeming type of pain that replacement cured? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/29 "2020-01-27T11:36:07Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Anyway, if anyone has experience to share with hip replacement, I would love to hear them. The more you know and all that. I don’t have an experience to share, I just want to give you good wishes and say that I hope any treatment you opt for is successful and the recovery/rehab uneventful and without complications. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/30 "2020-01-27T11:48:34Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/31 "2020-01-27T13:22:44Z")
So, **enipla,** how about an update? Are you fully recovered after ~3 months? Walking (without aids), driving? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/32 "2020-01-27T14:49:38Z")
Hi all. They had me walk out of the hospital a few hours after surgery with a walker. 'Course I was hopped up on goofballs 🙂 The next day was pretty bad, and I ended up getting morphine on top of the Oxycodone I was taking. I used a walker at home for about a 4 days. Then went to a single crutch. Started driving after 2 weeks, part time at work (desk job) after 3 weeks. Like a kick in the head, as I was recovering, my mom fell and broke her hip. She lives 100 miles away. This has thrown a bit of a wrench in the works, and I ended up missing about 5 physical therapy sessions. I now have FMLA for myself, and FMLA for my mom. And the doctors keep on screwing up the paperwork. It’s a mess. I’m doing pretty good, but have a way to go until hopefully, the pain is gone. Still a bit sore and I still have a limp. Stoid, I don’t know what you mean by ‘referred’ pain? It sounds like you have sciatica? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/33 "2020-01-27T15:01:27Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’m doing pretty good, but have a way to go until hopefully, the pain is gone. Still a bit sore and I still have a limp. Lucky you. My docs may have added a bit to my height (1/4 to 1/2 inch?), and they have recommended a shoe insert on the other leg to compensate. I have to admit they may be right, but since I don’t wear shoes at home anyway, I have discarded the insert concept. No one has said I have a limp, so I guess I’m OK. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/34 "2020-01-29T11:41:03Z")
I had a cortisone injection into the right hip today. Far easier than I thought. However I see I’m on the road to a replacement. I don’t think there is major wear so I am relying on the doctors knowledge (which I would have to anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/35 "2020-01-31T23:05:25Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Stoid, I don’t know what you mean by ‘referred’ pain? It sounds like you have sciatica? Oh I have sciatica, definitely. But I amtalking about pain being referred from my bad hip. Anyone else ave “crunchy” hips? Major cunch sounds and sensations on the bad side…weird. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/36 "2020-02-13T11:12:12Z")
And off to see an orthapaedic surgeon. I shouldn’t read these posts. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/37 "2020-02-13T12:20:30Z")
A friend of mine had a hip replaced last Thursday, and came home the following day. He said the first few days were rough, but at one week postop he is in less pain than he was before surgery. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990/38 "2020-02-13T22:13:30Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Crutches, walkers, and canes in winter would freak me out. Is there any chance you can postpone the surgery until after Spring thaw? > ~VOW I have [ice spikes](https://www.arthritissupplies.com/product.asp?itemid=1574&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=cse&gclid=CjwKCAiAhJTyBRAvEiwAln2qB2WzvGo-A_nI4swAJJOlFsowv8Rej_S1DomaCqG1wGkYqKONQwcPbxoCs5EQAvD_BwE) I can insert into the business end of my sticks. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Left hip replacement at age 59 (2015). Anterior approach. Six weeks of medical leave. Cyanoacrylate closure on the incision, and no restrictions about getting in the shower once I could perambulate. When I had my throat cut [parathyroid section] I had some internal dissolving sutures and the outside was glued together with steri strips on top. Held together wonderfully - I was concerned because when I sleep I flop around like a fish out of water. > [@Stoid](#): > > Anyone else ave “crunchy” hips? Major cunch sounds and sensations on the bad side…weird. I do. I have bone spurs growing in multiple joints including [lumbar stenosis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumbar_spinal_stenosis) and the broken bits of my poor neck, and [TMJ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporomandibular_joint_dysfunction) that makes it sound like I am eating potato chips when I chew anything. I am worried abou tmy hips, I was under the impression that it becomes unwise to sit indian style, something about the pressure and angle of the position putting undue stress on the new joint. This is a major issue with me because I tend to sit that way much of the time. I have no idea if this is still the case or not. I do need my knees done, I am bone on bone in both of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-replacement-dammit/840990.md?page=1)