Clunking hip replacement

Yes - I understand that. But I really do think that this is coming from my hip. I am just waiting and seeing at the moment.

I have managed two walks today and the pain has been tolerable - fingers crossed!

If I remember rightly mishap you have had trouble with your back in the past. As I think I've said before I work for a spinal surgeon and sometimes it's so difficult to know if pain is coming from the hip or the back. Only an MRI could differentiate.

Well - spoke to physio on phone today. She just dismissed it all - as I thought she would. Although pain etc has not been quite as bad, I am happy to say!

She says she thinks the pain, tingling and numbness down my leg and in my foot are probably coming from my back - I simply do not believe that as I only get it when I have the groin pain from my hip.

I'll see how things go and have a chat with my GP.

What I find most difficult is that after more than 6 months I am still having this trouble; but all my friends and acquaintances with new hips (of which there are many) are running about, cycling etc and have no pain. If that were not the case, I would have no concerns and just get on with it.

Thank you everyone. I am definitely going to see the GP and start the ball rolling. DH retires in 13 months time. We will be downsizing, probably going to live nearer our DD and her family, in which case I will be giving up work. It isn't a taxing job but it involves me bending and lifting, and I am on my feet for three hours. If I have to give up working, so be it. I would rather be fully retired anyway. I will make an appointment in the morning, and let you know the outcome.

If I remember correctly, I read on other posts that you are still working. That is something which you must take into consideration- will you be returning to work after surgery and will you be able to do the type of work that you have been doing?

It sounds as though you need an opinion and an xray and take it from there.

I agree with pompa, putting it off is only delaying the inevitable and your muscles will waste if you are not using them because of the pain. The stronger you are going into the surgery the quicker you will recover.

I agree with pompa, don't leave yourself in severe pain. At least get a professional opinion and you can go from there.

I do think that is true pompa and that some of my current problems are related to my broken foot (not on the hip side) which has not healed and leaves me with a limp and impaired mobility - so I started from a pretty low point muscle-strength wise even before the surgery.

IMO, the longer you put up with the disability that hip pain inflicts, the weaker your muscles will get and the longer the recovery will be.

It's an interesting possibility. When my mother died very suddenly my father coped very well except he came out in weeping sores all over his body and also developed quite severe excema.

charleygirl it's possible the trauma affected my immune system. I suggested it to a Registrar and she agreed it was possible but she might have been just humouring me!

Bad luck petallus - I hope you are getting some good treatments for your RA.

As to the hip surgery - I really do think that I had little choice but to go for it. I had multiple osteophytes which are little bony growths in the socket and the ball which lock together like cogs and make it very hard indeed (and very painful) to unlock your hip and sit down after standing for a short time. And there was no rest from the pain when sitting or lying down. A further factor for me was my intolerance of strong painkillers.

Each person needs to make the decision on the basis of their circumstances and with the right advice, but I hope that the comments in my previous post might help to guide the sort of questions that you might like to ask.

Oh dear! Surgery is a very big step, that is why I have been putting off going to see the doctor. I don't know how long I will be able to carry on as I am though.

petallus I doubt it because RA is an auto immune disease and would not be affected by you having a THR.

The thing is, when the hip pain gets to a certain level there is little alternative to risking a hip replacement.

I have been very lucky. Three and a half months on, I hardly think of my hip.

However, a couple of months ago I developed rheumatoid arthritis and I can't help suspecting that it was the trauma of the op which brought it on (I was awake some of the time hearing all the banging and so on).

I totally agree with you Mishap- some sail through it but it is still a tough op afterwards because I feel that you have stop and think how you are going to do certain tasks. Gone are the days when you can bend over and pick something up.

An elderly aunt had hers replaced and more by good luck she did not dislocate hers but it was not for want of trying- kneeling down to clean the kitchen floor and sitting on a very low sofa were two stupid things she did which spring to mind.

It normally takes a year before you are back to normal but I still feel that the hip replacement surgery should not be put out of your mind totally. I will not go into what could be long term complications but one has to be aware and as Mishap says, go into surgery with your eyes open.

A note of caution from me about stopping you doing everyday things - at present, 6 months post-surgery there are more everyday things that I can no longer do than there were before. I may just be unlucky; but I am now being continually told that sometimes it takes a year or more to get back to some semblance of normal - I was not told this before the surgery. And I am also being told that I can no longer twist my body - I was not warned about this.

What I have gained is that I can remain standing, which I could not do before without my hip getting totally locked. But up to now, I have paid a heavy price for this surgery.

I think it is important to go into it with eyes open: the vast majority of people make a speedy recovery, but that is not always the case, and as soon as I started having problems I heard a very different story from the surgeon and the physios to the one I heard beforehand. I am not suggesting for a moment they pulled the wool over my eyes, but they presented a rosier picture than I now know can be the case.

I hope that lots of other posters will now come on here and say how brilliant theirs has been so that you can get a balanced view.

Re age, many orthopaedic consultants will have a mental age at which they prefer not to operate on a patient but it should be quality of life that comes into the scenario. It depends a lot on where you live.

No, I was 62 when I had my hip replaced.

Another pointer can be if the pain keeps you awake at night or worse still, wakens you.

By the way I am 63, this isn't too young is it?

Okay, thanks. I'll try to get an appointment for later in the week, and see what they say.

Yes, hildajj, please go to your GP about your hip because the sooner you get things moving, the sooner you can see a consultant and get a date for surgery. It certainly sounds as if you need a solution to your pain. I was referred to a physio to be sure - and she was very sure! Then the x-ray showed the joint as badly calcified. Game on!

IMO, as soon as it prevent you from doing everyday things, it's time to get it investigated,

May I ask a question? How bad does your hip have to be, before you are considered for surgery? I am in almost constant pain with my left hip. Paracetamol is useless and ibuprofen makes me burp. I have not been to the GP about it,could now be a good time?