👯‍♀️Hip & Knee Replacement #3 👯‍♀️

My hip operation was five months after I had seen the surgeon and my pre op was about a week before surgery.

I had paid to see the surgeon privately, rather than wait over a year for the consultation.It was around £200 which seemed well worth it to speed things up.

The operation was in a private hospital paid for by the NHS.

I had my appointment with the consultant on Wednesday and I will be having my hip op’ within the next 6 weeks. Unfortunately I’m having to pay. I’ve been waiting nearly a year and on the NHS I’d be waiting another 10 months at least.
Will be so glad to get rid of the constant pain.

My pre op happened 10 days before THR,but had waited 32 weeks for consultatation ,and 3 months for initial Xray to show how advanced (bone on bone) OA had become.
Op happened 6months after consultation with consultant.
Now going for Xray for other hip(L) on 21st sept .

It is expensive but I think it’s money well spent to be out of pain ginny, and I would have been prepared to do the same if I had had to wait a long time.

Interestingly my surgeon said he wished GPs would refer patients sooner rather than later as it makes his job a lot easier, as well as the eventual outcome often being more successful for the patient.

ffur…My op was 2 days after pre op assessment owing to a breakdown in communication between 2 departments in the hospital and the Bank Holiday w/e. It was all very rushed but we got there. 2 weeks post op today and doing fine.

Susytish. I had my dressing changed yesterday and the nurse was very pleased, said it all looked very good. She said I can take the new dressing off in 3 days time and to just rub a little Vaseline around the wound area. I’m being very careful but up all day now and doing a lot more for myself and beginning to feel more normal. I’m doing my exercises very carefully and walking through the house and around garden several times a day. Leg still hurts a bit when I put it on the ground but so much better.

I’m seeing the physio next week but I’m going to be very very careful with how I progress from here and not going to try to ‘run before I can walk’.

How are you doing Susytish?. I hope all the stiffness has gone and that you’re getting about without too much pain.

ffur…you’ll be so glad when it’s all done. Best wishes and hope it all goes well.

Nightsky2
That's a good tip about the Vaseline. I wondered about moisturising the scar.
I don't know whether I have been on my feet too much today but hip joint has started to ache. Not had that before. Lying down at the minute.
Disappointing but will have to listen to my hip!

I was told to use Vaseline on my wound too and my scar hardly shows a year and a half on.

Susytish, that’s absolutely the right thing to do as only you know how your leg feels from day to day. I’ve had pain in the lower part of my leg today below the knee and finding it difficult to get comfortable as I think it’s nerve related.

Are you still taking your pain killers? I tried coming off but that didn’t last long and am now taking Codeine and Paracethemol 3 times a day instead of 4. I’m also taking Omeprazole every morning along with Pradaxa.

I had to go to bed this afternoon as I couldn’t keep my eyes open and slept for a couple of hours. I’ll probably be awake for half the night now but that’s how it goes. I hope you have a good night.

Silverlining48… that’s very good to know, thank you.

Be careful of codeine everyone. It can cause terrible constipation

Thank you all for your replies and kind wishes. I should have surgery fairly soon then, I will be so glad as I couldn't have waited a year, I am in constant pain now and it's getting worse. I had contacted the hospital in Lithuania where I had my left knee done and was offered surgery this month but of course I would rather here. I will miss the care I received over there though , 10 days rehabilitation and physio a nurse checking up on me each day and the lovely doctor who saw me daily. Incidently I was horrified when I heard someone tell another lady I had my operation in Turkey. Lithuania is a modern European country like Denmark, immaculately clean, no litter, drunks or drugs. I value our NHS and I am so angry it's being run down and left behind.

Goodness for you fflur and good news for me. My op’ will be on October 4 th. Pre op this Friday.

Should of course read Good news not goodness.

Susytish..How are you?.

I saw my physio on Tuesday and have been given a new set of exercises to do. She made me walk down a corridor without my stick and I did it!. She also made me walk up the bottom step of the stairs with my operated leg and that was difficult but I did it. I tried these at home yesterday, spent the whole day walking without my stick and it was too much too soon I think as I’m hurting today. I’m taking it easy and just resting today. I have been using just the one stick since day 7 as I couldn’t get on with two sticks.

How is your leg?. I’m using Bio Oil to massage my wound and finishing off with Vaseline along the scar. I do this 3 times a day. I’m 3 weeks post op today and I can hardly believe how quickly the weeks are passing. Beginning to get very bored now and would like to go out somewhere nice but just not ready. I’m not going out just for the sake of going out. My friend has invited me to her place on Monday so we’ll see. Would just love to be able to get in the bath and have a good soak but that’s not going to happen soon. Please let me know how you are. 💐

Best wishes to ffur and ginny.

I had my pre-op yesterday. I am hopeful everything will be ok. I was disappointed when the nurse said surgery could be any time within 6 months but she hastened to add that things are being pushed forward quickly and that new surgery units have been opened here in South Wales so fingers crossed it will be sooner. I was more concerned when she said the tests were for an arthroscopy not a tkr but I contacted my consultant's secretary and she said the arthroscopy was so that the consultant could take a biopsy of the fluid in my knee and the tkr would be straight afterwards (makes sense as I would still be under anaesthetic) Anyway the consultant will see me again shortly and explain everything to me.

Pre ops are usually close to the operation as they check for infection etc
I can’t see the point of a possible 6 months wait when they will have to repeat the pre op again,
Hope the appointment with the consultant will throw more light on the matter,
At least you are further down the line and hope it’s not too long to wait.

Seems you are making progress Nightsky2 don’t rush it.
Fflur hope you get you op a bit sooner than that.
My pre op went well yesterday, just 11 days to go now.

Not long now Ginny. A new hip makes all the difference in the world, pain free is a wonderful place to be.

Nightsky
You are doing so well!
I try walking without the crutch a bit every day, but I wobble and limp. Have to remember that I had TKR in February so still not 100% with it all.
I have not had any physio since my hospital stay, first appointment in 2 weeks time. Doing the exercises from the sheet I was given by hospital physio. No pain just bit of stiffness and soreness.
Using the Vaseline (when I remember!)
Like you, dream of a bath!
Best wishes to fflur and ginny and hello to silverlining48 (or should it be ‘Hi Ho’! (you have to have been around in the 60’s)

Susytish. I too wobbled quite a bit and am still unsteady when I stand up and I hurt a lot. I have a small swelling at the base of my scar which hurts a lot and I’m now in bed with an ice pack.

You have been through so much this year with your knee and now your hip!. You need to be extra careful and you will only be given the exercises your physio thinks are right for you.

No walking outside today so stuck to doing my exercises inside and walking round the house which is very boring. I’m not sleeping very well due to the horrible discomfort I’m feeling around my coccyx’s from lying on my back.

This morning I was looking out the window at 2am and I had a cheeky fox stretched out in the garden just looking up at me. It was lovely to see, it looked like a very young fox and it was just like it was just him/her and me. A security light was shining straight on it and it looked illuminated. I wonder if I might see it again tonight🦊.

Can recommend pfenerghan as a mild sleeping pill which my gp prescribed. You can also buy over the counter. It has helped me especially when I had to sleep on my back post surgery.

Silverlining48. Thank you, I’ll buy some today.

Nightsky2
I too have a small swelling at one end of my scar.Not doing too bad. Trying to walk more. I haven’t really ventured far so aim to walk further today, with 2 crutches and then see if I can walk a bit just holding them.
I was given blood thinners after op and take last one tomorrow. It seems to depend on the surgeon whether they give you socks, injections or anticoagulants.
A friend had his hip op 5 weeks before me and is driving and going for long walks. He has an automatic car which helps.
We too get foxes in our garden. I love them but don’t like the little messages they often leave behind! Not good if grandchildren come to play!
I have kind of got used to sleeping on my back, as did it after knee op in February. I am tempted to try my unoperated side.
The last 2 nights I have managed to get into the bath to have a shower. The shower is over the bath and I was given a board which I sat on then hoisted myself round, then stood up about 3 weeks ago, now able to swing my leg and get in! Progress!
Best wishes, recovery seems slow, but look back where we were and slowly getting there.

We’re slowly but surely getting there. Yesterday I noticed that the swelling had gone down but it’s back again today and it’s painful and it feels as if I’m sitting on something hard.😯

I’ve seen a demo on uTube of the bath with the board across but you need to be very careful turning round. I’m ok in the shower now with my stool as I can stand up but sit down if I want a longer shower.

Your friend is doing very well. I drive an automatic but it’s my right hip that’s been operated on. My consultant told me that it might take a bit longer because of this.

I only wore the socks for about 8 days as I hated them. I’m still taking Padraxa and have another 10 days supply left. I have asked my surgery to supply me with another lot of Codeine and Omeprazole as I’ve only got a few left. I have tried coming off them but I hurt a lot and think it’s better to keep on top of the pain and be able to do my exercises. I take 2 codeine a day.

I had another battle with the pillows at 1.30 this morning after waking up with a sore bum. My physio has suggested I sit on a hot water bottle which does help for a while but the pain gets so bad that it’s waking me up every night. I did manage to change the pillows round putting a very firm one under my knees which helped and I did go back to sleep for 4 hours. No fox last night.

My physio told me that I could sleep on the operated leg with a pillow behind me and another between my knees but I don’t have the confidence to do that yet and anyway my leg hurts too much. I see her again next week so will ask her again.

Best wishes and do be careful about sleeping on your good side, maybe ask your physio or your GP first.

I wonder if anyone has had a hip revision surgery recently? I think one of my hip implants is failing. It’s 18 yrs old and not unexpected, but I’m suddenly getting pain in my groin and buttock and it feels different, a bit unstable.
Just interested how long the wait might be in London? I’ve been reading the thread and it seems I could ask to see the consultant privately but then go back to NHS for the surgery, is that correct?

Tanith you can ask to be referred to a private hospital on the nhs. It sounds like it needs to be checked.
We belong to Benenden where I went initially, but there is a fee, though reduced, for members.
Private hospitals do these straightforward bread and butter operations on the nhs, but if anything goes wrong patients are shipped off to the nhs. I really preferred the nhs but my nhs referral was ‘lost’ and I was in too much pain to start again. . From first appointment to the operation was 18 weeks.
Good luck.