Debilitating Hip Pain? Replacement Could Be an “Easy” Fix
I had to be “commanded” by my friend, himself just a few months post-hip replacement surgery, to show up that Monday morning at the walk-in orthopedic clinic, just a 15-minute drive from my house. Him, “What’s on your calendar tomorrow?” Me, “Nothing.” Him. “Go! Just get it checked out.” I’d been moaning about my own growing hip pain for months, but I was worried about going under anesthetic at my age, 82, and about whether the hip defect I’d been born with would make the walk-out surgical procedure he described much more difficult for me.
I arrived 30 minutes after the clinic opened and, two hours later, I left with an appointment for surgery on January 27th, about two months out. After the holidays, my choice, much to the delight of the person scheduling me, because the surgeon was booked solid until after the first of the year with people who had met their insurance deductible. I’d had my history taken, my hips X-Rayed, and the procedure explained to me by the surgeon’s PA, who gave me a forceful suggestion to “Do it now! You’re in good shape, and the pain (from bone-on-bone arthritis) is only going to get worse!”
My fears were calmed by the details of this now amazingly fast and seemingly easy to-recover-from procedure:
- A spinal block is given to deaden pain from the waist down.
- Peripheral nerve blocks are injected at the site of the procedure.
- Anesthesia like that administered during a colonoscopy puts the patient just barely to sleep and able to wake up quickly, unlike general anesthesia, which can sometimes have undesirable side effects for us older people.
- A 4-5-inch incision is made in front of the hip and the muscles moved apart to expose the bones.
- A ceramic ball replacing the surgically removed old one is attached to a rod inserted in the femur, and a new socket is carved out and given a ceramic-lined, cup-like new one (in my case, not only replacing the one worn out from arthritis but also unable to move properly since birth, as in to sit crisscross on the floor).
- The incision is closed with dissolvable stitches, covered with a narrow, foam-lined bandage, and then it and a wide, surrounding area is “shrink-wrapped” with clear plastic, enabling the patient to shower same-day.
I’m not a doctor, so some of my terminology might not be 100% correct, but close enough to tell you even more than you might want to know. The last thing I remember hearing in the operating room was, “We’re going to give you something to make you sleepy.” When I woke up not feeling at all groggy, I was in the recovery room with a new and improved hip. I was immediately able to have my drink of choice, Diet Coke on ice. It was a little unnerving to not be able to feel or move my lower half, but it wasn’t long before I was able to wiggle my toes.
When I was able to feel the nurse touch me up to my knees, I was helped to a sitting
position on the side of the bed. After it was determined that I wasn’t dizzy or light-headed,
I was “allowed” to walk down the hall to the restroom (being able to urinate was a
requirement for release), using the walker I brought with me, and then then walk back
to a wooden block on the floor simulating a stair that I had to step up on and back
down in both directions, showing that I would be able to get into my house under my
own power.
I was allowed to get dressed, check out, and walk to the door where the friend who brought me had parked her car. My daughter from Indiana was waiting at home to help me, and she stayed for a week, but only a 48-hour stay is recommended. Because I was supposed to take short walks every hour that I was awake, Kelly’s main tasks were to fix meals and carry things for me, because I didn’t have a pouch or cup holder attached to my walker. I later learned that they are, of course, available on Amazon.
An even more recent medical advance I was able to take advantage of is a new pain pill, 12-hour Journavx, that contains no narcotics. To introduce it to doctors and patients, the pharmaceutical company has made it possible to get a 2-week supply for a mere $30 with a coupon. However, for those who need a refill the cost goes up to over $500! That pill, X-Rays of my new left hip X-Rays of My New Hip combined with an anti-inflammatory, Meloxicam, and timed-release Tylenol kept my pain manageable except on day-two when all the injected pain blocks suddenly wore off, and I wanted more relief before it was allowed.
After day two, the pain lessened every day, and it was even bearable on day three
when I went to out-patient physical therapy (PT) for the first of 10+ visits. Hip
pain had been waking me up in the night for several months, so other than it being
painful to get into and out of bed, I slept better almost immediately after my surgery.
In less than two weeks, I went from using a walker to a cane, and after three weeks,
I was walking unassisted. As I’m finishing this piece, I’m 8 weeks post-surgery, and
the past few days I haven’t even needed Tylenol until late afternoon.
PT has been interesting because now that my congenital hip defect has also been fixed, I need to strengthen muscles that have never had to do anything before, and to teach my brain how to tell them to move! I vowed before surgery that I would do all the exercises I was asked to do at home. I know too many older adults who don’t do the exercises and so don’t recover as quickly or even as thoroughly as they could. According to my PT, I’m ahead of schedule, especially for my age.
If you’re suffering from constant hip pain, at least get it checked out. For me, even at 82, there was a relatively easy fix. Maybe there will be one for you, too.