Can anyone chime in on hip replacement surgery?

[mackerel]

So my mother is supposed to get hip replacement surgery at the end of the month. We've known that this had to be but she started accepting this reality in November. She has now decided that she doesn't want to go through with it. She had a very bad auto accident when she was 22 and now has very bad arthritis in her right hip. (She has a metal plate that they will remove too.) Anyway she has to have the posterior surgery and she won't be able to drive for sometime after the surgery. She says she can never drive again. I told her I didn't think that was totally true. She says at 81 she is not ready to stop driving.

My POV: My mother is a very whiny, manipulative woman who always latches on to the negative. She does it in a passive aggressive way that always makes it look like you're the one who has started the fight. So I told her I would not even discuss this with her at all. She already had a knock down drag out with my sister over this. I always get to be bad cop. I dunno, I'm mixed on this. I moved back home to take care of her three years ago and whether she does the surgery or not I will have to take care of her in many ways. My main thing was I've noticed she has been in soooooo much more pain the last three months.

[Ptah]

1. My mother had her hip replaced when she was in her late 70s.

At 85, her hip is not one of her problems.

[elleng]

2. Very sorry to hear of this situation, mackerel.

I have no personal experience, do have a friend whose wife has had several successful procedures done. I know no details, but suspect she's been driving for all these years. (She may be 60-something now.)

Hate to suggest burdening you, but I was glad when my folks decided they should not drive any longer (both with vision and hearing problems, in their 80's.)

The pain would do it, imo: Get RID of it.

Best wishes.

[applegrove]

3. My mom was in lots of pain. She had the surgery. Recovered for a few months. She walked and drove

great after that. No pain.

[KMOD]

4. I don't know your mom, but I'm guessing that she is afraid of

losing whatever control on her life that she has right now.

Please don't think of her as whiny and manipulative. She knows she 's old and she's scared.

Surgery under general anesthesia is risky at her age. You all need to weigh the benefits, and potential harm, before deciding on such a surgery.

Quality of life is the most important to many. If she is afraid of losing her quality of life, you should listen to her with compassion.

Now there are many who do not want to give up their driving privileges when they should, but it is a big deal to many older folks when they have to give up driving.

[mackerel]

6. I hear what you are saying KMOD but I was actually

being very kind and diplomatic when I described my mother. She is an untreated bi-polar. She is no fun to be around. I know she is scared but I think it's losing the driving privileges that bothers her the most. Although I don't think it's forever just during rehab.

[Laffy Kat]

5. I had a total hip replacement at 50, which is very young.

I was quite athletic in my earlier years which probably contributed to the early-onset arthritis. Any who, I found the recovery harder than I expected but got through it. It still hurts from time to time due to the scar tissue but I can walk so much better and I do not limp. People are always shocked when I tell them I have a prosthetic hip. I don't regret it in the least. Added so much to my overall quality of life. BUT, if your mom is dead-set against it, she won't do well. It sort of has to be her choice, I think. I do feel your pain, though.

Just to add a thought: have you considered another consult, or perhaps another type of surgery, i.e. re-surfacing? I've heard about wonderful outcomes with resurfacing, although the initial rehab is longer and there are crutches involved. It's worth looking into.

[mackerel]

7. Laffy Kat if you had the full hip replacement. I'm assuming you had the posterior

procedure? Can you now drive? Resurfacing would require going to Sacramento or Stanford but my mother also refuses to do that and a friend of ours had actually given us the name of their surgeon in Stanford but my mother would not have anything to do with the information.

You're right it is her choice but I also know it's now or never. There aren't that many surgeons in our area and not a lot that work with medicare.

[Laffy Kat]

17. I had an anterior approach.

Supposedly with the anterior approach there is less pain and less time healing. I still thought it hurt afterward, A LOT, and I have a high pain tolerance. However, I was able to drive within maybe ten days, although I can't quite remember. The only restriction on my driving was the pain medication, and I was completely off the hard stuff during the day within ten days and altogether within two weeks.

I don't know if this will help convincing her, but the surgeon did such a good job on my right hip that they now think I may be able to delay the left hip for another ten years. Originally, the surgeon told me I'd only have maybe three years left on my left hip, but the right hip surgery pulled the left up too, thus buying me time. YAY.

Boy, good luck with your mom. Keep me posted.

[dolphinsandtuna]

8. why posterior vs. the other methods?

I am looking at this when I can't stand the pain any more. I am so operation-avoidant that I will have to be dragging myself around before I do it.

However, I have a doctor friend I trust and he tells me the hip results are extremely good, much better than knee work. Driving after the posterior op, 1-2 months. However, possibly your mother's case is more complicated?

[sarge43]

9. Had both mine done and damn glad I did.

Wasn't the best fun I've ever had, but it was sure better than the ground glass in my crumbling hip joints.

Can't speak to the posterior surgery and driving. My cutter went in from the side and I was back behind the wheel in three weeks.

If your mother doesn't have the surgery, eventually she'll either be psycho from the pain or comatose from the pain meds. Either outcome, she'll be permanently chair bound. The pain does not go away; it just keeps getting worse.

The surgery will take away the ground glass effect, but unless post op a person has a very positive attitude, there won't be much improvement. Physical therapy is the only route to recovery and anything resembling full mobility. Further, a person has to commit to it, keep at it, push themselves to do so and it takes time. I can ensure your mother that if she doesn't do this, she won't drive again; she won't do a lot of things again.

Good luck, mackerel.

[NV Whino]

10. Posterior surgery is more difficult than the newer anterior

I assume it's posterior because of the plate they will be removing.

I had my hip replaced with anterior surgery and it was a piece of cake. Posterior takes longer to heal, and there is a longer rehab period. At 81, and with a negative attitude, it won't be easy. I would get a second opinion.

It sounds like you are in California. We have two places here in the Napa Valley: Napa Valley Orthopedic (I've had hand surgery done there as well as the hip); and the Coombs Joint institute. My doctors work at both places. The only difference is which hospital is used.

If you want more details, PM me and I will give them to you.

[mnhtnbb]

11. I had a total hip replacement (anterior) at 56 (now 64).

Up walking the day after surgery. No restrictions. Used a walker for 2 weeks and then
a cane for another week and a half. Once I was using the cane I was ok to drive--short distances--because sitting
up straight was still somewhat uncomfortable because of the incision--the pain from the arthritic bad hip was GONE after the surgery. The key is doing your exercises--several times/day--as ordered.

My husband had the same anterior total hip replacement six months later (he was 64 and now 72) with the same
results.

My uncle had BOTH his hips replaced (anterior), one at a time, when he was in his late 80's. He fully recovered
and continued driving until his sight made him give up his license.

My brother also had an anterior total hip replacement about 4 years ago--same result--he's 2 years older than I am.

Has your mom been evaluated by someone who does the anterior procedure? You can find a doc/hospital offering
the anterior here: http://www.newhipnews.com/medical-patients/

Not all ortho surgeons are trained to do the anterior procedure which requires a special OR table to be able to manipulate
the hip. I discovered when interviewing surgeons--and I talked to 4 before deciding--that ones who DON'T do anterior
will bad mouth it or try to convince you to have the procedure that they do. It's about $$ to a lot of these guys.
So, if your mom hasn't been evaluated by someone who does the anterior procedure, she should definitely find someone
and get a 2nd opinion.

Also, the anterior can be done with an epidural (no need for general anesthesia) and a cocktail of knock out meds.
I have absolutely no memory of the surgery--not even being wheeled into the OR or the staff putting in the epidural--
so that's another thing going for the anterior procedure.

If your mom's hip is bone on bone--or getting close to it--it will only get worse. I tried to put my surgery off as long
as I could and by the time the procedure was done I'd been using a cane for 6 months and I could barely walk around
the grocery store without pain meds. So...if your mom starts taking pain meds for her hip because she won't have
the surgery, take away her car keys. She won't be safe to drive.

[mackerel]

13. Her surgeon does both but she has to have the posterior done because on an old accident in 1956.

[mackerel]

12. She has to have posterior because of a metal plate

that was put in her leg around 1956ish. I know 3 people who had the anterior and they are all telling me that she needs to do it but I can't find anyone who has had posterior done. We are in Lodi and she won't leave Lodi to have it done. I have read, as was mentioned here, that posterior is a longer rehab & healing time but that she will do fine in time. She insists that she can never drive again after it's done and that is the part I can't seem to find any information to verify. (She shouldn't be driving anyway but I can't get her doctor or her psychiatrist to back me up on that part.)

[mnhtnbb]

15. My mother had a posterior hip replacement back in the late 70's.

She was late 70's early 80's age at the time. It didn't stop her from driving
once she was recuperated.

Her surgeon was an ortho surgeon I worked for when I was an undergrad student at UCLA.
I worked in his research lab.

Yes, it's a longer recovery because they cut the muscles (which they don't do on anterior)
so it takes more time for the muscles to heal and then recover to normal function.

But once the recovery is complete and there are no more restrictions (due to concern about
dislocation because of the ability of the muscles to hold the joint in place) there's no reason
she shouldn't be physically able to drive.

[Katashi_itto]

14. I had mine replaced due to a car accident. That was Dec 2014

I am back to Kendo a year later.
This is Kendo:

I'm 43


Will be competing next year.

[whistler162]

16. My mom, 78, has had both hips replaced

the right hip 10+ years ago and she was able to drive after awhile. The left hip she had done in February and was told she could drive after about two weeks. These where full replacements not resurfacing.

Aunt and Uncle have had it done plus knees and she drove them down to the Memphis area when they moved from the Albany area. My dad had one hip replaced due to a fall from a ladder. Then when he was on the golf course the hip popped out so it had to be replaced again. Kept him mobil until he passed away.

[mackerel]

18. I did some more research and found that posterior requires about a 4 month wait

before resuming driving. I showed my sister all the positive comments and we also found out one of our cousins had the posterior and she drives without a problem. So my sister was able to convince my mom to try my dad's toyota corolla out because the seat is much higher than in her honda and she wouldn't have to worry about bending the knees. So yesterday she tried it out and decided that my dads car would work fine and she would drive that car.

Unfortunately today she is back to canceling the surgery. She would have canceled today but the surgeon's assistant won't cancel without the doctors ok. The doctor was in back to back surgeries today and never got back to his assistant.

[mackerel]

19. She finally had the surgery this past Monday. I wasn't sure if she was actually

going to go through with it. Thankfully my brother came down and stayed for 4 days and he baby sat her. He wouldn't let her leave the house. He told her she needed to be in good shape for the surgery. He's a real positive guy and she just seems to do what ever he says. They just transferred her to a rehabilitation center. I didn't know they were going to do that, it had not been mentioned previously. She is very upset about it. She has it in her mind that it's permanent.