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People write online about the challenges of preparing for (or recovering from) hip replacement surgery every day. But post-operative patients also frequently share the joy that the results of their surgery have brought to their lives. Below we have compiled 20 inspirational comments from the most popular knee replacement forum on the internet. Happily, it was a challenge to narrow this list to just 20 comments. We actually started out trying to create a top-10 list, but there were just too many great stories to share from these online forum participants for whom hip replacement surgery was simply life changing.
1."Part of recovery is the simple pleasure from accomplishing a new milestone. I have not been able to walk upstairs/downstairs going leg over leg since September of 2008. It was such a joy this week to go up the stairs "normally" without pain!!!!" - webbie73
2."I've spent so much time in pain that even the little things I do now are more than before. I can stand and fold clothes and do dishes – haven’t been able to do that in the last year. It feels good now so I love to do it." - mdakota
3."Had Right THR 3 weeks ago and I'm shocked to say that I feel pretty darned good! I can walk fairly normally unaided around my house. I can play with the dog. I can get up and down the stairs with no pain and relative ease. Just wanted to let anyone know that there really IS light at the end of the tunnel!" - Janet
4."I had my left hip done 11 months ago and the right one 4 months ago. I don't even notice them now!" - JGosse
5."I am exactly three weeks post op and I am off to the store, walking every day, doing house keeping, enjoying my family and friends, and feeling SOOOOO much better than before surgery." - pt109
6."I can't recommend hip replacement too strongly. For me, after having both THRs this past year 9 months apart, it's been nearly a miracle. I am pain-free in my hips and able to do things I could not do for years." - JGosse
7."Just went to the Operating Surgeon for 6 week check....no restrictions, just get on with it! I still haven't got to the 90 degree point, but we'll get there. OS suggested lots of "yoga" like stretches to get the joint as mobile as we can." - Kangaroo
8."I feel great! I should have done it sooner!! Although I'm still in the recovery process I feel awesome!" - Ginny
9."Completed week 4 today and it's hard to believe that two weeks ago I was in such terrible shape. Already planning 3rd rim to rim of Grand Canyon for 2010...doc said go for it. (age 70)" - tom w
10."I was able to drive at 4 weeks after both surgeries and had no problems with braking or accelerating." - JGosse
11."Just completed week 5 and the world has suddenly become a place of: driving a car, going out to dinner, shopping, and enjoying life again. Prior to THR life wasn't a lot of fun and certainly very little pleasure. I now feel alive again..." - tom w
12."I had THR 8 weeks ago and feel FABULOUS! I didn't realize how much pain I was tolerating until now! I feel hopeful about my life." - Ginny
13."Thanks to my fitness, I breezed through the surgery, setting a record for shortest hospital stay for bilateral THR (2 days), and recovered faster and easier than expected. I have been able to return to everything I want. I have also returned to horseback riding, after a 25 yr hiatus, and now own, love and show a lovely Hanoverian mare in eventing." - ripanco
14."I am practically running as I power walk in the morning these days. So great to feel good." - Laurie
15."I'm flexing well beyond 90 degrees. I can even almost touch my nose to my knee while stretching!" - Scott
16."I understand being scared. But, I am 3 mos. post op right total hip replacement and I am pain free!!!!" - mambo
17."Prior to the surgery I couldn't even run (ride my bicycle) 40 minutes without my leg being so sore I would have to use my hands to help lift it. I'm honestly shocked how well the hip is doing. By the time I was done (with the ride) I did 50 miles!" - Scott
18."It’s amazing how fast I've been able to graduate from wanting to get back to what I could do before, to wanting to do more than I ever could." - mdakota
19."Friday was my 6 week milestone. I must say I am absolutely amazed at how good I feel, not just my lovely new hip, but in general. I see progress every single day, sometimes massive leaps and sometimes the slightest thing, but progress it is!" - Andy-LTHR
20."I have reached my 12 week milestone where my surgeon said I would have achieved 90% recovery. I am walking up to 3 miles a day with no pain, planning to increase to 5 miles 3 times a week. Back to all day-to-day activities with no limping. Even played a little lawn volleyball with my sons! I stood for a couple of hours at an outdoor concert with no pain. Most of the time I don't even think about my new hip. It feels completely natural." - GailW
About Author -
Jeremy Reither manages the online outreach effort for BoneSmart®, which is dedicated to raising global awareness about knee replacement and Total hip replacement options for consumers. He specializes in raising consumer awareness through the use of new media and internet technologies.
People write online about the challenges of preparing for (or recovering from) knee replacement surgery every day. But post-operative patients also frequently share the joy that surgery has brought to their lives. Below we have compiled 20 of the most inspirational comments from the most popular knee replacement forum on the internet. Happily, it was difficult to narrow this list to just 20 comments. In fact, we started out trying to create a top-10 list, but there were just too many great stories to share from these online forum participants for whom knee replacement surgery was simply life changing.
1."I had my TKR on my Rt knee 11-27-08. That day I consider it my rebirth." - Junebug88
2."It came down to this, for me - I wanted my life back... [now] at least I can sleep at night, not limp down the hallways in school and I can regain most of the activities that I enjoyed so much in the past." - referee54
3."Yesterday my family took a drive to this restaurant that we love that is 2hrs away. I was able to do it with out pain, sat had dinner with friends, visited with them for 2 hrs then was able to tolerate the 2hr drive home, WITH OUT PAIN!!!!!!!!! I am excited!" - Sue
4."Just got home from the hospital. I went in last Thursday and had the right knee replaced. A very interesting experience. This forum was instrumental in getting me mentally prepared." - Doug
5."I had a GREAT DAY! A lot of firsts for me today! I am 8 weeks post op and today was the first day I drove my children for the after school activities. Went food shopping without a scooter! and cooked dinner. I was out and about for 3 hrs in the car alone, with out pain, and first time I left home with out medications and a back up driver. It is exciting." - JuneBugg88
6."(13 days post-op) I was with my walker in the kitchen today. I stopped to get a glass and without thinking turned and walked over to the fridge. My walker was 6-8 feet away. My wife's mouth dropped open!" - Doug
7."I made it to three weeks and had some great milestones. (for me anyway). I rode the torture bike for 30 mins. I practiced walking w/o a cane and was able to do so w/o a limp. My leg straightens to 0. My bend is at 110. I only took one pain pill this morning however due to the above, I am about to grab a couple. Finally, I took a bubble bath!!!!! Yep, got my big butt in the tub and dern near disappeared from sight in the bubbles. I guess I have a tendency to over do everything." - Doug
8."My Mother asks every morning what I "learned" on this [knee replacement forum] website...I feel so much better every time I read through the threads." - Pattipoo
9."Today is my four week post surgery anniversary and to my surprise, I am able to go up and down stairs with just the cane." - Doug
10."Today is a non-therapy day for me, so I'm great. I went this morning and picked up flowers and a Valentine card for my wife and surprised her at work. As for the other, I made it through PT yesterday so anything is possible... ;-)" - gatiger
11."I had my (minimally invasive) surgery at 7:30 am on Monday and 'walked' across the room 2 hours after surgery. It was easier than I thought it would be. You can do this!" - sstoots
12."I feel like I'm re-entering normal life and paying less attention to my knees." - hollie9
13."I had a bilateral and my left leg was stiff for almost four months... it went away. I would wake up and it would feel great - but by the time I got to school, and after a long day on my feet, it would be stiff. Then, in late March, it seemed to clear up almost over night." - referee54
14."I had to climb a couple flights of stairs and my new knee just "sprung" up them." - hollie9
15."I keep being told I look younger since my Bilateral Knee Replacement. (I'm 66). A lady in church last week asked if my hubby realized he had brought home a new wife from the hospital!!!" - stives
16."Took my first mini hike of 2 miles about 40 miles outside of Mount McKinley this week, drove for 3 hours straight and managed to walk after getting out of the truck, painted a room and carried and placed way too many patio blocks and retaining wall chunks... and mowed the lawn multiple times. I finally feel almost normal." - AlaskanTKR
17."I would like to thank everyone for all their support as I approach my surgery. All of you [forum members] have been so sweet and helpful!!! Thank-you from the bottom of my heart. I love all of you!" - Cindy88fan
18."I no longer limp and every day I discover a bit more that I can do that was impossible, difficult or painful before I had my two new knees." - stives
19."I race stock cars and I raced Friday night for the first time since my BLTKR (bilateral total knee replacement) a year ago. I was so excited to get my life back." - GaryM
20."To those who will have to confront knee surgery, I offer the key to my success...select a doctor who is an expert and specialist in joint replacements (should perform hundreds of knee replacements per year), select a physical therapy facility that has extensive experience with knee replacement patients, and then commit to the physical therapy and work very hard. It is not easy but the rewards are significant." - Jayhawk
About Author -
Jeremy Reither manages the online outreach effort for BoneSmart®, which is dedicated to raising global awareness about Total knee replacement and hip replacement options for consumers. He specializes in raising consumer awareness through the use of new media and internet technologies.
As a patient, only you can decide when you are ready for surgery. Doctors and surgeons may make recommendations, but the call is ultimately yours. So, what if you just opt to deal with the pain in your hip, and postpone surgery? As with many medical situations, the recommendations of your surgeon should be taken seriously. Assuming your surgeon has recommended surgery, the risks associated with delaying that surgery may include deterioration of the hip joint, increased pain and lack of mobility, and not to be overlooked, and the possibility that less invasive methods of surgery, such as hip resurfacing, are no longer an option.
Unless you have an advanced stage of joint disease, doctors will usually first attempt to treat arthritis with less invasive, non-surgical methods. If those methods fail, or are inappropriate for the situation, a doctor may recommend a total hip replacement. Is the pain you're experiencing severe enough to justify the surgery? Only you know. There are some legitimate health-related reasons for which a doctor may recommend delaying surgery, but if your condition is degenerative, and current levels of pain are only be a sign of what is to come, postponing surgery has its risks.
The greatest risk to delaying surgery is the deterioration of joint tissue and the progression of joint disease. As the arthritis progresses, the diseased joint will continue to grind away. This means that pain is more likely and so is the possibility of a deformed joint. In younger hip patients, this risk may be even greater. Within a certain time-frame, earlier in the development of the arthritis, hip patients may be eligible for a resurfacing procedure, but with the passage of time this option becomes less of a possibility.
There is particular risk to delaying surgery if a patient has become sedentary and can no longer carry out normal, everyday activities. Not being able to play tennis four days a week does not warrant hip replacement surgery; but not being able to comfortably leave your chair and go to the bathroom may. It is important that patients who are living a sedentary lifestyle because of joint disease consult their doctor.
Studies do show that there may be an optimal time to have hip replacement surgery. For example, patients who are healthier when they get their surgery often do much better than those who have waited and allowed their joints to worsen. An article by the University of Toronto [1] states that “timing of surgery may be more important than previously realized and, specifically, that performing surgery earlier in the course of functional decline may be associated with better outcome.” In other words, surgery early is usually better than surgery later.
According to Dr. Ian Clark, medical researcher and founder of Peterson Tribology Laboratory for joint replacement at Loma Linda University, most patients delay hip replacement surgery for several perceptual reasons:
* fear of the unknown
* fear of surgery
* fear of ‘losing’ a body part
* fear of the post-operative surgery pain
* fear that they may end up worse off than before they started
After hip replacement surgery, however, most patients report they wish they had done it sooner. “The most common thing that patients say to me,” Dr. Clark writes, “If I only knew then what I know now, I would have done this years ago.”
About BoneSmart.org
BoneSmart.org is a National Public-Awareness Campaign for Candidates of Total Hip Replacement Surgery and Knee Replacement Surgery. The BoneSmart® National Consumer Awareness Campaign’s mission is to raise patient awareness of the options available to persons diagnosed as a hip replacement or knee replacement candidates by providing an Internet portal for awareness of the latest advances in joint replacement materials, their longevity and suitability for various applications.
Unless you have an advanced stage of joint disease, doctors will usually first attempt to treat arthritis with less invasive, non-surgical methods. If those methods fail, or are inappropriate for the situation, a doctor may recommend a total hip replacement. Is the pain you're experiencing severe enough to justify the surgery? Only you know. There are some legitimate health-related reasons for which a doctor may recommend delaying surgery, but if your condition is degenerative, and current levels of pain are only be a sign of what is to come, postponing surgery has its risks.
The greatest risk to delaying surgery is the deterioration of joint tissue and the progression of joint disease. As the arthritis progresses, the diseased joint will continue to grind away. This means that pain is more likely and so is the possibility of a deformed joint. In younger hip patients, this risk may be even greater. Within a certain time-frame, earlier in the development of the arthritis, hip patients may be eligible for a resurfacing procedure, but with the passage of time this option becomes less of a possibility.
There is particular risk to delaying surgery if a patient has become sedentary and can no longer carry out normal, everyday activities. Not being able to play tennis four days a week does not warrant hip replacement surgery; but not being able to comfortably leave your chair and go to the bathroom may. It is important that patients who are living a sedentary lifestyle because of joint disease consult their doctor.
Studies do show that there may be an optimal time to have hip replacement surgery. For example, patients who are healthier when they get their surgery often do much better than those who have waited and allowed their joints to worsen. An article by the University of Toronto [1] states that “timing of surgery may be more important than previously realized and, specifically, that performing surgery earlier in the course of functional decline may be associated with better outcome.” In other words, surgery early is usually better than surgery later.
According to Dr. Ian Clark, medical researcher and founder of Peterson Tribology Laboratory for joint replacement at Loma Linda University, most patients delay hip replacement surgery for several perceptual reasons:
* fear of the unknown
* fear of surgery
* fear of ‘losing’ a body part
* fear of the post-operative surgery pain
* fear that they may end up worse off than before they started
After hip replacement surgery, however, most patients report they wish they had done it sooner. “The most common thing that patients say to me,” Dr. Clark writes, “If I only knew then what I know now, I would have done this years ago.”
About BoneSmart.org
BoneSmart.org is a National Public-Awareness Campaign for Candidates of Total Hip Replacement Surgery and Knee Replacement Surgery. The BoneSmart® National Consumer Awareness Campaign’s mission is to raise patient awareness of the options available to persons diagnosed as a hip replacement or knee replacement candidates by providing an Internet portal for awareness of the latest advances in joint replacement materials, their longevity and suitability for various applications.
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