{"id":3676,"date":"2023-01-15T15:05:50","date_gmt":"2023-01-15T22:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/midlifeglobetrotter.com\/?p=3676"},"modified":"2025-08-10T14:52:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T20:52:44","slug":"hip-replacement-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/midlifeglobetrotter.com\/hip-replacement-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Life After a Hip Replacement – My Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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MIDLIFE HEALTH<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Recovering from total immobility inspired me to prioritize my health and embrace life after a hip replacement<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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It happened gradually, but on this day, I could no longer ignore my declining health. I had planned to take a walk to the park at the end of my street, but had to turn around only a few feet from my house. I hobbled through the door, tears of pain and frustration filling my eyes. I was no longer an active midlife woman who ran, hiked, biked, and skied. I wasn’t even 50 and couldn’t walk around the block. Fortunately, my recovery story has a happy ending.<\/p>

Read on to learn about my diagnosis, the decision to have an anterior hip replacement, and my recovery after hip surgery.\u00a0<\/p>

You can also skip ahead to my week-by-week recovery after surgery.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Journey to a Diagnosis<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Before my eventual diagnosis of hip dysplasia, I thought the problem was my back. Back pain and stiffness came and went but had always been manageable.<\/p>

But my mobility had gotten progressively worse over the previous year.\u00a0Friends had come to visit that winter for a ski holiday. I\u2019ve skied my whole life, but on that trip, I was very nervous, worrying that I could hurt<\/p>

myself\u00a0if I fell. Skiing was out. I had also stopped running and given up workouts at the gym. When spring arrived, I tried hiking but even that was difficult on the uneven terrain of the Colorado foothills.<\/p>

Now I couldn’t walk around the block.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The kids waited while I nervously navigated the bumps at Steamboat<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I had tried everything I knew to figure out what was wrong: consultations with my primary care doctor, a spine doctor and a chiropractor. And I had done a lot of therapy: physical therapy, active stretching therapy, massage therapy and dry needling (dry needling isn’t bad as it sounds and was actually helpful in managing the pain).<\/p>

To add to the challenge, I was no longer sleeping well because I couldn’t lie on my left side. <\/span><\/p>

I assumed this was due to my back. As crazy as it seems now, it never occurred to me I had a hip problem. And I can\u2019t entirely blame the doctors and therapists, because I just kept complaining about my back. Apparently I am very convincing \u2014 my back was a red herring.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hiking was one of many things I had given up <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Hip Dysplasia<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It turns out I have more in common with golden retrievers than blonde hair and a love of snacks.\u00a0<\/p>

After my failed walk in the park, I returned to see my doctor again. She did a physical exam and looked at the x-ray she had ordered this time. I had bone on bone arthritis in my left hip, and the cause appeared to be hip dysplasia. (Something retrievers also commonly suffer from.)<\/p>

The inside of the hip socket is lined with smooth cartilage so that the ball of the joint moves easily. With hip dysplasia, the socket is not adequately curved so the ball at the top of the femur bone can’t move as easily. This causes the cartilage to wear away, and eventually the surfaces of the ball and socket to grind against each other. You can imagine why that might be painful and limit mobility. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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We enjoy hiking as a family but I could no longer walk around the block<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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She referred me to an <\/span>orthopedic surgeon to confirm the diagnosis and learn about my options. Surgeon? Surgery? I really believe in food as medicine so hoped that with physical therapy and enough leafy greens, my cartilage might decide to return.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Was a Hip Replacement My Only Option?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I met with a surgeon who confirmed that I had hip dysplasia, I was likely born with it. It\u2019s most common in girls and first-born children. I am both. Today it is a part of routine screening in newborns, and can be corrected with treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

It made me feel better to know it wasn\u2019t my fault\u2014it wasn\u2019t because I hadn\u2019t stretched after skiing or kept up with yoga. Being born with hip dysplasia meant degeneration of the hip joint was pretty much inevitable, he said. Soon after, I learned that my cousin, also a first-born girl, had it as well and was undergoing surgery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Physical therapy would be important, the doctor said, but hip replacement surgery was the only way to solve the problem. But sure, I should keep eating leafy greens.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Even bending down to reach something in my garden became painful<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Important questions, including about my scar after surgery<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The doctor said it was up to me when I wanted surgery. The right time was when I couldn’t live with it anymore. That was six months ago, I thought. But there was another thing on my mind, the scar after a hip replacement surgery. How big would it be? Would I still want to wear a bathing suit? I wasn’t even 50. It sounds trivial and vain, but the idea of a huge scar was adding to my stress.\u00a0<\/p>

When I asked about the scar and he said 6-8 inches down the back of your thigh.\u00a0I left the appointment feeling glum. I couldn’t exercise, I needed surgery, I’d have a scar, and I didn’t love the surgeon’s manner either. \u00a0<\/p>

There are so many things we don\u2019t appreciate until they are gone: cartilage is one of them. Mine wasn\u2019t coming back.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Two days before a Europe trip, my doctor treated my joint with steroids<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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To complicate matters, we had a family trip to Europe just over a month away. I did have one option which could provide short-term relief, a steroid injection.<\/p>

So two days before leaving for Europe, I lay perfectly still while a doctor inserted a long needle into my unhappy joint, bathing it in powerful steroids. It was a lifesaver. It gave me almost total pain relief and I was able to walk comfortably in Europe; I even played a game of “competitive croquet” at a castle in Scotland.\u00a0<\/p>

I was so grateful to be able to enjoy Europe with my family (it was my younger son’s first visit), and to forget about my hip troubles for a while.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A happy hip and family fun in London <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Serendipity & Finding the Right Hip Surgeon<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I returned from Europe and had to face reality. The benefits of the steroid injection would last a few months, four to six at best. I needed to decide what happened after that.\u00a0 I hated the idea of returning to pain, sleeplessness and not being active with my family.\u00a0<\/span>And I was worried that my troubled hip was making my back worse. \u00a0<\/p>

As I did some more research I read about a procedure called Total Hip Replacement Anterior Approach<\/span><\/a>. It is a newer, more complex surgery and there weren\u2019t as many doctors doing it yet.\u00a0The surgeon accesses the hip from the front and upper thigh, rather than through the back. The advantages are a smaller incision and a faster recovery because the surgeon can avoid cutting through muscles.\u00a0<\/p>

I met with Dr. Craig Loucks<\/span><\/a>, an orthopedic surgeon in Denver who performed the anterior approach to hip replacement.\u00a0 I immediately felt at ease. Like me, he is Canadian, and from a town a few hours from Toronto, where I am from.\u00a0Second, not to brag, because he wasn’t exactly bragging, just stating some really impressive facts: He was one of the first doctors to do the anterior approach in the U.S., and now travelled all over the world teaching the procedure.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Skiing was out until I had a hip replacement<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Anterior Hip Replacement: Reassuring News<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We exchanged some pleasant chit chat about Canada (possibly a shared love of butter tarts) and he examined me. He told me I needed a new hip and was an ideal candidate. He went over the risks and answered my questions. I asked about the scar. It would be small and slim and on the front of hip, in my bikini line area\u2014hardly noticeable he assured me.\u00a0<\/p>

He left me with a final instruction; I was not to worry. I would have the hip of an 18-year-old and be able to do almost everything I did before, including skiing. It sounded too good to be true.<\/p>

I left the appointment with a sense of relief and hope, for the first time in two years. We knew what was wrong, he knew how to fix it. To feel complete confidence in your doctor is a wonderful feeling.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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I would need my mother to help with my kids after my hip replacement surgery<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The surgery was scheduled for three weeks later, and it seemed like my hip knew what was what and called it a day.\u00a0 Sleep was a challenge, I was constantly popping ibuprofen and walked as little as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Preparing for surgery felt like a part-time job. There were several pre-op tests required including an electrocardiogram to make sure my heart was strong enough for surgery. I booked a trip for my mother, who would come to Denver from Toronto to help out with my boys, while I recovered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Meals were prepped and stacked in the fridge, and a couple of days before surgery, I had a phone call with a close girlfriend to discuss my fears.\u00a0 What if I didn\u2019t survive it? My kids were still young at 16 and 13, they needed me. It may sound melodramatic, but it was my first surgery since having my tonsils out as a six-year-old and a hip replacement is a major surgery.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hip Replacement at 50 - Surgery Day<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I was very nervous on the day of the surgery, but it was comforting having my mom there. My boys were very sweet as they hugged me goodbye. I think my younger son thought my new hip might be bionic.\u00a0<\/p>

My husband Sean kept things lighthearted on the drive to the surgery center; my surgery would be done at an outpatient center, because the anterior procedure meant I would not need a general anesthetic. Instead I would be heavily sedated and given an epidural.\u00a0The\u00a0sun shone on old snow on the mountain peaks to the west and I thought about how amazing it would be to be able to ski again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

After getting checked in, Dr. Loucks came to see me in the pre-op area and answered any final questions I had. I felt reassured all over again. More than that, it was also turning into a small crush. Who\u2019s not going to crush on the handsome Canadian doctor who is about to give you the hip of an 18-year-old?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Meals were prepped ahead of surgery<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The nurse began preparing me for surgery which included shaving the left side of my groin area. I should have followed my girlfriend\u2019s advice to have it all waxed off ahead of time.\u00a0 Zero points for appropriate pre-surgery grooming.\u00a0<\/p>

Next came the anesthesiologist who explained I would get an epidural once I was in the operating room. I remembered the advice of my friend Carrie, who had a hip replacement a few months earlier. “Make sure they give you the valium before they wheel you into the operating room,” she had advised. “It\u2019s like wood shop class in there.”\u00a0<\/p>

I mentioned that to the\u00a0anesthesiologist and he told me not to worry. He would administer some “happy juice” now through my IV, and I wouldn\u2019t have a care in the world by the time I reached the O.R.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

I can\u2019t actually say if an orthopedic O.R. is like Gepetto’s workshop.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember being wheeled in, or sitting up as I was given an epidural. And I definitely don’t remember Dr. Loucks sawing the top of my femur off and giving me a new hip.\u00a0 File that under things to be grateful for.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Thankfully, I can’t say if the O.R. was like Gepetto’s workshop<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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When I woke up, I was back in the recovery area. I began feeling pain and the monitor beeped loudly, displaying my climbing heart rate. The nurse administered pain medication through the IV and the relief was almost instant. My heart quickly returned to normal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Dr. Loucks appeared soon after and told me everything went really well.\u00a0My incision was covered with a bandage and the nurse had placed a sort of compression girdle around my hips. He said it was important to wear the compression girdle because it would keep the swelling down. I had a matching pair of compression tights for my legs, to prevent blood clots. I looked ridiculous but didn’t care. I thanked him profusely for my new hip; I was so relieved it was over.<\/p>

Sean joined me in the recovery room as the fog of medication began to wear off.\u00a0 I needed to use the bathroom and the nurse gave me the ok to walk to the one down the hall, with Sean\u2019s help. The moment I stood up, my bladder emptied on to the floor. I was horrified. The nurse laughed. Happens all the time with an epidural, she said.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Hip Replacement Recovery, Week by Week<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I was home by dinner that evening and able to get to the bathroom on my own\u00a0 using a walker.\u00a0 The following day, I walked to the end of my driveway to greet my friend Carrie, who was dropping something off for me. No cane or walker, all on my own. It was like a miracle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Week 1<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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There was significant achy pain to deal with in that first week. It felt like a horse had kicked my leg, as Dr. Loucks had told me it would. I also found having to wear the girdle and compression tights was inconvenient. I didn’t sleep on the surgery side at first. I rested as much as possible that first week and was grateful my mom was with me to bring lunch and tea etc., and to help with my boys after school. Everyone pitched in to get dinner on the table and I did very little.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Week 2<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I was definitely better in week 2, despite some ongoing achiness. I was also very tired of being in bed, so began moving around my house a lot more. That included making meals and driving, which was fine, although I tried to limit it. I had cabin fever so my husband took my mom and I for a drive into the mountains later that week. We walked along a short nature trail and I breathed in the fresh air. I felt great! My mom at the end of the week as I felt I could manage life at that point. My husband was around but at work during the weekdays.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Week 3<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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My recovery seemed to stall in week 3 and I wondered if I was healing properly. The achiness continued, and I worried that perhaps I was overdoing it. I called my surgeon’s office and described my concerns. They said they weren’t concerned and would see me in week 7, as scheduled. I started the recommended physical therapy to recover the strength I had lost and to regain my balance, which was quite off kilter. I was told that loss of balance was normal at this stage.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Week 4<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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PT was keeping me busy, along with managing meals etc. I had to be mindful not to do too much. The achiness\u00a0was slightly\u00a0improved. Even though I was very active around the house I was still moving very gingerly, nervous about doing something to my 18-year-old hip.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Week 5<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Life felt very much “back to normal” this week, although I was still recovering. I met up with girlfriends, got my hair highlighted (which always cheers me up) and went to a fundraiser for my boys’ ultimate frisbee team. I was sleeping really well also. I could see that I was recovering and felt encouraged.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Week 6<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Six weeks into my hip replacement recovery I got on a plane! I went on a trip with my son, his friends and their moms to tour colleges in California. College campus touring equals a lot of walking, so I was a little nervous but knew I could rest as needed, with other adults there to pitch in. We had a fantastic time and I walked several miles most days. There was only one day where I felt I overdid it because we also had a long walk to dinner and then home again.\u00a0 I have such happy memories of that trip and huge gratitude that my smooth recovery enabled me to go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Week 7<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It was finally time for my follow-up appointment with the hip surgeon, and the reveal of my scar which was still covered with bandages at that point. Sadly, Dr. Loucks wasn’t there, but the doctor who had assisted with my surgery was. He took the bandages off and said he was pleased with how it had healed. I was scared to look, but when I finally did I was amazed how small and thin my surgery scar was\u2014about five inches long, and maybe 1\/8 inch wide. It was quite red, but I was reassured that was normal and it would continue to fade as it healed, and blend in with my skin. (Spoiler, it did!)<\/span><\/p>

I\u00a0was given the go ahead to do more extensive exercise at the gym, beyond walking, in addition to physical therapy. I left that appointment with a huge sense of relief and let myself feel that while my full recovery would continue for months, the surgery was behind me.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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With a new perspective, I took a dream trip to India, the year after my hip surgery<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Life After a Hip Replacement<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It took about six months to recover to my new normal which I define as I was now moved around entirely forgetting about surgery and my hip. I felt amazing. I was able to do everything I did before, other than running. A little over a year later I was on a dream trip to India. Within two years, I was in the best shape of my life. I wrote about how my hip replacement inspired me to prioritize my health in a new way in\u00a0Fit At Fifty<\/u>.<\/a><\/p>

I am writing this six years later, and I can see the bigger picture so clearly. I believe that all I went through with my hip and health, was the start of positive changes for me at midlife. I learned I could not take my health for granted and had to prioritize myself in new ways. I’ve written about that in\u00a0Emotional Upheaval at Midlife.<\/a>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>

And as far as that hip replacement scar I was so worried about, when I see it, I feel grateful. It reminds me of everything I now do that I once took for granted: being healthy enough to go skiing with my girlfriends or hiking with my family. Being able to travel to the other side of the world, or walk my dog around the park. These are gifts not to be squandered, and I am determined to take the best possible care of myself. I am grateful every day for my health and what my body can do.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Jumping for joy on vacation, with my new hip. You have to look really closely to see my scar<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Before surgery, I was stressed about all the things I couldn\u2019t do for my family because of my lack of mobility. In my life after my hip replacement, I appreciate what I can do every day \u2014 for my family and for myself. I don\u2019t take my cartilage, or anything else for granted.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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