Walking without a hip joint

Posted by dzoneill @dzoneill, Mar 10, 2017

Is anyone currently walking without a hip joint?

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@rayban33

Hello, do you find, (or anyone without a hip chime in) that you are in quite a bit of pain? Anything remotely like a “leg lift” causes a lot of pain in my pelvis. I see the doctor next week. I never asked about pain beyond post surgical.

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Right after surgery and during the early part of the therapy I had some pain but as the scar tissue became more flexible the pain started going away. Now I really only have pain is if I really over do things or we have a major weather change.

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@lynzze

Also if you have any other discussions that I could be of assistance in I would be more than willing to share my story!

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I'm sorry for this to be posted so long after original post but information on hip removal is very scarce! My husband had a 30 year old hip replacement replaced. Got a staph infection 6 months later ..they replaced that implant and we went the wound pump 6 weeks iv antibiotics..all good until 10 weeks out when he was deathly ill with sepsis. They removed his hip and femur and we are still in hospital as I type this. His pain post op is excruciating on movement of this leg. Was that your experience and if so, how long until relief? We are 3 days after surgery and it seems the physical therapist is not sympatico "people walk with no bone or hip". Husband is 74 and been through a lot, but in general is very tough and not given to weakness or whining.
Thank you so much if you answer this. You've certainly been through a lot and it was most helpful to me to read your account.

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@nancyaucoin

I'm sorry for this to be posted so long after original post but information on hip removal is very scarce! My husband had a 30 year old hip replacement replaced. Got a staph infection 6 months later ..they replaced that implant and we went the wound pump 6 weeks iv antibiotics..all good until 10 weeks out when he was deathly ill with sepsis. They removed his hip and femur and we are still in hospital as I type this. His pain post op is excruciating on movement of this leg. Was that your experience and if so, how long until relief? We are 3 days after surgery and it seems the physical therapist is not sympatico "people walk with no bone or hip". Husband is 74 and been through a lot, but in general is very tough and not given to weakness or whining.
Thank you so much if you answer this. You've certainly been through a lot and it was most helpful to me to read your account.

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I had pain right after the surgery but I was on pain meds that minimized them. I would definitely want them checking to be sure his pain is mainly from the surgery and that something else isn’t wrong. Since he had the staph infection I would want to be talking to the doctor not just a nurse. Be sure there isn’t any infection. I was on a couple of pain killers for a couple of weeks after surgery. One of them was for nerve pain. After I stopped the meds I had some pain but nothing like you are describing. I has in the hospital for 3 days and rehab for about 2 weeks. There will be some pain going through therapy but he should be able to handle that and hopefully in time be able to walk with a walker, then a cane...but he will probably need a raised shoe to help keep him even and prevent back issues. ....but again, if he is in excruciating pain, talk to the doctor to ensure something isn’t wrong. Is he on pain meds? If so what kind?

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@jbro

cheryl99, Some people have posted that living without a hip is a life of severe pain, but you have apparently found ways to alleviate or avoid that pain. Can I ask you to comment further? Right now it looks like I will need to have my prosthetic hip joint removed due to an MRSA infection that was initially thought to be only superficial. Since I don’t like what I’m reading about reinfections following hip revision surgeries, I want to learn as much as I can about living without one hip, or living with a hip resection (Girdlestone procedure).

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I too have no left hip after girdlestone procedure dec 2018 - 13 hip surgeries total with 11 on left side and 2 on right.

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Hi, MoeMoe 72 yes. 16 implants. Aug 2019, Hip right, removed as surgery #8 following 6 surgical infections, a blood infection, surgical femur fracture, 7 hip replacements. No physical therapy, although I can transfer chair to chair, to bed, to walker, to toilet, to shower seat to car - essentially wherever. Waiting for CT to address huge crop jump 10 to 70 for no apparent reason. Mayo Clinic in Jax FL, so I'm interested in possibilities towards recovery, or improvement

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@moemoe

Hi, MoeMoe 72 yes. 16 implants. Aug 2019, Hip right, removed as surgery #8 following 6 surgical infections, a blood infection, surgical femur fracture, 7 hip replacements. No physical therapy, although I can transfer chair to chair, to bed, to walker, to toilet, to shower seat to car - essentially wherever. Waiting for CT to address huge crop jump 10 to 70 for no apparent reason. Mayo Clinic in Jax FL, so I'm interested in possibilities towards recovery, or improvement

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Question: does Mayo Clinic have services for those without a hip?

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Hi, @moemoe. Oh my gosh, you are such a strong person! 16 implants and all of those complications. If you could bottle that positive attitude, I would buy a lot. I feel ridiculous even posting to this site when I read about all of the brave people who are facing their problems with great attitudes toward recovery or improvement. Reading your post this morning is again making me rethink having hip surgery. It is scheduled for next week. The only reason I am having it is because my hip joint has been gradually fusing to the socket so that it does not move independently of the hip. It collapsed several years ago but I had no pain in my hip -- just in my lower back on that side, down the side of my thigh and into my knee. I now depend heavily on a cane. We don't go too many places because I worry about slipping with the cane, falling because leg can't move to the side, or getting up steps, etc. I get tired from walking/standing too long. I walk stiffly and bent over. But I can sit and sleep well and walk for almost a mile but slowly and with two canes on a local trail. Friends and family have encouraged me to get back to life with hip replacement. But seeing all of the major problems on this site that can come from this decision, I keep second guessing. I am so conflicted. You have my very best wishes that you find the right doctor/hospital soon for much improvement and then a great recovery.

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@mamie

Hi, @moemoe. Oh my gosh, you are such a strong person! 16 implants and all of those complications. If you could bottle that positive attitude, I would buy a lot. I feel ridiculous even posting to this site when I read about all of the brave people who are facing their problems with great attitudes toward recovery or improvement. Reading your post this morning is again making me rethink having hip surgery. It is scheduled for next week. The only reason I am having it is because my hip joint has been gradually fusing to the socket so that it does not move independently of the hip. It collapsed several years ago but I had no pain in my hip -- just in my lower back on that side, down the side of my thigh and into my knee. I now depend heavily on a cane. We don't go too many places because I worry about slipping with the cane, falling because leg can't move to the side, or getting up steps, etc. I get tired from walking/standing too long. I walk stiffly and bent over. But I can sit and sleep well and walk for almost a mile but slowly and with two canes on a local trail. Friends and family have encouraged me to get back to life with hip replacement. But seeing all of the major problems on this site that can come from this decision, I keep second guessing. I am so conflicted. You have my very best wishes that you find the right doctor/hospital soon for much improvement and then a great recovery.

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@mamie Remember, Mamie, most people coming to these sites come here because they have had problems. For every one of them, there are probably at least 100 people who are very happy with their outcomes. I have had two TKRs but if I had read all of the problems people have afterward I may not have had them. I am very glad that I did though, I can walk very long distances now and very rarely have pain, just some mild discomfort from fatigue after I overdo.
I know two people who had hip replacements within the last year and a half and both have been very happy with them. One if my brother-in-law. He and my sister love to take long walks but he had gotten to the point of no longer being able to do that. Now he is back to doing it and pain-free.
Good luck with yours. I hope you are as happy as the majority of people are. I think one of the predictors of success is having an excellent surgeon.
JK

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@moemoe

Question: does Mayo Clinic have services for those without a hip?

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Hello @moemoe,

The best way to find out if Mayo has services for those without a hip would be to call. They would let you know if they could help you or not. Here is the way you can call for an appointment,

https://www.mayoclinic.org/appointments
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@contentandwell

@mamie Remember, Mamie, most people coming to these sites come here because they have had problems. For every one of them, there are probably at least 100 people who are very happy with their outcomes. I have had two TKRs but if I had read all of the problems people have afterward I may not have had them. I am very glad that I did though, I can walk very long distances now and very rarely have pain, just some mild discomfort from fatigue after I overdo.
I know two people who had hip replacements within the last year and a half and both have been very happy with them. One if my brother-in-law. He and my sister love to take long walks but he had gotten to the point of no longer being able to do that. Now he is back to doing it and pain-free.
Good luck with yours. I hope you are as happy as the majority of people are. I think one of the predictors of success is having an excellent surgeon.
JK

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@mamie I agree with JK. A good friend had a total hip replacement 10 years ago and has never had a problem with it.

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