I'm so sorry this took so long! It has been a busy summer for us.I would never suggest that someone not have hip surgery just to avoid the hassle and recovery. Every one of my surgeries were a blessing and made my life better. I was not able to have the fifth hip replacement due to several complications or I certainly would have done it.Some people are able to walk and function with something called "spacers" in the joint for several months. This is usually after a prosthesis has been removed because of infection for example. The plan is to replace the implant after the infection is cured.I have no spacers or any other devices. I stand on what's left of the femur and scar tissue. The leg is almost 4 inches shorter than the other, requiring a huge lift on that shoe which is difficult to walk with.I can't stand properly without it. I need assistance with crutches or a walker to walk, and not for any distance. I use a wheelchair around the house and have a scooter when out and about. I generally walk with crutches or a walker to things like doctor or PT appointments.I hope your mother is doing ok. In my personal opinion I would urge her to consider the surgery. New hips are a wonderful thing!Diane O'NeillSent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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Thank you for your reply. Have you or any of your caretakers considered an external support device such as a brace, exoskeleton, etc.? I appreciate you appear to be getting around. How is your pain? I have just had a revision hip placed after infection and I am about two weeks post op. You have been through it and it is quite a grueling process including dislocation of my spacer which I chose to leave dislocated. So far my new hip feels great with some pain as I intensify my exercises. I really appreciate your input as you have been through it all. Keep us posted on any developments. More specifically, can you bend your leg without a hip?
Good morning!
I'm glad to hear you are doing well. Was your infection staph or MRSA? Mine was MRSA. I was admitted to the hospital in a septic state and it was touch and go for a bit. Finally the prosthesis was removed because it was hiding infection. At the time the surgeon intended to eventually do a new total hip replacement. No spacers or anything that might harbor infection. It took another two years to get rid of the bug. I am now considered a MRSA risk for any surgical procedure. So here I am.
I have no pain. The leg is healthy and I can stand with my full weight on it. The walking issues are due to the big length difference. My pain comes from lower back issues. There is no pain related to the hip itself. The leg works and bends but there are some quirks related to muscles and tendons no longer attached because there is nowhere to attach them. I am told that if it weren't for the major length issue I would be walking with only a cane. Strength is not an issue....PT is paramount in any hip surgery. Keep it up! Good luck.
Thank you so much for your reply Diane! Very kind to answer me. Hope you are doing well.
You’ve given me a better understanding into what life would be like without doing the surgery. It sounds like what my mother is Currently doing now, she is in a wheelchair at home and uses the walker for extremely short distances.
I was wondering, Do you think if you were to build the leg muscles more, would you be able to walk with just a cane for longer distances? Or not having a hip would never allow that?
I do agree, getting hip surgery is definitely the best option for walking, but I started questioning if there was any possibility of walking without hips. My mom told her surgeon she could free stand for 15 seconds at a time, without a walker, and then he questioned her, “then why can’t you walk?”, And he got me thinking if it could be possible.
I do want her to have the surgery, however because she is immune-suppressed as a transplant recipient, having an infection would be very dangerous for her, so I wanted to make sure we really went through all the options before surgery.
I believe that this question is not only beyond anything I have read here about missing hip joints, but also well beyond the scope of a normal orthopedic hip replacement surgery. You need a team approach to getting answers, with her transplant team, a specialized ortho, and quite possibly an infectious disease doc. Does your Mom have access to a large multi disciplinary medical system like Mayo?
Sue
We are in canada, so it is somewhat of a team approach. The doctors are all not in the same hospital, but can communicate if needed. My mom is followed by a transplant team who are encouraging her to have the surgery. She also has a special hip reconstruction dr who was referred from her original hip surgeon.
No other doctor was suggested, however infectious disease could be interesting to consult for prevention of infection possibly.
Her current hip Dr, despite being a trusted referral and seems very competent, says it is a very unusual case, and he doesn’t have much to comment on how she could be walking without hips right now.
If ever you know of any schools, or places that deal with very unusual hip issues, I would be willing to contact them and ask their opinion.
Well this is very interesting, considering I have been a member of this forum for at least 5 months and have been looking for someone, like me who is living without a hip joint. I have found no one until just now. Everyone else is living with a spacer and awaiting a 2 stage or living without a hip until their staph infection is gone. February will be the one year mark of having no hip joint. My whole saga should be on this site somewhere. Maybe you could try to find it and contact me and then we can share some advice on how we're both getting around. That would be great. It's been a long day of pain and I can't sit in this chair anymore but please, do get back to me. I'm actually very excited to find someone without a hip like me. Robin
Hi robin. I am new to the site. My husband had his girdleston 4 months ago. He went back into hospital this week and they’ve found the staph infection in his femur, which followed a wash out. They’re now giving him a further 4 months with no hip in hope it will clear with antibiotics. Can I please ask, are you still living without a hip, or are you now infection free? I’m trying to get an insight into what the future looks like with the possibility of a permanent hip removal. Thanks
Hello, My name is Mike, and I've been living without a hip (no spacers) for the past three years. It was a bit of a struggle the first year trying to figure out what my limitations would be. The left leg is 2-1/2 shorter now, but I walk a special shoe that has a 2-1/2 inch sole and I also use a can; some times I use two canes. Over these past three years I've learned I can do quite a few things now. If you would like too know more, please contact me.
Would you mind telling us a bit more about your question? We have a lot of members who have discussed having hip issues or replacements, but I have not come across the question regarding lack of a hip joint. Is this from an injury, surgery, or other medical issue?
Hi yes I’m looking to connect with other people who are living life without a hip. I was born with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and I’ve had 30 some surgeries on both hips but mostly on the right hip. Between Stanford and UCSF and UCLA and Hospital for special surgery, it is now becoming apparent that my only option might be to remove the hip. I’d like to know how other people are surviving without a hip, are you able to walk, do you need aids, can you build a scar tissue etc. Thanks for any reply. Nora D
Hello, My name is Mike, and I've been living without a hip (no spacers) for the past three years. It was a bit of a struggle the first year trying to figure out what my limitations would be. The left leg is 2-1/2 shorter now, but I walk a special shoe that has a 2-1/2 inch sole and I also use a can; some times I use two canes. Over these past three years I've learned I can do quite a few things now. If you would like too know more, please contact me.
Hi Mike. My husband has been living without a hip for 4 months now and following surgery where they found another infection, he’s to continue without the hip for a further 4 months. The hope is that after these four months, the hip will be replaced is the staph infection is gone, although they’ve advised us the likelihood of recurrence is high and then he will be permanently living without the hip. Currently he is non weight bearing in one leg. Can you please tell me what your level of mobility is, are you actively employed and do you have any pain? Thank you for your post.
Hello, My name is Mike, and I've been living without a hip (no spacers) for the past three years. It was a bit of a struggle the first year trying to figure out what my limitations would be. The left leg is 2-1/2 shorter now, but I walk a special shoe that has a 2-1/2 inch sole and I also use a can; some times I use two canes. Over these past three years I've learned I can do quite a few things now. If you would like too know more, please contact me.
Thank you so much. Super encouraging! Are you building up scar tissue so the length variance changes or is there no way to do that and the 2 1/2” is the end game? Is there any pain at all in the hip? Do you use any aid around your home- ie: is there any time you can walk (albeit maybe not gracefully - and trust me , I walk like a baby just learning to walk) or you need the cane (s) all the time? Thank you very much for responding. Just your response is making me feel better this morning
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Thank you for your reply. Have you or any of your caretakers considered an external support device such as a brace, exoskeleton, etc.? I appreciate you appear to be getting around. How is your pain? I have just had a revision hip placed after infection and I am about two weeks post op. You have been through it and it is quite a grueling process including dislocation of my spacer which I chose to leave dislocated. So far my new hip feels great with some pain as I intensify my exercises. I really appreciate your input as you have been through it all. Keep us posted on any developments. More specifically, can you bend your leg without a hip?
Good morning!
I'm glad to hear you are doing well. Was your infection staph or MRSA? Mine was MRSA. I was admitted to the hospital in a septic state and it was touch and go for a bit. Finally the prosthesis was removed because it was hiding infection. At the time the surgeon intended to eventually do a new total hip replacement. No spacers or anything that might harbor infection. It took another two years to get rid of the bug. I am now considered a MRSA risk for any surgical procedure. So here I am.
I have no pain. The leg is healthy and I can stand with my full weight on it. The walking issues are due to the big length difference. My pain comes from lower back issues. There is no pain related to the hip itself. The leg works and bends but there are some quirks related to muscles and tendons no longer attached because there is nowhere to attach them. I am told that if it weren't for the major length issue I would be walking with only a cane. Strength is not an issue....PT is paramount in any hip surgery. Keep it up! Good luck.
Thank you so much for your reply Diane! Very kind to answer me. Hope you are doing well.
You’ve given me a better understanding into what life would be like without doing the surgery. It sounds like what my mother is Currently doing now, she is in a wheelchair at home and uses the walker for extremely short distances.
I was wondering, Do you think if you were to build the leg muscles more, would you be able to walk with just a cane for longer distances? Or not having a hip would never allow that?
I do agree, getting hip surgery is definitely the best option for walking, but I started questioning if there was any possibility of walking without hips. My mom told her surgeon she could free stand for 15 seconds at a time, without a walker, and then he questioned her, “then why can’t you walk?”, And he got me thinking if it could be possible.
I do want her to have the surgery, however because she is immune-suppressed as a transplant recipient, having an infection would be very dangerous for her, so I wanted to make sure we really went through all the options before surgery.
I also wanted to ask you if you are able to walk stairs without the hip? And what is your status of the second hip?
My mom dose not have both hips.
Thanks again diane!!!!!! I wish you well 🙂
Thank you for your reply sue!
We are in canada, so it is somewhat of a team approach. The doctors are all not in the same hospital, but can communicate if needed. My mom is followed by a transplant team who are encouraging her to have the surgery. She also has a special hip reconstruction dr who was referred from her original hip surgeon.
No other doctor was suggested, however infectious disease could be interesting to consult for prevention of infection possibly.
Her current hip Dr, despite being a trusted referral and seems very competent, says it is a very unusual case, and he doesn’t have much to comment on how she could be walking without hips right now.
If ever you know of any schools, or places that deal with very unusual hip issues, I would be willing to contact them and ask their opinion.
Hi robin. I am new to the site. My husband had his girdleston 4 months ago. He went back into hospital this week and they’ve found the staph infection in his femur, which followed a wash out. They’re now giving him a further 4 months with no hip in hope it will clear with antibiotics. Can I please ask, are you still living without a hip, or are you now infection free? I’m trying to get an insight into what the future looks like with the possibility of a permanent hip removal. Thanks
Hello, My name is Mike, and I've been living without a hip (no spacers) for the past three years. It was a bit of a struggle the first year trying to figure out what my limitations would be. The left leg is 2-1/2 shorter now, but I walk a special shoe that has a 2-1/2 inch sole and I also use a can; some times I use two canes. Over these past three years I've learned I can do quite a few things now. If you would like too know more, please contact me.
Mike
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2 ReactionsHi yes I’m looking to connect with other people who are living life without a hip. I was born with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and I’ve had 30 some surgeries on both hips but mostly on the right hip. Between Stanford and UCSF and UCLA and Hospital for special surgery, it is now becoming apparent that my only option might be to remove the hip. I’d like to know how other people are surviving without a hip, are you able to walk, do you need aids, can you build a scar tissue etc. Thanks for any reply. Nora D
Hi Mike. My husband has been living without a hip for 4 months now and following surgery where they found another infection, he’s to continue without the hip for a further 4 months. The hope is that after these four months, the hip will be replaced is the staph infection is gone, although they’ve advised us the likelihood of recurrence is high and then he will be permanently living without the hip. Currently he is non weight bearing in one leg. Can you please tell me what your level of mobility is, are you actively employed and do you have any pain? Thank you for your post.
Thank you so much. Super encouraging! Are you building up scar tissue so the length variance changes or is there no way to do that and the 2 1/2” is the end game? Is there any pain at all in the hip? Do you use any aid around your home- ie: is there any time you can walk (albeit maybe not gracefully - and trust me , I walk like a baby just learning to walk) or you need the cane (s) all the time? Thank you very much for responding. Just your response is making me feel better this morning