Earlier this week marked a year since I had my left hip replaced, and what a year it’s been. I’d always planned to have a party to celebrate Hettie (that’s what she’s called) coming into my life, but coronavirus had other ideas, so we had to make do with a slice of cake delivered to our door. The party can wait.
With life being on lockdown, I’ve had more time than I expected to ponder the last 12 months, and I have to admit I got tearful thinking about the journey, the change in my quality of life. I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Where before my life was on hold and I’d got lost behind a fog of pain meds, now I have my life back on track – or as much as it can be with complex chronic illness!
I wrote earlier on about preparing and surviving for the procedure, but 12 months and hindsight have given me even more perspective.
So here’s five reflections I’ve had over the course of this anniversary week:
Find a surgeon you trust
I may have got frustrated with my surgeon for wanting so many second opinions, but at the end of the day I had absolute faith that he had my best interests at heart. Unlike other surgeons I’ve met, there was no ego, no close-mindedness, no out of hand dismissal because of age or medical history. Over the months prior to surgery, we built a relationship based on trust and respect. I trusted that he took my concerns and needs seriously, and was acting for my benefit, in both short and long term. So when it came time to go under the knife, I was confident in our plan, and – just as importantly given we didn’t know what to expect when he got in there – I was confident that he would make on-the-spot decisions that were best for me. This trust helped no end in preparing psychologically and emotionally for what lay ahead of me.
Do the research and prep
Research and prep doesn’t have to mean knowing all the gory ins and outs of surgery, but it is worth having an idea of what’s ahead so that you can be ready – physically, emotionally, and practically. No one can know how a surgery will go and what recovery will look like, but it’s far better to be over-prepared than under! Read my blogs that might help here:
A guide to preparing and packing for a hip replacement
Surviving a hip replacement in your thirties
Trust your gut
My case was unusual in that MRIs and x-rays showed nothing more than a little inflammation. As such, we went in with no idea of what we’d find, or if it would turn out that I didn’t need a replacement and opening me up was a big waste of time. But I knew. I knew there was something seriously wrong in the joint. I knew even more physio wouldn’t help, that even more steroid injections, arthroscopies and time in the hydro pool weren’t going to make it better. That knowledge – that faith – meant I didn’t worry about surgery, I wasn’t debating whether or not to go through with it, there were no sleepless nights. Just an innate knowledge this needed to happen. I’m so glad I listened to that over the questions about my age or the lack of firm diagnosis from imaging.
Prehab is worth the investment
I’ve waxed lyrical about prehab before but it really is worth the time and potential cost. To be able to get up and about on crutches quickly helped both physically and mentally. Recovery was faster, safer and more comfortable, and that’s made a huge difference to my overall experience of a hip replacement. If you can, do your prehab!!
Ask questions
Since blogging and posting about my experience, I’ve had lots of people get in touch with questions. Please do get in touch if you have questions, worries or you’d like to talk the process through. I’m not medically trained and can’t give you medical advice, but I can help with what it’s like to go through a hip replacement, and I’m more than happy to chat. Drop me an email on ellie@chronicallyawesome.org.uk or DM via one of the social media platforms.
