Does mum need a new hip?

[Lola1985]

Hi

My mum has been suffering for months with her right hip - she has a pin in her left hip from the age of 14 (slipped disc).

She says it comes and goes but when it comes it is hard for her to walk and she limps around.

She went to see her doc who sent her for an XRAY - the XRAY came back saying she has very bad arthritis in her hip - and might need a new hip.

My mum is not convinced as it hurts for her to twist her leg / hip and it is making her walk with her right leg sticking out - she says it just feels like something has slipped or dropped out of place and she thinks they have missed something on the XRAY.

Please help as she is getting rather upset and feels like she is going mad - but she is convinced there is something not right - she has arthritis in her shoulder and says it is nothing similar with this pain.

My mum is 56 and normally healthy.

[Magnum]

You wrote...

"She went to see her doc who sent her for an XRAY - the XRAY came back saying she has very bad arthritis in her hip - and might need a new hip".

Whenever I hear the word “might" from a doctor, this tells me he is not sure and has instead not conclusively presented a conviction, but rather an opinion. Personally, I wouldn't want that doctor to treat me and definitely not to operate on me... If you find a doctor that says “she definitely needs a hip replacement”, that’s THE doctor you want...

Magnum

[Magnum]

I too have had both hips done dues to Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, plus 6 revisions. Ouch!

In my case, since the right hip was so difficult because it was fused for nine years, most surgeons wouldn't touch me because of actually “building” a hip where there was a mass of fused bone, but one did.

If I can make a suggestion, get a second opinion. A good surgeon should be able to tell your mother whether or not she needs a hip and how soon. To keep suffering doesn't make sense. The pain will literally be GONE once she has a new hip put in. Today's technology in a hip replacement is done much faster and with minimal cutting and scarring.

My doctor Todd Swanson in Las Vegas, not only does these "micro surgery" hip replacements, but also designs modular total hip prosthesis. If at all possible (because I don't know where you live), I would make an appointment to see him or at least email him the x-rays for his opinion. He’s a great guy who has done a lot of humanitarian work in the East and will take the time to answer you. He is also on Facebook. He will tell you immediately what has to be done.

I hope for the best for your mother. Don't let her suffer...  Good luck

Magnum

[carolanivey]

Hi Lola,

I have had both hips replaced due to lifelong rheumatoid arthritis, which led to osteoarthritis in many joints, hips included. (Prednisone use didn't help, either.)

It's pretty easy to see bone deterioration in the hips on an x-ray, so I'm thinking it's unlikely they've missed much, if anything. When the ball of the hip joint wears down, it will indeed feel like it's slipping or not quite in place. The pain may come and go depending on her activity level.

My thinking is that the surgery in the left hip made subtle changes in the way she walks, which in time led to damage in the other hip. This is not at all uncommon. When I had my left hip replaced, it was three years before the right one, and in that time my right foot went bad because of the changes in my gait.

The hip bears all the weight of the torso above it, so it won't be the same pain as in her shoulder.

At her age, there's no reason to live in pain when a new hip would greatly improve her quality of life. I was 37 for the first one, 40 for the second, and I'd do it again. In fact, I have - I had the plastic socket liner in the left one replaced last year and it's good as new. :)

Best wishes,
Carolan