6 month after hip replacement question... - Knee & Hip Problems Message Board

silver515 · 02-22-2005, 05:24 PM

I had hip replacement Jan 4th...doing really well...walking with a cane, trying not to use it around the house. ANyway, I was wondering...we are thinking of going to Greece and Italy in July...that would be 6 months after surgery...it would mean alot of walking, which I normally like. Does anyone know if at 6 months I would be able to do alot of walking...

balleteach · 02-23-2005, 08:11 PM

Hi, Glad that you posted and are doing so well. Isn't it great to be pain free? As far as traveling goes, you should be fine. Maybe it would be good to wait another month or two and see how much more you can do before deciding for sure. The worst part of a long trip like that will be sitting for so long on the airplane. You will have to get up alot and walk around. I remember getting so stiff and uncomfortable sitting too long at one time. It actually feels better to walk and move around. If you go and are walking alot, you can always rest as much as you need to. I know that the first year is the hardest because the hip can dislocate more easily if you have an accident or trauma to the area. After a year, the hip is much more stable and the chance of dislocation lessens. I don't think I would travel that far the first year and I'm pretty adventurous. Being in another country only six months out of hip replacement would make me a little nervous in case anything went wrong. Now, I would go anywhere I wanted. You will be fine no matter what you decide to do. Check with your Dr. and see what he has to say. Keep posting, balleteach

silver515 · 02-24-2005, 02:32 PM

HI Balleteach...I knew you would answer. THanks. I have spoken to my physical therapist and she feels I will be ok. SHe said I may get tired and have to rest sometimes , but that is ok. I didn't think of the long flight..sitting that long will be tough, but I guess I can get up and walk around if I have to. My husband and I are reallly looking forward to this trip...I may not be totally up to my normal self, but hopefully pretty close. I know I have to be really careful about dislocation....I try to follow the hip precautions all the time....

balleteach · 03-04-2005, 08:14 AM

Hi, Just wondering how you are doing and if you have decided for sure about your trip. Are you driving yet? Your hip will get better and better as time goes on. I'm glad you had a good result. Some people never really recover fully because of different reasons. I was soooo lucky with my hip replacement. It really feels totally normal now. Sometimes I forget that it's not my real hip. I'm going on ten years this coming July with just alittle wear and tear on the lining of the socket. The material used on your hip is more state of the art now than mine was at the time, so hopefully it will last your whole life. Mine was the new titanium, so it is pretty modern too. I was fifty when mine was done. Post sometime with updates... balleteach

Newhip@47 · 03-09-2005, 10:19 PM

Hi Silver, sounds like you are doing well and very glad to find someone who had hip replacement surgery. I am 47 and had hip replacement surgery 4 weeks ago. The reason being is that when I was younger, I was involved in an accident and osteoarthritis formed around the socket to the point of total discomfort and having to rely on pain meds in order to function at work which consists of standing on a cement floor and moving very heavy parts from one point to another. Feel better, was wondering do you still have or have you experienced swelling in the area of the surgery? My doctor wants me off of work for at least 6 months, and with you being 6 months post op, you will have no problems whatsoever with your new hip. If it is cemented on, you most definitely will have no problems whatsoever, in fact I believe that a lot of walking will be of most benefit for you. I am walking with a cane now, and got rid of the walker last week, and will be in therapy for another month. It was a battle for me at first after the surgery as I lost over 2 pints of blood, but after the transfusion, things went very well. Good luck and enjoy your vacation,,, Gods speed!!!