As many of us older lifters will face this in the future (in my case in 3 weeks), I have decided to put my experiences in a log on this forum. This ill be the end of any squats and deadlifts for me, but the pain finally got too much, and here I am.
I will do the surgery locally in Belgium. (I am not Belgian but they do health care right here)I was recommended a doctor as one of the top people in Belgium and found out he was working at the local hospital. I called his surgery and was offered a hip replacement date two weeks later. That was a bit too sudden, so we agreed on April 15.
The total cost to me will be about USD 1150 (15% co-payment), for an uncemented titanium prosthesis, all doctors’ fees, and up to a week in hospital. The physio will visit at home, but will be extra (USD 40 a shot).
My next entry will be on visits to the cardiologist and anathesiologist on Monday.
I’ve been avoiding knee replacement for some time because of the restrictions imposed on activities such as running and lifting. For what its worth, I recently came across this article
I’m not making any recommendations, but I thought you might find the article interesting.
Thanks. Interesting read. I intend to be as active as I can but the consquences of a failure of the prosthesis under heavy load (possible disintegration of the top part of the femur) are such that I will go easy.
Pre-op checkups went ok. Cardiologist said heart looked good (always reassuring when you’re past 50). Anasthesiologist looked almost bored when I had to anser no to all the question on the anamnesis. The only disappointment was that he said they will do it under total anasthesia. I would much rather have a spinal or an epidural (if only to hear the surgeon ask “Has anyone seen the third clamp?”).
So unless the blood tests show something scary, I go in on the 14th and get sliced and diced on the 15th. Surprisingly, I am not a bit nervous, but rather looking forward to it…
I really wouldn’t want to be awake for a hip replacement. In fact, it’s probably better not to even know too much about the surgery until afterwards. There used to be a program on Learning channel or Discovery called “The Operation”. They showed a total knee replacement. With all the drilling and sawing, it was a pretty nasty deal. Then, inserting the components into the prepared bone ends required some very energetic hammering. It was a lot like building a house.
Oh, I would not mind a bit of sedation, but being put under makes you feel like death warmed over afterwards. If you’re mellow enough, the Anvil Chorus hardly bothers you
Last few days at work. I have an interview for a new job within my organisation tomorrow late afternoon and will go into hospital the following day. Strangely enough I am very calm about both things. Some kind of a “two stress factors cancel each other” situation. I will try to give a final update on Wednesday, but otherwise au revoir on the other side.
All packed up and going to the hospital now. Surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning. I hope the surgeon gets enough coffee beforehand. The job interview went well but not scintillating. See you on the other side.