Bad news today. Any advice?

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spotcat

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At the hospital today, for what the doctor thought was a trapped nerve, I was sent for x-rays.

The Consultant looked genuinely shocked when the x rays came through and said I have severe arthritis in my hip. It's down to bone against bone and there is no treatment other than total replacement.

I'm 39 and go to the gym 4 times a week. I was dancing last week (albeit with lots of painkillers). I see the surgeon next month. Apparently they don't like giving new hips to people my age (new hips usually last 10 years), but because of the severity they will consider it.

Anyone had one or know anyone who had one at this age?

And the big question.

Am I going to be able to dance again?

(and before anyone says so, yes I should have asked the Consultant this, but I was in shock and she had 2 very pretty students in the room and I didn't want to cry in front of 3 women, so I just made some devil-may-care jokes. And yes I already know that was stupid)
 
Wow Spotcat.. wish you all the best! Never met anyone who had this on a young age, but keep a positive attitude. After seeing a guy with only 1 leg dance I believe everything is possible ;)

Get well!
 
Yeah. All the ladies leave the thread, please, and we can all have a (manly) cry (over a beer) about this.

I don't know what I would do in that situation spotcat! And I can't offer advice, only sympathy and the opinion that that truly sucks. Do your research, be good to yourself, and you will find a way through!
 
Sorry to hear that. I don't know really. It's not totally out of the question but I guess it would depend somewhat on the specific procedure and state of your body after the op.

Might be an idea to look at alternatives as well and obviously talk to a specialist. I just found this info:
wessexhipunit.co.uk/hipguides.html
 
Hi,

Great posts already. My heart goes to you. All I can offer is that we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers but just remember you are alive. No matter what is thrown at you, make the best of your situation. Easier said then done and we each have our own burdens but don't write yourself off just yet.

Stay positive and hope for the best. Focus on your goals in life, really define them and work towards them. I am sure you will find general health above dancing so start to read about your condition as much as possible. Seek as much knowledge as possible including alternative medicine practice such as Chinese medicine etc. Don't feel pressured into anything as it is your body. Place this as the highest priority.

Good luck and God bless!
 
First of all, most women cry a bunch, so we're probably some of the better people to cry in front of, but that may be just a Roo-type comment.

Yeah, if you're not already, I would look into alternative therapies. You may stay the same course or completely transform it. I know people who have done Feldenkreis instead of surgeries & others who have had surgeries but gotten a lot of time out of whatever they did b/c they were doing other things to supplement the 'regular' treatments.

I hope it all goes well. And to add to that youtube clip sentiment- I saw a person in Cuba dancing w/just one leg w/that side of his hip balanced on the side of his wheelchair dancing exuding more than most fully able-bodied folks, so there are definitely options.
 
When I first started dancing, one of the better dancers walked with a slight limp. He was in his early 40's. He told me that his limp was because of a hip replacement he recieved a few years before. He danced salsa several nights a week. I hope the best for you!
 
If I believed in God, I would pray for you. I will any way just in case.

Once I was watching a fellow student dance during practice after class. He was a beginner, but his lead was fine. Our teacher came up to me to chit chat and mentioned that the guy I was watching had a false leg.

It ain't over 'till it's over.
 
Hip Resurfacing

There is a little story to this. A good friend of mine who was about 50 at the time got a hip resurfacing surgery. The procedure is routine in Europe but is considered experimental in the US. After surgery she was back to walking with a cane in one week and back to dancing in 3 months. Hip replacement recovery takes about 6 months to get back to walking w/o a cane. The local paper covered her story and pictured her dancing with me at a salsa social on the front page of the Lifestyle section. Fortunately no one recognized me in the picture. My facial expression looked like I was the one in a lot of pain.
 
On the run out the door at the moment, but just saw this and wanted to wish you only the very, very best spotcat. It is far from the same, but I have recurring back problems which, at times, leave me wondering if I'll ever be able to dance again, so I can empathize with your fears and concerns. My prayers will be with you.
 
spotcat said:
Anyone had one or know anyone who had one at this age?

And the big question.

Am I going to be able to dance again?
Click to expand...



I have a male student ( older than you, but that should in theory, make it less practical ) he says he never felt better !!.

I think the caveat is this.. all people respond differently, so time will tell .
 
You need to research the kind of replacement they give you. Some models of hip replacement have a very good track record (my mother is still walking on a replacement she had over thirty years ago). Some of them don't last so well, and if they have to replace the replacement because it's broken down then you could be in real trouble: second replacements aren't as successful as first ones.
 
oh spotcat, poor you! i think it would be very healthy to sit down an have a good weep.

on the other hand, like people are saying, there are so many great medical advances now, some intensive research could really pay off.

all the best to you. :cool:
 
Hip Replacement - Recovery

Tell your surgeon that you dance salsa as a form of exericse and will be continuing after the surgery. There are different grades of hip replacemen - at least in Canada - so tell him to use the one for very active or athletic people. Yes, you are very young for this sort of stuff. You should also have them look over the rest of you major joints and see what else may have to be fixed in the future.

Ask the surgeon to prescribe physiotherapy after the surgery. Whatever the physio tells you to do - you do it! That is your ticket to getting back on your feet and making a full recovery from the surgery. Expect a year from the day of the surgery to 'doing a show.' Be patient, follow instructions and you may well come out of this stronger and better than going in.

Good luck grrl!
 
Guys, all of you, thanks!

Things are feeling less bleak now I've adjusted to the initial shock and your stories about people still dancing was just what I needed to hear.

As is happens I have something of a history of recovering from serious illness/injury. I just have to look at this one as something I'll be doing with the help of the medical profession.

I'm going to keep up my gym just so's I can use my six-pack and pecs to show them I will be needing the Ferrari of new hips!:car:



and since I'm going to be at home bored out of my mind next year, I might be subjecting you all to a diary of my rehab - so be warned!
 
spotcat said:
At the hospital today, for what the doctor thought was a trapped nerve, I was sent for x-rays.

The Consultant looked genuinely shocked when the x rays came through and said I have severe arthritis in my hip. It's down to bone against bone and there is no treatment other than total replacement.

I'm 39 and go to the gym 4 times a week. I was dancing last week (albeit with lots of painkillers). I see the surgeon next month. Apparently they don't like giving new hips to people my age (new hips usually last 10 years), but because of the severity they will consider it.

Anyone had one or know anyone who had one at this age?

And the big question.

Am I going to be able to dance again?

(and before anyone says so, yes I should have asked the Consultant this, but I was in shock and she had 2 very pretty students in the room and I didn't want to cry in front of 3 women, so I just made some devil-may-care jokes. And yes I already know that was stupid)
Click to expand...

Spotcat-I had the same news this past summer, except I'm 29. I also got diagnosed with severe hip impingement. It was absolutely devastating and like being kicked in the stomach. I cried almost every day. I teach fitness, love to dance, etc. I went to 3 doctors, who were stunned at the progression of the hip impingement and the joint degeneration. They don't want to dig around in my hips (scary when a surgeon DOESN'T want to cut) and want me to switch to low-impact and preserve my joints as much as possible.

So, what have I done since then? I've gotten lots of support from family and friends, which has helped immensely. I've also cut out high impact (I still teach every other week or so, but try not to do too much jumping). I've turned to kettlebells for high-intensity, low impact workouts that give me strength, cardio and flexibility in one workout. I also do a lot of functional strength workouts, yoga, pilates and barre-type workouts to strengthen the hip stabilizers. I also went to physical therapy. The doctors said that wouldn't help, but my pt was thrilled--my flexibility/mobility has increased and my hip stabilizers are much stronger. (I'm also in less pain overall.) I'm also trying to lose a bit of weight (not that I'm huge) but one of the docs (and my dad who is a pharmacist) think that keeping it as low as possible will reduce the strain on my hips). My dad also recommended taking Osteo-Bioflex and fish oil, which seems to help some too.

My advice? You need to be as strong and mobile as possible in the hips,whether you have to have surgery or not. I'd find a good pt to help you get prepped so you can be as strong as possible. Pilates (on the reformer in particular) has been great for helping to mobilize and strengthen my hips, back and abs. Your pt can also do mobilizations on your hips and teach you how to do it at home (mine did). Another crucial component will be stability/balance. Hopefully your pt will also give you one-legged squats to help your hips as well. The great thing is, hip resurfacing is advancing all the time. The 5-year follow ups in the U.S. look really good and the technology is even more advanced in Europe. (You want to get hip resurfacing, because it preserves a lot more of the bone than total hip replacement.) I talked to a doctor who got hip resurfacing (about your age or younger), and she's back to running again. Here's an article about her:
http://beginnertriathlete.com/cms/Article-detail.asp?Articleid=1101&vote=10

I empathize with you more than you'll ever know. I know things are tough but I promise, they do get easier. Please PM me at any time if you have questions, need advice, or just need an ear.
 
OK, Naturallove, you're going to regret that.

I've now appointed you as my personal trainer.

I've had some training in kettlebells, but that was some years ago, when they first came to England and was from a MMA/CMA fighter.

I'm guessing basic swings are a good start. Would you recommend low weight/high reps or high weight/low reps? How about transverse swings? I find those very useful for my lower back, but would that put the wrong type of pressure on the joint?

I still have good arm strength (at least for my size), but I am conscious that might encourage overloading on my hips with, for example, swinging higher weights into upright position. Or do you think the fact that impact is minimised overrides that?

With regard to mobilisation of the hips, I find the movement of opening the hip quite useful, whereas closing or crossing over seems to put more pressure on the joint (if that makes sense). Is that your experience or should I persevere with both directions?
 
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