Eugene’s Story
I had been living with pain in my left hip for five years before the replacement. I was only 54 at the time. The pain was mostly tolerable, only a few days per month were more extreme. By the end of 2015, however, the few days per month became two or three days per week. That’s when I started considering surgery.
In 2015, I was at a routine checkup with my primary care physician, and I mentioned a deep pain in my left calf that didn’t seem to go away. The ultrasound showed a blood clot. I was on medication that managed my blood clot for a year. By 2017, the pain was constant, and I walked with a limp. When I was taken off the medication, I had my surgery.
My turning point was a year before my surgery. I was having pain daily, and I had trouble walking. I would have liked to wait longer to have the surgery, but my quality of life at that point was becoming an issue. Most things were too painful to do, and I was tired of it. I was working long days that required a lot of standing, but I couldn’t stand for much longer than a couple minutes. It was embarrassing to have my clients worry about me.
I am now walking upright for the first time in years without a limp. I know I’m not back to 100%, but I am looking forward to each week as I progress further.
My advice is that everyone is different, and I think the experience varies for each individual. I can be a very impatient person, so I worked hard at recovery. Two weeks after surgery, I was walking around the block with a cane. Be patient with yourself. I knew I needed to stop the pain and worry and have the surgery.
