Eugene's Story
I had been living with pain in my left hip for 5 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. However, by the end of 2015, the few days per month became 2 or 3 days per week. That's when I started to consider surgery for the near future. During 2015 I was at a routine check up with my primary care physician and I mentioned a deep pain in my left calf that didn't seem to be going away. The ultrasound showed a blood clot. For a year, I was on medication which monitored my blood clot. By 2017 the pain was daily and I walked with a limp. When I was taken off my medication I had my surgery.
My turning point was a year before my surgery, I was having pain daily, I had trouble walking (with a limp). 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. However,I couldn't stand for much longer than a couple minutes. It was embarrassing having my clients worry about me.
Now, I am 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.
I experienced a lot of nagging by people with their own stories of surgery. My advice; 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/worry and have the surgery.
