Hip replacement soon

Warrigal

Warrigal

SF VIP
Location
Sydney, Australia
Saw the bone doctor (sawbones?) today and I am scheduled for a full hip replacement on 5th August.
After that I will have 5 - 7 days of rehab to get me moving again. The centre where I will be going has its own pool.

Today the consultation cost me $140 with a Medicare*** rebate of $72. The X ray of my hip was bulk billed to Medicare - nothing to pay.
When it comes to the hospital my private health insurance fund will cover the bill entirely as well as the prosthesis.
Costs for the surgeon, his assistant and the anaesthetist will be in the order of $4,000 to $5,000 after Medicare and health fund rebates.

I think rehab will be covered too but haven't had that conversation yet.

I'll keep you posted.

***Medicare is our universal health cover scheme. It is funded through the tax system with a 2% surcharge on all incomes above $22,000 pa. Seniors can earn more before paying the levy.
 

That cost is very reasonable Warrigal. I hope the operation goes smooth for you, and you feel much better after all is said and done. I'll be thinking of you...hugs.
 
Dame, though our differences of opinion have clashed somewhat, given your circumstances I believe you will find this of interest.

My wife's mother, at age 85, had reached the loss of mobility point where she agreed to a hip replacement. At 85, mind you! My wife went to Indiana to help her through the recovery period. The surgery went as planned. But, something was wrong, extreme pain, unable to follow the rehab's directions, unable to walk. X-rays. No evidence of trouble. More pain, more X-rays, this time a hairline fracture of her femur was found. Maybe the Doc was too enthusiastic, or whatever the cause, it seemed the prosthesis had cracked the femur, and HAD to be removed. Second surgery, removed it, immobilized the leg now disconnected from the pelvis for several weeks. Third surgery, to "install" yet a 2nd. ball joint. This went well, the surgeon seemingly apologetic, he should have been having secured two surgical procedure payments of $28,000 each. The lady was able to walk, my wife came home to Missouri, and only several months later, her mother fell in the living room. Result? Yep, broke the "good hip".

Wife back to Indiana, husband hanging out alone again (no problem really), third surgery to replace the other hip, successful, same surgeon. The lady turned 89 in January, drives herself to the various functions she participates in, her disposition incredibly laudable! Her surgeon? Dead. Cancer he HAD to have known about even while doing her hip replacements! I have the only known mother in law with 3 hip replacements, the 3-legged mother in law!

If only I could somehow instill in myself the rigor and relish for life she possesses! imp
 

We have clashed? I hadn't noticed. :grin:

That is a terrible story but I pleased to hear that it all turned out well eventually in that at 89 she can still walk, even after so much trouble. I'm pretty much immobilised ATM but the surgeon suggested that I might be able dance at our grand daughter's wedding in October. Let's hope so.

I'm realistic about the things that can go wrong during an operation. I brought up the issue of what to do should I have a stroke or coronary during or after the op. I will be talking to my daughter who is my medical guardian and will indicate that if I am on life support and facing serious brain damage then I prefer to be let go. She can also give permission for organ and tissue donations.

I know the risk is slight but it is well to contemplate all possibilities before undergoing any medical treatments. In this case I have weighed the odds and I want the surgery.
 
Ma'am, you are obviously a strong-willed person well within her own ability to weigh and consider consequences. Not knowing more about your circumstances (age, previous health history), one "over here" can only wish you the most beneficial of results possible.

Please make us all proud of you. imp
 
I also wish you well with the hip replacement surgery, Warri. I have a friend that is in her late 70's, and she has had both hips replaced, and she is doing well with it.
She still goes kayaking, camping, snowmobiling, and swims a lot in the summer, as well as maintaining her house and garden. (now, if I could just get her to learn to use a computer, too ! )
She had to be careful what she did while it was healing, but after that, she did pretty much everything that she had done before the surgery, and said she walks with a lot less discomfort.
 
Rehab and therapy will be the key. It's just as important as the surgery. Once you are past the surgery and out of the woods on any complications it's all rehab ie flexibility and strength in the associated areas.

Good Luck
 
DW, I wish you all the best with your surgery and recovery. I'll be thinking of you, missing your wonderfully intelligent and articulate posts, and looking forward to your return to SF when you feel like it. Like me, you are a planner. You want to prepare for all eventualities. Well, my gut feeling is you'll pull through with flying colors. Then we'll have a big SF party for you! ;)
 
May your surgery go well with a swift recovery. As others have said, rehab is the vital part of replacements. I had bilateral knee replacements and there were quite a few with hip replacements in rehab with me. They all did well. Perhaps our having crack the whip therapists helped. :bigwink: Therapy is not comfortable...but, you will be glad you pushed yourself.
 
Warrigal add me to the list of friends wishing you successful surgery and speedy recovery, please! I too have heard more than a few stories about rapid recoveries. Will be thinking of you.
 
From the very early days it was evident that hip replacements were very beneficial and I'm very confident about undergoing this procedure. I've only just met my surgeon but I was impressed with his thoroughness and my GP has known me for about 35 years and I trust him to refer me to a good one. He also helped me to decide which private hospital. I was cheeky enough to ask the surgeon where he went to school to check his background and his answer was very satisfactory to me. He has a foreign sounding name but has obviously grown up in Sydney and did his training here which reassures me.

I will be asking the hospital and the rehab place if there is any way I could hook up to the internet while I am there. I won't be using one of those coin in the slot machines because they are absolutely hopeless.

I don't have an iPad and am considering buying one because ATM I also don't have a functioning camera. Might be time to investigate the cost of this option.
 
My son bought me a kindle when I went in for my knees. I found it much easier to use, after surgery, than my laptop. Do not know how different it is there...but, in the states the hospital and Rehab both had wifi..so there was no problem getting online.
 
It does just about everything your pc does. Just much smaller. And much less expensive than a Ipad. Plus you can read on it. Lots of free books available. I read a lot while in rehab. Only draw back I find is you can not use Google Play for apps. Only Amazon. But if you are into it...there are workarounds.
 
DW---Stay strong and follow your doctor's orders, especially any rehab instructions and I am sure all will go OK. My Orthopedic Surgeon told me that he would rather do a 100 hips to only doing one knee.
 
Dame Warrigal said:
Saw the bone doctor (sawbones?) today and I am scheduled for a full hip replacement on 5th August.
After that I will have 5 - 7 days of rehab to get me moving again. The centre where I will be going has its own pool.

Today the consultation cost me $140 with a Medicare*** rebate of $72. The X ray of my hip was bulk billed to Medicare - nothing to pay.
When it comes to the hospital my private health insurance fund will cover the bill entirely as well as the prosthesis.
Costs for the surgeon, his assistant and the anaesthetist will be in the order of $4,000 to $5,000 after Medicare and health fund rebates.

I think rehab will be covered too but haven't had that conversation yet.

I'll keep you posted.

***Medicare is our universal health cover scheme. It is funded through the tax system with a 2% surcharge on all incomes above $22,000 pa. Seniors can earn more before paying the levy.
Click to expand...

Hey, Dame Warrigal -- I had both hips replaced in 2013, a month apart. Prior to having them replaced I could not walk unaided and was using a walker (with great pain) and sometimes a wheelchair. Now, I do pretty much anything I want (except Doc says no skydiving or bungee jumping -- not a problem for me!). It was absolutely a new lease on life. Really wonderful!! Recovery was pretty easy --- very little pain at all. I only spent 2 nights in the hospital for the first hip and 3 for the second the second had more damage in the socket part and needed a bit of reconstruction). My doc here doesn't send you to rehab, just home to recuperate. He feels hips heal better on their own, with just a bit of PT. Just be sure to follow your surgeon's advice to the letter, and the biggest one is DON'T OVERDO! I overdid it (out of sheer joy to be able to walk again) and wound up with some muscle problems, so had to stay quiet longer than I would have had I listened to him.

As an extra added bonus -- the surgeon lengthened my short leg (had to wear a lift in my shoe all my life) and now they are the same length and I can wear SANDALS!! Hip replacement is really a miracle, and it wasn't nearly the big deal I had dreaded. Every day I am thankful I had it done.

If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer.

There is a great online forum for hip and knee replacements, called bonesmart.org. The folks on there are either all awaiting replacements or have had them. They have members all over the world. The forum was a great help to me when I was waiting for my replacement and right after it -- really nice, kind helpful people, and there is an orthopedic nurse moderator.

Sending you thoughts and prayers for a wonderful outcome like mine!
 
Dame Warrigal said:
From the very early days it was evident that hip replacements were very beneficial and I'm very confident about undergoing this procedure. I've only just met my surgeon but I was impressed with his thoroughness and my GP has known me for about 35 years and I trust him to refer me to a good one. He also helped me to decide which private hospital. I was cheeky enough to ask the surgeon where he went to school to check his background and his answer was very satisfactory to me. He has a foreign sounding name but has obviously grown up in Sydney and did his training here which reassures me.

I will be asking the hospital and the rehab place if there is any way I could hook up to the internet while I am there. I won't be using one of those coin in the slot machines because they are absolutely hopeless.

I don't have an iPad and am considering buying one because ATM I also don't have a functioning camera. Might be time to investigate the cost of this option.
Click to expand...

background. Don't doctors have office walls coated with all their degrees, diplomas, seminars, completed classes and awards from various/frequently insignificant organizations in Australia.

Must re-emphasis rehab in and out patient will be critical. In other words they'll probably give exercises you'll have to do for months and probably should keep up after in some form. I learned a lot in physical rehab after my last surgery discovering some of my weak spots that after work improved pre operation/pre injury strength & flexibility. I read in a book that many joint including hip problems come from strength and flexibility issues to begin with which over time create or accelerate wear & tear since the joint isn't being used/working correctly.

Good Luck again.
 

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