“It’s given me my optimism back.”
From a two year wait for hip surgery, to two months
I’d had mobility issues and a certain amount of pain for approximately two and a half years before I had hip surgery. As the pain worsened I had an X-ray on my hip and knee which revealed the need for a total hip replacement. The X-ray was carried out on the NHS but I was told the NHS waiting list for hip replacement was about two years.
On realising an operation was inevitable, I spoke to some friends about private surgery. They had had knee surgery with Mr. Dodds and spoke highly of him.
I booked a consultation but I was very apprehensive, having had bad experiences with operations [with other surgeons] before. Yet from the first meeting with him, he put me completely at ease. He was very pleasant, very approachable, and clearly an expert in his field but also very kind – which I feel is so important. He explained things clearly and I felt I could trust him.
> Discover more about hip replacement surgery
I spoke with my family and we agreed to proceed. My consultation with Mr Dodds was on 21 April and my surgery was scheduled for 21 June at Nuffield Health, Cheltenham. So rather than a two-year wait, I waited two months between consultation and surgery.
The hospital stay
The week before my surgery was due I was really struggling. I’m a teacher, but the pain was so great that I couldn’t teach anymore because I couldn’t concentrate properly. I couldn’t sleep and I was in pain all the time. Goodness knows how I would have managed had I needed to wait two years.
I was in hospital for three nights – I couldn’t believe it would be so short a hospital stay. My experience at the Nuffield was very positive. The nurses were wonderful. I had one or two problems, which they dealt with very kindly. The procedure went well and Mr Dodds came to see me each day to check on my progress.
I was encouraged to be up and mobilising quite soon after the procedure, with support. It’s amazing what you can do so soon afterwards. The hospital managed the pain very well with plenty of tablets, although I came off those as quickly as possible. There was some post-operative discomfort which could be a little sore, but it was entirely manageable and certainly much better than that awful pain from the hip that needed replacing.
Learning to live with a new hip
Five weeks after the operation, I’m now walking up to half an hour a day. I’ve been doing that for a little while now and could probably do more. I’m a bit of a worrier, and I was certainly anticipating problems but I’ve had very little trouble and far less than I expected.
I have a wonderful son and daughter who were with me for about ten days while I was in hospital and when I came home. After that, I was perfectly okay to be on my own. I’ve had no problem with stairs at all. I was using two sticks, but I’m now down to just one. I have additional balance problems, otherwise I probably wouldn’t need them at all.
There’s still a little bit of tenderness and residual bruising. As Mr Dodds noted, a hip replacement is a fairly brutal procedure and it takes time for your muscles to readjust, but we are only five weeks post operation.
> Discover more about hip replacement surgery
“It’s given me my optimism back”
Before the operation, I really did fear that I would have to give up work – very reluctantly because I’ve been teaching all my life and I still love it. But I couldn’t sit comfortably to teach. I couldn’t sit comfortably to do anything. Now, I’m already back to teaching and I’m looking forward to the start of the new term.
Teaching – especially with the little ones – gives me a lot of my purpose in life every day. I want to carry on as long as people want to come to me still.
The renewed hope from feeling able to teach again is equalled by the renewed ability to drive again which means that I can visit my family in different parts of the country.
It really has given me my optimism back.
Recommending Alexander Dodds
He’s wonderful. He’s somebody you can trust and have confidence in. I’m very grateful to him for what he’s done. I would thoroughly recommend him. I may need my knee replacing in time. If so, he will be the first person I call!
If you are struggling with hip pain, book your appointment at Alexander Dodds’ Cheltenham hip clinic now or call 01242 246549.