Valerie, 65, a retired swimming
Teacher from Barnet, Hertfordshire
enjoys, cycling, walking and learning French.
I had always been healthy until I was 60 when I started having pain in
my hips. Sometimes they would give way and sometime they gave me sharp
pain. Eventually the pain would keep me awake at night. When I was 62 I
had an arthroscopy which helped the worst hip, but in the end I was
permanently on anti-inflammatory drugs. I could not walk on uneven
ground, sit comfortably, ride my bike, or swim much, in fact I slowly
seized up.
Eventually I had both my hips resurfaced – the first one in March 2003
and the other in June 2003 and was fully recovered two months after the
second hip.
I managed to climb stairs after five days and could shower and look
after myself fairly quickly. The only thing I could not do for several
weeks was dry my feet, cut my toenails and put socks and tights on as
you are not allowed to bend. As my feet swelled a little to begin with I
made sure I put my feet up often. For the first six weeks I was on
crutches but had no pain. I was given exercises to do twice a day which
were easy but it is important to do these. I also walked every day,
increasing the distance daily.
Ten days after the operation I had my stitches out. The scars are only
about six inches long and crescent shaped, high on the leg/hip area and
are now fading. As you have to sleep on your back all night for the
first six weeks, I found my heels became a little sore. I found a good
tip to prevent this is place a small towel across the end of the bed
where your ankles are so your heels are slightly raised off the bed but
this was the only problem I found.
After six weeks I could drive my car and cycle and was back swimming at
seven weeks. I can now swim 20 lengths of a 25 metre pool happily,
cycle, walk the dog, walk beaches which I could not do before as I could
not cope with uneven ground.
Today I took my grandchildren to the park and actually ran with them.
It’s like a little miracle.
My hips are like a 20 year old but unfortunately the rest of me gets
tired by the end of the day! I laugh when I am out because there is no
pain at all. I thank Corin for making such a wonderful product and my
surgeon who suggested them to me and who performed my operations.
