Here is my journey to getting a new hip.

I started getting arthritis in my left hip joint around 2013. At first there was only occasional discomfort and difficulty in bending over. By 2016, I wanted to get a hip replacement. Two of my students/friends had their hips replaced and were very happy that they did. I asked my doctor about it and he said that my condition wasn’t severe enough to justify getting an artificial hip.

In 2017, I again requested the surgery, and again I was refused, but I was given pain medication. The mild pain reliever didn’t work so well, but the strong medicine did take away much of the pain. Strong pain reliever can become addicting, so I only took them if I was going to do strenuous work, golfing or taking a long flight in an airplane. I moaned and groaned while standing, sitting, bending etc. so I am sorry for the people around me that had to listen to that.

The chairs in my community center classes are rather low. As I was bending my legs to sit, when I got about six inches from the seat, there would be a sharp pain and I would just “plop” down on the seat. One of my students noticed it, well actually many noticed it, but one of them made a special six or seven-inch cushion for me. I can’t thank her enough! It was so much easier to sit down.

I had a physical checkup in January. After discussing my hip pain, my doctor referred me to see an orthopedic doctor, a.k.a. bone doctor.  He explained the options that I had. I quickly told him that I would like to get an artificial hip joint. He totally agreed with me.  

On February 6, I made my first visit to the Murayama Iryo Center. I met with Dr. Shimizu, one of the orthopedic surgeons, my hip joint was x-rayed, and he agreed that I need the hip replacement.

I have a couple more appointments at the hospital and the surgery will take place on May 30. I was told that I will stay in the hospital for three weeks after the surgery, but I am hoping for only two weeks.

I will post information here about my visits and after surgery recovery. 

This message is rather long, but my future updates will be short and simple.