It seems odd to be posting about a hip replacement on a cancer blog, but I guess many of us have a cross over of conditions. My first slight awareness of hip problems was about three years after the birth of my first child back in the early 90s. Pregnant with my second child, I lifted him over the garden wall, after he had been playing with our neighbour’s son, and felt some pain in my right adductor muscle. Physiotherapy sorted me out and I carried on with life. Some years later I had more problems in the same area and an x-ray revealed there had probably been slight damage either during pregnancy or childbirth. Over the following years I seemed to be forever needing to stretch out my right quad. I took up running and returned to swimming, which gave me improvement. When lockdown happened in 2020, I lost the ability to go in the pool and lost the structure of regular parkruns. Everything seized up, and relatives were telling me I needed to get my right hip checked out. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared to accept I needed surgery, believing it would all be alright once I got back in the pool. In fact it did improve, but the improvement was short lived. By early 2021, I seemed to be forever suffering from quad injuries, hamstring injuries, etc etc. I went back to the physiotherapist and was told bluntly it was my hip. With 2 year waiting lists for surgery, I coughed up and got my right hip replaced privately, in September 21. It was transformational and allowed me to return to running and all the things I loved.
Fast forward 6 months and I got my cancer diagnosis. 2022 and 2023 were largely consumed with cancer treatment, complications and associated recovery, as set out in the entries in this blog. When I finally reached the end of treatment in early 2024, I was struggling with the withdrawal process from the lengthy spell on high dose steroids I had needed to manage said complications. The main complication, an immunotherapy checkpoint inhibitor induced adverse event, had unleashed a huge wave of inflammation throughout my body. Amongst many other issues, this caused significant flare ups in existing arthritis. Masked at first by the steroids but very obvious as the steroid wean kicked in. It took me some time to work out what was (reasonably) liveable with, and what was not. The left hip fell into the not category.
My first port of call was to contact the surgeon who did my right hip. Unfortunately I learned he had suffered an acquired brain injury from an accident and was working very limited hours. I went to my GP, who referred me to a consultant. Initially buoyed by only having to wait 5 weeks for a consultation and then being told the waiting list was about 12 weeks, I tried to get on with my life. Pain and stiffness has been increasing and the activities of daily living are hard, as is sleep. Towards the end of the 12 weeks, I received a phone call booking a pre-op but telling me it would be another 12 weeks to surgery.
This felt like the final straw. I have been through so much with cancer treatment. I lost the summer of 21 to my other failing hip, the summer of 22 to chemo, and the summer of 23 to immunotherapy / chemo. Last summer wasn’t great as I was still managing the steroid withdrawal. Whilst I am in remission, I don’t know how many more summers I will have and I don’t want to lose this one to this hip. So I cracked and found another recommended surgeon for private treatment. I have my pre-op on Friday and am booked in for surgery on May 17th. A Saturday as I guess they like to make as much use as possible of the operating theatres in my local Spire hospital. I appreciate being in the privileged financial position of being able to do this, I just wish the NHS was in better shape for those less fortunate than me. Having said that, I can’t fault the NHS cancer treatment I have received.
I am beginning to feel this blog has run its course as I appear to be one of the lucky ones to achieve a sustained remission out of Pembrolizumab. So if you don’t see another blog post from me it’s much more likely that I am skipping around enjoying life on my new hip, than the other reason people disappear. I am pretty sure I will be back if I have further complications. I hope readers have enjoyed my blog and that it gives hope to anyone facing down the grim diagnosis of metastatic cancer. I could certainly have used some stories of hope earlier in my journey.
