I had my right hip replaced in September 21 following a couple of years of denial that anything was wrong. I seemed to have constant issues with abductors, quads, hamstrings etc, but never admitted the hip was the issue. Family were telling me to get it sorted right back in 2020, but I think you have to wait until you are ready. I was able to manage it with exercise - until I was no longer able to manage it with exercise. By the summer of 2021, I couldn’t deny it any longer. I was lucky and had a successful operation and a very straightforward recovery. By the start of 2022, I was literally up and running, and expecting the transformational effects to reopen my horizons.
Of course readers of this blog will know what happened next. In January 22, the same week that I restarted running, I had a routine mammogram. Onwards to a breast cancer diagnosis, which quickly became stage 4. I have been battling the after effects of an immunotherapy related adverse event and the consequences of 9 months of high dose steroids for some time. This has left me with an awful lot of joint stiffness and pain, with decreased mobility and decreased ability to undertake the tasks of daily living. Oncology haven’t been able to suggest any way forward with this, so I have been working with a lovely young GP registrar at my practice, who luckily finds my situation interesting. We have been working through how much ibuprofen I can use without risking further kidney damage. The answer, unfortunately, is not as much as I need to control my symptoms.
Exercise helps, although it’s difficult. I absolutely love running, and find it’s such a good way of finding head space. I live by the sea and have over the years gained great benefit from running along our seafront, whatever the weather. Running came to a halt when I had my immunotherapy adverse event in September 23 and I have always hoped my health would improve enough to enable a restart. I have made tentative strides at run/walking despite the impact of damaged lungs (IRAE) and stiff joints / sore muscles (IRAE and/or damage from the long course of high dose steroids needed to recover from the IRAE). My left leg is awful - neuropathy at the bottom and a sore hip at the top. And running really bothers it by making me so stiff I struggle to move.
It has slowly dawned on me that the issues I am having with my left hip are very similar to those I was experiencing with the other hip in 2021. Same stiffness. Same inability to bend, stand up easily, put my sock on. Pain at night. So I saw the lovely GP today in order to kick off the process of a hip replacement referral and now have a surgical assessment booked for Feb 26th. My cancer is in remission but I live on 3-monthly surveillance cycles and don’t know what the future holds, so will press on and get it done if the assessment confirms there is value. With my health and general fitness not as good as last time, I need to guard against having overly high expectations. It really was a miracle procedure last time that allowed me to get back up and running very quickly. If nothing else, I can spend a few months reading posts on hip replacement community sites rather than cancer ones!
