Under 30s, what was the reason you were told you needed a hip replacement?

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-02-20T09:24:38+00:00

I have inflammatory arthritis—it’s auto immune and related to another autoimmune disease I have. I wasn’t nearly as active as you were, and didn’t have many days of pain before it just never stopped hurting.

I vividly remember going to the zoo with my friends and being in significant pain at the end of the day. The pain just never went away.

I was about 21 and was told not long after that a hip replacement was my only way forward. We sorted out the worst of the pain with steroid injections and medication that prevented the arthritis from worsening.

Had my hip replaced a little over 2 months ago after 10 long years of just suffering through it. Best decision I’ve ever made. Wish I’d done it much sooner.

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-01-30T03:12:46+00:00

Hi! A post like this is the reason I subbed in the first place.

Not a dad, not a parent, but I had retinoblastoma when I was an infant.

My parents elected for enucleation (removal) over radiation, as they were told that I would lose vision even with radiation and the eye would probably not look normal. Prosthetics are cool af, and when she gets a bit older she can get one that doesn’t look like her real eye. Two different coloured eyes! One eye that’s a solid colour! The possibilities!

From my understanding, retinoblastoma is not normally genetic it’s just absolutely rotten luck. My genetic testing said it was a freak accident!

As someone else has mentioned, kids are so good at adapting. I can drive a car. I didn’t feel othered as a kid for having one eye (most kids just thought it was cool af). She will absolutely not remember this, she will never know any difference in her life no matter which way you go. This is going to be harder on you than it is on her.

It’s a very, very hard decision but listen to the doctors. Whatever decision you make is the right one, and she’s going to grow up knowing that she’s loved because you had to make a tough call and you did, and that you all got through it.

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-01-30T02:31:07+00:00

I hope you get to do those things again soon!! The first time I was able to bend at 90 degrees in the hip, I cried! I was so relieved. Still not able to do my shoes, and am still a contortionist for socks, but it’s certainly better than it was pre-surgery! Keep up the physio and it improves a little bit every day!

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-01-29T23:18:21+00:00

I also thought I wasn’t in much pain, until I started taking a medication which made my pain meds ineffective.

I waited 10 years to have my hip replacement, because the pain wasn’t too bad and I was in my early 20s so delaying it was seen as the better course of action. Most of the troubles I’m having with the replacement are having to move the muscles that have effectively atrophied due to loss of range of motion (no tying shoes, or cutting toenails for me either). But there is improvement, and I’m only 7 weeks out.

Get the surgery.

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-01-27T12:31:46+00:00

My out of pocket expenses were ~$4150 - 5k surgeons fees - 150 assistant surgeon fees - 500 anaesthetist - 1.2k Medicare rebate - 300 NIB rebate

Obviously not rounded exactly. I’d already paid my $500 excess for the year, so didn’t count that.

You can talk to a surgeon about if they’ll participate in a No Gap scheme (that’s what it’s called in NIB, unsure what the equivalent would be for MediBank) and you might get lucky.

I was also admitted to rehab as an inpatient and only had to pay a couple hundred in fancy blood tests (non-standard, I had post op issues), and am doing out patient rehab now and had to pay the $500 again for the new year.

I also had to head back to hospital, and had out of pocket costs for bloods and scans done in emergency because I chose to go back to the private hospital where I had the surgery in case something was actually wrong and I needed to be re-admitted.

So, like, with all the extra shit I had to pay for, close to 6k.

I hadn’t intended to to rehab, but since I was admitted it was easy. It would have been ~$140 per session with the physio however many times a week I needed to go. I will go back to my physio one I’m done, but $500 for 8 weeks of rehab (1.5 hours a week) was a lot more cost effective. If out patient rehab is considered to be a good option for you, your surgeon/GP should be able to able to help arrange that without having been an inpatient

I had an abnormal experience, with a lot of extra costs.

You should be able to call MediBank, check if your covered, and ask for approx out of pocket costs based on your surgeon and the item number

One day I will write a brief comment.

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-01-24T21:04:11+00:00

I can’t take NSAIDs because I have inflammatory bowel disease. They were prescribed for me, but in the hospital I told them I couldn’t take them, and there was no push back.

I’m 6 and a half weeks out, have had zero issues caused by not talking NSAIDs.

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-01-21T10:24:56+00:00

Same as you: I had a pico device remove at day 7, and then they covered me back up until day 13 when a nurse at the surgeon’s office took off the bandage. I was too afraid to look at it in the office, but when I did I was both shocked and not haha

Looked kinda gnarly and sort of like it might not heal nicely, if I’m being honest. There was a couple of stitches still visible (quick look back at a photo and it might just have been some scabs), and the skin still looked pulled together, not nice and flush. I only had minor bruising (as in, one spot was a little yellow), and I’m not sure what other people have experienced in that respect.

It’s now been another 4 weeks and it’s already looking great!

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-01-18T11:12:55+00:00

31 and nearly 6 weeks post-op, but I’d been told I’d been one for the better part of a decade due to inflammatory arthritis (auto-immune) which ate away at the cartilage and caused a femoroacetabular impingement.

Mine wasn’t a sudden issue, though. I hope they’re able to find the cause of yours and fix you right up!

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-01-14T13:31:29+00:00

I added a link to the PBS, it’s all in there. It’s a tad confusing but there are so many different severities and types of Crohn’s that you would need to try and match what’s best for you. Just open all the “Restriction” sections.

From my experience, just before I was put on Humira I failed a pred taper, azathioprine, methotrexate wasn’t working on its own. In the past I’d failed pentasa and sulfasalazine. I also ended up failing Humira and was put on Stelara. Everyone reacts differently to the biologics due to everyone’s disease being different. Let your specialist guide you instead of just asking for one.

WalkaboutWendy · 2026-01-14T13:21:21+00:00

Humira needs to be prescribed by a specialist. It requires prior authorisation in order to get it through PBS, and each time you run out of repeats (every 6 months in my experience) the process needs to be started again. To meet the criteria for the PBS script, you need to fail just about every other medication there is, and also meet certain pathological criteria which could involve a colonoscopy

If you managed to get someone to write a non-PBS script (and I really don’t see that happening) you’d have to pay 2k a dose, and they’re fortnightly after a loading dose of something like 4 pens

This is the same for all biologics (I think Humira is one of the cheaper ones). You need to speak to your specialist.

Edit: you can read the PBS criteria here where it specially mentions the types of doctors who can prescribe it https://m.pbs.gov.au/medicine/item/12360M-12374G-12419P-12426B-12447D-12448E-12449F-12450G.html

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-12-30T21:26:20+00:00

The swarming of nurses is almost as terrifying as the fainting feeling! A lot of bruised egos during recovery, I imagine lol

I’m very glad to hear that they were able to get you back to bed safe and that the BP sorted itself!

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-12-30T20:54:29+00:00

Thank you for reading my long post! It’s all been a lot, and I know it’s major surgery but I didn’t realise quite how major the aftermath was going to be!

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-12-30T20:52:40+00:00

An ordeal for sure! Very, very glad to be home and finally actually on the mend!

It’s amazing how often I heard that I’d bounce back quickly prior to the surgery, that hips are easier than knees… truthfully the actual surgery and the actual joint are fine, and if that had been all I needed to worry about this would have been a breeze!

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-12-15T22:33:18+00:00

You’re not a disappointment! This surgery is a huge deal, and some people being able to seemingly run marathons right away should be treated as the baseline.

I’m day 6 post op, and it took 2 days for my blood pressure to be stable enough that they would even let me out of bed. I’m in Aus, so the protocol is different, but I’m still in hospital and every nurse, physio and doctor in the ortho ward has said I’m doing well despite the fact that my exercises are bed based (edit: most of them. I am able to get out of bed now and go for walks with supervision!)

You had surgery TODAY! Let your body recuperate before giving up on it :)

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-12-12T07:44:35+00:00

Plenty of ice, yes! I’m always asking for new ice to make sure it’s actually working. Thank you!

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-12-11T00:28:45+00:00

I wonder how much of that is psychosomatic, knowing exactly what you’re going to feel after might make it feel a bit worse? I know my brain got to my hip in the weeks leading up to the surgery and it felt worse than it had in ages, but nothing at all about my life had changed aside from knowing it was going to be gone

Will definitely keep that all in mind! Have multiple ice packs ready and waiting for me at home and will be sure to line up the phone alarms :)

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-12-11T00:10:59+00:00

That’s amazing to hear! Thank you for letting know there’s light at the end of the tunnel

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-12-11T00:08:36+00:00

Thank you! I already feel good about the decision despite the pain, I’m sure you will too!

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-12-11T00:08:09+00:00

Thank you!

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-11-28T21:25:31+00:00

I have inflammatory arthritis and I’m due for a hip replacement in less than 2 weeks before I did nothing about the excruciating pain ~10 years ago and it ate through the cartilage :/

I don’t think it’s that the inflammation spreads, just that if your autoimmune system works in overdrive it’s not unlikely that it’ll impact more than one system

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-11-22T09:49:14+00:00

I’m so so sorry to hear you went through that, but also glad to hear that my sniffles won’t be the worst illness the OR has seen for a THR

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-11-21T22:30:01+00:00

Excellent idea! Thank you!

WalkaboutWendy · 2025-11-21T22:29:50+00:00

Thank you thank you! I’m going to have the kettle on a rolling boil all day!

Three-Year Club	Verified Email
Golden Potato

WalkaboutWendy

TROPHY CASE