Discussions

I am calling on the wonderful ebrandon community who have experience with this for some advice on how to cope with the pain and limited mobility until I can get my hip replacement surgery (not going to happen until at the earliest March of 2025). When I google it the advice I read is to exercise! But I can hardly walk let alone exercise! Any little tidbit of advice is most welcome! Thank you so much!

I’m the furthest thing from being an expert but there are chair exercises that you can do to strengthen your extremities. I’m sure a quick google or YouTube search would be helpful

Sorry to hear you are in such pain. The wait time for hip and knee surgery is long and difficult. Have you tried getting a cortisone shot? That can help during wait time. Celebrex can also be useful to take for pain relief. Hoping you can find some comfort in the days ahead. Take care.

The wait for hip replacement is long and painful, I’ve been there. If you are not already using a cane, I suggest getting one - it doesn’t take away the pain but it helped me immensely in getting around. My doctor prescribed Tramacet as pain relief and it worked for me. If you’re able to go for surgery on short notice, make sure you are on the cancellation list. Go on a letter-writing (email) campaign to your MLA, Minister of Health, your health region stating your concerns - it may not speed up your wait but it may help someone else down the road.  
 
Good luck - I wish you the best.

Pain relief is something to discuss with your doctor or pharmacist, best not to risk taking something which may react with any other drugs you may be taking.  
Your only option to cut the waiting list is to go privately I fear, and you’re looking at approx $35,000.  
Last year I flew to a clinic in Lithuania for a hip replacement. The total cost for surgery, 2 days in clinic with meals i:ncluded, transport to/from airport i:ncluded, transport to rehab facility for 7 days with all meals and 3 treatments per day , 24 nurse attendance, doctor on call and return flight (Wpg - Toronto - Frankfurt - Vilnius … Vilnius - Frankfurt - Montreal - Wpg) came to $16,000  
I dare say it’s a bit more now but if you can afford it then you’re looking at getting surgery in about 6 weeks if all the tests are good.

Go to a physio therapist, they will give you not only stretches and exercises but also ways to help manage pain with massages and things. It might even be covered if you can get a doctors note. Other things to try is volteren or diclofenic.  
I know moving hurts but staying in one spot is worse you can do it!

So much to all of you for taking the time to reply to my post with such good sound advice and suggestions … it means a great deal to me. I am recovering and in remission from cancer and treatment and am finding this hip “thing” so frustrating. When I should be living it up I am now dealing with this … it could be worse this I know but I am so afraid the cancer will come back before I get a chance to get the surgery. I have expressed my concern to the surgeon but it fell on very deaf ears … I understand there is such a backlog and so many people suffering - I am just one of many. I am going to follow up on all the suggestions except the one about paying for surgery … financially that is simply not an option but I am appreciative of the suggestion…again thank you so kindly all

I'm so sorry you're going through this. My mom had cancer a few years back, and she found the cancer treatment itself really accelerated and exasperated her existing knee issues. It was a very painful wait until she was able to get the worst one done. She did most of the things listed above. I know it's not the same as a hip, but it seriously limited her mobility too.  
 
I hope you find some relief and that surgery is on the horizon too!

If you’re waiting for surgery in Brandon I wouldn’t waste my time. I would get a referral to the Concordia hip and knee institute in Winnipeg. I waited less than 3 months. My initial visit with the dr was in November 2023 and was on the surgery table January 16 2024 . My hip feels so awesome. I can relate to your pain it’s not fun . The drs in Brandon are a joke .

I have to agree, with the last post. I have had both hips done at Concordia and I would never go anywhere else. They only do knees and hips.  
Before my last hip, I took CBD oil at nights and that let me sleep.

I agree with the above posts, I had both of my hip replacements at Concordia hospital (3 months apart ) and I have no regrets. I would also never have surgery in Brandon (just a person choice). I had my first surgery 3 months following my referral so I didn’t wait much at all. The Concordia hip and knee institute was like a well oiled machine, absolutely fabulous from the time I arrived till the time I left, everything went very smooth. I have had no post-op concerns whatsoever.  
 
Edited by Summertime, 2024-07-05 18:59:42

I am sorry your dear mom went through so much! I definitely agree with her that cancer treatments can accelerate & exacerbate these issues - after my cancer treatment I broke my foot and my hand and now I need a hip replacement… i never had a broken bone in my life before cancer and treatment - I can’t believe it is coincidence. I am glad to hear she got her surgeries, recovered from cancer and is doing well - I appreciate your reply so much as I wondered if I was correct in thinking these issues might possibly be related to my cancer and treatment.

Thank you to those of you who suggested going to Concordia and I am glad your experiences were so positive … that is where I am going but unfortunately the wait time there now is about a year … I was originally referred to a surgeon in Brandon but was told I wouldn’t get my surgery until the end of 2025 so my GP referred me to Concordia … I had my consult this past March and was told immediately upon leaving the surgeons office that I wouldn’t get a surgery date until late fall as Concordia was cancelling elective surgeries daily due to a lack of beds and staff. I was also just told yesterday I wouldn’t get my surgery until March 2025…

That's where my mom ended up too, and they initially told her 9-12 months, but she got in in under 6. But that was almost a year ago, so things might (likely) have changed.  
 
They did tell her that the treatments might mess with her heart and joints (and teeth!). She avoided the heart problems and got work done on her teeth to prevent issues (I think it's actually for the maintenance medication she takes), but her joints flared really bad. So depending on your cancer (my mom had triple-positive ductal carcinoma) and the medications, it can definately exasperate your joint problems!