Question
can you offer any advise how i can overcome feeling so terrible. I am 40yrs old 5wks post op total hip replacment and bone grat to socket.Thia is my 8th operation. the others were done 20yrs ago. had  rough time in hospital bad memories came flooding back from previous surgery. The way i feel is not like me. I have been in chronic pain for years and always coped!  

Answer
Dear Sharon

I also had my first one done over 30 years ago at the age of 16.  I am now 47. My last revision was done in 2002 at the age of 45.!  Over the past 30 years I"ve had four revisions on each side,a total of 8 surgeries, just like you.  Yes, you do get depressed, and it gets harder with age.  There is nothing you can do about that.

What I always do, is always keep in the forefront of my mind that recovering is not forever.  You will walk again and you will have an essentially normal life again.  It's hard to take 6-8 weeks out of your life to heal, but you need to do that.

I understand about how past memories come back too, especially if surgery was very difficult, and recovery was difficult.  It's amazing that when the surgery is over you forget things, and then when you go back to have a revision, you remember everything.  Most of it bad.

The best advice I can give you is to go see if you can get on anti-depressants for a short time.  I always go back on Celexa when I get surgery because I know I get depressed. I know that you are not allowed out of the house without a therapist with you, so when your physical therapist comes, make them take you outside to walk.  That does help.  Get in the car and have someone take you for a ride to get an ice cream, or soda.  There are plenty of drive ins to go to.

I also have chronic pain and sometimes the medicaitons cause depression.  So you have to be pro active and quell that.   If you have to take an anti depressant for a bit, do it.  And don't think twice about it.  Once you start to return to your life as you knew it, you will need less and less of the anti depressant.  Yes, they are a pain in the neck to wean from when you are done, but it does help.

Try and have company, that helps.  Try to keep yourself from getting isolated.

I hope that I have helped, at least a little bit.  And I wish you the best of luck, I do know what you are going through.

Sharon Davis