I am facing a total hip replacement due to bone on bone with no cartridge left in one of my hips.

Hi .I am a 57 female and I am going through the bone on bone I can't walk constant unbearable pain. Issues also ..in one hip due to an injury about 15 years ago ... I feel for you and anyone else that has pain this bad .. I have heard nothing but good things about hip replacement immediate relief is what I'm being told by a lot of people my issue is they won't do the surgery until I get my blood sugar down I didn't even know I was a diabetic I have congestive heart failure and have a heart device and the blood sugar issues I'm the only thing keeping me from getting the hip replacement I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong I'm not heavy I'm not overweight in fact I'm probably underweight that could be the hard thing I don't know any advice or suggestion would be welcomed thank you so much and good luck to you

Hi I'm 71, and I was in the same place as you, bone on bone, barely able to walk. I had a total right hip replacement in November of 2021, and it's been miraculous! I had to wait until I was in a living situation where I could have it done, and now I have absolutely no pain. I also had a bone on bone issue with my left thumb and had surgery about 2 months ago, with excellent results. Injections and ablations cannot help with our type of situation. I hope you go for the surgery! Blessings

Physicians generally start with the least invasive and work their way up. Usually the first step is cortisone shots. If this does not work the next step is usually an ablation - to burn the nerves in your hip. My ablation only lasted a week and the hope is for 6 months. My doctor knew the final step was total hip replacement. My surgery is scheduled for March 13, 2023. Does one leg feel shorter than the other? If the above are not being worked on you may need another doctor.
Maybe you need to be more assertive with your doctor. Often you have to make them understand the severity of your pain.

GET YOUR HIP REPLACED!
It is like a miracle! I waited 5 years to get mine done. I was in misery all the time.
I had surgery at seven a.m., and by one p.m. that afternoon
I walked up two flights of stairs. I had the anterior approach. No muscles are cut and after about 10 weeks there are NO hip precautions. It is not like the old posterior approach. I wish I had not wasted 5 years suffering. When my other hip started to be bone on bone, I did not wait. Now I have no hip pain.

Had my hip replacement 3/21 and the pain was pretty much gone right after surgery. Only used OxyContin for 2 days, then Tylenol was enough. Also had a shoulder replacement in 2018. These surgeries are miracles! I have bone on bone in all joints, so there may be some more surgeries in my future. I get cortisone shots in my knees, which is working very well right now. This is osteoarthritis, not rheumatoid arthritis (which is an auto immune disorder). When cartilage wears away, the condition is osteoarthritis and can be treated successfully with surgery.

You should be able to get appropriate pain medication by requesting referral to a pain management specialist. If you can get an appointment without a referral then immediately get a medical records release to the orthopedic practice to provide your records to pain management.
You didn't mention if and when you have surgery scheduled. I have a total hip replacement on Feb 1. Hydrocodone and Aleve are helping some with the pain, but I can only take the Aleve a few times a week due to the GI side effects.
Have you tested positive for rheumatoid arthritis? This is an immunological condition that is diagnosed and treated by a rheumatologist. A surgeon is not going to take the time to address it and cannot prescribe some of the treatment drugs.

I’m so sorry you’re under-medicated and suffering. I had my right hip replacement at 57 and it was a game-changer! Never looked back. I have had other ortho surgeries since. Typically a post op pain regiment might include Tylenol, ibuprofen, Norco for the immediate post-op period. You need to get your pain under control to effectively participate in the rehab as well as for day-to-day comfort. I agree with others that gabapentin is not effective.
***IF POSSIBLE opt for the anterior (front) surgical approach as opposed to the posterior (when the gluteal or butt muscle is cut). Except in a few select cases, anterior approach can be used but there are some surgeons who are used to the posterior and do it anyway. Anterior approaches have a much easier rehab with less restrictions. I would consider changing surgeons (if you can) if you don’t feel well cared for prior to surgery; you need to be able to trust your provider. I was up with a nurse using a walker that night. Good luck!