'˜I went from limping to climbing a mountain after hip replacement'

A woman who climbed Ben Nevis after having a hip replacement at a Chichester hospital has shared her story of how the treatment transformed her life.
Teresa Donald at the summit of Ben Nevis after having a hip replacement at Nuffield Health Chichester HospitalTeresa Donald at the summit of Ben Nevis after having a hip replacement at Nuffield Health Chichester Hospital
Teresa Donald at the summit of Ben Nevis after having a hip replacement at Nuffield Health Chichester Hospital

Teresa Donald was around 40 years old when she recognised she had arthritis and the pain eventually became ‘unbearable’, affecting her favourite pastime of walking.

Nine months after her operation, Teresa has gone from struggling to stand on the bus to scaling the highest peak in Britain, pain free.

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Teresa said: “I have always loved walking because it is a great way to keep fit and is also a big part of my social life since I am part of a walking group, where we all love exploring new destinations.

“Before my operation, I never really let my arthritic hip impact my life because I refused to let it, however it was very hard to ignore when I wasn’t able to walk without limping.

“Although I knew I had the stamina and ability, I wasn’t sure if my body would be able to handle a whole walk, which was very frustrating and disheartening.

“Another challenge I faced was using the bus. I found myself having to stand up a couple of minutes before my stop, just to make sure I could move when I needed to.

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“Sometimes when I would try to stand, my body would freeze because of the pain I would feel.”

She said she made an appointment at Nuffield Health Chichester Hospital and had her operation three weeks later. Orthopaedic consultant Mr Rao talked her through the procedure and she said she was ‘very grateful’.

She said: “Almost instantly after my procedure, most of the pain I had previously been suffering from had gone and I was able to leave the hospital very shortly afterwards.

“I even managed to complete a challenging 40 mile walk around the coast of Guernsey, three months later.

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“Following this, I then accomplished the South Downs Way walk with a friend, which was 106 miles and took us nine days to complete.”

“An achievement I’m particularly proud of was walking up Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Britain.

“The walk was definitely one of my biggest challenges to date, however with my new hip I had a spring in my step the whole way up.

“Before my hip replacement, all I can say is that I suffered from unnecessary pain. However, now I no longer have to struggle and my quality of life is so much better.”

Call Nuffield Health Chichester Hospital on 01243 884552.