Entries by Patricia Walter

I wanted to let people know that the blogs are mostly used to tell Hip Resurfaicng Stories.

If you are hoping to get some comments from your posting, I would suggest joining the Hip Talk Discussion Group on this website Hip Talk Discussion Group at the Surface Hippy Website

I don't like people to be dissapointed that they are not getting answers from their posts. There are over 500+ memebers on the Hip Talk Group and the people are very kind and supportive.

Pat Owner/Webmaster of the Surface Hippy Website

Many people have great personal hip resurfacing stories to tell. These stories help people to learn about hip resurfacing. The stories about how people decided to choose their doctor, their surgery experiences, post op recoveries and their return to an active normal life are very inspiring to people wanting to learn about hip resurfacing

 

Blog your story. If you have already had a hip resurfacing share your story with others. If you are about to have a hip resurfacing, use your Surface Hippy Blog as a journal to keep track of your Surface Hippy Adventure. Many have gone before you and hopefully, many more will follow in your footsteps.

 

I will try to link all the personal stories posted on the Surface Hippy Blogs on the Hip Stories Page of Surface Hippy. Surface Hippy is becoming a very active and well used website. Posting your personal story will help spread the word about how great hip resurfacing is. Let’s share our stories with the world

 

Join Surface Hippy Blogs and post your hip resurfacing story now! Go to the USER SELF REGISTRATION section of the right side and register.

After three years of groin pain, I began researching options to improve my quality of life. In 2005, I met with two different Orthopedic surgeons both of whom recommended surgery as the only option. While visiting a friend @ Community General Hospital, I saw an information board regarding "Birmingham Hip Resurfacing". I talked about the technique with my Orthopedist and his recommendation was a Total Hip Replacement. Dr. Michael Clarke, who is in the same practice, was an Orthopedist specializing in BHR and I immediately made an appointment with him. Following the initial meeting, I began a quest to learn as much about the BHR technique as possible. Your website "Surface Hippies" was of great value. I scheduled my surgery for a LBHR with Dr. Clarke on March 19, 2008.

I was Dr. Clarke's first surgical patient of the day. I went into the OR @ 7:30am and was in recovery by 9:00am. I woke up around 11:00am and was transferred to my room. In addition to the patient administered catheter, Dr. Clarke uses a post-operative "painbuster" catheter that infuses medications directly into the wound. (Day 1): walking with the aid of a walker. (Day 2):physical therapy and step climbing, up two steps, cross a platform and down two steps then walked back to my room. (Day 3) physical therapy in the morning and headed for home around noon. (Days 4 thru 7):switched from narcotics for pain to extra strength Tylenol as the narcotics tend to have a paradoxical effect. Lots of swelling initially but diminished as activities increased. Some difficulty sleeping at night. Both a nurse and physical therapist visited the house and a plan of walking and exercising three times daily began. (Days 8 thru 14): feeling better each day, sleep is improving , transitioned from walker to cane on Day 9.

Began driving short distances on Day 14. Eating is back to normal and overall body strength is improving. (Days 15 thru 17): Feeling great, the surgical area is tender and I have to change positions frequently. Just got back from a three quarter mile walk. I must admit it tired me out. I begin outpatient therapy on April 9th, so I will follow-up at the conclusion of next week. Thanks for your support

Steve

10 Days Post Op

 

Hello Friends,

 

I had my surgery with AVN God (Dr. Bose). I can not tell you how energtic I am feeling after the surgery. I am feeling like I am in heaven.......

 

No pain no discomfort and live is changing so quickly and I am getting so much positive response from my leg and body...... so much positive energy is there now to do things.

enjoy....love ....laugh and music I am enjoying everything..... I am so lucky that we have Dr.Bose to take care of me and many patients here on this board.

Lefty - 73 years young

I'm doing well nine days after my left hip was resurfaced by Dr. Mont at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore.

The first three days after surgery were somewhat discouraging, but on the fourth day I started using crutches, which I find to be MUCH preferable to a walker. I'm 73, had no one to accompany me to Baltimore from upstate New York, and live alone, so I decided to spend some time in rehab here before heading home.

I wanted to share my story about how Dr. Rector of Boulder, Colorado, and the BHR gave me my life back.

 

About 4 years ago I began to have extreme pain in my right groin area for about a month, then it switched to my left groin. For the following year I suffered in so much pain that I could only get about 3 hours sleep each night. Each time I rolled over while sleeping the pain would wake me up and keep me up the rest of the night. I found myself becoming depressed and irritable, and I suspect that even my personality was changing from being a happy fun person to a grumpy old man.

 

Hello All,

Just thought I'd post a note. I had a C+ installed in my left hip by the fabulous Dr Harold Boyd on 10/10/02 at the ripe old age of 40.

After over 5 years, I don't even think about having had a hip replacement.

I went to India to Apollo Hospital and Dr. Vijay Bose was my surgeon.

 

It turned out my bones were very strong and could take hip resurfacing instead of the hip anthroplasty he had previously suggested.

 

 I am on Day 10 post op and things are going fine. I'm still in India- spending time at Fisherman's Cove Resort before flying back to the States. The surgery was successful. I saw an x-ray and it looks good. The doctors also thought so. I was given some exercises by a team of physiotherapists to strengthen my muscles and relearn walking correctly. I had severe bone on bone osteoarthritis and walked with a serious limp and was pretty much in constant pain.

 

My name is Geoff Robertson and I live in Rossland B.C. Canada. I'm 45 years young, very fit and active and a person who'd suffered with osteoarthritis in both hips for about 3-4 years, before finally making the decision to have surgery to repair the problem. I was scared to death of having such a major surgery, but I slowly came to the realization that I just couldn't continue to live with the constant pain and increasing loss of mobility any longer. After dropping activity after activity and having very little left to give up in my life, I decided that something had to be done.

 

Thought it was time to report back on my lovely new hip! I had by left hip resurfaced on Friday 16th Nov with an Adept device in the end, as this gave my surgeon better sizing options than the BHR. My surgery was carried out at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic in Oswestry (UK) under the care of Prof James Richardson.

 

On Nov. 19,2007 I had my left hip resurfaced by D. Scott Ball at UCSD  Thornton Hospital, La Jolla, CA.

I got in 30 days early due to a cancellation so I only had about 5 day window of being "anxious" but due to prayer I was very peaceful all the way up to going under.

I was put under at 1:00 and remember waking up about 5:00 with no pain. Did not remember throat tube going in or out or the catheter going in.

So, I am 2 1/2 weeks out from my hip resurfacing with Mr. Treacy in Birmingham, UK. The plane flight back to Colorado was easy on my hip but just very draining overall. This was my second hip surgery on my right hip, prior to the BHR I had surgery for labral tears, microfracture and the rebuilding of my ligementum teres, which was a stabilizing ligament between the femoral head and the acetablum.

Three years ago at the age of 37 I was given the news I have osteoarthritis by my family doctor. I was referred to a hip specialist and was told I needed a Total Hip Replacement, oh and by the way, would never again participate in high impact sports. Three other specialists gave me the same news. As the FDA hadn’t yet approved the resurfacing there wasn’t a lot of info available.

Dr. James Verner did my surgery. Not sure how many he’s done, but in the Detroit area, he’s one of the more experienced with BHR and I would HIGHLY recommend him!!

I’m six weeks post-surgery today. I gave up any walking assistance (crutches/cane) after four weeks - about the time I started PT. PT is now three time a week. My only pain is from the muscles surrounding the incision and the hip area - but NOT the joint. I’ve been walking up to three miles daily (weather permitting). I still have stiffness after I’ve been sitting for a while, but it loosens right up. The strength is coming back slowly.

Bob in Michigan
08/30/07 RBHR - Dr. Verner

I am 4 days post-op (in 4 hrs) and doing fabulous. We are all different patients, but Mercy Mt Shasta and staff is the best hospital I’ve ever been in and Dr Ure’s office staff is stellar. Don’t let the small town keep you away. The hospital is the cleanest and pristine and nursing staff has a lot of ortho experience. Here’s my story, but feel free to get back to me with questions.

My hip story began ten years ago, when I started experiencing pain in my left hip flexor area. This pain came on rather quickly and became intense within just a week or two. The long arduous process of attempting to have this problem diagnosed and properly treated lasted almost a year, with treatments ranging from steroid shots in the muscles at the hip flexor and groin area, to various pain medications (which had the side effects of making me tired or nauseated), physical therapy, and even to acupuncture.

My story is that my right hip was deteriorating over about 8 years. Because I am a sports person (playing squash for 42 years and wanting to continue), I regularly sought assistance from chiropractors, hysiotherapists and other such people with very limited affect.

 

5 years Post Op

I had a Wright C+ installed in my left hip by the fabulous Dr. Harold Boyd of Oregon on 10/10/02 at the ripe old age of 40. After over 5 years, I don’t even think about having had a hip replacement. I was playing golf at about 6 weeks & recovered nearly fully by 12 weeks.

 

I'm not really much of an athlete now but my need for hip resurfacing stems from being a gymnast and dancer 25 years (and 25 pounds) ago! I am 46 and enjoy bowling and golf. I did not golf at all this year due to hip pain.