Gary Breckenridge with Dr. Bala 2006
Dear Dr. Bala,
I apologize for seeming to have neglected or ignored you. I have begun this missive on several occasions, only to stumble over my own limitations. I know I promised you a recommendation you might be able to use on your web site. You have my permission to use any or all of this email in any way you see fit. I have struggled to find the words necessary to describe how Dr. Bala has changed my life. At 44 years of age, to hear the words from a U.S. physician, “You have osteoarthritis in your left hip and I could have you approved for a total hip replacement surgery by Monday”, was nothing short of terrifying. He told me the determining factor of when to undergo the surgery would be when the pain became too intense. Being a nurse and knowing the limitations of a traditional total hip, I KNEW I did not want to live that lifestyle for the next 40 – 50 years of my life. A little luck and a lot of research lead me to decide to pursue a hip resurfacing, rather than a total hip replacement, and to Dr. Bala to perform the procedure for me. The dry statistics are that I was in the hospital for six days. I was up, walking with a walker two days after the surgery day, bawling happy tears because that deep, achy, grinding, burning pain of those first morning steps were not there. Granted, there was a little incisional pain at the surgical site, but completely different than the osteoarthritis pain. Physical therapy was twice a day in the hospital and in the evenings for several more days at the hotel until it was time to head home. None of this was surprising as my research lead me to be prepared for basically such a routine, except my joy at the disappearance of the joint pain. The part of my experience I could not prepare for was the depth of compassion, curiosity, strength and character of the people of India. Beginning with Dr. Bala, his staff, the nurses, the aides, the housekeeping staff, the staff at the hotels, restaurants or stores we went to, the counter help at the little local bakery, people we sat next to on flights or out walking the streets, were so warm, gentle, curious and caring, we were caught completely off-guard. My beautiful wife is a nervous traveler by nature and I was expecting the crowded big cities of India we see on television. By the time we left India, she was changed as well in that she is now a much less nervous traveler, a little more trusting. In America, crowded usually equals rude, mean, harried, nasty people. It took several days to understand that the people of Coimbature are put together much differently than Americans. While there is plenty of honking horns and some impatience, it is all undergirdered by the gentle Indian soul. To put it bluntly, Dr. Bala gave me my life back. I followed my own flawed thinking to put off the surgery as long as possible. PLEASE do not make the same mistake! Do not spend 2 years hobbling around until the pain is unbearable. The one thing 46 year old Gary would tell the 44 year old Gary is to get that damn hip resurfaced NOW!! TODAY!! This led me to a life of eating Aleve like candy while spending a third of my waking hours on the couch because the pain was too intense to take another step. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who can’t sit still very long and I usually drive my wife and friends a little crazy with “what’s next?”. Dr. Bala has given me the physical ability to be that active again. I think a few examples of the physical activities I have returned to might be more illistrutrative than general “this is great” statements. Since returning from India in early July, I have returned to my job as a floor nurse, working 12 hour days, walking for pleasure, jogging, racquetball, clearing a building site in a heavily wooded 4 acre lot with a chainsaw and a skidloader for my daughter and son-in-law. Reshingling my entire house and residing 2/3rds of my house after a hail storm that pummeled us with baseball sized hailstones, scooping up my handicapped mom and carrying her up-stairs she can’t climb herself and remodeling my son-in-laws’ clinic. Most importantly, I am able to get down on the floor again to wrestle with or tickle my 2 year old granddaughter, nephews and nieces. When preparing for discharge, I asked what my long term limitations were, Dr. Bala told me “Give yourself 6 months to completely heal and then anything you would do with your natural hip, you can do with this resurfaced hip.” I haven’t quite taken the whole 6 months yet, but his statement has held up for me as that I haven’t found anything yet I cannot accomplish. It is as simple as thank you Dr. Bala and India for changing our lives. Regards, Gary and Cheryl Breckenridge Northfield, Minnesota