using the VA for hip replacement

[kathleene]

Hello, I'm new to this site and wold like some feedback.  I am 61 and have been dealing with a service connected disability for about 3 years now.  the VA in Portland Oregon will perform a hip replacement (wait list for at least another year) at no financial cost to me.  In fact, they will pay me for my recovery time.  They use students from OHSU (Oregon Health Science Univeristy) and the surgery is overseen by an orthopedist on staff at the VA.  Can anyone give me feedback about experiences with the VA?  My health insurance has a large deductable and will cost me about the same as it would to go to another country.  I am considering that option too...to let go of the insurance and go out of the country if i cannot tolerate the year's wait.
Any feedback would be most appreciated. 
Kathleen

[Pat Walter]

Hi Kathleen

Welcome to Hip Talk. 

Are you considering a Hip Resurfacing?  I was 61 when I went to Dr. De Smet in Belgium to have my hip resurfaced in March 2006.  I did not have health insurance and could not afford surgery in the US.  I could have gotten a free or almost free THR, but I did not want to go that way.

The one thing that I can tell you is - if you have a hip resurfacing, you want the most experienced surgeon doing the work.  You are older, like I was, and probably have some bone density loss.  Hip resurfacing is a much more technically difficult surgery than a THR.  The learning curve is very steep for new surgeons that alread have much THR experience.  Check out this page and read about the learning curve http://www.surfacehippy.info/medicalstudies.php

I have been researching hip resurfacing for about 3 years and started my website about 1 1/2 years ago.  I belong to the large Yahoo Surface Hippy Group of over 6000+ memebers.  I have seen hundreds of posts by people receiving hip resurfacings and normally the people using the experienced surgeons do much better.  People will tell you they were their doctors first or tenth and are doing well, but if you understand statistics, you will know you have a much greater chance of having post op problems using a new surgeon.

I don't know anything about the VA and really don't remember anyone on the big group having a hip resurfacing thru the VA.  I think it is too new for them to be doing yet.  But I could be wrong.  The FDA only approved in the US last year.  It has been used in the rest of the world since 1998 and even a little earlier.

I did not want a THR because I wanted to keep my full femur bone.  It is not cut off with a hip resurfacing.  It is shaped to accept a metal cap that is part of the hip device.  Then the metal cup is placed into the acetabulum of the hip.  So if I ever need a revision in the future, I have a whole femur bone to work with.  http://www.surfacehippy.info/thrrevision.php

If you have a thr first and need a revision, it gets more complicated because they have to break your femur bone apart to get the long stem out, then wire it back together for the new stem.  So hip resurfacing is bone sparing. That's the biggest reason I chose it.

Here are all the other reasons http://www.surfacehippy.info/pcbhrvsthr.php

I am sorry I can't help about the VA, but I do know you want to choose an experienced Surgeon.  Going to Dr. De Smet in Belgium will be about $17,000 total. Going to Dr. Bose in India will be about $10,000 to $12,000

We are very deep in debt since my husbands company went out of business, but I just did not want a THR.  I found enough on my credit cards to pay for my surgery.  It was the best financial investment I ever made in my whole life.

Oh, I also wanted to mention that if you choose the THR route - be sure to at least get a MOM - metal on metal with the ball size the same as your natural femur size or a ceramic on ceramic with the ball size the same as your naltural femur size.  If you let them give you the old fashioned  plastic/metal small ball hip - you will be very restricted in your future activities.  I was told I could not even mow the lawn if it was on a hill.  I was told I could not get on the floor to brush or cut dog nails and I have 15 dogs.  You have to be much more careful about dislocations with a THR - especially the old fashioned small ball cheap ones that many surgeons love to use.  Just be careful.

Pat
3/15/06 LBHR De Smet