Doctor in Midwest

[Pat Walter]

Hi,
My name is Kayla, and my mother is considering getting both of her
hips resurfaced because of acetabular dysplasia. We are from Storm Lake, IA.
She is currently planning on having her surgery done by Dr. Thomas Gross
from Columbia, SC, but it is very expensive to fly there from the midwest. I
was wondering if you know of any doctors in the midwest that have much
experience with hip resurfacing with great results.
Thank you very much,
Kayla

[Pat Walter]

Hi Kayla

I think you have made one of the best choices in the US. Dr. Gross is very
experienced and one of the best hip resurfacing surgeons.  It is very
important to have an experienced doctor do your hip resurfacing.

Look at the expense as an investment in your health.  I had no insurance and
had to go to Belgium to Dr. De Smet.  I used my credit card and it cost us a
total of $16,000 for travel and medical expenses.  Best investment I have
made in my entire 62 year life.  Better than a used car or even a house.
Sometimes we have to pay for what we want.  Many of us that received our
BHR's before the FDA approval had to travel to Belgium or India.  We knew
what we wanted and were will to pay for it.

You can check out my list to see who is near you,
http://www.surfacehippy.info/listofdoctors.php   but make sure you also
check the stats page to see how experienced the doctor is
http://www.surfacehippy.info/doctorstatistics.php

If you are older like I was at 61 and have special problems, you need to use
a very experienced surgeon.  Hip Resurfacing is almost as much of an art as
a science.  Everything has to be placed just right for the hip to work
properly and not have problems. There are quite a few studies showing a step
learning curve for hip resurfacing.  Most show a doctor needs 50 - 100
surgeries to be experienced.  In my opinion, they need hundreds to be
experienced.

I wish your Mom much luck. Let me know if I can help with any other
information.