Dr. Su - Bilateral BHR 3-4-14. Legg Calve Perthes

[LAR]

I last posted a message two years ago and received advice at that time from a member which I followed through on. Below, is a recounting of my hip resurfacing experience to date.

I am a 55 year old male and have just returned home from HSS after receiving bilateral hip resurfacing surgery by Dr. Edwin Su. I spent three nights in the hospital post-surgery. I saw Dr. Su before I was discharged and he said that the surgery went extremely well. I recall him saying that it was a "textbook" surgery.

I have lived with a bad left hip for the vast majority of my life because I developed Legg Perthes Disease when I was a child. Somehow, even with an significantly malformed and enlarged femur/left hip joint, I was able to actively engage in a number of impact sports without too much limitation and have led a normal life. I competed in alpine ski racing in my teens and college and continued to race recreationally up to about 50. I played singles 4.0-4.5 tennis to perhaps 47-48 and continued with doubles up until the last couple of years. I've continued to ski hard, powder, trees, etc., mostly in the Rockies. I got much more interested in golf about 15 years ago, so tennis isn't a big part of my life anymore.

About two years ago my right hip started to bother me and over the last 6-9 months, it had become hard to do simple things. Walking became difficult. My gait shortened, which made it challenging for me to keep up with anyone I was walking with. I also had a pronounced limp. Running became impossible about 2 years ago. Over the years, pain had not been a big problem for me, but my range of motion, which had always been poor, became overly limiting.

I saw three orthopedic surgeons over the last two years. All three had experience with hip resurfacing surgery and the BHR device. The one thing that all three concurred on was that both hips were shot and needed to be replaced. Surgeon One wouldn't even consider doing a resurfacing surgery on my Legg Perthes hip. Surgeon Two thought he "might" be able to do a resurfacing surgery on the left hip, but wanted to make the decision once he opened me up. Surgeon Three â€" Dr. Su, clearly the most experienced at hip resurfacing of the three, felt confident that he could successfully do a BHR on my left hip. I asked him if he had experience with other Legg Perthes patients and he said it was a rather common condition that brought younger patients in to see him and that he had successfully completed BHR's on a number of Legg Perthes hips. After that consultation, I felt that I had the right guy.

I have a ways to go, but I cannot say enough about how positive an experience I have had with Dr Su and everyone at HSS. They have their act together.

Now it’s one day and one slow step at a time. I have a long way to go and I'm hoping for a routine rehab with no surprises.

[Jason0411]

Well done. I had LCPD had my right hip resurfaced just over two years left has now caught up with the right and am booked in for a consultation with Mr McMinn at the end of the month.

[hernanu]

Good stuff and congratulations. It's a long trek but in my opinion well worth it.

Jason - you're going in for the second?

[evant]

Best wishes for a good strong recovery.

[Debcoco]

Good for you!  Slow and steady wins the race!


deb

[keepmovin]

Congrats, Lar!

I, too, am a patient of Dr. Su - very dedicated, professional.  I also consulted with many orthopedic Drs before finding him but never felt comfortable with any of them.  He listened, they didn't.  Even though recent complications have developed, I trust him to get me through it to the end.

I had to read up on your condition Legg Calve Perthes, It's amazing you lead a full and active life with this!

Wishing you a full and complete recovery!

[LAR]

It's been 31/2 weeks since surgery. I went swimming today and experienced what it means to have hips that function properly. The weightless environment of the pool allowed we to open up my legs without pain and I already have considerably more range of motion than I did pre-op.

Looking forward to seeing Dr. Su next week and getting an x-ray to verify that everything is in the right place.

[hernanu]

That is great - congrats (just saw this).

[LAR]

10.5 weeks post op. I feel like a new man. Hard to believe that I have two metal hips inside of me.

Things are getting back to normal, less the stiffness I lived with most of my life from my left Legg Perthes hip. I started playing golf (gently) and can hit the ball well. I continue to work hard to get flexibility. Still doing PT 3x's per week. Lots of stretching. Starting to do basic yoga.

It's a work in progress, but I'm very optimistic. Glad I stumbled across this web site and chose hip resurfacing. Thank you.

[hernanu]

Nice progress. Now is the time to be patient, since you're feeling so well muscularly. You still need to heal the bone, so be patient and follow your guidelines.

[LAR]

I'm 3.5 months out from surgery. All is well.

I just want to say that bilateral surgery was the right decision for me. There is so much that you have to put into a successful recovery and going through that twice would have been a problem for me.

No regrets.

[LAR]

Nine month mark coming up on Thursday. Hips feel good. Played a lot of golf, but didn't feel 100% until 7 months. Had a setback about two months ago. Took a spill at the bottom of a set of outdoor stairs that were poorly lit. Tore both Quad Tendons just above my knees. Left Tendon was more damaged. Still recovering from that. My take away from that is that gaining my agility is going to take a while. Planning on taking it easy on the slopes this winter.

No regrets.

[einreb]

Nine month mark coming up on Thursday. Hips feel good. Played a lot of golf, but didn't feel 100% until 7 months. Had a setback about two months ago. Took a spill at the bottom of a set of outdoor stairs that were poorly lit. Tore both Quad Tendons just above my knees. Left Tendon was more damaged. Still recovering from that. My take away from that is that gaining my agility is going to take a while. Planning on taking it easy on the slopes this winter.

No regrets.

Congrats.  I'm closing in on 4 years from the resurfacing of my LCP hip.  Definitely the sort of situation to go to a very experienced surgeon and glad its paying off for you.

-Bernie

[hernanu]

Congrats and sorry about the setback. I really rounded into activity at one year, so be patient.