Took the bandage off yesterday, and got to see the incision for the first time.  No drainage, and it looked much better than my old surgery scars from 23 yrs ago.  Also, I went to the gym for some upper body work, making sure not to put any load on my hip. 

I remember those days. Trying to fire the glute and just getting no response. Plus it had atrophied to nothing pre-surgery.

Making daily progress.  Only pain meds the last couple days has been tylenol PM at night just to help with sleep, since I can't seem to get very comfortable. 

Slept in the bed for the first time last night (with several pillows under my right leg.  Also even got in a little sleep on my left side with the pillows between my legs.

Sounds good. I slept with pillows under both my legs - seemed more comfortable.

Hello

I've finally made a decision after months of pondering and filling these forums with countless questions that were all over the map. Thanks for those that responded and gave me feedback. I have decided to stay close to home, I'm from Vancouver Canada and was considering Belgium, UK and India but chose Seattle as it is only 2.5 hours away. I could also meet Dr. Pritchett and was comfortable in his confidence that all would be ok.
 
As it gets closer I'm sure I will have more but just wondering what questions to ask Dr. Pritchett before the surgery, like size of head he estimates from the X-rays, does he have more than 1 size on hand in case he is wrong. Is the recovery time longer with a BHR than a THR?  Also, is Physio therapy the same for a hip resurfacing as it is for a THR? As this procedure is not done in BC I need to have a good PT who knows both procedures.   Any others that you recommend? I am quite nervous and want to be fully prepared in advance.

Also, are there any recent Pritchett BHR patients to share their experience?

Thanks Kevin

I'm going with Mr McMinn next week. Will let you know how it goes, smoothly I hope!

Good luck with yours. With questions, I wouldn't ask any you can't do something about. So head size. It will be what it is.

But, do they have spares? Yes, plenty, in all sizes, plenty of THRs, plenty of revision THRs and all manner of utilities should anything untoward happen. But it won't unless you are extremely unlucky. These guys are top of the hip surgery food chain.

I just reminded myself of the old joke that goes round the local medical circuit ... What's the difference between God and an orthopaedic consultant? God doesn't think he's an orthopaedic consultant.

They're good, you're in excellent, safe hands, and I believe in about one month you'll be delighted at the absence of arthritis pain ...

Thanks Matt, good luck with Dr. McMinn. How long after the surgery do you think you will be able to drive?

Driving depends on which leg is effected. I think this time round as it was my right leg I was about 5-6 weeks

Quote from: KevinHalicki on April 20, 2015, 03:56:19 PM
Thanks Matt, good luck with Dr. McMinn. How long after the surgery do you think you will be able to drive?

The general rule of thumb is once you are off the narcotics.  I drove 6 days post surgery on my right leg.  With right leg, you have to use the left for braking, but that's no big deal.  As for some of your other questions about recovery and PT, that depends on the individual and the Dr.  I went with Dr. Gross, and he doesn't have you go to PT, instead he gives you things to do at home.

I had my left hip resurfaced by Dr. Pritchett on 11/25/2014.

My parents and I drove up from Portland the night before surgery and then drove home the day after surgery. The ride home was pretty rough but I made it home ok. The first month was pretty brutal for me, I embraced the pain killers the first 2 weeks so that I could sleep at night (very important for proper healing by the way).

I was cleared at 2 months post-surgery (although the Dr. said I'll be back for my right at some point) and have resumed many of my normal activities, including cycling, surfing and weights in the gym. I think I am still several months out from being able to run again. Hope to be skiing by next season.

My hip itself is pain free and the increased range of motion is incredible. Still dealing with a lot of angry/atrophied muscles, but PT has gone amazingly well. I do still get pain in my knee and glute when I push the muscles around the incision area pretty hard, like climbing big hills on my bike.

My PT said both procedures have the same type of recovery program, it's more about which surgical approach (anterior versus posterior) the Dr uses versus the replacement itself. Dr. Pritchett prefers the posterior approach, but will do either one. He also stated that hip resurfacing can take a little longer for recovery as it's more invasive than a THR.

And don't be nervous. My entire experience at Swedish and with Dr. Pritchett couldn't have gone any better. Once you get past the first couple weeks it's smooth sailing from there, at least for me it has been.

If you have any more specific questions about Swedish, Dr. Pritchett or the overall process, let me know and I can do my best to answer them.

Kevin, I found this success story today, some very positive stuff from a chap who appears to have had it done about two years ahead of you. His story is probably on the site hee somewhere but figured I'd post a link.

http://www.henrywarner.com/?cat=4&paged=6

He is a Dr Pritchett patient.

Matt, that is fantastic, thanks for sending me that link. I am going to try to connect with him. All the best and keep me posted how it goes in the UK.

The issue of driving is also a legal one. I dont know what the state of play with insurance is in the US but i spoke to my insurer and they would not cover me for so long after a general anesthetic (i cant remember exactly how long it was but it was several weeks) just something to bear in mind as we all know insurers do not like paying out!!

Hi Kevin,
I was first refererred to a "hip preservationist" who only offered me a THR. I knew Dr Pritchett from a professional capacity and knew he was good, so self referred to him. I had been unaware of hip resurfacing and the fact he has done so many. Best decision! I had my HR 4/14/15 and am already walking with a cane, virtually pain free (hip feels tight, one leg feels alittle longer and it can be hard to find a comfortable position to sleep in all night) and off all pain meds except at night.
I should have asked about the head size, but didn't. Mostly asked about failure rate, length of implant, etc because at 49, I was very interested in preserving bone but needed to understand risk of failure.
Dr Pritchett is exceptionally qualified and Swedish, an exceptional facility.
Good luck!
Kari

Graduated to just the cane about 4-5 days ago, and yesterday spent most of my time without even using that.  ROM and tightness is getting better slowly every day.  Also, the incision is looking better and better.

I am a 55 year old male and had my right hip resurfaced by Dr. Pritchett in February of 2015.  Since I am active/athletic Dr. Pritchett recommended the BHR system.  I had done my research and was hoping to get the BHR components, so I was pleased to hear Dr. Pritchett recommend it.  I traveled from Alaska to Seattle for the surgery.  Met Dr. Pritchett the day before the surgery (I had sent him my x-rays and other pertinent information a month earlier).  He had an x-ray taken and performed a final evaluation.  Enjoyed a sunny afternoon in Seattle.  Arrived at the Swedish Hospital Orthopedic Clinic (an impressive facility) the next morning for surgery.  From my perspective, the surgery went well.  Woke-up in recovery room and stayed there until the epidural wore off.  The first afternoon I used a walker and traveled a short distance down the hall and back to my room.  I felt like I could have walked for a few laps around the hospital but wasn't allowed to.  The next day I was given PT twice, going up and down stairs, taught how to get in/out of a vehicle.  I was released from the hospital about 32 hours after I arrived.  I stayed at a nearby hotel for 4 days and then flew home to Anchorage.

1.  Used pain medication for about 4-5 days and then switched to over the counter stuff.  By the time I was a week post surgery, I had very little pain
2.  Used crutches for 1 week post-surgery and then switched to a cane
3.  Was off the cane at 2.5 weeks post-surgery
4.  Returned to work (desk job) 6 days post-surgery and began driving several days later
5.  At 4 weeks I was doing 15-20 minutes on a treadmill with incline.
6.  At 10 weeks post surgery I had no pain unless I really pushed the range of motion (doing stretching exercises) and able to do 45 minutes on the treadmill or walks several miles.
7.  No joint pain at all
8.  No leg length issues
9.  No clunking/noise.  In fact, the joint seems smoother than a greased ball bearing
10. Flexibility and range of motion is getting better every week

I am thrilled with my new hip and looking forward to getting back to climbing mountains, hitting the weight room, and playing hockey.  I tell everyone I meet that is suffering from hip pain (in need of replacement) to see if they are a candidate or hip resurfacing.  The fear of surgery, and possibly a poor outcome, kept me suffering for years with hip pain.  After going through the procedure I wished I had my hip resurfaced 5 years ago, when I first began to suffer chronic hip pain.

Alaskan Hippy

Alaskan Hippy

Congratulations on the new hip.  Thanks for sharing your story.  I look forward to your updates in the future.

Good Luck.

Pat