Metal Allergies

[Pat Walter]

Hi there,
 
I am new to this website and was wondering if you have heard of anyone having a resurfacing when they tested positive to nickle and cobalt metal discs.  Although my surgeon has told me there is no correlation between skin surface testing for alergies and the hip resurfacing, he is reluctant to give me a Burminingham hip and is pushing me toward a total hip replacement.  I don't want a total and really would like to have the Burmingham hip.
 
Any thoughts on this subject?
 
S

[Pat Walter]

Hi
 
Here is an article about metal allergies by Dr. Bose  http://www.surfacehippy.info/pcskinallergies.php
 
Normally the hip device does not bother people with skin allergies since the hip is deep inside your body.
 
You will want to be careful about what your orthopedic suggests.  The new MOM - large ball Metal on Metal hip devices- are made of the same material as the BHR. So he/she would probably be suggesting one of the old fashioned plastic/metal THRs which would be terrible under any circumstance unless you are 70 or 80 years old.  They dislocate very easily.
 
There are ceramic versions of the large ball total hips, but I would prefer a hip resurfacing any time over a THR.
 
I would suggest that you talk to some experienced surgeons that have been doing hip resurfacing for a long time. The newly trained surgeons doing the new BHR surgery are not experienced and are very conservative.
 
Here is my list of doctors that have experience  http://www.surfacehippy.info/listofdoctors.php  and here are their statistics for how many resurfacings they have done  http://www.surfacehippy.info/doctorstatistics.php
 
I would never use one of the newer surgeons to have my hip resurfaced.  If you read  http://www.surfacehippy.info/pcselectingsurgeon.php   how to choose a surgeon you will understand that hip resurfacing is as much an art as a learned skill. The learning curve is steep and I have studies that show a doctor needs 50 - 100 resurfs to be experienced.  That would not be enough for me personally.  I choose Dr. De Smet because he has done over 2500 hip resurfacings.  Also I could not afford surgery in the US since I did not have health insurance. I still would have gone to De Smet even if I had insurance. It was a total of $16,000 for the whole trip and medical portion.  You can do Dr. Bose in India for $10,000 to $12,000 total. 
 
Please let me know if I can help with any other information.  I will post your email without your email address on my Discussion Group to see if anyone else has any suggestions.
 
Pat

[Pat Walter]

Thank you Pat.  This is what I wanted to hear.  I knew I wanted a hip resurfacing as opposed to the alternative.  I am seeing my family doctor on Friday and will discuss it with him, including your comments, which I am grateful for.
 
I agree with all of what you said - the surgeon I am seeing is brand new to Victoria from the states and admits he and his colleagues are very conservative.
 
I will be in touch, thanks again.
Sonia

[Vicky]

I also have allergies to metal, I can not wear certain earrings, my pierced ears get really infected if they are not solid gold.  I have had my BHR since December 1, 2005 and absolutely NO problems whatsoever.  It is extremely rare to have any sort of allergic reaction to a metal implant.  I even had to have a crown removed due to metal allergies, but no problems with my hip.

Vicky
LBHR Dr. Bose Dec 01 05