just starting the process

[embcrna05]

Hi,
My husband is 45 y/o and needs a hip resurfacing procedure.  He had a hip scope for labral tear in March and the dr found NO cartilage behind the labrum.  My husband was born with a misshapen femoral head which wore out all the cartilage.  Microfracture surgery was tried as a temporary solution.  The surgeon told him he would eventually need a new hip, but recommended the hip resurfacing in about 3-5 years if he can wait.  My husband was told absolutely no running, basketball, etc.  He has tried to avoid that for the last few months and is unhappy that he cannot do any of this.  He also referrees basketball and was told he can no longer do that.  We discussed this, and he feels his quality of life is suffering and wonders why wait to have the hip resurface procedure if he can have it this year and return to basketball and reffing after 6 mos or a year.  Does anyone out there know if this would be possible?  To return to presurgical activity?  Also, we have followed the dr chats/interviews on this site and found it very helpful.  We are leaning towards Dr. Su in NY.  We live in Indiana but want to go to someone experienced and he wants the birmingham.
Any advice would be so appreciated.
This website is awesome!!!

[Vicky]

I would tell your husband to definitely go in and see Dr. Su and just book the surgery.  There is no reason to wait if he can not live his life.  Did you see the videos here on Pat's site?  There are two of Mark a patient of Dr. Su's skiing at 4 weeks, then again at 8 weeks post op!  Your husband will probably have to wait 6 months before he can return to full impact activities but he should get in and see Dr. Su now and book his surgery if he is in pan and his life is limited IMO.

Vicky

[TomBuell]

Obviously we don't know your husband's medical history, but I certainly would seek a second opinion. My Birmingham hip has changed my life.
- Tom

[Big Bill]

Hi ...seems like your answer is in your first sentence....If the need to begin investigating resurfacing has arrived,then you are in the right place! If it is time ...a good surgeon, experienced in resurfacing, will let you know if it is or is not.  If you are in Indiana, there is Dr. Rogerson in Wisconson. There are several in the Chicago area. If you want to travel ...do so. Just find a surgeon that is very experienced in resurfacing. Pat has an extensive list of surgeons on this site. I remember when I first started research nearly 2 years ago....my story is under "Hip Stories". My resurfacing was done on 7/9/08 and like many has changed my life....do your homework, ask questions, find a good doc and get your active lifestyle back!

           Big Bill   C.A.S.H.   

[embcrna05]

Thank you for the advice!  There are drs in Chicago, but we want one who has done several hundred, and that is why we are leaning towards Dr. Su.  I am a nurse anesthetist and know many of the pitfalls to inexperienced surgeons.  Even if one is "good," the more you do, the more you are able to troubleshoot on your toes, plus less anesthesia time, etc.  Originally, my husband wanted to go out of the country, but the logistics of doing that seems a little more complicated.  We have already met our insurance deductible, so it seems logical to do it this year.  We also read that the infection rate at the hospital in NY is the lowest in the country. 
Anyway, I appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

[dgm]

Hi there,
I was 45 when I contacted Dr. Rogerson to evaluate my xrays. I ended up travelling there from Montana for surgery.  When I checked in Nov. 2007 - he had done 250, so I'm guessing he has performed at least 300 by now.  It was an excellent experience for out of town patients. 

 I am 6 months out from surgery and it is the best decision I ever made - it changed my life!  I'd lost a couple years to pain and could do very little.  You are wise to research your options and to ask questions on this website - it is a great resource.  Everyone is somewhat partial to their surgeon here (myself included) so the best thing you can do is find one with plenty of experience that you are comfortable with.  But one thing is for sure, this procedure  will definitely give you back a quality of life again! 

Good luck,
Denise

[Jon44]

Hi,
My husband is 45 y/o and needs a hip resurfacing procedure.  He had a hip scope for labral tear in March and the dr found NO cartilage behind the labrum. 

Hi:

Eerily, I'm in almost the exact same position as your husband:  active 45 yrs. old, had a hip scope last October for torn labrum, found a lesion down to the bone under the tear, and it all came from "malformed" congential hip problem.  And I've seen Dr. Su....

[I've also explored a number of other avenues (e.g., related to the malformed hip), so send a private message, if you'd like to talk off-line.]

I've been pursuing the strategy of trying to buy a few years through increasing strength around the hip and lumbar areas.  I'm going to give this till March of next year, then probably get resurfacing with Su, if I"m still having trouble.  If you can find a "hip smart" PT, this can be a big help--I found one who has worked with a former Su patient (from this board) in my area, and he knew exactly what the issues were.

From my perspective, the advantage of holding out a few years is to get more data on new devices--especially the Conserve Plus with A Class metals, which "gives off" less metal ions than the Birmingham.  Dr. Su pushes for the Birmingham, reasoning (correctly) that it's tried and true, but he will use the Conserve Plus on request.  The other "hope" for holding out, is that if I can turn holding out 3 years into 6 years without major lifestyle changes, then there are two developments of interest that may come online:  Ceramic resurfacing, or artificial cartilidge repair.     

Since all things being equal, I'd prefer not to cope with metal ions, personally I'd be up for being one of the early adopters of a ceramic resurfacing device.  And the surgeon who did my hip scope (Dr. Joseph McCarthy) is currently finishing up animal trials on artifical cartilidge repair. 

Note that it sounds like your husband is like me in that he has a specific lesion in his acetabulum--this is a quite different situation than a lot of people who have generalized arthritis.   For me, the implications are that impact sports (e.g., tennis) aren't necessarily a problem (femur just impacts my healthy cartilidge, it's more that certain motions (e.g., internal rotation) are problematic.  So, if I were your husband I'd take the restrictions he was given with a grain of salt and try it out for himself.

Finally, to support the "holding out" strategy, I found visco-supplementation (FDA approved for the knee, but not hip) to be of some help (downside is a lot of radiation from flouro guided injections).

Best,

Jon

[stevel]

I'm going to Dr. Su on Sept 24 for pre-op and Sept 29 for hip resurfacing surgery on my left hip, BHR.  I've researched this for about one year, when my family practice physician recommended a hip replacement after reviewing my x-rays.  A year ago, I shot a moose and dragged sections out 1 mile distance.  I enlisted two other hunters to help pack 2/3 of the moose.  I was not inclined for surgery a year ago.  This year, starting mid may my hip condition noticeably deteriorated.  Now, after mowing the lawn, I hobble around the house for the rest of the day and pop ibupropen during the night.  The next day, I'm OK, but I walk with a chronic limp.  So I believe, the time is right for surgery, since I don't want to give up an active lifestyle at age 54.

[gottarun]

I am not only new to investigating hip re-surfacing but also to blogging so please bear with me.  I have had right hip issues for several years.  Two years ago an MRI indicated my hip pain was due to a bulging L5 disc pinching a nerve.  I had a steroid injection in that disc and problem solved....for a while.  I've had 3 more injections over the past several months with minimal pain reduction.  New Dr (vs 2 yrs ago) may be the reason but x-rays also show osteoarthritis in my right hip.  Subsequent PT has clearly shown significant reduction in rt hip flexibility.  Lateral movements bring much pain.  Running (even on a treadmill) is now out of the question.  Now I'm not sure if the problem is my back, hip, or both.  I suspect both. 
If anyone out there knows of an experienced Dr who does hip resurfacing in the Dallas area I would love to hear about it.  It's time for me to get another opinion.  I am, like many of you, very active.  I like to run (used to) and I am a weekend sailor.  I also like to do offshore (ocean) sailing in the spring and fall.  I'm 53 (just turned) and refuse to give up on the activities I love and feel help keep me young!  I suspect there are just a few folks out there like me.   I am a definite newbie.  Any and all advice would be appreciated. 

[hipshot]

gottarun
I am also a newbie
I found this sight  and looked on the internet for resurfacing info.
I limited my search for doctors here in montana. (mistake)
I can only say that  we are both in the right place to find a surgeon. I personally would not limit my options if I didn't have to.
My probl,em was I had no insurance and couldnt afford a 53,000 dollar hip resufacing. Keep reading this sight and the yahoo site and I bet you will find all the info and help you need. Send me a PM if you want to know who what and where I am headed.
It is no big secret. I just am getting started but I do have a affordable plan with surgery in my near future.

[martinbeef]

hi dear. we live in Indiana too. My husband is 51 years old..very active (we farm). you don't need to go far...Dr. Michael Swank in Cincinnati is the best there is. I can send you lots of links on Dr. swank...here is my email:   martinbeef@gmail.com

Oh, and my brother is MD in Cincinnati (I am RN) and my cousin is chief of general surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital Cincinnati..they will tell you that Dr. Michael Swank at Jewish Hospital is THE MAN. He is president of Cincinnati Orthopedic Society, President of Jewish Hospital, etc etc...I can send you tons of links to convince you of his professionalism and expertise.

we are five weeks out from BHR surgery and husband is back to farming. He still has a slight limp but feels terrific. He goes back to work in 3 weeks and will be 100% in about a year..he's probalby 85% now!  We are ABSOLUTELY THRILLED WITH DR. SWANK IN CINCINNATI...read my other posting about husband's surgery on 7/31.     susan

[Stucch]

Hello all! I'm a long time browser of this site, probably one of the few from way up north in Canada.  This site has virtually changed my life....for ever. I'm a 36 year old male who has had arthritis for roughly 15 years and the pain is is to the point where I can't take it anymore. After building up the confidence I have decided to take the surface hippy challenge. I'm scheduled for surgery September 19th/08 in a suburb of Toronto. At the present time, I will not mention my OS's name only because I'd prefer to have his consent. My story starts out a lot like every other story in here, active, plays sports and that sort of thing.  I've seen many OS's and you hear the typical sort of talk...."hold out as long as you can, you're to young".  How long is to long? Regardless, at my age, whether I have it now or in 5 years from now, the probability of me having a THR is inevitable.  I simply can't wait anymore, I have four small children and I can't even bend over to play with them, it's tiresome to lean back on a wall hold your foot up and fling a sock over and hope it catches your toe to pull it up, or putting a shoe on, the list is endless to how hard daily activities have become for me.  I'm excited, yet frightened for the fear of surgery! I look foward to waking up on the afternoon of September 19th.................pain free! Thanks all, and talk to you soon.

[CITY2SOUTH]

Stucch,

You will be soo glad u decided to have surgery. I have a 3 yr old and could not get up once I was down playing with him. I am 10 wks post-surgery and can play with him easily now. I'm 38 and could not imagine living in pain a day longer after 2 yrs of pain.
 Good luck in 2 weeks and to a speedy recovery.

Lisa
Uncemented/Biomet/Gross/6-23-08

[TomBuell]

Welcome Stucch - You'll find lots of support and answers to your questions here. Just to be clear, are you having hip resurfacing or total hip replacement?
- Tom
RBHR 7/1/08

[Stucch]

Tom,

I will be having my right hip re-surfaced. My doctor uses the Biomet device endorsed by Dr. Gross. I'm going in for a pre-op appointment on the 8th, I mentioned this sight to my OS and I'm eager to see what his feedback is. This definetly is the place for anybody interested in hip re-surfacing.......as mentioned before, it was the deciding factor for me to get it done!