14 Year Anniversary Patricia Walter’s Hip Resurfacing by Dr. De Smet 2006
March 15 is my 14 year anniversary of my BHR Birmingham Hip Resurfacing by Dr. De Smet in Belgium in 2006.
I made a decision to have a hip resurfacing with Dr. De Smet in Belgium in 2006. I talked with many of his previous patients on several discussion groups. His patients were very supportive and helpful in making my decision. I did not have health insurance at the time and did not want a total hip replacement at age 61. I was active and wanted to remain active. Local surgeons only offered me old fashioned THRs which would drastically restrict my activities.
Dr. De Smet was available via email for discussion and to answer questions, as he still is today. US doctors do not talk to patients directly via email. Dr. De Smet was informative and very helpful.
His office had all the information and help to plan my trip to Belgium.
My experience in Ghent, at the hospital and with Dr. De Smet was wonderful. Did not miss US doctors or hospitals at all. He and his staff visited me, along with his other patients, at the hotel. PT was given each day.
It was also nice to have the support of many other Dr. De Smet patients at the hotel. We ate our meals together, had a few beer parties at night and even did a little sight seeing. A memorable experience.
My book about my experience in Belgium. Includes my decision to use Dr. De Smet and my complete story from begining to end. Belgium and my BHR is a free pdf downloadable book.
I am still very active at 75 years old. I never had problems with my hip resurfacing and still have no problems. I absolutely believe hip resurfacing is an excellent solution for hip replacement for good candidates.
There are many hip resurfacing surgeons who have done many thousands now and a list of these surgeons is available here: https://surfacehippy.info/hip-resurfacing-doctors-over-1000-hip-resurfacing-surgeries/
Women can still have a hip resurfacing, but are limited to surgeons who no longer use the BHR for women and small men. There are surgeons in the US and overseas that use other devices for women.
People ask Would you do that again? Absolutely YES. I believed in 2005 that hip resurfacing was an excellent solution for me and many others. Today, March 15, 2020, I still believe hip resurfacing is an excellent solution for many people if they are good candidates. Younger people who are very active in many sports do not want to give up their activities. Hip Resurfacing is the solution for them. There are over 1500 personal stories here: https://surfacehippy.info/category/hip-resurfacing-stories/
If you would like to talk to over 5000 hip resurfacing patients, visit the Hip Talk Discussion Group. Patients and perspective patients share their stories, answer questions and are very supportive of each other. https://surfacehippy.info/hiptalk/
I started the Surface Hippy Website in 2005 to help people learn about hip resurfacing. Many orthopedic surgeons did not believe in hip resurfacing then and still don’t now. I continue to maintain the website and add articles and personal stories to continue to help people to learn about hip resurfacing.