May 21, 2008 I had a hip resurfacing done on May 8th by Dr. Andrew Yun at St. Johns in Santa Monica. Now that the swelling in my leg is down I feel much better. Today might be the first day without painkillers for me!

Thanks to all for the info and encouraging words here, this sight has been very helpful.

After I get the second one done and fully recover I plan to hike the entire length of the John Muir Trail (200+ miles) because the doctor who did my original diagnosis said maybe 1 out of 100 would ever do it after surgery. I decided that I am the 1 out of 100.

July 22, 2008 This past weekend I walked 4 miles non stop in under 1.5 hours. Been putting in over 2 miles a day on average for the past few weeks. Mostly on paved roads but some dirt roads and trails too. Maybe 500′ elevation gain at the most. It feels great, the limp is easing up, my coordination and ROM have increased dramatically and I’m breaking a sweat too!

August 19, 2008 Last summer I found out why I was in so much pain; arthritis. The local orthopedic surgeon told me I needed bilateral total hip replacements. During my follow up research I learned of Dr Yun from a fellow mountaineer. In February of this year I made an appointment to see him. The initial consultation was excellent and Dr Yun suggested hip resurfacing instead of total replacement.

I made an appointment for surgery on my right hip on May 8th. Surgery took less than 2 hours and I was walking that afternoon. They told me I could go home the next day, but my ride (I live 300 miles from LA) wasn’t coming until the third day. Everyone I dealt with at the hospital was helpful and caring. The drive home was rather difficult.

For 2 weeks I stayed medicated. At 3 weeks I started to drive and went back to work part time. At 4 weeks I drove myself back to LA for a follow up appointment with Dr Yun. I walked with crutches for those 4 weeks, 50% weight bearing. Then it was a cane for 1.5 weeks, then nothing. At 8 weeks I started walking 2-3 miles a day. My longest so far has been 4 miles non stop, but I know I can go farther.

Last week all my range of motion restrictions were lifted. I got the go ahead to ride a bike, a motorcycle, yoga and more aggressive, yet low impact exercise. So far the only PT has been walking. My limp is really eased up and I’m feeling much stronger.

Looks like next spring I will do the second one.

September 15, 2008 Yesterday I went for my third ride since surgery on May 8th. I spent 5 hours covering 200 miles in the Eastern Sierra of California. It was a beautiful day and my hip felt fine. I feel fine today also. It’s still a little challenging getting on the bike, and I’m not ready for dirt riding yet but all in all I’m really pleased to be back in the saddle again!

November 18, 2008 Last weekend I did my first single-track trail ride on my XR650L.

I am just over 6 months post op and went with a friend on some moderated trails, maybe 5 miles total. There were a couple tricky spots, one I let Kevin take my bike across some abandoned railroad tracks with no room for error, but other than that I rode the rest.

We spent about 5 hours touring in the Sierra foothills above Placerville, CA.

December 8, 2008 So this past weekend I took a trip to Death Valley on the motorcycle. 575 miles in three days, 100 of them on dirt. Highlights included Titus Canyon, Greenwater Valley and Crankshaft Crossing/Eureka Valley.

I’m a little sore today, but no pain at all.

And today is my 7 month post operation date!!!

May 5, 2009 Yesterday, at 5 1/2 weeks post op for my second BHR, I managed to get my socks on for the first time without assistance. Now it wasn’t pretty, nor easy, but I managed.

For many reasons this hip is coming around much better than the first. Probably took 3 months to get my socks on last time.

December 12, 2009 It’s been 19 months since my right resurfacing, 8 months since my left.

They work better than I expected.

Just got home from a 1,400 mile dual sport ride in Baja, lots of remote dirt riding, flat tire, crazy cactus and the best tacos I’ve ever eaten!

There is lots of life left after surgery

December 18, 2009 My experiences over the last two years have been good, but not without issues…

I started riding around 3 1/2 month post op on each of my new hips.

It took about 5 months to venture onto the dirt.

The hardest part has been getting on and off the machine.

Around 6 months on the second hip I got into a tricky situation and had to push my motorcycle backwards, uphill, then turn it around in a narrow ravine. It’s a big dual sport bike, close to 400 pounds. The strained joint hurt for days, I took several weeks off from strenuous activities and walked my way back into shape.

At 7 months on the first new hip I did a three day ride in Death Valley, something like 150 miles in the dirt, 450 on pavement.

At 8 months on the second hip I rode 1,400 miles in Baja, close to 400 in the dirt. Just got home last week.

I’ve wanted to ride around the world for three decades now. I’m beginning to think it may still be possible.

March 13, 2012 It’s been a while since I visited the site but thought I’d check in again.

Since having my second BHR I’ve ridden over 20,000 miles, dual sport, lots of dirt, long days, a couple crashes and no issues at all

Rode across Oregon on the Trans America Trail last summer, back to Baja, Death Valley, Inyo County, CA and more.

Planning a bigger trip now, much bigger. I’ll stop by with details later as it unfolds…