3/6/12 month updates?

[Soccerhip]

Could anyone provide updates as to how they are doing 3/6/12 months out?
Any regrets?  Things you would do differently?  Back to pre OA routine?
Anyone else really starting to push it physically?

Thanks in advance

[revision]

Hi,

Just noticed your topic and thought I would give all an insite into what happened to me in 2008 after resurfacing of my right hip.
I had my hip resurfaced in June by an experienced surgeon and I was his 482 nd resurface.He used a BHR. After surgery and from the begining I did not feel great and still had pain in the hip. At my 6 week check up I still was on 2 crutches. On my 10 week check up I was still on 2 crutches and did not seem to be imporving.

My surgeon checked the xrays for positioning of components, did blood tests for infection, carried out a bone scan to see if there was any movement of the cup or signs of a fracture. All turned up negative. He told me all was fine and if he had to do the operation again he would change nothing,it would just take time.
At 14 weeks I was still in pain and although on 1 crutch could not walk more than 50 yards. It was at this stage after talking to my surgeon again and not being happy with what I was hearing I decided to take things into my own hands.

I sent my xrays to 3 surgeons. Mark Bloomfield UK, Koen De Smet Belgium & Dr Bose India. All three came back to me very quickly with simular prognosas. The cup was positioned to steep & the femoral component was also not in a netural position and at an angle causing stress and pain. Double trouble for me.

Due to my serious problem I travelled to Belgium and met Koen De Smet to discuss my problem. He took a lateral x-ray of my hip and his first reaction was that this was a disastor. I was shocked and listened to what he had to say. My only option was a THR. We spent perhaps an hour talking about the best option and when to sort my hip out. We decided on a Metal on Metal Wright Conserve THR with BFH. The date for my revision was set for Nov.

I travelled home and immediately made an appointment to confront my surgeon and explain what I was doing to sort this out and get my life back on track. I showed him the lateral x-ray. I saw his face drop. He turned and told me that there was a problem and it did not look right. He was very sympathic and asked how could he help me. It was to late he couldn't. I did not trust this supposedly experienced surgeon to go near me again.

To cut a long story short I had a revision in Belgium in Nov with Koen De Smet. The experience was wonderful. I am a sports man. Without going into details soccer coaching is how I earn my living. Dr De Smet gave me a Wright Conserve with BFH. I now have a 56 mm Cup and a 50mm Head with a long stem. Dr De Smet feels that this is as good if not better than the BHR and could last a life time.

I could write pages and pages about the last 7 months but at the moment I am only walking and pain free thanks to Dr De Smet and looking forward to a healthy and happy 2009 with my family.

The only advice I can give is please do not always trust the first surgeon you meet. Experience means everything. Ask questions. Get answers . Use a really experienced surgeon. I made a big mistake last June. Luckily I will be fine but only because I took the situation into my own hands and went to one of the best.


Revision....

[stevel]

Hi Chris,

I am 3 months post-op from a LBHR.  I can do low impact sports such as indoor bicycling and elliptical and lift up to 50 pounds.  I need to wait until 6 months post-op to do high impact sports such as downhill skiing and racketball and lift over 50 pounds.  I've progressed very well and currently have no problems.  The left hip feels as natural as the right hip.  I'm looking forward to returning to sports without restriction, although I don't plan on skiing moguls or jogging on pavement.  I've updated my posts weekly under Hip Resurfacing Devices, FDA approved device and experienced hip resurfacing doctor.

[John C]

At six months, I am pushing my new hip fairly hard. I am skiing hard 6 to 8 hours every day, in conditions ranging from hard pack, to powder, to chopped crud, to small moguls. If conditions are relatively smooth, I am very happy with the way the hip is performing, since I do have increased range of motion in it. It is definitely sensitive and sore with any bouncing or impact, and I am much more tentative and careful in bumps or rough snow than I have ever been before. Considering how things are continuing to improve, I am optimistic that this will go away over the next six months. If it does not improve, the final judgement will be tough for me; weighing the huge improvements in walking (pain free with no limp for the first time in over 10 years), standing (I can stand up straight for the first time in over ten years), biking (my leg no longer kicks out to the side with every spin), ROM (I can now tie my shoes without grunts and strain), etc, versus any compromise to my skiing, which is more important to me than all the rest. Since I am still seeing regular progress, I have high hopes that the compromises in skiing will go away with time.
On other "pushing it" fronts; at just prior to six months, I was jogging up mountain trails every day (not down because of impact), and that felt great. Pushing it hard on the bike felt great, unless I did not shift down enough on hills, which was just some muscle soreness.
As far as changing anything, I could not be happier with my doctor (Gross) and that whole experience. First class people, and a first rate surgery. I tried a stem cell injection therapy with a different doctor before I committed to surgery, and I do regret that. It lead to weeks of pain, and left me so crippled that I could not even swim in the pool, since any movement of my leg was excruciating. It also really hurt my first weeks of recovery, since I had been living on crutches for almost two months between the stem cell injection, and the resurfacing surgery.
Bottom line; so far, so good.

John