Left Hip Resurfaced in July 2011, Right Hip is shot now!!

[ecchastang]

Today is the day I head off to Columbia, SC for a resurfacing on my right hip with Dr. Thomas Gross.  I will do my best to detail my experience as others before me have done.  Reading their stories has definitely helped me be prepared and have peace of mind throughout this whole process. 

Now, I will summarize what let me to this point.  I am 35, and at the age of 9 was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes.  At 10 I had a varus osteotomy to try to get part of the undamaged femur head into the socket, and at 12 I had the hardware removed.  I was told then that I would have to have a total hip replacement as an adult and that I would have osteoarthritis by the time I was 18. 

Other than occasional flareups and very limited range of motion, Things went pretty well for the next 20 yrs or so.  I ran, lifted weights, played sports, rock climbed, etc.  I probably took 2-4 aleve for pain per month. 

Starting near the end of 2013, my hip started hurting a little more, especially if I was on my feet for very long.  I began to scale back my activities and have to take NSAIDs more often. That continued as a slow decline until about Jan of this year, when things went south quickly.  By early Feb, I knew I needed something done, running was out, lifting was out.  Even coughing would cause sharp pains in the hip.  I found this site and knew immediately I wanted a hip resurfacing. 

I scheduled an appt with Dr. Rector, a respected resurfacing Dr who happened to be about 2 miles down the road from where I live.  When I met him Mar 2nd, I had my first X-ray on my hip in more than 21 yrs.  He immediately said it was too bad to be able to resurface.  Due to the LCP, I had a severely deformed flattened femur head, a short neck, and a dysplasic acetabulum. 

I knew I needed a second (and 3rd and 4th) opinion,  so I sent my X-rays to Dr. Gross, Dr. Su, Dr Clarke, Dr. DeSmet, Mr. McMinn, Dr. Pritchett, Dr. Rogerson and Dr Bose.  Of those, Pritchett and Rogerson would not attempt a resurfacing, but the others would.  I chose Dr. Gross based on my communication with him, his experience with LCP (100+) and many of the stories on here. 

I know the next few weeks are going to be rough, and even the next few months will be a challenge but I look forward to being on the other side of this soon.  I have rock climbed (indoors or out) a minimum of 4 times per week since 2010, and knowing yesterday was my last time for a while was hard.  But I also look forward to not having pain, and to possibly having a more normal functioning hip. 

[Comfortably Numb]

Clearly, you have more challenging issues than most who face this surgery.  But you have your youth and Dr. Gross on your side.  The alternatives were to continue suffering, do more damage to your bones, and then face a THR that would probably need to be repeated in 15 years or less.  I think you've given yourself the best chance for a long, normal life by taking this step.  Good luck and keep us informed.  I'll be on the same table three weeks from Wednesday.

[ecchastang]

Here is an X-ray

[hernanu]

Congrats and good luck. Keep us posted.

[petemeads]

Wow, that x-ray looks awful! Best wishes for the op and a quick recovery - climbing again in a couple of months I reckon...

[gasyz]

Thanx very much for all your replies and input,pretty much confirmed what I was thinking.Need to get it sorted.Ironically It's felt better the last few days and I've managed to do gardening and D.I.Y over the long weekend without to much pain,but I know it's only a matter of time before the limp and pain comes back.Got a busy time ahead with a trip to the I.O.M TT races at the start of june followed by a family holiday in july,so I think I'll be trying to plan the op for july onwards.Got a few mtb marathons pre-booked so will be aiming to stay as fit as poss,which should hopfully help with recovery.I think the biggest problem is the mental side of things,having to make the decision of when to go under the knife myself is a hard thing to deal with.I've had and lived with these problem hips for most of my life and almost accept the pain and limitations.Gonna be a tough time mentally preparing for it,but hopfully I'll come out the other side in a good place.

[Pat Walter]

Good Luck.  Dr. Gross is an excellent hip resurfacing surgeons.

Let us know how you are doing when you get time after surgery.

Pat

[toby]

Best wishes from over the pond. From all is seen, read and heard of Dr Gross I know you are in the hands of an incredibly talented surgeon, whom I'm sure will re-align your femur/hip and give you an HR that you will be delighted with. Please post us your progress and your new xray.
Just go with the flow, enjoy the experience and your new hip.
Toby

[einreb]

Good luck!  As a fellow 'perthes' hip that was resurfaced by Dr Gross, I can only tell you that the resurfacing process was not necessarily easy but the 'experience' was good and the results have been outstanding.

-Bernie

[JHippy]

Good luck, ecchastang! You're in great hands with Dr. Gross. Keep us posted.

[MattJersey]

Sounds similar to my thought processes. In the past couple of months, possibly because I am playing/practising more golf I've really noticed deterioration. About two months ago I saw Mr McMinn and talked about waiting until October. Then talking with friends, and realising just how much my sleep was affected, especially after a round of golf, I decided to bring it forward, and now just three weeks away.

I had a day last Monday where it was all good, and had doubts again, but came back sure enough. This week on holiday, swam about 1km incl 300m breaststroke yesterday and paid for it, really sore last night. Also, traipsing around airport, rucksack on, led to a painful night.

Have now started to focus on all the positive stories, and thinking of myself as one of the 99% that have a fantastic success with the op.

Only you can judge for yourself, but if the surgeon thinks you're a candidate then that's a pretty good indicator, coupled with your ever decreasing sports activity ... Starting to look like the sensible choice.

[Tim Bratten]

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Miguelito]

Good luck (tomorrow, I imagine?)!

I know you will be even more favorably impressed by Dr. Gross in person (if you haven't already met him). Today will be your visit to Midlands, the hospital, Long's pharmacy, and then the wait tonight.

The waiting room at Midlands served me (both times) as a useful reminder that my problems weren't so bad, and, fortunately, were very fixable.

Mike

[Miguelito]

Hi Will,

I had very bad knee pain (on the worst hip side) and was convinced I would need a knee replacement (without having had an x-ray done) after the hip. Within a few months after HR the knee pain was gone.

Aside from some pick-up hockey, I have not really returned to sport (I just lift some light weights), so I can't really comment on what to expect athletically with a return to sport. If I was being honest I would say that post-surgery I have always found the operated hip-leg to take a little longer to turn when walking, it kind of swings out a little more and takes a fraction of a second longer to make the turn. But it is definitely possible that I would not have experienced that had I been more aggressive with rehab (though i did do the recommended exercises, somewhat reliably).

The pain will most definitely be gone post-surgery.

I am firmly in the camp of those who say, "you will know when it is time". But I have to add a caveat. I was still wavering, mainly because of worries about going to a less-recommended local surgeon, but then I spoke with Dr. Gross and came away so impressed and convinced that I scheduled surgery straight away and (almost) never looked back. Perhaps that would be helpful for you too (talking to one of the big-guys in the field).

Lastly, I am not aware of any miracle-cure that is anywhere near close to fruition, but I of course understand your thought-process here. I went through that too. Is that the "bargaining" phase of depression? Just a little joke [I had divorce class last night].

Best of luck!

Mike

[ecchastang]

Got into Columbia late last night, just before midnight.  Went and explored downtown this morning before my noon presurgery appointment.  Dexa bone scan came back great, 2.7 on the Femur neck, and above average on all areas.  I was extremely impressed with Dr. Gross, Lee Webb, and all of the staff I encountered.  Dr. Gross will spend as much time as you want, and will answer any question you throw at him.  He said he has definitely done worse hips than mine with amazing outcomes, and that my overall health, bone density and strength will make recovery easier.  Made a trip over to Long's drugs to pick up all of the prescriptions, and met two other gentlemen there who are also having resurfacing tomorrow.  One from Florida and the other from Texas.  I do hate that I am in the afternoon at 1:30, as I can't eat or drink after midnight tonight.  Going to be a long day tomorrow. 

[Comfortably Numb]

You've got this!  Youth and Dr. Gross are on your side.  Have a late dinner, sleep late, and by this time tomorrow you'll be waking up a new man.  Good luck!

[ecchastang]

@ComfortablyNumb - Just got back to the hotel after eating at Travinia's.  Thanks for the recommendation. 

[oldsoccerplayer]

Make sure you tell the others about this site. It was (and continues to be) a huge help to me, especially during the early stages of recovery.

[ecchastang]

Made it through surgery yeasterday afternoon.  had some pretty rough pain during the night, but much better now.  Will update more when I can type easier.

[Comfortably Numb]

Great to hear that you're OK and the pain has diminished.  Surprised that the spinal wore off that quickly, but your procedure was more involved and that probably had a lot to do with pain issues.  Hopefully you're out ahead of it now, up and around, and maybe discharged later today.  Take it easy!