Surgeon in Atlanta or Georgia?

[SusanA]

Hello Surf Hippies,
I am new to this wonderful list and to the world of OA.  I have been diagnosed with OA in my right hip and they have recommended THR.  For all the reason I read about here, I want to avoid such a distructive surgery if at all possible.  Can anyone recommend an experienced resurfacing surgeon in Georgia?  Dr Gross my be the closest surgeon for me but I wanted to check.

Thanks in advance and thanks so much for this site,
Susan

[Pat Walter]

Hi Susan

Welcome to the Discussion Group.  I am sorry to hear about your OA. I am sorry that I did not answer sooner.  I am the owner of the website and there are not many members of this particular group yet.  If you want to join a very active group the Yahoo Surface Hippy Group is very active. You will get over 100 emails a day.  http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/surfacehippy/  I started as a member there several years ago and still get many of my hip stories from those members.  I just started this group a few weeks ago in an effort to have a smaller, more personal group. 

Dr. Gross is an excellent surgeon and a large number of people from the other disucssion group have used him. As you probably know from reading on my website, I believe that a person should choose a doctor with a lot of experience. You only have 2 hips and if a surgeon messes up a hip resurfacing, it could be a problem for the rest of your life. You can always revise a BHR to a THR, but that is not what you want.  You want to have a sucessful hip resurfacing that will last for years.

I don't know how hold you are, but even if you are in your 60's and active, a hip resurfacing will let you do whatever you want without any restrictions or fear of dislocation. I was 61 when I had my hip resurfaced because I did not want any restrictions on my activities.

Let me know if I can help in any other way.  If you also join the other group, you will find a lady called Pat Dukes who used Dr. Gross and is very helpful to people considering using him.

Pat

[boulder2hou69]

Hi Susan,

Sorry you've had to join the club, but it is filled with wonderful people ready to help.

I live in the Norcross area and have been seeking a hip doc solution for many months.  Dr Kress at Resurgens Ortho suggested a poly on metal total joint replacement in 08/2006, and did not bother to mention resurfacing is part of the universe.  He also made a case for metal on metal causing dangerous levels of metal ions that amount to too much risk.  Most other US ortho docs I've talked to consider resurfacing unproven technology.  I've concluded most of them are either ignorant of the documented progress made, or they do not offer it for sale yet, so why acknowledge it.

To make a long story shorter, many people - including myself - will tell you that it is far, far more important to choose the surgeon with the right skill level.  The learning curve for the more technically demanding hip resurfacing is estimated to be about 100 procedures.  Why even consider being within that group when you know their long-term results will be at higher risk of problems.  Geography and temporary convenience are not worthy of factoring into the decision which will impact the quality of the rest of a person's life.  Besides, you know about one of the best resurfacing docs in the world, Dr. Gross, and he is only a few miles away in S. Carolina.  He and the members of his team that I have interacted with, are really nice people.  That is the perspective I've developed and wish to share.

I was scheduled to have surgery with Dr. Gross in mid-March.  Despite 2 months of pleading with them, my insurance company, Humana, refused to give even a broad, uncommitted estimate of what they might pay.  Being out-of-network, the surgery by Dr. Gross could be billed for a total $45K to $60K.  Since I did not want to write such a large blank check, I canceled the surgery by Dr. Gross.  It was one of life's most unpleasant moments, but prudent.

Now I'm surprised to hear myself say that I'm scheduled to go to India on May 27 and become a Bose hippie on May 31.  Surprised, but I know it is the right decision for my circumstances.  My total expenses are largely defined by Dr. Bose offering a package price of $7,000.  Adding travel and hotel expenses, the total can be kept to around $10K.  I am dreading the very long flights, but others have repeatedly observed, it is best to consider the travel time as just one day of an entire life.

Good luck in reaching the best decision for your circumstances.  If you want to discuss anything, send me a private email with your phone and best time to contact you.

Del

[Pat Walter]

Hello Del

Welcome to the Discussion Group.  I am glad that you have scheduled your surgery with Dr. Bose.  He is one of the best in the world.  People often moan about having to pay for surgery - but I always feel it is one of the best financial investments you could make. It is investing in your own health getting a great new hip resurfacing that in many cases might last a whole life time.  I have a story about one of the first BHR receipients on the story section http://www.surfacehippy.info/katieellis91.php and she has had her's for over 16 years.  The metal on metal configuration of the actual hip certainly would not wear out in a persons lifetime, it is only your own bone structure that can wear and errode that allows the hip to loosen.

Did you read some of the Hip Stories I have posted for Dr. Bose?  People that have used him really love him.  You have a wonderful adventure ahead of you and a great new hip waiting for you.

Dr. Bose in India is one of the best choices for an affordable new BHR.  I choose Dr. De Smet in Belgium since I hate to fly and thought Belgium seemed a lot closer for me.  My surgery with travel for my Hubby and I was a total of $16,000 last March 2006.  $13,500 for the medical portion.  All of the costs have gone up slightly now.

Thanks again for joining the Discussion Group and Thank You for your input.  I know many people will read the posts. The are quite a few readers already. There are always many more readers than writers.

Pat