I need answers or at least a place to surrender.. very confusing!

[lotter]

Pat
- I am new to this - i have a husband who is very active 65 and has a very painful hip - has for the past 4 years and finally hurts enough for him to do something about it. It is very confusing. There is not an option of replacement.. just the type- total or resurfacing. I am wondering is there a list of surgeons in the US  who have done a lot of these.. and do you have contact information for anyone to take a look at xrays to give an "impartial" based on xray opinion. I am intriqued by the resurfacing but scared to death to make the wrong choice. The doc reccommended this resurface procedure.. second opinion slammed it as "too new" and issues with the titanium on titanium ball and socket.. arrrrrgggghhhhh.... I keep hearing everyone going out of country - not an option for us with work etc.. doesnt anyone do this stateside..

[Pat Walter]

Hi Lotter

Welcome to Hip Talk.

I understand how you can be confused and very frustrated - not only at the medical system but also you husband trying to put off any hip surgery.  No one likes surgery.

First, here is my list of doctors with many experienced hip resurfacing surgeons listed. There is a stat posted for most the doctors.  It is always good to also ask the doctor how many hip resurfacings they have done.
http://www.surfacehippy.info/listofdoctors.php

Tell us where you live and we might have some recommendations.

I along with many others left the country for our hip resurfacings because I did not have health insurance and could not afford surgery in the US.  I was 61 and could not get health insurance.  Even if I had insurance, I would still have gone to Dr. De Smet in Belgium becuase I believe him to be one of the very best in the whole world having done over 3000 hip resurfacings and over 3000 thrs.  Many poeople go to him and their US insurance covers the surgery.

Going out of the country is not any different than flying several states away if need be.  My friend in Marietta OH  took a second mortgage on his house for $28,000 and flew to CA to have his hip resurfaced with Dr. Amstutz.  We all do what we need to do to get what we want.

I would also be scared to death - not to use a really experienced surgeon since I was 61 when I had my hip resurfaced. The older people need the experienced surgeons to deal with loss of bone density, etc.  There are some new surgeons in the US that patients really like and they have done 100 - 200 resurfs.  It is just a matter of how you feel about the doctor experienece issue.

You can't go by what most doctors will tell you.  You need to consult with an experienced surgeon that does both thr and hip resurfacing.  The really experienced doctors will always try to do a hip resurfacing if possible. They realize that conserving bone is important if you ever need a revision in the future.

The new hip resurfacing devices and the Metal on Metal hips now used by many surgeons are not titanium. They are all a cobalt/chrome metal alloy.  They are not the same as the old fashioned plastic/metal thrs of years past.  The same issues about metal ions are faced with the MOMs as with the hip resurfacing.

The only current option to get the large sized head hip device and not worry about the metal ion issue is to have a ceramic on ceramic hip.

You can actually have some of the best doctors in the world give you a free and honest evaluation if you email them and attach your husbands x-rays in a digital format or .jpg file.

Dr. Bose of India, Dr. De Smet of Belgium and Dr. Gross of SC will all give you free consultations.  There are a few other US surgeons, but I don't remember them all.  Most US doctors charge to give you an opinion.

I went to 4 orthopedics and paid $200 each out of my pocket to hear that they would only give me the old fashioned small ball plastic/metal thr.  Only one would give me the newer MOM thr.  I chose to ignore them all and contacted Dr. De Smet and Dr. Bose.

Going out of the country has nothing to do with your work - it has to do with getting the surgeon you want to do your surgery.  You will have to take time to recover no matter who does your surgery.  Most people don't go back to work for 4-6 weeks or longer.

Many people going to Dr. Bose and De Smet have very quick recoveries - that's why we think so highly of them.  some of the US surgeons are catching up like Dr. Rogerson in WI.

I was on one crutch at 4 days and no crutch at 4 weeks.  I was walking about 1 mile a day at 11 days post op.  Spent 2 1/2 days in the hospital, then released.  That is veyr typical of hip resurfacing surgery.

I decided to do some PT when I returned to the us at 11 days post op - but they did not know what to do with me because my recovery was so far ahead of the normal THR recovery.

Reading the Visitors guide will get you started to learn a lot  http://www.surfacehippy.info/listofdoctors.php

Reading the fast recovery stories will inspire you husband  http://www.surfacehippy.info/athletes.php    and the normal ones help you know what you are facing and how quickly most people recover  http://www.surfacehippy.info/hipstories.php

Please keep in contact and keep asking questions.  You will finally figure out what you want to do.  Until you feel the decision is right - from your gut - don't stop looking and asking questions.

Pat