Tennis Player resurfacing w/ Dr. Gross

[tennisgirl]

Hello Everyone,

I've been a major lurkette for a long time, reading most of posts eagerly, as I knew I would eventually have to have my right hip resurfaced.  Like many of you, I am a very active person, and I play competitive tennis several times a week.

My journey started three years ago with a mysterious pain in my right pubic/groin area .  After seeing multiple docs (gyn, gastro, general surgeon), I finally got an xray that showed OA.  The comment was made that my hips were twenty years older than I was (I was 48 at the time).  I was told to modify my tennis frequency.  Well, I cried on the ride home...I love to play tennis, and I didn't want to cut back.

Fast forward to last year, when I stumbled across hip resurfacing on the internet.  Vicky Marlow was invaluable in getting my xrays reviewed by several of the top docs and at the time I wasn't quite ready, but moving in the direction of needing hip resurfacing.  In the spring of 2010 I decided to contact Dr. Gross.  He reviewed my xrays, and it was determined I wasn't quite ready.  As other folks who have talked with Dr. Gross, he is extremely generous with his time over the phone.  In December 2010, I traveled to Columbia to see Dr. Gross, and after having another round of xrays, Dr. Gross told me my right hip was ready.

So I've had alot of time to digest this information, and am going forward with the surgery in a few weeks.  The reason I am writing now, is I am having the pre-op jitters.  I am still able to play tennis at a high level...my ROM is awful, but it's never been great, but I do have that continuos deep ache, and the lower back pain that seems to be getting worse.  I think like alot of us that are pre-op, we question our decision.  My tennis friends don't understand why I am doing this, as I can run around like crazy.

I guess I am writing you all for support...I don't know a soul in my area that has had this type of surgery.  I am confident in my choice of surgeon, but I am nervous.

Thanks for letting me vent....

Mindi

[Pat Walter]

Hi Mindi

I am glad you have made up your mind and chose Dr. Gross.  He is one of the best in the US.  Many people waiting for surgery often feel they have made the wrong decision.  They will feel like their hips are even getting better, then bang - he old pain is back.  None of the top surgeons will suggest a hip resurfacing unless it is needed.  They are so busy, they don't have to find patients to operate on.

If you can't live your life without pain and can't be as active as in the past, then you need to get your hip resurfacing.  You can also wait too long and miss the window of opportunity to get a resurfacing and end up with a THR. I think many here will tell you they had the same thoughts and fears.

I moved your post so you could have your own topic. 

Good Luck.

Pat

[ctb]

Hi Mindi!  I wish I had known what was going on with me a long time before it progressed to where I am now.  I have advanced OA in both hips, but only pain in the left.  Now I can't walk very far without crutches and even then it hurts.  You are making the right choice having it done now before you can't play tennis at all.  My hip deteriorated very quickly over the past 6 months.  Good luck and keep us posted!

Catherine (soon to be Dr. Gross patient)

[ScubaDuck]

Mindi-

I went through the same second-guessing.  The problem with arthritis is that it slowly takes our fun away.  The range of motion makes us give up activities and the pain makes avoid situations.  But we are still functional to one degree or another.  And arthritis might even give us a good day every once in awhile.

But arthritis never stops or reverses itself.  Eventually you will either give up all the fun activities and limp around with a cane.  Or you will do something about it.

I made the decision that I was at a point where I had given up enough and was ready to enjoy the rest of my life at a higher level of activity.  I saw this as a short term pain for long term gain.

The other day I went scuba diving for the first time since surgery.  I even fought a pretty good current.  And climbed a trail after the dive with all my dive gear.  And I had no hip pain.  I have never dove with no hip pain.  It was freaking awesome!

You have handled what is in your control.  You have chosen the best surgeon you can find who will use the best device for your situation.

Best wishes. 

Dan

[Dayton96]

Mindi,

I consulted with Dr. Gross 1-1/2 years ago.  He told me then that I had a one to two year window to get the hip resurface done before it would deteriorate too much and then I would have to settle for a hip replacement.  He told me that if I postponed it more than a year, then I would have to start getting regular X-rays to monitor potential deterioration.  I gave it a lot of thought, got fourth and fifth opinions and even cancelled my first scheduled surgery with him.  I finally decided that I was ready and I got it done last March.  I have no regrets.  I did my homework before I made my final decision, and then took the leap.  I would suggest that if you are not sure right now, then check with Lee and see how much of an open window you have, then decide if you want to put it off.  I can't promise you a pain free surgery or a perfect result, because doctors and nurses are human.  But I can tell you that I had a really good experience with Dr. Gross, the hospital and his whole team.  I had very little pain after the surgery.  I enjoyed my private room.  I enjoyed talking to my fellow hippies who were having their surgeries done at the same time.  Columbia, SC is a beautiful place and if you like, I can even recommend a couple of restaurants and an ice cream place in Columbia. 

Mac   

[newdog]

Mindi,

Wow! Have you come to the right place for information and support. As everyone will tell you, the pre-op jitters are normal, VERY normal. You are so not alone. The thing to know about your bad hip is, it will not get better, it will most definitely get worse. I know that is hard to hear, but all of us Hippys have heard the bad news. If Dr. Gross says you are ready, then I would trust his judgment. Like Dan said, many of us had second thoughts at times, I did even as bad as both of my hips were. I had thoughts like "What the h#!! did I get myself into this time!" If you are having good days and bad days with your hip, it won't be long until all the days are bad. Believe me, we've been there. You won't regret having your hip "fixed" and will soon be telling your story. The Hippys on here are so helpful and supportive. Mac is right, Columbia is a really beautiful town with lots of great restaurants. Keep positive, you did your homework well and picked an awesome team for your surgery. Plus there are quite a few "Gross Hippys" (I love saying that  ) here to talk with. Keep us posted.

[Boomer]

Mindi,

DGossack and New Dog offer good advice. I'm four weeks away from my first resurfacing, and still have a good day every once in awhile where I question my upcoming surgery. Then I try to do something fun, and the pain and limitations come screaming back at me. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer at the YMCA last night, but it ruined me for the rest of the evening. No way I will ever try that again until after surgery. I'm stuck with riding my stationary bike and doing the pre-op PT.

When you have doubts, go back and read the posting of DGossack, New Dog, Tin Soldier and others who stay posted. They've been guiding me for months now. Their postings motivate and educate. All will tell you that "only you know when the time is right". Many will also tell you that they waited too long, and suffered needlessly.

Stay posted. Stay positive. Good luck to you.

Boomer

[hernanu]

Hi Mindi, you've heard some good advice - first and foremost it's up to you when you decide to have this procedure.

You've already reached that decision, but like the rest of us, as the date approaches you're nervous about it; that's normal, and like Mac mentions, some have cancelled to have it later, when it became clear that it was necessary.

I think I can say that none of us would have had this if there were any other way to improve our OA, but there isn't; that's one thing I can tell you with certainty. I tried everything I could think of to avoid it, from ignoring it (I can tough this out), to physical therapy, massage, change in diet, even a fitness boot camp (fun with OA).

I was also very active, when the OA began, I was doing martial arts classes three times per week, playing basketball twice per week, soccer twice a week and weights three times a week. I was also in leagues for soccer and basketball and doing full contact fighting. All of that incrementally went away, the soccer last when my left hip (the worst one, I did both) started dislocating first as I played, then randomly throughout the day.

Like several here, I felt I waited too long. I could have done it earlier and been back to my old activities (to some degree at least) by now. I feel like I'm in the middle of my recuperation now, can do a lot of my activities, but I really believe I've got another year before my body is back to where I'd like it to be. My advice is that if you know you're going to do it, to go ahead; there is no guarantee, but you have done the best to position yourself for success - the doctor you've chosen is one of the best and the procedure you've chosen (HR) has a very high success rate.

You do need to consider the window of opportunity for having a good HR, but in the end it is your choice, one which everyone respects.

[Tin Soldier]

I can't say much more, others pretty well nailed it.  I felt the exact same way, spent about 5 months researching and coming here and then finally pulled the trigger.  Once I set the date (about a month of waiting) I was nervous, wondered if I should go through with it, even considered postponing.  I came here for support and I got it.  Like Hern said it's your decision and the nice thing about that is that you shouldn't feel any pressure from anyone, especially here.  We're simply here to offer our experience and tell you that you are far from being alone. 

Also, to make matters a little worse for me, I could still outwalk my coworkers, I was still hauling chainsaws up into trees, trying to bike to the river with the kids, played a little soccer here and there,... lots of pain later on, but I was like a dumb lab playing until I keeled over.  There's a lot of folks here that were similar.   Its a bit like your comment about tennis.  We think we should be in worse shape before committing to surgery.  However, it's not going to get better, so why wait?  Get on with your life. That's what I kept going back to while I waited for surgery. 

Good to have you here! 

[tennisgirl]

Thank you, thank you, everyone for your kind and supportive comments.  I just got home after a long day at the tennis courts...played for about two hours and then spent time with a teenage girl's tennis team that I coach.  The weather was glorious and I was feeling very good.

I think the reason I am second guessing myself is my pain isn't awful (only a few days here and there), but it's always there.  What I am most scared is that I won't be back to the same skill level post surgery.  I know I am being irrational and I am doing the right thing.  I planned this surgery so I would sit out the cold weather season (I live in metro Atlanta where we play tennis year 'round) and rehab.  Don't worry, I won't go back to the courts before Dr. Gross says I can. 

Yes, I don't want to be in debilitating pain and waiting until my window of opportunity is gone.  I feel somewhat fortunate that I can still do what I love up to surgery.

Also, did any of the "Gross Hippies" see a PT post surgery...I am in PT now to get stronger, but don't know if I really need to continue going, or just do things on my own...I'm a fairly motivated person (can you guess?)

I'm just under two weeks til the big day...

Mindi

[Luanna]

Hi Mindi,
I second guessed myself for 2 1/2 years before surgery and luckily my surgeon guided my window of opportunity so that I didn't miss it. Even after the surgery, I wondered "OMG, what have I done".... "will I ever".. etc. But NOW...... at 8 weeks I'm able to walk quite a distance unaided, get on a stationary bike and wheel away, and swim at bit...AND there is absolutely NO HIP PAIN.

My hip pain like yours wasn't unbearable but it was mostly always there and impacted too many of my activities.

I have found PT to be essential to getting back to where I am now and I still have quite a ways to go. I could not imagine trying to build strength, range of motion, and flexibility on my own. You are probably going to want to continue PT after surgery.

Best wishes,
Luanna

[Dayton96]

No organized PT post op, unless you count the two walks a day I started taking a week after my surgery (using crutches), as well the Phase 1 and Phase 2 stretching workouts that Dr. Gross gave me.  He will tell you walking is your best therapy.  Since you are an athlete, I suspect you will be pretty motivated to get back into shape.  If you do decide that you need a physical therapist, then I would suggest you make sure you find one who is familiar with hip resurfacing. 

Mac 

[Tin Soldier]

I believe most surgeons recommend PT post-op.  I really think the PT I've been doing twice a week has really helped me return to a good level of activity.  I suspect the cutting back and forth in tennis is one of the more hip strenuous activities and so I think most surgeons are going to recommend staying away from tennis for 6 months or more?  I'm not a tennis player, but a soccer player and my surgeon recommended a year before soccer.  See what Gross says, but you really want to be conservative when it comes to bone growth.     

[curt]

Dr. Gross did NOT 'scrip professional PT after the surgery.  The patients met with the PT department for a little while after surgery, but that was to go over the stretches and to review the major things NOT to do.  If I wanted PT, I guess Dr. Gross or Lee would be happy to refer you or write a prescription to one that your insurance covers.  At this point (four weeks today) I feel like the stretches, climbing and descending stairs and walking are filling up my days.  Curt

[Aerial]

Good luck to you.  I am having surgery with Dr. Gross in December.  I haven't played tennis in over two years.  I was thrilled when Dr. Gross suggested that I might be able to return to tennis!

[Anniee]

Dr. Gross does not routinely prescribe PT after resurfacing, because most of his patients do not need it.  You will have one or more PT sessions in the hospital (depending on what time of day your surgery was and how long you're staying in the hospital), and be given PT exercises to do on your own.  One set to do twice per day for the first six weeks, and then new ones starting at 6 weeks.  Plus the twice daily walking, of course.

I had no problem performing the PT exercises on my own (although there were some days I had to force myself) and the first hip healed just fine.  My range of motion on that side is now better than it has been for many years .  My second hip at this stage seems even better than the first one was so I feel like I'll have the same result this time.

I think Tin is correct in thinking no tennis for the first 6 months.  Dr. Gross does not want you to run for the first 6 months, and since tennis does require running, I'm sure that would be out too.  I think that may be the most difficult part of your recovery, because you will probably feel like you could do it, so you will have to be patient!

Best of luck with your surgery!

[tennisgirl]

Yes, Annie, I think you are right about probably wanting to play before I'm released to play.  Dr. Gross is a tennis player, so I know he'll understand where I'm coming from, but I wouldn't do anything to compromise my hip...not worth it.   I may continue with PT post-surgery as I've hit every deductible I had this year, and it doesn't cost me anything to go...lucky me.

I would love some recommendations on good restaurants in Columbia.  We plan to arrive the day before surgery for the pre-op appointment, and I'd love a good meal before the slice and dice.  Hopefully I'll be discharged in two days. 

Later,

Mindi

[Anniee]

Hi Mindi,

My favorite is the Blue Marlin.  Also, there is a very nice California Dreaming in the old railroad station, and Harpers at Five Points is good too.  All of these are pretty much downtown, but that's not too far from the hospital area.

[Dayton96]

The Blue Marlin was very good (http://www.bluemarlincolumbia.com/dinnermenu.html) and the Solstice Kitchen (http://www.solsticekitchen.com/) is also supposed to be good.  There is an ice cream pallor a few blocks away from the Blue Marlin.

A GPS comes in very handy around Columbia.

Mac

[Aerial]

I echo that the Solistice Kichen is wonderful.  They have this Gouda bacon Mac and cheese (that is a side item).  It is fabulous!  There is also a place not far from Solistice Kitchen called Pie-tanza that has superb thin crust gourmet brick oven pizza.  I'm from Columbia and these are two of my favorite places.