What's possible in a year?

[Mi Corazon]

Just wanted to post this....

In 2010, just before Christmas, I went to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to see about my left hip.  I was in some serious pain and dysfunction and had been for over five years.  My left hip was constantly sore, I had no flexibility, I couldn't walk very far without needing a break, standing at parties killed me, I couldn't tie my shoes and I had to sleep with a pillow between my legs.

I can't say I was a miserable human being, but on the other hand, I was severely limited and facing a wheelchair in a matter of a year, at most.

I was 50 years old, had been extremely active my whole life and did not want to give up living a very good life at such a young age.  But, I was not someone who trusted doctors or the medical system to help me.  In fact, it scared the crap out of me.

I figured if I had to capitulate, I might as well go to one of the world's elite institutions.  That's why I had waited three months for Mayo to give me an appointment, getting worse the whole time.   Sure, other doctors had seen the X-rays as well:  osteo-arthritis, no real cartiledge in the left hip ("right hip: not much better"), but everyone said the same thing:  put it off, take anti-inflammatories, wait as long as possible before getting your hip replaced because, well, the prognosis after a hip replacement is not that great either.

But, because of this website, I knew enough to keep pushing for a better outcome.  Or, at least, I was aware that other people out there were having success with a thing called "resurfacing".  I even watched a few videos about it online -- which did not make me want to rush into surgery by any means!

Anyway, the long and the short of it was, this doctor at Mayo Clinic, on December 20th, 2010 basically told me that hip resurfacing was a joke, that it had been tried and failed in the 1970s, and that I would have to resign myself to whatever the doctors at Mayo decided--over 90% of which were total hip replacements with fairly comprehensive lifetime restrictions on physical activity.

That was a tough day for me.  Both me and my wife wanted to kill this guy.  Arrogant, unable to listen, unsympathetic.   On the way home I called another Doc in Madison and asked about resurfacing.  I was able to book a surgery date three months out, pending a CT scan and confirmation I was a good candidate.

Today, looking back, after not just one, but two successful BHR operations with Dr. Rogerson in 2011,  if you had asked me on the way out of the Mayo Clinic that day to believe that just one year later my life would be made whole again -- well, I would have cried and offered to pay everything I had.

So, I just want to say that the right candidate for a hip prosthesis, young, active, healthy with good bone density, however decrepit, combined with the right procedure,  the right device and the right doctor, following the right post-surgery protocols -- well, I can fully testify, your life can be completely transformed.  Beyond your wildest dreams of healing.

And I am so grateful for all of it.  This website, the procedure, the doctor -- .... even in the midst of the dark night of the soul, there is a solution out there if you just keep searching.

Peace-- and cheers, hippies,

[Boomer]

Great message!

Thanks for posting.

I am five weeks into my recovery from my first hip surgery and facing surgery on the second hip later this year. I think we all wonder how good it can be afterwards, and will it be worth it.

Nice to hear how good things are going to be for me and the other newbies in the next year or two.

Boomer

[Two4One]

Thank you for a terrific one year update, Mi Corazon!  At less than 3 weeks bilateral post op, stories like yours are so heartening.  The peace of being well is what I look forward to sharing with you soon.

[Dannywayoflife]

Great post! Thanks.

[hernanu]

Great to hear from you, Mi Corazon... It is great to see another good recovery. I remember your discouragement from Mayo - I think we've all had to deal with self important doctors.

The key is to find surgeons that will work with you as an equal, whether the result is HR (hopefully) or a good large THR.

Thanks for the post, and glad that you are so happy.

[Woodstock Hippy]

Congratulations on your one year anniversary.  I'm at 8 weeks for Bilaterals and like you my first doctor was no help.  I was at Hosp. For Spec Surgery and two and a half years ago the doctor told me I'd be a good candidate for hip resurfacing when things got bad enough.  This summer it all went bad and he told me at my age, 61, I should have THR and learn to take it easy.  I didn't want to do that so I went downtown to NYU Hosp for Joint Disease and met with Dr Scott Marwin.  I had bilateral hip resurfacings on Nov 15, and it was like a miracle.  I walked out of there on the morning of the ninth day with just one cane, no limping, no pain.  At six weeks I walked 5 miles and this weekend, just short of 8 weeks I Waked even further in 1:49:00 and did my third outdoor bicycle ride, feeling great and holding myself back on every ride.

It really has been like a miracle.

[imgetinold]

Thanks for the post.

I cannot imagine that the doctors at the Mayo Clinic are not aware of the outcomes related to the current method/materials for hip resurfacing.  That they said it was a failed experiment from the '70s seems like a violation of their oath.  They should be ashamed of themselves.