Brand new to the site. Looking for more feedback on Dr. Gross

[bosoxgordon]

Hello all, This is officially my first post on this wonderful forum. I suppose I should start by sharing a little bit about myself. I am a 39 year old man, married with a 21 month old son. We live in Greenville, SC and I work as a corporate pilot. I am much like the rest of you in that I was very active most of my life. I played many different sports growing up and tried to maintain an active healthy lifestyle in adulthood. I was into martial arts for quite few years and was fortunate enough to earn my 2nd degree black belt before my pain sidelined me. I also love boating, watersking, and riding motorcycles in the beautiful blue ridge mountains all of which I do much less these days.
The story of how I ended up with hip arthritis is much like others on this site. It was first diagnosed as a back problem. I went to a chiropractor & massage therapy for a year with limited improvement. I then went to my GP and was put on an anti-inflamatory for the "back pain" and had limited help from that. I then started some PT as it was thought my problem was tight muscles from an old injury. I finally thought I should go to the big guns and see an orthopedic specialist. It was there that I got the devastating news many of you got. I was 39 years old with advanced arthritis in my left hip due to FAI and I would need a THR. Needless to say I was in a bit of shock. It took quite some time to process this and get past the emotional reaction to this news. I was to meet with the surgeon to get his opinion in a few weeks and in the meantime I tried to educate myself as much as possible on what to do. One interesting side note was that the first orthopedic specialist I met with (not a surgeon) after telling me the news mentioned briefly something called a Birmingham procedure. He didn't expound on it but said I could talk to the surgeon about it later. Fast forward a month later and I met with the surgeon who recommended a THR and said he did not have a high opinion of HSR. Once again I was disappointed because I thought this HSR thing was a ray of hope for someone as young as myself. Needless to say I was depressed and confused at this point. I truly thought that all the buzz about HSR was driven by big money marketing campains and that it was a "risky" procedure. I got a second and third opinion from other orthopedic surgeons. One said I needed to wait 5-10 years before even considering surgery and the other said I would need a THR and he did not have a high opinion of HSR.
In the mean time I was put on Celebrex by my GP and it helped quite a bit with the pain. I told a friend of mine from the martail arts world about my hip problems and he told me a mutual friend of ours had a similar story and had HSR and was happy with it. I spoke with him and he pointed me in the direction of this wonderful website.
Anyway, I've done extensive research on every conceivable angle and decided I had to consider HSR as a viable treatment option. I was also pleased to find out that one of the most experienced and respected HSR surgeons in the country, Dr. Gross, was just 1.5 hours down the road from me. I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Gross this past week and I was very impressed. He spent more time with me than all the other surgeons combined. I didn't feel like I was on some medical version of beat the clock as I tried to get all my questions answered. I was very impressed with his knowledge and passion about what he does. In my experience it is those that are passionate about there profession that are the best. I am fairly sure that HSR is the direction I want to go with my treatment and that Dr. Gross is the man for the job. The question I have for all of you out there is how you decided to finally pull the trigger and get it done? I also would love to know if how many other people out there are close to my age facing this decision. It would be great to talk to others my age that have had this done. Are there any get togethers of surface hippys? It would be cool to get hear some war stories from others who have been down this road. Also, I have already read quite a few great things about Dr. Gross but any feedback you may have would be great as well. Sorry this post went so long just thought I'd share my story with everyone. Thanks to everyone out here for all the great info and especially to Pat for setting up this great website.

[sdunn4]

Hi Bosox,

I am a bit older than you (53), but I ended up with Dr. Gross after 6 months of research.  I drove from upstate NY to get the surgery last October 24th.  I just returned from a 5.5 mile walk- it was absolutely fantastic to be able to do that with no pain after only 4 months post-op.  You will be very pleased with the outcome from surgery with Dr. Gross.  I am just biding my time until the 6-month mark when I can return to more vigorous activity (water and snow-skiing, cycling, backpacking and hiking peaks in the winter, etc.)

Good luck with your decision going forward!

Steve

[obxpelican]

We have lots of happy Dr. G patients on this forum, I'm sure someone close to your age will reply.


Chuck

[Aerial]

I and surgery with Dr. Gross on December 5th.  I have a fairly detailed report of my recovery under hip stories.  So far I am 100% pleased with the surgery and recovery.  Yes, there are some questions about the HS procedure but you are going to one of the best.  I live in Columbia, SC and I am very active.  I was 46 at the time of surgery.  With someone as highly qualified as Dr. Gross in my backyard it seemed silly not to try it! Incidentally I did see a doctor at Steadman Hawkins clinic in Greenville for a second opinion since they advertise hip resurfacing there.  That doctor promptly talked me out of it.  No comparision on level of knowledge about the procedure and comfort level performing it vs. Dr. Gross who answered every question in a data based manner. Go for Dr. Gross!  Best thing I ever did.  The worry leading up to the surgery was far worse than the procedure and recovery.  In one day and out the next!

[Baby Barista]

Hi Scott,

I have a story that in many ways mirrors yours. I'm 37 years old. I lived with hip pain since high school. Back then, they couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong with me and told me to take Tylenol when my hip hurt. The next 20 years, the pain continued, my range of motion became nil and I had chronic back pain. Last year, when the pain started to grow, I did a bunch of research and self diagnosed myself with femoral acetabular impingement. I visited an orthopedist who does arthroscopic surgery. He took X-rays and told me I was right. I did have FAI, but worse, my hip cartilage was gone. I had been running half marathons bone on bone. He told me my two options were THR or pills to deal with the pain. There was no way I was going to have a THR and twice I had already gotten ulcers from NSAIDS.

I spent the next two months digging into the nether regions of the web and found out about hip resurfacing. That led me to Dr. Pritchett here in Seattle. Once he told me I was a great candidate for resurfacing, I went back to the research. While everything seemed to point to HR as my best option, I couldn't get past the fact that I'm only 37.

Ultimately for me, logic won out. Surgery was eventually inevitable. I could spend years in pain, be unable to play ball with my son and eventually have surgery when I felt "old enough"... or I could do it now while I have superb bone stock and a 98.5% chance of success. I liked those odds. As many surgeons will tell you, HR is more likely to be successful in someone who's 40 than 50, someone who's 50 than 60 and so on. I have no regrets about having surgery. Six weeks later, I'm already back to work and walking with only a slight limp. I'm looking forward to playing ball with my son in the front yard and everything else I would have given up without surgery.

You're a pilot. You know to trust your instruments. You know to trust the laws of physics and science. You also know that flying in a commercial airplane is the safest mode of travel. Now try to apply that same level of logic and thinking to this decision. I'm certain if you do, you'll come to a decision in which you'll be confident.

Good luck my friend.

[bosoxgordon]

First of all I want to thank everyone for their responses. I am always amazed at how supportive and helpful strangers can be in setting like this. It of course helps to also know that there are others going through the same thing I am at this age. I am glad that I found this site in time for me to make as informed a decision as possible. It is tragic that there are so many folks out there that never are given all the options and simply go with whatever recommendation is prodived them by the first doctor they talk to. We all know that not all doctors are as good or educated as you might wish they were. Trust me, I work in a similar profession where there is a lot of years of training and it takes a lot of personal motivation and professionalism to maintain sharp skills and to stay current with the latest advancements in our profession. While most professional pilots are good at this, I can tell you as an insider that it is not true of all pilots. There are some that are simply better, smarter, more motivated, or more professional than others. The same is true in the medical profession. This has been played out in the testimonies of many of you on this website. I also saw the same thing play out several years ago when dealing with my mothers cancer treatment. Unfortunately no one in a white lab coat is going to care as much about your well being as you are. However, I am touched by how much fellow patients in this forum take the time and effort to share information, stories, and an encouraging word. Thank you very much!

Having said that, I have a question to ask the group. I have been deep in research over this whole issue and after much thought and meeting with Dr. Gross I am 99% sure that HSR is the right choice for me and I am fairly sure that all things considered, Dr. Gross is the best choice for me. However, I have one thing that has been nagging at me. I am not 100% sure if the Biomet Uncemented device is the best choice. It seems as though the BHR has the longest track record and is by far the most popular. However, I am fully aware that much of this may simply be because of deep pockets and a brilliant marketing campain by Smith & Nephew. I follow the logic Dr. Gross has used to defend his uncemented device but is it too speculative for me to try something like that?  I like the way Dr. Gross thinks and I follow his logic. He seems to only make good evidence based decisions but why is he the only one using such a device? What are your thoughts? I would love to hear what your reasoning was for choosing your particular device. I would especially like to hear from those of you that had treatment with Dr. Gross. Thanks again for taking the time to respond and for all the kind words.

[obxpelican]

In 5 months I'll be a 4 years Dr. Gross cementless patient.  As it stands today the bioment cementless device has been a total success.

It usually takes a couple of years and some data to prove a device worthy, 4-5 years is plenty IMHO.  The ASR device started showing signs of the wheels falling off @ 2 years.  The biomet has not had problems, now at least in the hands of Dr. Gross, I have not followed any other doctors using the device. 

We all put our good money down and put our faith in God, our surgeons and the device that they use.  My left hip has been creeking lately so I am guessing I'll be headed to Columbia next year for 2nd and hopefully last surgery on my hips.

All I can tell you, research, find the most experienced doctor you can find that you have faith in.  IMHO, with Dr. Gross you cannot go wrong.

Chuck

[blkhank]

Hi ,I'm 47 yrs old and mine was done Jan 6, 2012.I like you was diagnose in June after not being able to walk for a week  with " back" pain. I'm a mounted deputy sheriff.So after 2 injection and PT. My Dr. said he didn't know what else to do.

So in Oct. 2011 found a Dr. on my own for a second opinion . He said there is definitely a back issue however thinks the hip is a lot worse so he sent.me.for my third opinion with a orthopedic on Dec. 2011. She said you need a hip replacement as I sat there crying ,she explained options. Then look me in and the eye and said how's your quality of life. So a month later I had surgery.So that's how I decided. At lease I didn't have a lot of time to think about it.
 
I'm lucky because I live in Cleveland and we have a lot of highly skilled surgeons.So I got in quick. Good luck,you will be happy when recovery is over. And I should be in the saddle by may.   Chris

[bosoxgordon]

Chuck, It's good to see someone with the Biomet U/C from Dr. Gross here. I'm glad it's going well for you. I actually like Dr. Gross' reasoning for trying to have a successful uncemented implant. It makes sense since uncemented is the standard with THRs and the accetabular component. It just made me wonder why no other surgeons have been willing to venture out and try it. It seems like most surgeons are too risk adverse for this. Knowing what I do about Dr. Gross I would bet that the Biomet U/C will actually be a big success but it is still a bit scary without a longer track record. I suppose this whole thing is a bit of a calculated risk.

[obxpelican]

Scott,

I am not so sure that other doctors are not willing to try, but most will say that there is nothing wrong with a cemented BHR, I tend to agree with those people.  There really have not been a lot of failures related to cement, who knows what will happen in the future.  I've always said I hope we all go to our graves with our hardware.

Personally I think going uncemented makes sense, I believe that using bone ingrowth into the device makes for a VERY strong connection point.  Think of it this way, sometimes when they have to remove a THR they have to literally fracture your femur.

Now let me tell you why I picked Dr. Gross--- it was NOT because it was uncemented, it was because of all the people who told their stories about the way they were treated by Dr. Gross and his staff and even the hospital.  The night Dr. Gross called me I was sold, he spent a lot of time with me, he answered all my questions and he never rushed me off the phone.

In the end we all have to make our decision based on what our mind and heart tells us, but again, I never chose Dr. G based on him doing uncemented, if you look back he had only been doing it a short time when I picked him, again it just made/makes sense to me.  Today I am extremely pleased with my choice and everytime Dr Gross presents his numbers I am more and more pleased with my decision. 


Chuck

[mountaingoat]

Hi Scott,
 I'm 36, turning 37 this summer. I had bilateral resurfacing with Dr. Gross at the end of January. You can read through my threads and see my thought process and how I made my decisions over the last 6 months before surgery. I was torn between the BHR with Dr. Su or Biomet Uncemented with Dr. Gross. In the end, my decision was based less on the device and more on the fact that Dr. Gross spent more time with me personally and was willing to do bilateral which was important to me as I also have a young child (10 months) and did not want to go back and do this again in a year. I'm 6 weeks out and doing pretty well, although it has been a tougher recovery than I had expected. I also tried the hip arthroscopy route (I had FAI) but that only bought me a few years and was not worth the time in the end.

I had similar questions about the Biomet as you. I reviewed a lot of the threads on this board and read a lot of other stuff on my own. In the end I felt confident with Dr. Gross to trust his judgment and choice of device.

Good luck!

Amy

[Dannywayoflife]

Hi Scot,
            Welcome to the forum. There are plenty of Gross hippies on here!
I live in the UK and got an opinion from him and seriously considdered traveling to the US to see him. So he gets great results!

[curt]

       Rate him 10 out of 10.  Great result so far.

Curt

[bosoxgordon]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone. It doesn't take long to realize that Dr. Gross has an impeccable reputation and many satisfied patients.

Amy, it's interesting you mentioned Dr. Su. He is the other surgeon I was considering. He also has a great reputation and uses the BHR. I just wanted to see what thoughts people had on the Biomet U/C. Early results seem to be that it is performing well. It seems that the choice of surgeon is the most important factor to consider and Dr. Gross is an excellent choice.

I also have to consider the logistics involved with having the surgery. It seems silly to travel far away to have the surgery when I have Dr. Gross just 1.5 hours down the road. I was also impressed by how much time he spent with me and how openly and frankly he spoke with me. He will tell you the straight truth which I appreciate.

[Miguelito]

Hi bosoxgordon,

I had yet to post here but felt compelled to at least say hi after reading your post. Your experience is the most similar to mine (by far) I have yet seen. I am 41, male, have two lovely little girls, active lifestyle, studied martial arts for fifteen years or so (more on that in a minute), was initially diagnosed with sciatica (7-8 years ago), PT, diagnosed with severe arthritis of the (right) hip, and met with a local surgeon who supposedly did both HR and THR but doesn’t really and (if I am to be honest) lied to me about the pros and cons of THR vs HR.  That last disheartening experience with the local surgeon had a fantastic silver lining.  It convinced me that I needed to follow the advice of everyone on here and consult one of the big surgeons. I straightaway mailed my application to Dr. Gross: he called me back like clockwork the next week (I must have acted like a twelve year old schoolgirl when he called, I was so excited). I am now scheduled for HR with Dr. Gross in mid-April and (sort of) wish it was tomorrow.

I’m posting because you asked for responses from people close to your age facing this decision (though I haven’t yet had it done). You asked how people decided to pull the trigger. Proximate reason was my bad experience at a local Boston surgical consult (I’ll show him!). Ultimate reason is (like many/most people here) a combination of a million different things, but the big ones would be wanting to be more active with my kids, finding it very difficult (sometimes) to even carry my two year old for even a minute or two (and I thought nothing of lugging around two sheets of 4’8’ plywood less than three years ago), wanting to golf again, not wanting to miss any more work because due to pain I could not waIk or sleep the previous night, knowing my hip was getting worse and at an accelerating rate (like circling the drain) not wanting to be a grump to my wonderful wife anymore (well, at least not anymore than I was before the OA got really bad :-)).

You posted a later question/concern about the success of the device Dr. Gross uses. I also had this concern. There was a link somewhere on this website that had some Australian stats that mentioned the “Recap” in one of its annual summaries. Not sure this is an “apples to apples” comparison of what Dr. Gross uses, but the “Recap” revisions were 4.3% and 6.0% at one and three years, a little worse than middle of the road for the devices listed for those periods. Obviously Dr. Gross is not included in those stats at all and his own results (particularly with the latest cementless femoral component) are stunningly successful. Any concern I have for the Australian stats (which are at a minimum not “apples to apples” [cementless femoral component, for instance]) are wholly obviated by the confidence I have in Dr. Gross. You know what I’m talking about, having met him. I just spoke with him, and read his web-site. I will admit that I am concerned (a little) about what a revision will entail with a less common device that may be under or unsupported down the road. [I want to caveat the whole preceding paragraph by saying I could easily be wrong about some of that; I don’t profess to be an expert, just trying to figure this all out].

My last comment (sorry for the semi-hijacking) is just an observation that it seems to me that an aberrantly large percentage of the younger male posters here study or studied the martial arts for a long period of time. This is obviously not a scientific sampling but it is very suggestive to me. Clearly martial arts are terrible for your hips. While I was diagnosed with arthritis (of some kind) of the hips (and elsewhere) thirty years ago, I clearly now have FAI. I think that FAI coupled with martial arts (and hockey, other things) tore my hip up. Do you have a suspicion on yours? I apologize if I missed it in your posts.

Mike

P.S. I wish you the best of luck whatever you decide to do!

[bosoxgordon]

Mike,
 I do infact have that suspicion. I do not have any family history of arthritis in younger folks and I am experiencing some pain in other joints that I think are a result of years of intense training. I know it is not scientific but just in my small circle of folks that I know in the martial arts world I know of three people that have have hip replacements of some kind. One of which had bilateral THRs when he was in his 30s! Another that I know through a mutual friend had HSR done two years ago at the ripe old age of 35. He's very pleased with his HSR so far but I'm sure would have rather kept the hip God gave him longer.

I don't know if anyone has looked at it but I suspect martial arts can expose any underlying congenital conditions one may have in their hips. It's like many other things, some people can practice martial arts for decades and have no ill effects while someone with an underlying condition like FAI can accelerate the onset of OA. I suppose it's like some people that can eat eggs and bacon every day for breakfast and live to be 90 while the next guy may drop dead from a heart attack at 40.

I once heard a saying that says "Genetics loads the gun and bad habits pull the trigger". Not that martial arts are a bad habit but I think it may be a contributing factor to my early OA as well as yours.

[imgetinold]

Scott,

I am 44, similar story to everyone else (but no martial arts).  I am a Gross hippie in January, and can think of no better surgeon in the world.  I specifically picked him because I believe in Dr. Gross' philosophy on why it will eventually prove to be superior.  It makes sense, since so many THRs are uncemented and proven to be effective.

The reason he has been the only one doing it until recently is because he was integral in the development of the implant.  Apparently, creating the porous surface on the inside surface of the femoral component was/is very difficult from a manufacturing standpoint.  He pioneered it, and so was the only one implanting them....at least in the US.  I think one more doctor in the US is not beginning to use an uncemented femoral component.  He's on this website, but I can't remember his handle.

Anyway, you can't go wrong with Dr. Gross and Lee.  They are really great.  Good luck.

[Jbennett]

Can't give you feedback yet but check with me in 9 days. 
I'm 43 and I've been dealing with pain for about 5 years. I'm pretty excited really about having a new joint. I hope it's as awesome as a lot of the people here say it is. In the meantime I'm just trusting I am making the right decision.
Jeff

[Dayton96]

Scott,

I found out two years ago that I would need a new hip and was lucky that the second (sports) surgeon I consulted mentioned a new procedure for younger more active patients called a hip resurface.  I then spend six months researching doctors, web sites, and implant manufacturers.  I talked to some of the top docs recommended on this site, both in person and in telephone interviews.  I even had a spread sheet that I filled out that included the devices each used, what surgical technique they used, the insurance they accepted, the revision rates, etc.  I was surprised and disappointed by the responses I received from some of the top docs.  One prominent doc in Florida never did call me for a telephone consult and his staff was terrible to deal with.  Other doc assistants took weeks to return my calls and when they did call, were unable to answer my most basic questions or seemed evasive when I tried to pin them down on revision or failure rates.  I realized that a doctor's staff was an important factor for me to consider as well as the doc himself.  I wanted to be able to depend on the surgeon and his staff getting back to me after the surgery if there were any problems.  I assumed if I had difficulty with them before the surgery, it would not get any better after the surgery. 

There were other docs though who were good to deal with, such as Dr. Bose, Dr. Pritchett, and Dr. Clarke.  I could easily have gone with one of them if there had not been a Dr. Gross.  I reviewed all the factors though and in the end I settled on Dr. Gross, not so much for the cementless device he uses, but because of the quality of his work, the support staff he surrounds himself with, and the hospital in Columbia.  I decided it was worth the drive from Ohio to SC. 

You haven't mentioned it as a factor for you, but for me insurance was also an issue.  I have BC/BS and it would cover Dr. Gross and the hospital he uses.  Dr. Su's office did not take BC/BS. 

To finish, I asked Lee Webb one time why Dr. Gross had decided to practice in Columbia, SC., instead of a larger city like Atlanta or New York.  She said he told her it was a quality of life issue.  He decided it was a good place to raise a family.  I thought that was a pretty good answer. 

Mac

[bosoxgordon]

Mac,

Thanks for your response. Your reasoning is pretty much in line with mine. In my experience I have found that quite often the support staff a doctor surrounds himself with can make or break your entire experience. After getting all the feedback from other patients here I truly feel blessed that Dr. Gross is so close by.

I haven't dug too deep with the insurance yet. I also have BC/BS and confirmed on line that they would cover the procedure with Dr. Gross. I haven't gotten into the details yet but will do that soon. Based on the insurance website the cost estimator says my out of pocket share will be $7000. I still have to confirm that with Dr. Gross' office and the hospital. I haven't checked with Dr. Su to see if he takes BC/BS but if you say you've already checked and they don't then that may be a deciding factor for me.

Incidentally, I did do some more research on the Biomet implant and from a manufacturing side it seems as though they have followed all the best protocols and designed the implent to hold up over the long haul. I specifically saw a presentation Mr. McMinn did criticizing the ASR implant and one of the factors he didn't like about it was the meatlurgy. Apparently the ASR was double heat treated instead of "as cast" which has proven to lead to higher wear rates. The Biomet is "as cast" just like the BHR and has a higher carbide count. I say all that at the risk of sounding ignorant since I am by no means an expert on this stuff. The point is that whenever I find out something new about the progression of these implants, Biomet seems to have gotten it right. I'm sure Dr. Gross had something to do with that since he was involved with the development.

Anyway, your point about the staff and nurses is well taken and a very good one. Quite often that side of the decision process is over looked. I would say that next to the surgeons actually knowledge and skill, the support staff is one of the most important factors when choosing a doctor. How has the recovery been? Do you feel like you did it at the right time?