Hello,
This is my first post on this site. So, I guess I'll bore you all with the full story. I was first diagnosed with osteoarthritis 12 years ago. I was 28 years old at the time and had played hockey for the previous 7 years about 2-4 times per week until the pain and stiffness in my left hip became too much to ignore. At that time, I finally made the connection between my hip pain and my parent's talking about when I was in a series of casts as an infant because I was born with a 'dislocated hip'. So, the true origin of my osteoarthritis is developmental hip dysplasia that went unnoticed until I was about 6 months old. All of the doctors freaked out over my x-rays when I was 28. They made it very clear to me that I needed to get as many years as possible out of my natural hip because a THR was imminent and I was far too young. One 'sports medicine' doctor even told me that I needed to eliminate all athletic activity for the rest of my life. I thought that was absolutely ridiculous. So, I made adjustments and I learned to manage it. I stopped playing hockey and I started cycling (both road and especially mountain biking) instead. I was still able to continue to snowboard, which is my other favorite sport. So, I've continue to lead an active life outdoors, just one with a lot of respect for my hip situation.
My hip has been quite manageable until recently. During the last two months, my hip has taken a significant turn for the worst. For the first time in 12 years, I can't seem to get it back under control. Something has changed. I've lost range of motion and because of that I feel that I've lost some muscle mass. It feels weaker and creakier. At times the pain is at an all new level. I can't throw the frisbee for my dogs without limping out of the dog park like an old lady.
Last week, I went to see a doctor who does hip resurfacing. Since I'm a huge cycling fan, I've been aware of BHR as a new option because of Floyd Landis. The doctor took x-rays and did a dexascan and has said that I'm a good candidate for hip resurfacing and that he could do the surgey in April. Since seeing him last week, I've done lots of research (l LOVE this website) and I've come to the conclusion that he's not experienced enough. He's only done 'a few' and he has only trained on the Cormet2000. There's no way that I'm letting this guy practice on my hip.
By the way, I live in Utah and I'm only 41 years old. This week, I have an appointment with Dr Hickman in Bountiful, Utah. From this website, I understand that he has done at least 130 resurfacings and uses the Birmingham device. It's a pretty good number. But, I'm still not sure that's enough experience for me.
Finally, here are my questions:
1) I'm a very small woman. I'm 5'1" and I weigh about 108 pounds. I know from experience, that things that come in average sizes are always too big for me. This may sound like a stupid question, but is it going to be a problem for me to get a proper fitting device? Is the doctor going to have to remove more bone in order to accomodate a device that is really too big for me. I ask this question because these devices don't seem to come in very many sizes. I think the BHR comes in 6 sizes. Also, from what I've read, it seems that problems can occur if the device doesn't fit properly, particularly the acetabular cup. Should I go with one of the super docs (like De Smet) because I'm smaller than your average person? Could my size make my sugery more complex?
2) Again, since I'm a small woman with small bones, am I at any greater risk for a femoral neck fracture than an average size person? Again, could this be a reason to go to one of the super docs?
3) Besides dealing with the pain, is there any other downside to waiting? Or, should I hold out for as long as possible? Will waiting risk damage to a point that I’m no longer a candidate for resurfacing? I didn't think I'd be facing this for another 10 years. I'm having a hard time coming to terms with if it's really time for this. How do you know?
Unfortunately, my colleague goes on maternity leave in July and may be out in June. She's going to be out for 6 months. If I'm going to have this operation, it would be ideal if I could get it done and be working productively before she goes out on leave. Otherwise, I'm looking at waiting until next year. So, that's also effecting my decision making.
Thanks,
Jean
Topic: Questions from a Newbie (Read 2994 times)
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