Who is the tallest "hippie" out there ???

[Big Bill]

  Not that it really matters---just wondering who is the tallest Hippy to have resurfacing done ?? I am  6'5'' and my procedure is scheduled on July 9th !!! I am closing in on becoming a Hippy! Will I be the tallest??? Let's find out!  I  am definitely pretty anxious now since I 've been researching surgeons,procedures, components and "you name it" for about a year. This is a wonderful, informative forum and I hope to feel well enough to post regularly. The pain is getting worse and my limp has progressed. I do take some meds and Aleve once or twice a day. I am one of those with a high tolerance to pain. We will see how I do when I have to stop taking everything soon! I remain very active, being in a water aerobics class and swimming 3 days a week,while weight training 3 days a week ,too. Trying to lean up for the surgery ! Just had my annual physical--lost 30 lbs in the year and all my #'s look great. I donated my own blood for my surgery (if necessary) just in case. Everything is finally falling into place. Wish me luck!!!

                                       Big Bill

[Pat Walter]

Hi Bill

You will be head and shoulders above everyone else when you get your new hip. You will stand tall and walk tall.  Glad to have you aboard Hip Talk.

Who is your doctor? Where do you live?

It is great to be out of pain and get back to an active life after your get your new hip.

Some of us never took heavy pain meds after leaving the hospital and others required it for weeks.  I guess we all have different bodies.  I hope you have a very quick recovery and not need much meds.  Advil did fine for me.  You are uncomfortable with the incision tenderness and sore muscles after surgery, but the old bad pain will be gone.

Sounds like you are in great shape.  That should help get your thru you surgery.

I do hope you will keep in touch and let us know how things are going after surgery.  The stories are great for people considering hip resurfacing. They also give you something to do after surgery and they are interesting to look back on after a year or two.  You forget a lot of the details as you recover and get on with your life.

Maybe some tall happies will answer your post.  I am 5' 8" tall but am a female. Wish I could have lost 30 pounds before surgery.  It gets difficult as your hip gets worse and you get older.

You have done your homework. Good Luck and keep in touch.

Pat

[Big Bill]

Hi Pat...thanks for being the first reply! This post will probably cross over into different topics,so I will leave it up to you where it should be duplicated if necessary. I live in Houston,Tx. and had visited several surgeons, including one in the very prominent Medical Center, here in town. I knew that I had "moderately advanced" arthritis in my rt. hip at age 44. I, now at 53 ,as we all have, dealt with the pain for years by what ever means helped. Sometimes that just means being plain oblivious to the discomfort! After xrays,I was informed that I needed a total hip replacement and no pt or anything else would help. My question was,how long did I have until I needed surgery? I was told about a year or so. I did not like the idea of a total hip replacement,so I began my research. I was very fortunate to find "Surface Hippy", where my questions were validated and I began the quest for surgeons in my area. I located,thru a client of mine,a very accomplished surgeon in Houston named Dr Zoran Cupic. His partner is Dr Stephan Kreuzer. They both have been my "monitoring physicians" for the last year and 8 months,taking several xrays over a period of time. The last set of xrays in April,plus my limp,continuing pain and the new presence of bone cysts,concluded that it was time to do the surgery. Dr Kreuzer is the one that will be doing my resurfacing procedure. He specializes in hips and knees. The only thing I (we) am concerned about at this late stage, is the presence of a few "bone cysts" on the top of the femur. They are very common in arthritic hips and according to my xrays should not affect the resufacing due to their location(s).The Dr and PA say that they are in an area that will be milled away in the "pre-capping" stage. I am trusting their professional judjement and pray that I do not wake with a total hip instead! Anyway... in hips, he uses the muscle sparing anterior approach and currently uses the Cormet devices because of their new technology(new FDA approval) and multiple size components, closer mimicking the size of the patients natural femoral head. I have been very fortunate to personally meet many of this teams patients. Dr Kreuzer is highly regarded and has an excellent track record. If you need any info on Dr Kreuzer,I can send links to his website/office/clinic. There is even an animated video of his technique/approach. I am very happy to have found such excellent technology available right in my own "back yard". Memorial Hermann Hospital is top notch and 30 minutes from my home. I am truly blessed!! All you Hippies out there keep me in your thoughts and wish me luck!   

                                         Big Bill   

[hollyk]

Hey Big Bill..It's definitely not me as I am barely 5"2"! I too had bone cysts, but they were able to do the resurfacing because my bone density was good. I was on Mobic for inflammation and was dreading the week or 2 before surgery when I had to stop taking it. I was able to take Tylenol, however by the time it was a few days before, I could hardly walk and was definitely ready to have the surgery! I have good days and not so good days at 12 days out. I think on the good days, I try to do too much and then suffer for it the next day. I haven't found the balance and am probably not resting enough. I do see progress though! Good Luck!
Holly

[TomBuell]

Hey Bill - I'm 6'5" and weigh 265. I had my right Birmingham Hip resurfacing done on July 1 by Dr. Ari Pressman at St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh. He did an excellent job. I've been in pain with osteoarthritis for several years, and had to scale back and eventually stop my favorite sports, mainly running and rowing. The doctor said I'll be able to resume those with this new hip.
I think my height and weight are partly the cause of the Doc's order to stay on my crutches for 3 weeks, even though I feel like i could be walking before that. I came home last night and am feeling better every day.
Good luck with your surgery.
- Tom

[TomBuell]

Hey Bill - Let's keep our communications on here so others can follow our progress. I'm sure your weight loss will help you with your recovery. I did the best I could to get down to my active weight of 225 from my surgery weight of 265, and that will be one of the things I'll be reporting on going forward. The weight gain was caused by inactivity due to pain and loss of motivation. I feel a lot more motivated now. Every day feels better. The soreness and tightness from surgery is dwindling slowly every day. I can tell that you are going to love the results.
- Tom


------FROM BILL
Hey Tom ----Congrats on your new hip ---I am getting down to crunch time (7/9) is the date. Just came inside from a wonderful 4th celebration on my cul-de-sac. Goin' out with a bang ! Everyone cooked and contributed to make a fabulous party! Excellent fireworks. The kids really had a blast ! I weighed about 265 before I started back on a workout program last year ---down to 229 as of this morning!  Hope it helps post surgery! Please stay in touch and let me know about the highs and lows. I hear it is tougher on us big guys!  Great to see your post on the Surface Hippy web site. I look forward to hearing from you ! 
 
 
                                Big Bill

[TomBuell]

Hey Bill - Hope the surgery went well and that you're recovering OK. I know the first days post-op can be a little overwhelming, but hang in there. You'll feel a little better every day, and you'll be up and around in no time.
Cheers - Tom

[Big Bill]

Hi again... The procedure was amazing ....I have no more pain in my leg ,hip or back...I am standing up tall and straight! Graduated to the cane today...all is good!

                Big Bill , Cormet Anterior Surface Hippy...aka... C.A.S.H.