Deciding What to Do

[george]

I am new to the chatroom. I have severe ostio. in left hip. Dr. gross has looked at xrays and confirmed. so has dr. De semet. I cannot even walk 75 yards anymore, without stopping. I have heard so many people on this site posting
severe problems, and only 9 year history of resurfacing, well, I am holding out. I don't know what for anymore.\

george

[Pat Walter]

Hi George

Welcome to Hip Talk.  I gave you your own topic in the section where more people might see it.  The chat room is a different section of the website. This is the Discussion Group where there are a lot of people to correspond with.

If you are in pain and can no long live your life, why wait?  Over 90,000 people worldwide have BHRs and others have Wright C+, Biomets, Cormets and ASRs.  Hip Resurfacing has been done since 1997 in the rest of the world. It is only the US that is behind on the technology and experienced surgeons, but we are quickly catching up.

Dr. De Smet has done over 3000 hip resurfacings and over 3000 THRs.  Dr. Gross has done over 1300 hip resurfacings.  They are both several of the best hip resurfacing surgeons in the world.  The revision rate for hip resurfacing is still very low. Once a doctor is out of the learning curve and done a hundred or more resurfacings, they seldom have problems. 

This is not new technology and is well proven.  That is why the FDA has approved both the BHR and the Cormet. 

If you hold out too long, you can miss the window of opportunity to have a resurfacing.  Your hip will become so deteriorated that you will only be able to have a THR.  I am assuming you understand the difference between resurfacing and THRs.  They don't cut off a large amount of your femur bone to do a resurfacing.  If you want to read why the doctors think a hip resurfacing is better than a THR, read this page    http://www.surfacehippy.info/faqbhrvsthr.php

I had to wait almost 10 years and I could do nothing but sit in a chair.  My life stopped in my mid 50's. If I had known about hip resurfacing earlier, I would have had my hip resurfaced.  I had mine done at 61.

I can't imagine no being able to walk, being active or even being able to sleep without meds and pain.  There is no way you can ignore terrible hip pain and it stops your life.

You can read many postings and stories on the website where people say - why didn't I do this earlier?  Why in the world did I wait?

I thought I would touch base with you and give you more information.  Please feel free to post any questions or remarks you might have.

Pat

[TomBuell]

Welcome George. As Pat says, you'll find a lot of people on this site, including me, who are wondering why we waited so long to end our agony and loss of mobility. I had my hip resurfaced (Birmingham) five weeks ago today and it's like my life has changed. On the day after surgery, when I was in physical therapy (yes, that quick), I remember almost weeping when I realized that the old pain was gone. Yes, I was sore from surgery, but I could tell immediately that the grinding agony was over. And yes, the question came, "What took me so long?"
I recommend doing some reading about different systems and doctors, and asking as many questions as you want. We're all happy to answer.
Where are you located? I'm sure you can find good doctors in your area. I had mine done by Dr. Ari Pressman in Pittsburgh (where I live). He's excellent.
Good luck!
- Tom

[Big Bill]

George.... First of all...you are doing the correct thing by getting info from this forum! I am confident that you will make a decision soon. You have definitely contacted some of the best surgeons to gather opinions. You will not regret having the opportunity to walk again ....better yet ...to have your LIFE back !    ;)I was diagnosed when I was 44 and resurfacing was not a popular topic among surgeons here in the USA. I cruised through the rest of my 40's and my hip really started getting bad when I hit 50. Walking was my enemy... I limped real bad and ate advil, aleve and pain meds ...yet , I still remained active at swimming  and water aerobics. I biked until it just plain hurt too bad. I was given the opportunity to have resurfacing on 7/9/08....and took the bull by the horns! Now at  53, I am nearly 4 weeks post op and walking 2 miles a day amongst other things. I feel pretty good again... look at some of my posts since my procedure...or go to Pats link for Hip Stories, go to additional stories and look for Bill ! I hope that you remain positive and make the choice to move forward Myself , like many others, have been at the fork in the road where you are. We made the decision to go down that new road and enjoy all of the scenery that we once knew!  Best of luck !!!   

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

[Vicky]

Hi George,

If you pick an experienced resurfacing surgeon, you won't have severe problems.  There is a defnite learning curve with this procedure, that is a fact, so if you choose a surgeon that had done less than 100 procedures or does not do them often, then you will more than likely end up with some problems.  You are consulting with two of the top surgeons for resurfacing so if you book surgery with one of them, you will most likely have a positive outcome like many of us do.  The BHR device as been around for 11 years now.  The first one was implanted in July of 1997 in the U.K.  The first prototype of the BHR was implanted in a gal named Katie in 1991 and she is still doing really well.  With the right surgeon,this surgery gives you your life back.  There is no reason to wait as long as you pick an experienced surgeon.  Where do you live?

Vicky

[dgm]

Hi George,
Glad you have checked in with this website - so many of us started here looking for answers (and found them) as well as lots of people going through exactly what we were.  There are lots of questions and fears during the decision making process. But by finding a surgeon that you are comfortable with and who will answer your questions, you can be comfortable in making you decisions.  I will be 6 months post-surgery on the 14th of this month.  At 46, I had suffered with bone on bone OA for several years, assuming that I would wake up fine one day (never happened).  The first doctor I visited suggested resurfacing but had only performed 4 - but 100s of THRs.  Needless to say, I wasn't comfortable with that scenario.  That's about the time I found this website and read about other people's experiences and the options.  This is where I found my surgeon, Dr. Rogerson, in Madison Wisconsin. 

Had surgery on Valentine's Day - that's some bling I got - and I can echo what the others have said - the pain is gone after surgery.  I know it sounds crazy and yes you are sore from the procedure but it in no way compares to the day-to-day agony that I felt.  At 6 months out, I can honestly say I can't remember what it was like.  I have my final post op check up soon and look forward to being cleared for downhill skiing this winter again.  You really can have you life back!

Even though time has removed a lot of the memory of the pain (kind of like childbirth), I did keep a blog about my experiences before, during and after surgery. If you are interested it is  http://denisegmalloy.blogspot.com/.  It hasn't been updated in quite awhile but I will get to it. 

This is a wonderful resource - hippies, I have found, are always happy to help!  Let us know if you have questions and keep us posted.

Best,
Denise

[Tarhoo2]

George,

The others have pretty much said what has to be said.  I'm simply adding this as another very happy surface hippy.  I'm 48 and had my first BHR on 12/18/07 and my second on 4/4/08.  I had been in pain for about 7 years.  This past Sunday, to celebrate the 4th month anniversary of my second BHR, I played my first round of golf in over two years.  It wasn't the best round I've played, but it was pain-free and it was a great joy to be out on the golf course, really enjoying the game, again.

Probably the most significant thing I can offer is that, four months after having the first one done, which went very well, I actually looked forward to having the second one done.  I'd been through it once, knew the procedure and was very well-prepared.

You've already consulted with two of the best in the business.  There are many others out there who, although less experienced, are very capable surgeons.  Dr. Engh, my OS in Northern Virginia, is exceptional -- at least from my perspective -- and he's probably done 150 or so BHR's by now.

Good luck and please let us know how thing are going for you.

[xocy]

George, for what it's worth, Dr. Gross did both of my hips almost 6 weeks ago. This evening after work I went to the golf practice range and hit a small bucket with a few irons and a 3 wood. I have not been able to do that in 18 months. I took it easy and I was happy with the way I struck the ball. Afterward I drove about 10 minutes to the park and walked 1.5 miles. It took me 30 minutes, about 3 minutes less than a week ago. I am getting better and better everyday.

I'm glad I had this procedure and I was one scared guy.

Go get fixed and good luck.

Mike
Bilateral
Dr. Gross
L 6/23/08 R 6/25/08
Orchestrated by God

[aedny]

Hi George,
While any procedure like this is a very personal decision, you are hearing from people who have lived through what you are experiencing now, and have seen the light!  We've all been where you are.  You can rely on everything said here as being forthright, and definitely NOT sugar-coated. 

Of course you have questions; of course you are somewhat hesitant.  That's human nature when you are facing surgery.  But it will change your life, trust us.  I remember people saying to me prior to my surgery, "You must be looking forward to a whole new you," to which I would respond, "I'm actually looking forward to a whole OLD me, the way I was 5 years ago before any of this started!"  Again, it begs the question WHY WAIT?!

At 3 months post op (I was non-weight bearing for about 6 weeks due to additional work I had done), I am already back to riding my road bike and walking 2-3 miles several times a week.  I'm about to start to try swimming, too.  There are muscle aches, which is normal as your body continues to heal itself through exercise, but they are welcome aches, believe me.

As has been said here before, do your research, select a qualified surgeon with whom you feel comfortable, and go for it.  I wish you all the best, and please keep us posted if you opt for resurfacing.  Always great to have new hippy friends!

Anne

Surgeon:
Dr. Brian McGrath
Buffalo, NY

[CITY2SOUTH]

Go for it George....Dr. Gross and his staff are awesome.

Lisa
uncemented/biomet/Gross/6-23-08