Drs that do hip resurfacing surgery in British Columbia

[lcullen]

I am looking for information on doctors with experience doing hip resurfacing surgery in British Columbia.  Has anyone any feedback on the following  Dr. Gradanus, Dr. Kendall or Dr. Arthur?  Looking forward to repy.  Thank-you. Laurie

[Pat Walter]

Hi Laurie

I wanted to welcome you to Hip Talk. 

I have some of the doctors people in BC have used here
http://www.surfacehippy.info/listofdoctors.php#British_Columbia

I don't know much else about them.  Hopefully someone else can help you with more info.

Pat

[lcullen]

Thank-you Pat, I am hoping someone out there will have some information for me.  I have an appointment in November to see Dr.  Arthur but I get the feeling from his receptionist that he has not done many resurfacings, at least she was not very forthcoming with information.  I am not interested in the THR at this point and want to explore the resurfacing route before it is too late. 
Laurie

[kb134]

To lcullen,
Hello there!  I saw your post and thought I might be able to help.  I live in the Vancouver, BC area.  I'm a 29 y/o male, and I had right hip resurfacing surgery on May 20th of this year.  Dr Donald Garbuz performed the surgery at the UBC hospital.  The device he uses is the Durom Hip made by Zimmer.  In my post-op consultation, I asked him about the issues that are surfacing in the USA regarding the Durom Hip device, and his response and confidence in the device and his technique gave me piece of mind.  He also said that he and his colleagues would continue to use the Durom Hip.
To date, my Durom Hip has been healing very well - so well that, I was able to have Arthroscopic surgery to my left hip on Sept 10th. Now I'm on crutches (again . . . grrrr) and I've been fully weight-bearing on my new Durom Hip for almost 3 weeks.
On this side of the surgery, I know now that I did not ask enough questions - there's a list you can find that Pat has posted (thank you Pat!) but I came across it after my own surgery.  I highly recommend printing it out and taking it to any consultation.  You have the right to choose the doctor, and as you've probably read elsewhere - find an experienced surgeon!!  Get informed about surgical techniques, devices and do not let a doctor tell you that you need a THR, unless you have poor bone density.  Hip Resurfacing has changed my life and thousands of others for the better. 
Dr Donald Garbuz
Diamond Health Care Centre
3rd Floor, 2775 Laurel St
Vancouver, BC
V5Z 1M9
I hope this helps you out!!!
Much Blessing,
Klint

[Pat Walter]

You can actually bend down and pick things up off the floor without breaking the 90 degree rule if:

you use your crutch or whatever is handy to hold on to with one hand
place your operated leg straight out in back of you
and then bend forward at the waist to pick up things from the floor.

You will not break the rule if your leg is extended out in back of you.  I did that all the time and picked up a lot of doggie bowls since we were feeding 16 at the time.

You only have to worry about the operated leg not breaking the 90 degree rule.

Someone told me about that from the Yahoo Group.

Here is a whole list of things you will need and others that will be helpful:

http://www.surfacehippy.info/pcwhatwillineed.php

Pat

[snoots]

hey kb134,
We had the same sugeon!!!! Sorry to hear that you are back on crutches. Soon all of this will be behind you as your racing along on your bicycle feeling whole again.
It's amazing that my hip along with all of the other problems it caused continue to improve daily. My  mountain bike is collecting dust right now but being able to ride my horses painfree is an indescribeable experience. Thank you for posting your office follow up experince as it answered the questions I had when contemplating calling Dr. Garbuz's assistant regarding the Durom recall.


Take care, keep that 29 year old body moving,


Snoots

[kb134]

Hey Snoots!! 
Its so good to hear that you're back doing what you love!!!  That's very encouraging!  And you had Dr Garbuz too?  When was your surgery?  What questions were did you have??  I assume that maybe they were about the Durom Cup?? 
Thank you for your encouragement, cuz it means a lot!! 
Klint

[snoots]

Hi Klint,
My surgery was April 8'08 at U.B.C hospital. Lucky for me I met the critria, active,relativly young and good bone stock.
Upon hearing about the recall I was already a few months post op. I called Dr.Garbuz's office but they were on vacation. I wanted to ask if and how many failures happened and if I should be worried. When my husband heard about the recall on the news he freaked a bit after I told him my implant was a recall item.
Having read your post re sending your x-rays to Dr. De Smet, I felt better and decided not to sweat about it as everything about my hip felt excepionally well. Putting it all together I remember asking Dr. G's office assistant which device they used and why. She answered that based on their research they thought it was the best avialable choice but did not say why. Of course at the time, never thinking to ask why I just accepted that as I had been in pain and denial for many years. I was not much older than you when I first felt issues with my left hip. It came and went and I thought it was a groin pull considering my activities.
My best guess is Dr.G is obviously very skilled at placing the Durom cup.
Even though I researched and was recomended to see Dr. Arno Smit who BMHed one of my co-workers with a fantastic outcome my GP referred me to Dr.Garbuz and assured me that he was "the best". As she always has my best interest at heart [bless her] I went with it.I also heard this from a friend who is a nurse turned personal injury lawer and a few other people who work in the health care industry. We were put into good hands, Klint, as far as I am concerned despite research etc. luck is also riding with us.

Take care,

Terry, AKA snoots

[kb134]

lcullen,
I apologize for leaving out Dr Garbuz's phone number -
(604) 875 5767
Terry!  Dr Garbuz had said in my post-op appointment that he'd implanted over 800 Durom Hip Resurfacings (I didn't ask whether that was him personally, or the sum of his tally and his colleagues that use the device out of UBC,) but he stated that one cup had to be revised so far, and that it wasn't a cup he'd implanted.  So, again, something else to take heart in.  And your right, we're in good hands. 
Its funny though, if I ever had to get my other hip resurfaced, I don't know if I'd use a Durom, and I'd ask way more questions!
I'm so glad you're back to ridin' girl!
Klint

[lcullen]

Klint,
Thanks I appreciate the information, this is all pretty new to me and  I can use all the help I can get.  Glad to hear your resurfacing was successful.  I see that Dr Garbuz and Dr Gradanus are both listed in the same clinic I have heard positive things about Gradanus as well as Dr Kendall.  Did you have to have a referral to see Garbuz or can I just call the clinic?  I live up north so am trying to find out as much information as possible to reduce the number of trips down to Vancouver.  I wish you continued success in your recovery and hope I will not be far behind you.
Thanks, again
Laurie

[kb134]

Laurie!!!
Hey!  I'm so glad you got the info.  And thank you for the response!  Its a wonderful, beautiful, strange - in a good way! - community that keeps on growing and growing . .. .  Like any affliction, what one suffers becomes personal and intimate, and the knowledge that there are others out there suffering their own unique afflictions (in our case, our hips) helps to quiet the loneliness or can be just so damn encouraging!!!  So get and stay connected.  Ask questions no matter what those questions are.   
When you say that "this is pretty much new to me," what do you mean??  Are you reffering to the Hip Resurfacing procedure??  What I recommend is to watch every available video you can find on the Surface Hippy Website - even the surgeries.  Read about the different devices, and learn how they realte to your symptoms, age, your bone quality, your hip issues and current condition (osteoarthritis, dysplasia, etc.)  As you will find out, the most popular hip resurfacing device, which is the one with the longest "track record" is the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing.  However, other devices are out there and have good standing results as well.  It is important to find a surgeon who has the experience (more than 100 resurfacings) and that he be able to answer all the questions that you have (the good list is found on the Surface Hippy Website as well.) 
Is your doctor referring you for Hip Resurfacing?  Or a Total Hip Replacement - assuming you've been diagnosed with "something."  I was referred to Dr Garbuz by Dr Gilbart, an Orthopaedic Surgeon at UBC, after he had performed Arthroscopic surgery on my right hip (which is now resurfaced) to remove a labral tear and remove some excess bone on my femur-head, as well as repair loose cartilage in my acetabulum.  The surgery positively affected me for about 6 months, and then it was all down hill from there.  So, my referal was from one specialist to another. 
I believe if you do have a hip problem, get it diagnosed if it hasn't been yet, and then (demand if you have to) ask for a referal to a specialist to explore means to deal with your hip problem.  Remember, if, because of your location, you can't get the answers you want/need, you can always get X-rays and send them to a surgeon that you can find on the Surface Hippy Website (for example, Dr De Smet in Belgium, who responds quite quickly!)  I will always say, from what I've learned form my own experience - inform yourself.  Find and read as much info as you can. 
These are my thoughts for now.  I hope this helps you out )
Klint