I had a left BHR on December 14, 2006.

My surgery was performed by Dr. John Rogerson, at Meriter
Hospital in Madison Wisconsin.

One of the unique features of this procedure was the rehab.
It is called “Hip Hab”. It’s a wonderful 5 day rehab program
based on the Belguim model of recovery after hip
resurfacing.

I started to have trouble with my hip in November, 2000 at
age 40, about 1 ½ years after the birth of my son. My first
symptom was a limp without pain. As the years went by the
limp increased and my hip began to hurt. I saw a couple of
different orthopedic doctors, none told me about hip
resurfacing. They simply said I should wait 15 years or so
for a total hip replacement.

In 2005, I finally started using a cane. I quit many
activities. No more walking around the farmers market. I
didn’t want to sit through movies or anything that involved
walking. I bought various shaped pillows to prop up my leg,
starting taking prescription medicine to dull the pain and
just quit moving whenever possible. I gave up housework and
playing any kind of sports in the yard with my son. I went
to work, had dinner, got my son into bed and then went to
bed too. I worked very hard to go to water aerobics, the
only exercise I could tolerate and although I really love
the water, that was a chore too. I also got to the point
that anytime I saw any doctor about any issue, I cried,
because my life had become so miserable, painful and
limited.

In April 2006 I went to a seminar at Meriter hospital about
hip replacement, conducted by Dr. Rogerson. Instead, I
learned about Birmingham Hip Resurfacing. I was not familiar
with it and as Dr. Rogerson listed the symptoms and who
qualified for resurfacing I said to myself, “Yup, that’s me,
that’s me, that’s me.” I was anxious to get on the surgery
list as soon as the FDA approval for the procedure came
through a few weeks later. I found that my insurance covered
the surgery and rehab, and I got my paperwork and x-rays to
Dr. Rogerson as fast as I could.

Dr. Rogerson and his staff could not have been more
welcoming and wonderful. First and foremost, here was a
group of medical professionals who heard my issues,
understood my pain and took me seriously. After a thorough
exam and new x-rays I was scheduled to have surgery in
September.

The day before surgery I discovered I had some heart issues.
Until I could get those resolved with a cardiologist, my
surgery was put on hold. Long story short – after being put
on some new heart medication I was able to reschedule my
surgery for December. It was a long three month wait because
I was so ready to fix my hip!

Everyone at the hospital who greeted me that cold December
morning was friendly and compassionate. Surgery went off
without a hitch. I can remember waking up in the recovery
room telling the wall “my hip doesn’t hurt anymore”.
My hip has never hurt again. There was the incision pain,
but it was minor, as I knew I was on the road to recovery.

The first day I drifted in and out of sleep. I had a
morphine pump, oxygen, and the pumping leg socks (sorry,
don’t remember the technical name). I liked them, they were
very warm. The nurses helped me to get up and to the
bathroom, first on the bed pan and then on the commode. Dr.
Rogerson came and checked on me and the incision. He told me
my hip looked pretty bad before he put in the BHR and I
certainly believed him based on how it had felt.

I had physical therapy in the hospital the two days I was
there. The therapist got me up and walking the next morning.
They showed me how to do the exercises and I walked on the
three practice stairs to make sure I could do steps. The
therapists were very encouraging and I felt good about my
progress.

After two days I was off to Hip Hab!

From the hospital I went with a caregiver (my Mom) to Hip
Hab, located at the Meriter Retirement Community, about 6
blocks from the hospital. My Mom stayed at Hip Hab with me
and helped with the chores of daily living, getting dressed,
meals, whatever I needed. It was nice to only focus on
recovery and not worry about all the things that capture my
attention at home.

I had orientation at Hip Hab before surgery so I knew what
to expect. I had learned how to use the crutches, toured the
facility, and gotten a chance to start my rehab exercises
before surgery. That first day one of the therapists came
right up to the apartment. She showed me some of the
adaptive equipment I got to take home and made sure I was
set for the next few days. The apartment was beautifully
decorated, one bedroom with a pull out couch-bed in the
living room. The bathroom had a walk in shower. There was a
full kitchen with breakfast bar. There was even a box of
snacks to welcome us!

I was very surprised by the number of medications I took
after surgery. One of the prescriptions made me nauseous and
I was thankful when I could stop taking it. I had to give
myself shots of blood thinner for two weeks and I didn’t
like doing that, but once I actually did it, it wasn’t so
bad.

Each day there was some PT, OT or therapy in the pool. They
used a waterproof, artificial skin to cover the incision
before I got into the water. Pool therapy was an hour and
felt so good. The therapists, Desi and Carolyn were
wonderful. Helpful and encouraging, yet always pushing me to
do just a little more. With the artificial skin on my
incision I could go back upstairs and take a shower before I
peeled it off.

I was amazed how easy it was to walk again. Even though I
was stiff and sore, I was walking without pain after a day
or two. What a delightful change of pace. Getting up and out
of a chair was difficult, so finding a chair that’s firm,
yet soft and not too low is really important. I had a
favorite chair in my apartment at Hip Hab, and a favorite
chair at home.

Naps were also essential. I had to sleep every day. Sleeping
on my back was difficult the first few weeks. I would put a
bunch of pillows under my leg and elevate it, that helped
keep the swelling down. It took several weeks before I
really got comfortable sleeping and during that time I
experienced a terrible bout of insomnia that almost drove me
crazy. I finally asked for a prescription to break the
insomnia cycle.

I went back to work after 4 weeks and was walking without
the crutches most of the time. I would still use them if I
was going to do a lot of walking or go to a big event. I
went to an event at the State Capital at two weeks post
surgery and a Univ. of Wisconsin hockey game at three weeks
post-op. The crutches reminded others to give me some extra
space and made me feel secure. I have had regular follow up
appointments with Dr. Rogerson and staff over the past 8
months.

This surgery has given me back my regular life. It’s been
interesting to hear people comment on how my face glows and
my smile is back. They tell me I look like a whole new
person. I highly recommend that anyone who is experiencing
hip pain and problems look into this surgery.

And don’t wait.