3 Year Anniversary of Jim Sweeney’s Bilateral Hip Resurfacing with Dr. Marwin 2011

It’s hard to believe it but tomorrow will be three years tomorrow since my bilateral HR at NYU Hospital for Joint Disease with Dr. Scott Marwin. It’s been a great three years. If I didn’t remember the surgery, I wouldn’t even know I have them. I run three or four days a week and it all feels great. Had a great year of short course triathlon and ran a very hilly 15k trail race a week ago. It left my knees sore but my hips felt fine. It was the longest run I’ve done in almost 10 years. Before my new hips, I thought I’ve never run like that again. I retired when I had my surgery and live couldn’t be any better. It gets better every day!

I have lurked in from time to time over the years and I always advise anyone with hip issues to come here for information. Thank you, Pat, for keeping this sight going. It is a service to all of us. And thanks to everyone who posts here. Keep up the good work everybody.

This surgery was so worth it. My first hip doctor told me to take it easy and learn how to relax. Dr Marwin told me to go run. I did and I’ll keep doing it until I can’t do it any more!
 

Jim’s Story about his Bilateral Hip Resurfacing

November 23, 2011

Today was my final day of PT At Rusk.  I’m going home in the morning.  It has been amazing.  I’m 8 days out of surgery.  1 day after surgery they had me up and walking, only 20ft with a walker and it was stiff.  Today, I’m walking with One Cane as much as I want, I was out in the hall kicking the soccer ball back and forth with the therapist with no hands holding on to anything, I rode the bicycle for the third time and I even Ran slowly on the treadmill for a few strides until the PT stopped me and made me walk.  I never thought this could have worked out so well to this point.  I still have a ton of work to do, but I have all the time in the world.  This is probably the last post in this thread.  I’ll continue to post in the main forum for some time in the future.  I’ll have a lot to tell about what an older guy can do with two resurfaced hips.

Thanks for all your help and advise and thinks for reading,

Jim Sweeney

I’ve been a runner for thirty years. with 18 marathons, numerous half’s, 1 ironman, plenty of half IM’s, several ultra-marathons under my belt. I saw a doctor for arthritis in my right hip two and a half years ago and he started me on cortisone and told me to stop running. I took up long distance mountain bike racing and everything was good for a while. The first shot lasted almost a year before the pain came back. Then six months. Then I needed it in both sides and it didn’t even last a week. That’s not the answer. I’m having bilateral hips this Tuesday and I can’t wait to get it done.

December 07, 2011

I’m only at 3 weeks since my one day bilateral surgery.  I still have a lot of tightness but I really have no pain to speak of. I can feel where the implants are and I had an unhappy groin muscle for a couple of days but that worked right out.  I’ve never waddled.  From the first day walking in the hospital, the PT told me to stand tall, look at something down the hall and focus on not moving side to side.  I left the hospital with only a cane and I’m just starting to give up the cane in the house. Walking outside tires my muscles and I usually have to work hard to get back up my two front steps after my daily ten to twenty minute walk outside with the cane.

December 27, 2011
Today is my six week anniversary.  I just did a 5 mile walk on a rolling paved bikepath.  No cane, no limp, no waddling.  The bikepath has mile markers every .25 miles and my first mile was 20.45.  After that I only looked at the seconds on my watch and I was surprised when I finished in 1:37:32 that my pace was 19:30. Yippie!

Right now I’m sitting home with the ice on both hips and I’m feeling absolutely Great!

January 2, 2012
Yesterday at 7 1/2 weeks I walked over 4 miles in the woods  with no leg pain at all.  When I got home I was stiff and fatigued but heat and ice took care of that.

First outdoor bike ride in the afternoon, 11 miles and it showed how weak I am right now.

January 26, 2012

Tuesday was my 10 week anniversary, so this morning, as I started my walk,  I decided I needed a new benchmark.  I walked one hour out and one hour back for about 6.75 miles.  I was feeling great the whole way with none of the muscle fatigue and achiness from my 5 mile walk at 6 weeks.  I did get stiff and didn’t realize it until I dropped a glove at around 5 miles and had to bend over to pick it up.  Walking felt great and I kept up a good pace.

I finished up with PT at 7 weeks and started at a gym for the first time in my life and now go there 3 times a week starting out on an ellipticalal trainer, first time also, for 22 minutes right now and then moving on to a complete strength workout.  It’s all feeling good.

My bicycle is lagging behind but I am getting in a few easy outdoor rides and at the pool I’m just starting to get rid of the pull buoy and learn how to swim again after two and a half years of not being able to kick so I’m really feeling great.

This recovery has been like a miracle.  I never thought I’d be feeling so good so soon and I’m looking forward to bigger and better things to come.

March 14, 2012

To celebrate 16 weeks today I went for my first 30 mile road bike ride on the new hips.  I took it easy: 2:09:34 and everything feels great.  Right now I’m sitting here with the ice, which I still do almost every afternoon.  I stretch every morning and I’m feeling nice and loose.  Most of the time my right side feels like there was never anything wrong.  My left is just a little behind; sometimes I can still feel that something was done.  No pain though.  Oh, I got a slight pain in the left groin muscle once when I twisted funny.  Strength is coming back slowly and I couldn’t be happier with my progress so far.

Workouts:

stretching and core; every morning

Walk, swim, road bike, gym;  2 of those every day

54 days until I can run again!

March 25, 2012

Since my surgery, I’ve met two other hip patients of Dr Marwin and they also praise him.  One will be doing his first Ironman this summer.  My Ironman days are behind me but Yesterday I did do a beautiful 30 mile bike ride on the back side of the Ashoken Res, hitting some hills for the first time and I feel just fine today.  I’ll be able to resume running in May.   This really has been like a miracle.

I’m 100% thrilled with my results and I think that with any of the doctors you are considering you will be also, but I’m pretty sure the Dr Marwin, NYU Joint Disease Hosp and Rusk Rehab Hospital have the best overall plan for bilateral patients.
 

April 23, 2012

My surgeon, Dr Scott Marwin in NYC, has been the most liberal of all the doctors I’ve heard of around here.  He had me on the stationary bike on day 7, working on the hospital stairs with one crutch the first week,, told me to throw away the cane at 3 weeks, ride outside on both the road bike and mountain bike at 3 weeks, but when I asked him how soon to start running, he said after your six month check-up.  I asked ”no sooner” ”no, no sooner, you can run after six months”.  That’s two weeks away and my hips are feeling very nearly fully recovered.  I’ll be wearing running clothes when I go for the appointment and I’ll run right across the street on the grass in a huge county park.  I feel like running fitness will be my problem, not my hips!

May 8, 2012

I saw Dr Marwin yesterday and I was released from all restrictions.  Last week I started running on the treadmill, 2 minutes on 2 off for about 15 minutes, to get ready for my new freedom.  Over the weekend I ran on the grass on the side of the road 1 minute on 2 minutes off for forty minutes twice.   Yesterday and today I did 30 minutes each; 5 minute walking warm-up, 1 minutes on 1 off and I feel great!  I’ll keep it around this length for a while and start to get the running intervals longer.  And I’m dreaming; I see myself running well again, doing well in races and running all well as I can.

I also lied in another thread, I’m not done with triathlon; I’m also dreaming about Olympic distance Age Group World Championships in London next summer.

July 17, 2012

I just passed my 8 month anniversary so today I pushed it a little harder on the road bike.  It’s hot out there in New York today and my wife and I got out the door at 6:15, heading for Long Island’s hilly North Shore for lot’s of short steep climbing. At 52 miles we circled past our house and she went in giving me an almost full water bottle.  I kept going for another 20 mile loop where I drained that bottle and the half that I had left before arriving home.  Today’s eight month celebration was 72 hilly miles in 4:46:00 and after a cold shower and 4 bags of ice on the hips I’m feeling great!

July 30, 2012

For months now I’ve been in the fast lane of the Recovery Expressway.  I’ve been rolling and the line graph has been practically a straight line upward.  Now we all know that things can’t go like that forever and something had to get in the way.  I think it started with last weeks faster running.  My hip muscles were sore on Friday after Thursday’s run, but good sore like I had had a good workout.  Friday I went to the gym and the pool but Saturday morning my hips were still sore.  No problem, I changed the route of Saturday’s road bike ride from the mountains to the hills around the reservoir and planned to take it easy.  Ahh, the best laid plans.  After the first half hour, the rain started and then came pouring down.  I spent two and a half hours riding through the heaviest rain of my cycling career.My left side was pretty sore after the ride and very sore yesterday.  I’m back on the anti-infantries, icing and using the heat pad, resting it and just going to the gym and pool until it feels back to 100%.  It can’t take that long.

September 17, 2012

I just hit the 10 month mark and everything is feeling great.  I started working on my house a few weeks ago, building two additions; a sunroom/den and a garage with a full attic.  I worked on the roof for the past five days and the two guys who helped with the framing  came back to give me a push on the roofing.   We kicked the crap out of it and finished the roof yesterday  for my 10 month anniversary.  These new hips came through with flying colors.  Today I’m totally whipped but my hips are feeling great.  I’ve still got a lot to do on this project  but the toughest, heaviest parts are behind me, thank God.

November 13, 2012

Yesterday, I went back for my 12 month check-up.  The doctor and his assistant, Monica, we’re very impressed with all my progress but not as much as me.  I can remember my trip to the Fla Keys right before surgery; my hips were on fire and my butt muscles were screaming.  The day before my surgery,I had to go to my shoulder surgeon at HSS and I didn’t know which was worse; walking from Penn Station or standing on the subway.  I walked there but subwayed back. The next day, Dr Marwin’s confidence was infectious; I never had a worry and it couldn’t have gone better.  Having all of you encouraging me while I was in the hospital made the days fly by.  That and the beautiful NYU nurses.  Thank you everybody

And thank you, Pat, for this sight that gives patients the information and the support we all need.  Thank you, thank you

I feel so good I wish I could go back to work, but I’m 100% retired and loving it thanks to these new hips.