November 15, 2007 Yesterday I got my hip resurfaced. Today has been ok but yesterday after surgery was quite a rough experience since I’ve never been in the hospital before. I had know idea of what to expect and was very scared prior to the surgery. I came out fine and have started recovery.

Dr. Ball here at UCSD Thornton Hospital in San Diego said the surgery went well and showed my the x-ray of my new hip. In fact he’s come by yesterday and today to check in on me. Everyone had said what a great guy he is and I would say it as well. He’s fantastic!! Especially his bed side manner and willingness to listen to every concern. Everyone else here has been great as well. I’m in a private room and the staff has been very attentive. I’m very comfortable.

The good news is I was able to walk 223 feet this afternoon. However that’s the the only time I’ve left my bed. Otherwise it’s been doing leg exercises laying in bed, working on the computer, on the phone, watching TV and just trying to pass time. i.e. bored…

Last night I was given some Oxycotin and that made me vomit. I have one of those striker pumps that provides pain relief to three of the main nerves in the hip. I think it’s an epidural type. I volunteered for a pain study and had a 50-50 chance of getting a placebo, plus I have to stay an extra day but I feel like I could probably go home tomorrow if I hadn’t committed to stay the extra day for the study.

This morning I took some morphine but that made me very light headed and lowered my blood pressure and since then I’ve only had Tylenol and the pain pump. My guess is I got the real deal medicine in the pain study and not the placebo. They keep asking what my pain level is and since this AM it’s been 0-1 on a scale of ten. I guess that’s as good as one could hope for.

Tuesday, November 20. 2007

Top 10 Reasons I Selected Dr. Ball

Three years ago at the age of 37, I was given the news I have osteoarthritis by my family doctor. I was referred to a hip specialist and was told I needed a Total Hip Replacement, oh and by the way, would never again participate in high impact sports. Three other specialists gave me the same news. As the FDA hadn’t yet approved the resurfacing there wasn’t a lot of info available.

Since I didn’t like the answer of a THR I decided to do some research on the Internet and came across the Yahoo Discussion Group and that literally changed my life. While the Yahoo discussion group remains a wealth of info this site has taken the information gathering/sharing process to a new level. We should all be grateful to Pat for creating it and allowing us to share our stories. The information she provides may just change your life.

My decision was three years in the making and I talked with several doctors listed on this site. I put a lot of thought into it and almost flew to Belgium. There is a ton of great info on this site so let me tell you the top reasons (in no particular order) I selected Dr. Scott Ball.

1. During our initial discussion he took time to answer every question in detail and backed up the answer through his personal experience not just book work. 2. He completed 250+ resurfacings while at JRI with Dr. Amstutz and Dr. Schmalzried (the ones who created one of the prosthetics) 3. He knew the pro’s and cons of every resurfacing device not just BHR. 3. I live in San Diego and the UCSD Thornton Hospital is a few miles away. 4. Dr. Ball accepts my Blue Cross insurance 5. My case wasn’t overly complicated. I had strong bone structure and was what he called a perfect resurfacing candidate. 6. Everyone I spoke with that had the procedure with him said he was a fantastic guy and he cared about them just as much post op as he did pre op. 7. After getting my hip resurfaced this week I would add that he has a tremendous passion for his work and doing these procedures is what he loves to do. I would highly recommend him.