Surface Hippy Blogs

Any Help with V.A. Claims?

nospam@example.com (JayClark) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:44:17 -0700

I am a 41 yr Male, injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. Air Force doctors called this a 'pulled groin' for 2 years. It was not till I begged VA x-ray and CT me that the fracture of the RH was discovered. The total rundown: AVN , arthritis, suprs and narrowing. VA wants to THR, without even a consideration of a re-surface. There appears do be not 1 doctor in Oklahoma doing these or on the website anyway, with any real numbers. I am 36 at the time and was VERY active, Air Force Security Forces MSgt, in shape, Basketball, Ice Hockey ( rec league), Cycling, Golf ( which I am still pretty salty, bad hip and all) I am really considerint going over-seas due to the cost, as I will have to self-pay, if I cannot get this approved in the US by VA. Does anyone have any thoughts or know if VA is funding this in other areas of the US? Or maybe a doctor that is kind to vets? I have 2 small boys and I want to " add Life to my Years with them" Any help or info you may have will be a blessing, Jay JayClark@coxinet.net

Dr Su BHR on 12/18/08

nospam@example.com (BostonHippy) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:27:46 -0700

I have used this site for approx 1yr as part of my research into what to do with my right hip and am recording this entry as a way to pay it forward in the event that I can help someone else with the process...I am a 38yr old former college tennis player who has been active my entire life and was told that my hip was too far gone for arthroscopy or dislocation and debridement...I moved to Florida from Boston a few yrs ago and was focused on finding the best alternative I could regardless of location...I consulted with 8 different surgeons in Florida, Boston, Baltimore and NY in an attempt to make a final decision...After many months of deliberation, I ended up having my hip resurfaced by Dr. Edwin Su at the Hospital for Special Surgeries in NY on 12/18/08...So far I am thrilled with the decision, as Dr. Su and his assistant Blaire Biasi are terrific and everyone is amazed at how well I am doing...I stopped taking pain killers 1 wk post-op (not even tylenol) and have been walking approx 1 mile/day since about the same time...Dr. Su is a big fan of the bike, and much to my surprise I was able to begin riding a non-resistant bike for 10 minutes 5 days post-op!! Stairs have been a breeze from the outset and I start P.T. on Monday...Dr. Su likes us to use crutches for 3 wks post-op, so I am still adhering to his program for 1 more wk, at which time I hope to return to driving as well...If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to share my research and experiences in gratitude for this GREAT SITE and Pat!

9 Days to go!

nospam@example.com (MRoberts) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:01:28 -0700

Well it’s been a month sense my first blog. I am now sitting 9 days from surgery. I am a little apprehensive, but there is no doubt I am ready for this. The pain in my right hip seems to get worse every day. I am sure some of that is the result of the fact that I have committed myself to getting in the best shape possible before this surgery. I have been trying to do a spinning class 3 days a week and swim 2000 yards twice a week. I have only missed a couple work outs which makes me pretty happy. I really feel good other than the HIP PAIN. One thing that is concerning though is that as I push myself, I am starting to feel some twinges in my left groin, which is exactly how the right hip first presented itself. My Doc say they may be able to save the left hip if I have the bone spurs ground away as soon as I feel pain, they showed on the last X-ray, but I had no symptoms. Maybe that will work, but we’ll worry about that once the right hip is working properly again. I still have a fair number of items on my pre surgery “honey do” list but I should be ready. Would like to get out skiing one time this year before I give it up for a year, but we’ll see, there’s a lot on that list. I have stopped going to the discussion board, as even though there is lots of good info there, right now I don’t want to stumble across something thing that will rattle my nerves, which is what happened the last time I visited. I am sure after the surgery I will be back reading everything, but right now I think it’s best to stay away. When doing the research though it was awesome and really helped me with my decisions. I did watch the online operation videos, I thought it was great. Being an engineer, I like to know how things work, watching the surgery really opened my eyes to what is going to be done. My dad and father-in-law, both veterans of being under the knife thought I was NUTS. My wife and son who watched the videos with me thought they were very cool. Pre-op next Monday, it getting interesting. Mike

5 days untell my next hip resurfacing.

nospam@example.com (MrTillie) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:00:52 -0700

Counting down the days now. After many months of different medications I'm now on Hydro morphine. I will give a little history of my dealing with hip pain. 2 and a halve years ago i had my first hip resurfacing done on my left hip. After dealing with pain for over 3 years it was a nice relief to be pain free. That was fine for 2 years . Then i was back with pain in my right hip. This time the pain increased quickly and now I'm in constant pain with or without my medication. My nights are spent with short periods of sleep, frequently being waken by pain. I'm 52 and have had a active life with sports as well in my work profession. On Thursday I'm hoping for the same results as 2 1/2 years ago. That is to be pain free. I have the same surgeon and that makes me feel comfortable with this surgery. I have seen pics of staple filled legs and scars. With my first surgery i had no staples or even stitches that were exposed. All i have to show from my first surgery is a faint pink line down the side of my hip. I'm hoping for the same this time. I have people asking me about my surgery and the pain. And i tell them if they are having pain in a hip or a bad knee, go and have it checked out and if they will do surgery to replace it ...Go and have it done!!! My experience has been nothing put positive. Pain everyday of the week weighs on your mind after a while. Those of you who have gone through it know what i mean. OK i have said my peace now. I will be back when my surgery is complete to update my progress. Garth.

Pulled the Trigger and Set a Dated For BHR!

nospam@example.com (MRoberts) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:57:01 -0700

Well I pulled the trigger today and made the call to Northland Orthopedics of Rhinelander to schedule my hip resurfacing. It will be with Dr. Jim Dyreby on December 17th or 19th. This has been a long process since the diagnosis back in June of 2007. However the pain has got to the point where it’s just not worth it anymore. Two things really made the difference in my decision to have the surgery now rather than put it off for a few more months. First the pain medication is starting to get to my head, at least I think it’s the meds. I am on Celebrex with tylonal supplements. The last couple of month I have noticed I am not as sharp as I normally am, my memory is crap, and I am making poor decisions. Two months ago I almost totaled my boat fishing with my father in a Musky Tourney. We where fishing the lake I grew up on and I ended up running the boat up on a reef I have fished 1000s of times, luckily I made some last minutes adjustments to the motor and got REAL lucky and did NO damage. At the time I chalked it up to a bone headed mistake, but as time passed I am not so sure. This is the type of mistake I never would have made in the past, heck I was looking right at my GPS. That was the worst, but there are other incidents I really have no explanation for. Second I recently had some shoulder pain, it started a couple of months ago and steadily got worse. As fall volleyball league started I aggravated the shoulder to the point it was starting to affect my sleep. I went in to see the Ortho to ensure this wasn’t also a joint problem. After a short exam they took a quick x-ray and luckily ruled out authorities of the shoulder. A quick Cortisone shot to an inflamed tendon and I am now playing volleyball like I am in college again. OK other than the pain and limited mobility because of the hip. But the quick fix made me start to think, WHY AM I WAITING and letting my quality of life suffer. Doctor Dyreby is not the most experienced with the BHR, but I am confident he will do a quality job; I have had a number of doctors tell me he is one of the most meticulous surgeons they know. Plus I know him personally and can have the surgery done in my home town. After much research my only chance at finding a better doctor would be to go to one of the docs who have been doing it since the very beginning in the U.S. or overseas, but then I give up the personal knowledge and my insurance will not cover the surgery. If I was more than an amateur YMCA athlete I probably would purse that but as it is I made the decision and want it done soon, and don’t think I will win the Insurance battle. There are two other docs in the plan that have now done close to 50 HRs. So it would be very unlikely to win my arguments for Dr. Rogerson. Plus Dr. Dyreby trained with Dr. Rogerson so that upped my confidence level considerable. I started my new workout routine today and plan to get in the best shape possible before the surgery, everything I read says recovery will be better if the patient is in good shape. Last couple of month I have been swimming and biking once or twice a week, usually once. New goal is to bike, (most likely hour long spinning class at the Y) 3 times per week and swim 2 times per week working up to 2500 yards a session. I didn’t wear my heart rate monitor today, when I spun, because I didn’t want to be completely disappointed. I’ll work up to it. I’m 6’4” and weighed 226 today. Well that’s way more than I was planning on typing for my first Log, I hope it’s not my last. Mike

Pain and swelling after 3 years

nospam@example.com (burch07) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:53:33 -0700

Three years after my resurfacing I experienced pain and swelling in the front and side of the biomet implant. After a visit to my doctor he ordered blood work and CT Scan. The blood work did not reveal an infection and the CT should be back tomorrow. To be prepared for a discussion with my doctor, if the CT does not reveal any abnormality, has anyone else had this problem. Thanks for your help.

Possible hippie

nospam@example.com (kasper) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:24:06 -0700

Have a resurface schedueled for Nov. 19 with Dr. Scheinkop in Chicago . Pretty apprehensive about the whole deal ...anyone out there who would say "DONT DO IT"...

How can I post an entry?

nospam@example.com (tomvanholt) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:30:33 -0700

How do I get an entry entered? How do I Send? I cannot find my entry on the bloglist, even though my name is there. I'm not a blogger, but I am surprised at how different this is than sending e-mails. What am I doing wrong? <em>Note - you need to change the category to Publish instead of Draft. </em>

Any San Francisco Bay Area Doc Suggestions?

nospam@example.com (Wandralee) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:15:08 -0700

Hi Everyone, First, I want to thank Pat for conceiving, running, and maintaining this site, and everyone who has contributed. It has been a god-send to me. After dealing with doctors and surgeons who don't know or don't want to talk about HR, I felt it's time to get MAD. I'm hoping some of you can give me a push in the right direction. I have a workers comp claim. Two docs have told me I need a hip replacement. ( one in network, one out of network). After hours of educating myself on hip resurfacing, I asked if I'm a candidate. Of course they said they don't do it, and implied THR is better…..I'm not convinced. I live in San Francisco. It seems from the doctor info on the site, I don't have much of a choice of experienced HR docs in the city, except for Peter Callander (75 HR's), John Lannin/James Hartford (110 HR's), Bob Gilbert (81 HR's), and Tom Vail (180 HR's). QUESTION #1: is there anyone in the San Francisco Bay area who has had a HR done with any one of these docs? Could you tell me your experience? Question #2: My attorney told me workers comp may not let me go out of network to have surgery without appealing to a judge to do so. I want to make the case I am a candidate for HR rather than THR, and that possibly the above mentioned docs are the ones I want to use. (Yes, I am in the process of contacting them for a consultation). So is anyone experienced in navigating a workers comp claim for a HR that would share their experience? I hope that pretty soon I can share my story with everyone, including how the navigate the workers comp factory. Thanks, Wandralee

Thailand hip resurface 3 months on

nospam@example.com (nzpbkk) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:27:21 -0700

Hi, firstly congratulations and many thanks for the excellent website and fantastic information. It was really helpful. I am now 3 months on from a resurfacing to my left hip using an ASR device. The orthopedic surgeon was Dr Sittiporn from Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok Thailand. He tells me I am hip resurfacing patient number 44 for him. I understand he trained at the Birmingham Clinic and I cannot recommend him highly enough. I am 51 and have always been active completing endurance adventure races but now mainly into cycling both road and mountain biking. I have had hip pain for about 10 years and earlier this year the pain became worse, my movement was restricted and I developed a noticeable limp. I was putting most of my weight on my right leg and there was a lack of power in the joint. There is a history of hip problerms in my family with my mother and 3 of her brothers having hip replacements. Dr Sittiporn advised a hip resurfacing procedure. I asked him that I wanted to be pain free, improve my mobility and continue with my exercise program which is 3 rides (150 km) and 3 swims (6 km) per week. The operation went very well and the care at Bumrungrad was excellent. I was in hospital for a week and then on crutches and physio. Initially I tried to do far too much and pushed the rehab to far too fast despite the good Doctor's advice. This resulted in pain, frustration and lack of progress. I found by listening to my body and taking the Dr's advice I progressed really well. I kept up the crutches for a week or two longer to get better support and did all the rehab exercises. Now at 3 months I can walk in the hills for 3-4 hours, am pain free and no more limp. I have gained more flexibility and power and am back riding with the peleton in Bangkok albeit around 30-50 kms at a time without any problem. I am concious of not falling off as that could pose a problem. Swimming has progressed really well and I can now do without the float between the legs. It has been a very positive experience for me and would certainly recommend the procedure, the doctor and the hospital. best of luck Ray

Hip Hip Hooray!

nospam@example.com (city2south) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:58:31 -0700

My story starts out like many others: 38 yr old diagnosed with OA in left hip. 1st Ortho. did 2 cortisone shots, 1st one held up for almost 1 yr, 2nd one didn't last a day. Dr. told me only alternative was THR. I went home and cried. I didn't like his answer so I started searching the net and came across Surface Hippy and Dr. Gross. I Went to another local ortho. (just to get second opinion) with my information about HR and he said go for it. I made appt. with Dr. Gross ( 3 hrs driving distance) and had surgery 2 months later on 6/23/08. That morning I was of course nervous and as the nurses were setting me up for surgery I actually thought that maybe I shouldn't go through with this, maybe my pain is not that bad, maybe I can wait a few years. Shelby, my main nurse who treated me like gold reassured me all would be fine and I would only regret postponing surgery. PT came the next morning and I walked the hallway/stairwell with crutches. By Wednesday afternoon I was discharged. I was walking with 1 crutch less then a week post-op and then a cane before 2 weeks post-op. I am now 5 weeks post-op and feel great. <u>I have not had hip pain since I woke up from surgery.</u> The incision is 4 inches and healing nicely. I had no complications, just some insomnia (blood thinner side effect) that Lunesta cured immediately and feeling itchey from the morphine. A usual day consists of trying to keep up with my 3 yr old and walking a minimum of 1 mile with cane. I have routine exercises that I do daily and plan on trying my elliptical tomorrow. My cane is more for balance then support and I am hoping to retire it very soon. One of my new gadgets I took home was a Polar care 300. It is basically a small cooler that you fill with ice and water with a hose attached to a large pad. The pad gets wrapped around leg/hip area. After plugging it in (electric outlet) water shoots from the cooler into the hose up to the pad. It feels awesome and works wonders in drecreasing the swelling. The members on this site are amazing. I've never met such a supportive group of people in my life and I am truly greatful to Pat Walters for creating this communication portal. I'll be sure to update as I go and try to add videos and pictures. Lisa L/Uncemented/Biomet/Gross/6-23-08

Resurfacing is the way too go!

nospam@example.com (sandlady) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:59:14 -0700

I am a 53 year old woman with severe OA in one hip and moderate in the other. I took so much information from this site that I feel compelled to pay back a piece with my own story. I spent three years interviewing any new and different doctor I could find on my insurance plan. Each had his own opinion and preferred procedure. When I met Dr. Jon McLennan at JFK Arthritis Institute in Indio, CA, I was pretty sure my search was over. He is a wonderful doctor but unfortunately the staff at the institute is less than phenomenal. I felt the doctor was worth dealing with the dysfunctional staff but be prepared. He is aware of the staff’s inadequacies but if not personally in a position with institute to make changes yet. I had my surgery on my right hip four days ago. Because of political issues I could not have my surgery at the hospital of choice and had it at JFK also. I can say it was convenient and will stop there. The surgery went well, although slightly longer than expected due to numerous additional bone spurs that were not immediately visible on the X-rays. I had an epidural with twilight sleep. Not my first choice but the anesthesiologist and OR nurse talked me into it. No regrets. Had mild nausea after anesthetic but was fine by next morning. I was out of bed the next morning and doing laps with my walker. The doctor promised me when I could get up and go the bathroom myself I could go home. Since the care was less than optimal I pushed had and held him to my promise. The thing I found the most disconcerting was the lack of knowledge about the procedure among the hospital staff. Even the therapist hadn’t a clue when I described it to her! Second day was painful – but mostly just muscle. Like I had fallen or worked out too hard. Day three was better as I had hoped, and day four has been about stagnant as far as pain and mobility. Went out to lunch on day three, which took a toll on my strength, and won’t try to drive for at least a week yet. The oozing incision (staples) is working on my nerves, but am down to one or two Vicodins (plus stool softeners!) a day so I can’t complain about the out come.

Rower Having RBHR

nospam@example.com (TomBuell) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:33:50 -0700

I'm a 52-year-old male living in Pittsburgh, PA. I'm having RBHR surgery on July 1, 2008 by Dr. Ari Pressman at St. Clair Hospital. Before the pain and loss of flexibility caused by osteoarthritis stopped me, I was an avid rower here in Pittsburgh. I've won medals in national championships (US & Canada). My doctor, who is also a rower, told me I'll be able to row again. For this, and many other reasons, I'm really looking forward to this surgery and the return to flexibility. I would be curious to hear from any other rowers who have had BHR or other hip surgeries. I will report back after surgery and during recovery. - Tom in Pittsburgh (This message also posted in Hip Talk - Athlete's Corner)

Surgery & Post Op

nospam@example.com (Kenny Gensel) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:52:44 -0700

Surgery:

Day 1: Pretty immobile, jacked up on pain meds. Able to move to chair by end of day. Day 2: Walked around ward with crutches. Confidence growing. Day 3: Ready to go home in morning. Learned how to nav stairs w/ crutches. Drive home was PAINFUL [no meds prior to leaving; snafu due to Sunday discharge]. Drive straight to pharmacy, downed the meds, straight to recumbent chair for snooze.:

Home Recovery::

Day 1: walked around block with family. Very nice to get out. Able to check work email. Able to go up / down stairs (2x day).:

Day 2: able to make work emails / calls from home recumbent chair. Pain meds make it difficult to multi-task. Attention span greatly reduced. Must take nap.:

Days 3-5: look forward to daily walks around block with family. Easier to get in / out of bed each day. Able to go up / down stairs as needed. Cut all "additional" pain meds [percocet] but for 2x/day oxicontin.:

Day 6: attended BMX Olympic Trials. Only able to stay 2.5 hrs. Percocet in car ride home and useless rest of day.:

Day 8: decided to drive myself to work-likely a mistake. Driving is PAINFUL. Sitting at work in regular chair painful. Lower back hurt since I was trying to sit comfortably. Home at 3pm and resumed the percocet. Disappointment.:

Days 9-13: went to work every other day for short days; had to take perc to recover. Days stayed home were pain free & no percs necessary. Driving and sitting at work were key culprits. Limited mobility around house possible with only 1 crutch.:

Confidence Boosters::

Home and walking within 4 days of surgery - perception of "being on track" good feeling. 4 days post surgery perceived to hit plateau or even step backwards; easy to feel sorry for myself and get moody.:

Determination: epiphany that mental toughness is as important as physical therapy.:

Dr. Ball personally called to check up - classy guy. Great help to confidence.:

Read article in Competitor Mag re: pro athletes Floyd Landis and Robyn Benincasa had same surgery. Emailed and got a response from Robyn! Wow what a boost. :

Must maintain mental toughness - this is a marathon not a sprint.

Life Pre-Surgery

nospam@example.com (Kenny Gensel) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:04:20 -0700

Pre Surgery Lifestyle:

1987-2004:sports 5x / week; volleyball, basketball, baseball, soccer.

1993: motorcycle accident; fractured femur. Long term result - severe arthritis, bone spurs, loss of cartilidge.

2002-2008: severe pain after sports; self medication through alcohol

2005-2008: stopped all sports but basketball due to pain. Added mountain biking (less impact) to pick up slack.