Dr. Gilbert successfully completed my BHR procedure on Monday October 29 at California Pacific Medical Center (PCMC) in San Francisco; I was his 80th BHR patient. He said my bone stock was strong, there were no complications and the follow-up xrays confirmed that the device was implemented perfectly. He said the osteoarthritis that was indicated in my May 2007 xrays had degenerated from moderate-severe to severe; my increasing pain and declining range of motion over the past few months certainly supports that finding!
I am extremely pleased with EVERYTHING so far. Dr. Gilbert's office actually acted as an advocate for me, facilitating all Health Net authorizations in a very short time period -- I initially saw him on October 18 and he was able to slide me into a surgical cancellation on October 29. In addition, Laura Langdon from Dr. Gilbert's office spent a lot of time on the phone with me, Health Net and my local primary care physician in the intervening 11 days -- something I didn't receive from my previous two other consultations. I can't say enough about Dr. Gilbert and the folks in his office!
The staff in the PCMC were also very nice and supportive. They truly made me feel like they cared about my well being. The food was actually very good, too, ordered/served from a menu (kinda like room service!). A tip if you're attempting to get a BHR from Dr. Gilbert -- try to schedule it on a Monday, since not all of the 30 hospital rooms are single occupancy, and folks that have surgeries near the middle of the week tend to be coupled up with other patients. I had a private room with a window opening to a small grove of trees. I was discharged on Thursday at 1PM.
The pain is still a little uncomfortable, but not too bad. I'm currently using Ibuprofen during the day (which helps with the swelling in my upper leg), but I'm using two Percocets to help me sleep (I took them about 30 minutes ago, so I might start to fade). I'm supposed to use the CPMC-provided forearm crutches for 4 weeks, although all of the 90-degree restrictions were lifted once I left the hospital. I begin in-home PT tomorrow, and will see Dr. Gilbert in six weeks.
I would definitely recommend Dr. Gilbert to anyone in the Bay Area thinking about this procedure. He is a very understanding and caring person who is active (cyclist and ski patrol at Alpine Mountain), and he seems to understand my need to get back to high levels of activity. My left hip has slight to moderate OA, and if it needs a BHR in the future, I will definitely choose him again.
Thanks for all the encouragement and advice over the past several months!
Geoff (41 y.o. male) Davis, CA Dr. Gilbert R-BHR 10-29-07
