Background 

My name is Mitch McClure, I am 44 years old.  I had my left hip resurfaced on Jan. 16th at New Albany Surgical Hospital by Dr. Keith Berend.  My activity is distance running, which I still did up until about May of last year.  I ran in high school and college, both cross country and track.  I've also run 10 marathons.  My best times are 4:15 for the mile, 9:10 for the 2 mile, 14:38 for 5 k, and 2:36 for the marathon.  I ran everyday until this past year.  I get together every April and run an 80 mile relay race with 8 guys called River to River.  The race runs from the Mississippi River side in Illinois, across the bottom of the state to the Ohio river on the Indiana side.  The guys I run with I grew up with and its a tough race but a great reunion. 

What happened to my hip 

 About three years ago I fell hard on my left hip and sustained a large bruise.  After the swelling went down, I resumed running.  A pain started in the hip and never went away.  I could not sleep on my left side and the pain continued on, getting more intense as the years went by.  I walk alot on concrete floors on my job and the pain got intolerable.  By June of 2007, I went to my family physician who sent me for x rays and an MRI.  The tests revealed osteoarthritis and a tear in the cartilage around the hip.  I hoped that the tear could be fixed and everything would then get better.  My physician sent me to the Cleveland Clinic where the physician there did not think much of hip resurfacing and told me I should have hip replacement since that was what I would eventually get if I had my hip resurfaced.  I came home and hit the web, trying to find out more about hip resurfacing.  My physican did not know that the BHR procedure was already being done in the U.S.  I had to send him the web link to get him to refer me so I could get a chance to see if I could have this procedure performed.  I found your website and began reading all the stories about the athletes that had this procedure done and how they were able to go back to their activities.  I wanted to be able to run again with the guys.  I knew that hip replacement would not allow me to do that.  My physician referred me to Dr Berend and I went to see him in December of 07.  Dr Berend just looked at the xray and told me that my hip was beyond any arthroscopy procedure.  Dr Berend told me my options with resurfacing vs replacement.  Dr Berend said he could tell me with confidence how long a replaced hip woould last but that there wasn't enough on hip resurfacing to know how long it would last.  What made it my choice was:  the stories from your site, the fact that if this eventually did fail a hip replacement could easily be done, and my age.  The pain that I endured the past three years aged me so much, I just want it to end so I can enjoy life again. 

The surgery   

I had my procedure on Jan. 16th.  Your site helped me get prepared for the surgery by giving me info on what I would need and what to expect.    I had to be at the hospital at 5 am for the surgery at 7am.  I did not sleep the night before the surgery, I was thinking too much about it.  When we got to the hospital and got checked in, I was taken to the pre/post op area where I had to get into a gown and get an I.V. started.  I was going to be given a spinal block along with general anesthesia.  The nurse sat me up and rubbed alcohol on my lower back, then some versad was given to me and after that, I remembered nothing until I was in my room after surgery.  I was out of it for awhile.  The doctor told my wife that things went very well and that my bone structure and mass were very good.   The BHR cobalt chrome device was used.   The operation took an hour.  When I woke up I was on oxygen, a catheter, and had a drain tube coming out of my hip.  I was given pain medication thru my IV and orally.  Around 3pm in the afternoon, therapy got me out of bed and took me for a walk.  The hip/leg did not feel like it was mine and I had no control over the leg.  They are having me use a walker instead of crutches and it does seem to be easier.  I was uncomfortable in the hospital like I figured I would be.  I got very little sleep during the night and I developed a temp of 101.5.  I guess a temp is not uncommon but one over 100 degrees is something that needs to be watched.  The temp went down in the morning but they made me stay in the hospital until the afternoon before they would release me.  Therapy took me for another walk and took me up and down stairs before I was released.  My incision is about 9 inches wide.  After two days, (see the enclosed pics) my hip was very bruised.   The hip continued to the brusing thru the current day (five).  My hip is really tight and still does not feel like it is mine.  The leg is getting better but on day four, the left knee swelled alot and I spent the day having trouble moving it.  I believe this is due to the wound draining down my leg.  I have a two story house and I have been up and down stairs.  I can get upstairs without help but I need some help going down.  The walker is easy to move and doesn't seem to be a problem.  Sleeping has been off and on, the longest I have slept at one time is 5 hours thru these first five days.  I have almost no appetite but have been drinking alot of fluids.  I have been wearing the stockings during the day to help prevent clots.   Using a portable urinal bottle is a huge help and keeps me from waking my wife during the night.  The hip has a couple of bumps on the incision, which was glued shut.  I will update as time goes on.  I go back to the doctor in 6 weeks. 

  Mitch McClure