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Flying down thousands of miles to India to get my Hip
Resurfacing surgery done by Dr. Kaushal Malhan at Wockhardt
Hospitals, Mumbai has indubitably been one of the choicest
decisions I have made in my life.
It all started about thirty years ago when I fell down while
playing Basketball and over the years it just started to
build up and all my joints started to pain and some reason
my right hip got the worst
About 10 years ago the pain all of a sudden it just went up,
and it was just horrendous, it was like 3 stake knives in my
right hip at the same time and from then on it's been 10yrs
and it has never been the same. In the United States I was
essentially offered three options - one was learn to live
with it, two, have the standard hip surgery and be active
afterwards and three take pain killers.
So, I did a lot of physical therapy and took a certain
number of painkillers to sort of live with it. About seven
years ago, I read about the Hip Resurfacing procedure, and I
discovered it wasn't available in the United States and was
probably being done only in one hospital, but it was really
very expensive and it wasn't covered by the health
insurance.
About six months ago, I made up my mind to go overseas and
have the surgery done, someone told me about a TV show he
had seen called 60 minutes on Medical tourism and I started
looking for it on the internet and decided that India was
probably my best option because more of the Hip Resurfacing
Surgeries were being done here than in any other country.
So, I wrote to the company that produces BHR implants. They
gave me names of about ten doctors in India who did BHR and
Dr.Malhan was on top of the list and then I emailed
Wockhardt Hospitals (www.wockhardthospitals.net) and within
a couple of hours Mr.Thukral had e mailed me back and
started the relationship and I decided within an hour after
getting his e mail that this is the best hospital for me. He
then helped me make all the arrangements with the travel,
visa required to come to India , all details, answering all
my questions promptly.
I arrived here a week ago and spent a day getting my pre
operative investigations. Its been very nice, in fact it was
like going to a hospital in Minneapolis or New York. The
x-rays conveyed that my hip was qualified for the
Resurfacing surgery, they did the measurements that were
necessary to arrange the proper size device implant for me.
I don't remember much of the day of the surgery , I just
slept through the day, but I do remember when I entered the
surgery suite, ... the place was so huge, with all modern
facilities, so bright and amazing ... I have never before
seen in a surgery suite like that.
When I came out of the surgery I was immediately covered
with a warm blanket and the painkillers were started and did
not experience any pain. The IV was kept on for three days.
Since then I have been back in my room. I have been doing
physical therapy and Dr. Ritu has been very patient with me,
though I have done my best to try her patience. She couldn't
have been better leading me to steady progress. She is
extremely charming and has a good sense of humor.
The whole experience has been really good. I came here
expecting the best and anything I found here has exceeded,
and anything I anticipated has gone much better than I ever
hoped it to go. It's been a wonderful experience.
Seven months after returning home, I'm working full-time in
a physically demanding job and my wife says she's never seen
me happier. I run three miles every morning and say a little
prayer for you and Dr. Malhan and all of your wonderful
staff while I run. Dr. Malhan has truly given me my life
back.
The only problem I have is occasional pain in the other hip
so I might need help again sometime in the next couple of
years. Hip resurfacing is now available at a nearby
hospital, but I'd prefer to have Dr. Malhan's team do it -
even though it means paying out of pocket.
Dr. Jim Allen
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