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My name is Rob, I'm 46 from
Ontario and am 6 days post-op Zimmer Durom
resurfacing.
It all started less than 2 years ago with
increasing pain and discomfort in my upper right
leg and groin. After a month or so of the pain
not going away I called my family physician for
an appointment. During the exam my doctor told
me of stiffening of the joints, particularly the
right groin, he ordered an x-ray for me and
suggested the early stages of osteoarthritis.
After reviewing the x-ray with me, showing me
the diminishing cartilage at the hips mostly the
right side.
After roughly 10 months of steadily increasing
pain, having to take shorter walks with our dog,
less riding time on my motorcycle and also
starting to affect my job as a aircraft sheet
metal mechanic, I called my family physician for
another exam.
He ordered another x-ray for me and scheduled an
appointment with him, by the time we met again
it had been 14 months since my original
diagnosis. Upon reviewing the 2nd x-ray with me,
showing the right hip was bone on bone and the
left was quickly deteriorating. He prescribed an
anti-inflamatory and pain killer (diclofenac)
and set up a consult with one of the many
Orthopedic Surgeons (OS) in town.
During my consult with the OS, he said I was a
candidate for Total Hip Replacement (THR) but
would not do it til I was 55 or 60 and should
learn to live with pain til then. Discouraged
and frustrated I asked my family physician for a
consult with a 2nd OS that had performed back to
back THR on a work colleague who was 57 at the
time, that was 4 years ago and he is a new man
now.
While the 2nd OS was looking at the x-rays, he
asked me which hip was the problem, I told him
the right one, he grinned and told me the left
was almost as bad with only 1mm of cartilage
left. He explained to my wife and I the 3
traditional procedures of THR (metal/plastic,
metal/metal and ceramic) now he said there is
new option for younger and more active adults,
it is called HIP RESURFACING. After explaining
this procedure to us by preserving what is there
by capping and cupping and not cutting, my wife
and I were all for that option.
December 19th 2007 was the date set for my right
hip resurfacing surgery, less than 3 months
after my visit with the 2nd OS. During the next
couple of months I used the Internet for
research on this procedure and was both
encouraged and excited about being pain free.
While on the Internet I purchased a great book
called HIP REPLACEMENT OR HIP RESURFACING by
Peggy Gabriel, full of info and also a link to
this website SURFACE HIPPYS.
The following is a sequence of events;
December 19th 2007 Surgery Day 8:00am
December 20th 2007 Day after Surgery 3:00pm up
walking with walker to my hospital room door
December 21st 2007 2nd Day after surgery up and
down hospital hall with walker, now Im allowed
to move freely
December 22nd 2007 3rd Day after surgery, physio
therapist has me do stairs with a cane and OS
gives me the OK to go home
December 25th 2007 Here I sit at my computer
sending you my story, feeling better every day,
doing my physio exercises faithfully
Staples come out January 2nd 2008
Updates to follow.
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