Posted on November 12, 2008 Hi All,

Vicky is absolutely right. I am actually one of the people that she is referring to - I not only had revision surgery (my hip dislocated immediately following surgery), I'm now facing another surgery to revise the revision (and that probably means THR).

I chose a surgeon in my area who had done the most resurfacings. At the time, he had done over 100, maybe even 150, and he was very likeable. I was told that I was an ideal candidate - in my 40's, extremely active, healthy, motivated, good bones, dysplasia. I had every reason to expect a good outcome. Prior to surgery, my only concern was that I might miss the upcoming ski season. Well, not only did I miss the ski season, I will likely never ski again. I can't even ride a bike.

What would I do differently? I would find a surgeon with the most experience, and if I could, that would mean traveling to Belgium or India, where the surgeons have performed thousands of resurfacings. There are many good choices in the US as well.

There are risks and things that can go wrong in any surgery, and most of these things are beyond our control, but not necessarily beyond the surgeon's control. Therefore, who we choose to perform our surgery and make the right choices on our behalf is crucial. Our future mobility and quality of life depends on their skill and their experience and ultimately on their performance during our individual surgerys.

I am so happy for everyone who has had such wonderful experiences and have gotten their lives back after resurfacing. That's the way it should be, and that's the way it can be.

Be smart so that your story has a happy ending!
Sheryl