| Mike – Dr. Keith Ure |
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Mike’s Story
Hi Hippies, As it turns out the city of Mt. Shasta is off the beaten track when it comes to public transportation, rental cars, etc. and, in addition, post-op, I needed someone to drive me back to the Bay Area. Through Craigslist, I found a man who was willing to drive me back to the Bay Area for a fee plus expenses in his own car. This fellow also drove me from Redding, the regional hub 60 miles away, up to Mt. Shasta for my doctor's appt. the day prior to my operation. I had hoped to have a phone consultation with Dr. Ure prior to making the trip but this ended up not happening. Desiree in his office told me to send my x-rays to Dr. Ure via email. She gave me the sense that he would be able to get back to me to discuss them. About a week later he called me during a meeting (I was unaware that it was him) and left a message saying that I was a candidate for the operation and that he would call me back later that day or that week. He did not do this, which is one of the few negatives about my experience in this process. I did need some reassurance about what I was about to undertake. I would advise those who choose Dr. Ure to adjust their expectations about contact prior to meeting with him, down. I had scheduled an appt. with Dr. Ure on Sept. 30th and also with the physical therapy staff at Mercy Mt. Shasta to review their joint replacement program. They have a group class but I was lucky enough to have Paul Schwartz give me personalized version of the class. After that appt. with Paul, I registered at the hospital, got my blood drawn and walked the 300 yards from the hospital to Dr. Ure's office. On the trip over I got to admire Mt. Shasta in its very bare post-drought pre-snow state. They took two more x-rays at Dr. Ure's office and then I finally met Dr. Ure. At this point, I had forgotten my "list" of questions. Dr. Ure is a nice guy but clearly not such an outgoing guy. I had been told not by various staff not to expect much of a "bedside manner" from him, which I would agree was the case. Dr. Ure is clearly interested in and excited about hip resurfacing though I had hoped for a little more general interest in the biomechanics of the hip and leg as well as discussing the etiology of osteoarthritis. I had been trying to figure out why, besides genetic factors, I had developed such a bad case of it in my left hip at this fairly early time in my life. In any case, I returned to the hospital to pick up my luggage. Paul Schwartz of the PT department very kindly drove me the mile to the Best Western Tree House Hotel which is a fairly nice motel/hotel with restaurant/pool with which Mercy Mt. Shasta has a joint replacement patient's rate of $79. I spent the rest of the evening chatting with friends and family on the phone, walking around the town of Mt. Shasta and taking pictures of the mountain. I recommend Billy Goat's Tavern, in particular their burgers, as a good place to eat. At 6am I checked out of the Tree House and Paul Schwartz again had volunteered to pick me up (there is no taxi service in Mt. Shasta, by the way). I was taken to the hospital and prepared for surgery. I met the nurse anethesiologist and was put to sleep. They had hoped to do something called "Conscious Sedation" but later found out that they had actually had to put me under (in either case you are actually unconscious but there is a difference) to relax my legs. I don't recall what my first recollection was but I was in a hospital bed with 4 tubes in me including a drain. I had one of those pain med pumps which I used only on one occasion. I was given Norco, a hydrocodone/tylenol combination orally after I went off the IV. I wasn't particularly uncomfortable or particularly high either. They got me briefly out of bed later that afternoon (the day of the surgery). I remember I took a couple steps into the hall with a walker and then came back with all my tubes in me. I had as a conscious goal to get off as much as possible of the tubes, which the hospital did as well. On the second day, I was taken off the IV and later they took out the catheter after I had shown an ability to be able to get out of bed (which was very difficult). Ron MacDowell, the director of the PT department, took me on a trip down the hall first with the walker and then with some crutches. Ron seemed to be favorably impressed with my progress. They decided on Friday morning (My operation was Wednesday) to release me from the hospital. The nurse took out the drain. Dr. Ure came into my room and changed my dressing. They gave me supplies to change my dressing. I decided to stay two nights at the Tree House to recuperate a little more prior to returning to the Bay Area. Ron McDowell said that he would stop in to check on me on Saturday morning at the hotel. At this point I had the Norco but was not in a great deal of pain. I decided to try to use only over the counter pain meds. I believe I took one Norco post-release but have since then stayed off the narcotic medications. I have not used much Ibuprofen (a couple times) and Tylenol (occasionally still now). Using two forearm crutches I was able to take a couple trips around the town of Mt. Shasta on Friday and Saturday (the 4th). Since then, I have actually not done as much walking around as in fact I have experienced some more pain in my operated leg after exercise than I did in those first few days. I am trying to take it easy as recommended by the PTs who suggests that exercise in the first 6 weeks should be limited and is just there to "keep the blood flowing". They are concerned about my developing tendonitis. I am able to contact them by phone which is a great help. Because there is a lot that I'd like to be doing, I am sad about the current pain I've experienced post exercise. I am now driving some, though getting in and out of the car seems to be more of a strain that I had hoped. In all, at 9 days post op, I think that I have had a good experience with Dr. Ure and the Mt. Shasta Mercy staff. They (I have not tried to get a hold of Dr. Ure personally given the difficulties I had reaching him prior to the operation) have been easy to get a hold of by phone, though I am wishing they had given a little more explicit instructions about caring for the incision and dressings. Ron McDowell and Paul Schwartz of the PT staff were excellent as were many of the nurses and nurses's aides. As I have not experienced that much pain, I am taking that as a sign that Dr. Ure did his job right and now it is time for me and my body to do our jobs to get back to full activity levels. If you have any questions about my experience please ask. Cheers, Mike, 46 |
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