Surgery August 25, 2008 RBHR with Dr. Hayato Mori in Honolulu, Hawaii

For several years I had been dreading night-times. As soon as I tried to sleep my knees would both ache so badly no matter what balms I applied. Sometimes the ache would also be in my right hip area where occasional twinges would bring me to a stop on my daily walks with my dogs, getting shorter as time passed.

During those years I had gradually had to give up my rock wall terracing, gardening and pond project on our lot in a Big Island bay because I was losing flexibility and strength. I banged my right knee and shin repeatedly as I stumbled at home or on our vacation cottage site up at Volcano National Park. Working on that construction project, a cherished and satisfying weekend hobby my husband and I had taken up, was getting more and more difficult and I was getting physically weaker. I had given up teaching pre-school years before when I could no longer sit cross-legged in our learning and play circles. I was now working in sales at a local 10 acre orchid nursery following my other passion of growing plants. But I was now limping and using a cane to make the treks around the uneven surface to check on our inventory. I was also alternating courses of Ibuprofen and Tylenol Arthritis pain medications and wondering what I was doing to my liver and kidneys. At 61 I felt that the joys of my active, healthy life were soon to be behind me.

Finally my husband insisted that I see my family doctor. X-rays of my knees and hips showed where the problem was. There was practically no cartilage in my right hip. The other hip and knees were so mildly osteoarthritic my family doctor said he'd refer me to an osteopathic surgeon who would probably recommend just a right hip replacement. There was one surgeon on the island but I hesitated to call him. I was so afraid of never again being able to do the active things I loved. A few weeks later I was invited to the home of a friend whose husband had been to India a few years earlier for hip surgery unavailable through his insurance in the US. Knowing he had chosen a technique which would allow him to continue building homes for a living and surfing as a hobby, I was curious to see how he was doing. It was truly amazing to see him walking as normally as a young man, to see the extensive re-modelling he had been doing on his own home and to see him completely out of pain. I asked for the name of the implant and went straight to the computer to research BHR when I got home.

It didn't take long to find that, though there was no one on the Big Island, there were actually 3 surgeons in Honolulu who did resurfacing. I was most impressed with Dr. Hayato Mori at The Center for Advanced Hip and Knee Surgery in Honolulu and Kauai. His background and training gave me the confidence to call him for an appointment and I was thrilled that, armed with my x-rays and a promising bone density report (no osteopenia), I found myself on a flight to Honolulu with my surgical nurse sister-in-law for support just a few weeks later. Dr. Mori was honest about his experience with resurfacing, explained how he does the surgery with confidence and candor and shared examples of the results he'd had with previous patients. He examined my case carefully, explaining why the hip damage caused referred pain in other areas.Finally he placed the cobalt chrome parts in my hands so I could feel them smoothly gliding against each other. I decided that I would trust him to do the BHR, knowing that there will always be the option of having a total hip replacement at some time in the future if I am one of the very small percentage for whom it doesn't last. I had nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

Dr. Mori's wonderful staff took care of all the details for me to have the surgery three weeks later. They arranged for an apartment for my husband at minimal cost on the hospital grounds where I stayed with him the night we flew in and the night before we flew back home. Home care physical therapy and home nurse visits were all set up for me once I returned home. Each day in the hospital we looked forward to Dr. Mori's visits. He answered all our questions, examined me and increased my confidence with his calm, assured manner.  A week after I returned home he even flew over to the Big Island himself and came to our house to take out my staples and check on my progress.

I used a walker for several weeks after the surgery but found it easy to walk with a cane after that and was soon walking both dogs daily as I gained strength, flexibility and confidence. By the fifth week I was driving and shopping alone and now, at week 6, I am back at the orchid nursery with a whole new attitude toward my future. Instead of facing a future of increasing limitations I now greet each day knowing I am getting stronger, more flexible and can picture my future back in the gardens, up on a scaffold and taking the dogs on long treks with a spring back in my step. Thank you, Dr. Mori, for giving me my life back.

Aloha,
Tricia
RBHR 8/25/08
Dr. Mori, Honolulu