Here is my HIPPY story………

I am 55, female, single, live in Denver CO, healthy, and have Kaiser insurance. Two winters ago, 2007, I slipped on the ice in front of my home and landed on my right side.  No big deal at the time as I got up and continued on my way.  But over time I started having trouble with that right hip.  And by trouble I mean it started to ache and the range of motion started to reduce.

I lived with this inconvenience for several months before I started seeking help. 
Over the next 2 years I saw 11 different health professionals: (in no particular order):    

-1 family practitioner who could do nothing but refer me to specialists;
-1 chiropractor, one who wanted me to come in 3 times a week for 8 weeks, and was sure it was my lower back causing me grief.   (I knew better.)
-1 chiropractor that worked on me for 10 minutes each time and did not have my confidence,
-1 who worked on me for 1.5 hours each visit who did relieve the nerve sensation that was going down my leg;
-2 personal trainers each of whom set up exercise programs for me that I followed to the letter; helpful but there was no improvement in my hip.
-1 physical therapist whom I had no confidence in whatsoever,
-1 homeopath that gave me 3 little seeds to put under my tongue and charged me $500,
-1 neurosurgeon who gave me a battery of tests to determine that my problem was not neurological (good info),
-2 orthopedic surgeons who said to live with it and come back in 5 years when I am screaming in agony (x-rays showed bone on bone) and they would give me a THR.  (Are you kidding me???  I am miserable now!!!)

The diagnosis was the same from all of them, arthritis.  Well, ok, but I have arthritis on the left side also and it has the same amount of mileage on it as the right side.  What is different about the right side from the left?  And more importantly, what can be done to help me?  

So, after asking so many different health professionals to fix my hip, nothing was helping.  In fact it was getting worse.  By 2009 I was unable to put my socks and shoes on, was starting to limp more, couldn’t walk any significant distance without it bothering me, and basically my quality of life was significantly diminished.  All this time I was not in great pain.  In fact I never even took a Tylenol to reduce pain.  I called it an ache, which I lived with.

I started to come to the realization that my hip was not going to get any better no matter what I tried.  It was about that time that I started doing some research on my own on the web thinking that there has to be someone out there that can make my hip move correctly.  That is when I discovered Vicky’s website and learned about hip resurfacing.   I also learned from Vicky’s website that surgeon selection was critical.  That eliminated the two Ortho’s that I had previously seen in Denver.  They never even mentioned resurfacing.  So I started seriously looking into the differences between THR and HR. 

But how to choose one procedure over the other?  Vicky offered to email my x-rays to Dr. Bose in India and to Dr. Klug with Kaiser in Northern California.  He was the only doctor within the Kaiser system that had completed a significant number of HR (200+ at the time) all with excellent results.  Both doctors reviewed my x-rays and said that I was a good candidate for HR.  So my choices were: to go to India for 11 days alone and pay the fees out of pocket which I was willing to do, or go to Sacramento CA for 5 days with my son and have Kaiser cover the fees. 

After researching Dr. Klug and looking honestly at my own life style (I am not a major athlete but do work out regularly) I decided that HR with Dr. Klug in CA was the way I wanted to go. 

I then started to get the ball rolling to get this over with…. waiting just didn’t seem to serve any purpose.  I contacted Dr. Klug’s office to determine what I needed to do on my end to make this happen and what their schedule was.  Irina, Klug’s assistant, worked closely with me making sure all the ducks were in order between Kaiser Colorado and Kaiser Northern California.  She told me on Thursday, Dec 3 that there was an opening that just came up in the operating room schedule on Thursday Dec 10th and can I get there by then?  What a whirlwind the next few days were trying to get approvals, referrals, and clearance for surgery etc.  I made the mistake of asking one of the Ortho doctors for the referral rather than my primary care doctor.  His response was that he did not think I was a candidate for resurfacing due to my age and gender but that if I still wanted one he would do it.  That again reinforced my decision to go see Dr. Klug.  I was not about to have a doctor operate on me who: 1) does not believe I am a candidate for a particular procedure, 2) has not done many of them, and 3) that never even mentioned this option to me.  Also, Vicky had mentioned that she had heard of patients who go in expecting a resurfacing and come out with a total hip.  The doctor makes a medical judgment call during the operation and performs the surgery that he wants to.  I wanted a doctor that believes in resurfacing and who believes that I am a good candidate for one.


But on Monday Dec 7 at 5:30 I got my last approval.  So I went home, bought 2 airline tickets for Tuesday night, hotel reservations for my son, and a rental car. We arrived in Roseville Tues night and I went to my appointment with Dr. Klug on Wed morning (Dec 9).  He spent well over one hour explaining to me: 1) what was wrong with my hip (osteoarthritis),  2) why I was having trouble (bone on bone causes increased bone density in that area which can also cause the growth of bone spurs, which lead to limited range of motion.  My bone spurs were about the size of a pea), 3) the various options that I had (resurfacing or total hip), and 4) answered all my questions (recovery expectations, etc.).  He showed me the BHR device that he will use and compared it to the THR device.  Both were there in his office for me to see and examine.  He stated that he prefers the direct anterior approach and since I had no druthers regarding that issue I had no concerns.  He also made me understand that he was planning on giving me a HR since that is what I wanted, but that when he was able to actually see my bone and determined whether or not it was viable for a HR, the possibility of a THR needed to be an option for him.   I agreed.  I felt very comfortable with Dr. Klug and came away with the feeling that he is doing what he was born to do.  He genuinely cares about his patients and wants to see everyone in good health.  His office walls are plastered with thank you notes and pictures of many of the people that he has repaired.  Seeing the hand written notes and the photos of previous patients was very reassuring. So, Thurs Dec 10 at 4:30 I went under the knife and came out 1 hour and 15 minutes later with a resurfaced hip.

Fri Dec 11 they tried to get me out of bed but I had major low blood pressure issues.  Just raising the head of the bed caused me to get dizzy and standing up caused black-outs.  So we took it slowly and when I walked for the first time I only went about 6 feet from the bed and back.  I was hoping to start doing laps around the hospital floor but that was not to be.  I also had leg compressors on my calves to improves blood circulation since I have a history of blood clots.  Sat Dec 12 showed a small improvement but not enough for me to feel comfortable getting on a plane the next day and flying back home to Colorado.  So Dr. Klug ordered 2 units of blood to be given to me Sat evening and Sun morning when I woke up I felt like a new woman.  I was strong enough to leave the hospital, go to the airport and fly home to Denver!!!

The next few days were slow and lazy but gradually I grew stronger and started moving around with a walker.  I much prefer walkers to crutches…. 4 points of stability rather than two, and you can release them anytime to use your hands.  I used the walked for 2.5 weeks at which time I felt comfortable progressing to a cane.  Today I am exactly 3 weeks post-op and do not use anything to walk with.  I do still have a swagger when I walk, and I am slower that normal. I started driving yesterday. 

My care at Roseville Medical Center was excellent.  Everyone involved with my case seems to always know what anyone else had to say or what I needed next.  There was never a lack of communication between nurses, PT’s, PA’s or doctors.

I return to work one week from today, which will be 4 weeks post-op.  I am a high school science teacher so am on my feet all day setting up labs and lecturing.  I will try my best to take sit-down breaks and to limit my steps.  I think I will be fine.

I am looking forward to moving more freely and with greater strength. Dancing, working out, walking and even putting my shoes and socks on wont be such a challenge soon.   And since it has been two years since I was up in the mountains skiing, maybe I will be back on the slopes before the ski season is over..... you never know!!!