Ben Ernsberger - 31 years old, Myspace, Dr. Su

Ben found me on my Surface Hippy Myspace page and emailed me, the rest, as they say.....is history.

I'm a Surface Hippy Now!

I was twelve years old when I first learned that I had hip problems. I’m now coming around the corner on thirty-two. That’s twenty years of pain and restrictions. A twenty year long chapter of life that is finally coming to an end!

At age twelve I took a fall on my left hip. I had no pain, but a few days later I found out that I couldn’t get up into a run. Three months of doctors visits finally led to a diagnosis of a Slipped Epiphysis. The growth plate on top of my left femoral head was sliding off. Surgery was scheduled to pin it up, and one year later I had surgery to remove the pins.

I was also told that I had shallow hips sockets (Dysplasia), and was informed that I could never participate in running or any other impact sports.

Fast forward twenty years.
I have lived a fairly normal life. My hips have not been overly painful or limiting. I’ve used swimming to keep in shape. I worked on a horse ranch for a little while. For five years I drove eighteen-wheelers, and in the spring of 2001 I rode a bicycle six-hundred miles around the islands of New Zealand. The last four months of 2006 even found my wife and I in Uganda, Africa. We lived in an orphanage back in the jungle, with a full forty-five minute walk to a paved road.

About nine months ago I really began to experience sharp pain in my hips. I’d be walking along normally when I would suddenly feel a grating in my hip and a pain like getting hit on the bone with a hammer. One day my wife ran into a younger lady who had her hips replaced by a local doctor. Three months later I was sitting in his office talking to him about hip replacement. After discussing my options for a total hip replacement I asked him, “Is there anything better being researched right now that looks like I could wait for?” He told me there wasn’t, so I went home and began to call around and set up everything I would need to get my hips replaced.

A few days later my mom, who happens to be a pediatric nurse, was reading an article in  Prevention Magazine. “Things your doctor won’t tell you about.” One of those things just happened to be Hip Resurfacing. She called me up and suggested that I do some research into it. Ironically I found out later that the doctor I was scheduled for a Total Hip Replacement with had just finished training for Hip Resurfacing.

Admittedly skeptical, I Googled “Hip Resurfacing.” The first interesting link I saw was for a Myspace page belonging to Vicky Marlow, a patient advocate for hip resurfacing. I sent her a message, and within a day or two she called me and began to tell me more about hip resurfacing. One of the first things she told me is, “Ben, at 31 you are WAY to young for a Total Hip Replacement.” By that time I had already done enough reading myself that I was able to totally agree with her. I sent her my X-rays, and she sent them along to Drs. Su, Desmet, and Bose.

Over the next two weeks I spent nearly every waking moment researching, reading everything I could get my hands on and emailing back and forth with the worlds top doctors. I even watch every Hip Resurfacing surgery I could find online. I was excited out of my mind that I could possibly live a normal life! I wanted to be able to run marathons, race triathlons and climb mountains. All the activities I was told I couldn’t do when I was twelve, and wouldn’t be able to do after a Total Hip Replacement.

My first email from Dr De Smet was a rejection for Hip Resurfacing on the left side, due to the neck being shorter the the neck on my right side. A week of emailing with Dr Bose ended with same conclusion. My last chance was Dr Su, but I was determined! After finding out so many good things about Hip Resurfacing, I didn’t not want to go back to thinking about living with a Total Hip Replacement. Fortunately Dr. Su and I were on the same page. He told me that he was such a strong advocate of bone conservation that he would do his very best to give me a Hip Resurfacing, even if it meant leaving a slight length discrepancy between the two sides.

My left hip was resurfaced on September 11th 2008. I met with Dr. Su for the first time on the morning before surgery. Thanks to Vicky Marlow, Pat Walter, and all the other surface hippies on the internet, I really didn’t have many questions left for him. The surgery went as planned, even though he admitted that mine is one of the most difficult cases he has seen.

Now I’m sitting in my anti-gravity chair a week and half post-op. My eight and a half month old daughter is in her pack-n-play next to me. My wife just got home for lunch. Life is good, and getting’ better! My left hip is recovering well, and in just a few more weeks I’ll fly back to New York (from Minneapolis, MN) for resurfacing on my right side.

Thanks to all of the fantastic “Surface Hippy” people in my life, and the best doctor in the world, I am well on my way to a life of full activity!

Update April 16, 2009

At seven and four months, I'm doing very well! My wife and I bought new rollerblades the other day, and the weather here in MN has turned quite nice for using them. I thought I was nearly recovered until I put them on though! Those rotators are still fairly weak, but I can get about fifteen minutes of decent blading out of them at a time. It will take a little more time, but I'll be doing more than that soon. Swimming feels really good as well. My ROM in the water is better than even in High School, when I swam every day! Unfortunately I won't be doing alot of running. My right side had a very large cyst the needed to be fill with cement. Dr. Su felt that constant running 'may' fatigue the cement over time and cause it to fail. At my young age, I agree with him that I need to do everything to keep my new hips as long as possible. So, no marathons for me, but I did get into a very brisk run the other day in the Detroit airport on my way to a plane! Felt great!!!

Thanks again for everything, and all the best to you!

Ben

Update May 18, 2009

I spent yesterday on the water sailing around our little lake with my wife and daughter and this weekend we're headed to Michigan for a week at our family cottage. These hips are treatin' me fantastic! :)

Ben

NOTE:  Ben was told a hip resurfacing was not possible by all of the top hip resurfacing doctors except for Dr. Su.  At his young age, it is great to see him do so well with both hips resurfaced years later, since Ben regularly flies out to attend various hippy gatherings I have put on, I see him and his lovely family on a regular basis and his hips are doing great, he has since had another beautiful baby girl.