Re: replacement selection

[Guest guest]

My first reaction to your post is to wonder if this is the doctor you

want to do your surgery! Did you ask him what kind of prosthesis he

would install? Did he answer you? I am 60 and have both hips

replaced in two surgeries in 2002, so I am close to your age. Since

tennis is not necessarily a recommended activity after THR, (maybe

doubles is ok) you need to go over the kinds of activities you would

like to do vs. the kinds the surgeon would recommend so you are on

the same page in this dept.

As to the kind of joint, I rec'd metal/poly and this was before FDA

approved ceramic. I'm not exactly young but were I doing it today I

would certainly inquire about ceramic bearings. The advantage with

ceramic over metal/poly bearings is that ceramic wear generates fewer

tiny particles that could cause osteolysis and thus loosening of the

joint down the road. The more active you are, the greater the wear.

The burden on you shouldn't be to select the prosthesis you will

receive. This is your surgeon's job after he learns about the kind

of lifestyle you desire.

Bottom line: if you run jog, play singles tennis, basketball, any

other high-impact activities, you will shorten the life of your

prosthesis.

[Guest guest]

We've been having a lot of discussion about type of prothesis. Most

of us say leave it to the doctor ... he is the best one to make a

choice. In my case, he was going to do ceramic/ceramic but when he

got in there the smallest ceramic/ceramic didn't fit so he went to

plastic. (I am 5' tall.) I know he made the best choice for me.

Your doc should answer all your questions though. Before you talk to

him again, write down all your questions so you don't leave anything

out.

> I am new to this list. My rt hip is to be replaced in the next few

> months. My Dr. spent little time with me on selection of the type

of

> joint to use to replace. Is there a handy site that explores this

> topic? I am near 60 and would like to play tennis with my wife and

> kids again. Thanks

[Guest guest]

My doc is using a metal on metal. He does research and publishes so

he has been using the metal/metal for three years on selected

patients. He LOVES them because there is little or no shearing off

of the metal in the joint which is one of the main reasons for a

prosthesis problem resulting in repeat surgery. Also the Head of

the prosthesis is much larger resulting in more stability. He has

not had a dislocation on patients he has put them in the three years he

has been using them. That makes the rehabilitation phase less

dangerous. He does 100's of these each year (Harvard trained) and

so I trust his judgement.

Everyone needs to be fully informed by their doc. If he doesn't

like to share information with patients, I would consider getting

another doc. the more you know the less apprehensive you will be

and the better your rehab and recovery. Just my opinion as an RN

and surgery recipient next Thursday. Barbara

At 03:01 PM 2/11/2004, you wrote:

We've been having a lot of

discussion about type of prothesis. Most

of us say leave it to the doctor ... he is the best one to make a

choice. In my case, he was going to do ceramic/ceramic but when he

got in there the smallest ceramic/ceramic didn't fit so he went to

plastic. (I am 5' tall.) I know he made the best choice for

me.

Your doc should answer all your questions though. Before you talk

to

him again, write down all your questions so you don't leave anything

out.

> I am new to this list. My rt hip is to be replaced in the next

few

> months. My Dr. spent little time with me on selection of the

type

of

> joint to use to replace. Is there a handy site that explores

this

> topic? I am near 60 and would like to play tennis with my wife

and

> kids again. Thanks

[Guest guest]

You may want to look into the devices with hard bearing surfaces - the

so called " Metal-on-Metal " (Cobalt-Chrome-Steel) or

Ceramic-on-Ceramic. Medical Technologies makes both and they

have a pretty good web site describing them at http://www.wmt.com.

You really need to have an in-depth discussion about the pros and cons

of the different devices before you proceed.

(I have no interest or relationship to Medical Technology)

> I am new to this list. My rt hip is to be replaced in the next few

> months. My Dr. spent little time with me on selection of the type of

> joint to use to replace. Is there a handy site that explores this

> topic? I am near 60 and would like to play tennis with my wife and

> kids again. Thanks