Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

[Guest guest]

I would think table tennis and skiing would be fine with a THR job as well as a

resurf. Especially with the new skis that make turning fairly effortless.

To me, the choice is largely between a rigorous physical agenda (racquette ball,

moutain climbing etc.) with unknown longevity of the implant and a moderate

physical agenda (golf, hiking etc.) with a very good chance for 20 plus years on

the implant.

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

A great informative site, I'm glad I read your articles as

I realize it maybe some time before you are back to normal after the

op, Any views on " saving the Hip " before the Op I take voltarol

tablets and then play League Table Tennis, of course my mobility on

the right side is sparse to say the least, but I don't get much pain.

but the NHS had me booked in for January this year after two years on

the waiting list, which was about right as I wasnt in much pain.

However I want to try re-surfacing hoping I can get back to Table

Tennis & ski ing again,l but will have to wait and see on that one!

[Guest guest]

Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

Hi there,

Glad to hear someone from the UK waiting for an op like me. Where in the UK

are you from and where will you be having your surgery. Two years seems an

awful long time to wait. I have been told I should get my resurfacing/THR in

about six months. It sounds as if your symptoms are similar to mine, though I

do get quite a bit of pain when walking.

Take Care

[Guest guest]

Len,

I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.

If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface hippies in

order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I am

equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it into the

sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing (doubts and

all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the THR.

My heart tells me how great it would be to jump back in to my activities of

10 and 15 years ago. My head tells me that for the last four years it's been

an accomplishment to occasionally jog the 50 or so yards necessary not to

miss the train for work, and that " merely " a THR will give me the activity

capacity (golf, hiking, maybe skiing) that I can be content with.

I've made no final decision yet.

Steve

[Guest guest]

Steve...

This sounds serious... don't do it!

A THR leaves you with no safety valve for the future. If you have to have

something done, a Surf Job makes sense. What is the down side? With a

resurfacing, you get a hip with fewer restrictions than a THR, and if a revision

is needed (and the present thinking is it won't be) then the fall back is... a

THR.

So, if you're wrong about the resurfacing, you get to start over, with a THR,

and at lease a couple of intervening years of hip freedom. On the other hand,

if you go for the THR now, you get a sure thing: lots of restrictions, and a

future at age 63 or so of a likely THR revision, with even MORE restrictions.

So, if a resurfacing goes wrong, you face a second operation, and you start out

afterwards right where you'd be if you started first with a THR. But if you get

the THR, even if it goes right, you face... yes, a second operation at a more

advanced age, more restrictions and you will have lost all hope of experiencing

the joy of a successful surf job.

At least that is the way I see it. I've slowed down too much in the last few

years, and even gotten into gaining weight. I want my hips back, and I want to

go by way of the precision engineering of a surf job, versus the rough carpentry

of a THR.

Kit

Re: Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

Len,

I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.

If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface hippies in

order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I am

equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it into the

sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing (doubts and

all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the THR.

My heart tells me how great it would be to jump back in to my activities of

10 and 15 years ago. My head tells me that for the last four years it's been

an accomplishment to occasionally jog the 50 or so yards necessary not to

miss the train for work, and that " merely " a THR will give me the activity

capacity (golf, hiking, maybe skiing) that I can be content with.

I've made no final decision yet.

Steve

[Guest guest]

Hi popcorn930

Thanks for the positive reply, If you have time

could you tell me if you have had it done, what sports you follow or should I

bear in mind your e-mail where you compare pursuits and act accordingly

Len

Re: Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

I would think table tennis and skiing would be fine with a THR job as well as

a resurf. Especially with the new skis that make turning fairly effortless.

To me, the choice is largely between a rigorous physical agenda (racquette

ball, moutain climbing etc.) with unknown longevity of the implant and a

moderate physical agenda (golf, hiking etc.) with a very good chance for 20 plus

years on the implant.

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

I was due to go into NHS for THR on Jan 28th 2001, and I

turned it down having a month previously attended the Horder centre Crowborough,

East Sussex and seen Mr. Forsyth a trained surgeon in Re-surfacing, he will

perform the op on May 7th at Tunbridge Wells BUPA which will cost just over

£8000. He said, I was suitable. I state the obvious when I say I would like to

continue sport, so would everybody who needs a hip replacement, even those who

don't wish to continue sport but would be happy just to get rid of the pain and

be able to walk. I am not in a great deal of pain but I am taking voltarol a

NSAID before I play Table Tennis and this is just masking the pain. The pain is

not at all bad, It is the lack of mobility, which has caused the NHS surgeon to

have me on his waiting list for 2 years, I attended the NHS early with a

misguided view that if I registered my discomfort early I could be " on the

system " , when it got worse, this of course is not the case, you have to wait

your turn and the surgeons will not recommend you for surgery until they deem it

the right time.

I would be interested to know your case details, how old you are

and what type of activities you have followed wish to follow, NHS or private,

etc.

Looking forward to hearing from you

Len

Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

Hi there,

Glad to hear someone from the UK waiting for an op like me. Where in the UK

are you from and where will you be having your surgery. Two years seems an

awful long time to wait. I have been told I should get my resurfacing/THR in

about six months. It sounds as if your symptoms are similar to mine, though I

do get quite a bit of pain when walking.

Take Care

[Guest guest]

Hi

I was 52 when I had mine 17 months ago and at the time it never

entered my head that I was in 'no man's land'.... age is just a

number! I can't imagine why anybody would opt to have healthy bone

removed when there is an alternative. I doubt if anybody on this

board with a resurfaced hip regrets their decision and would opt for

THR if they had to do it again. The only restriction with BHR is

bungee jumping and I can live with that!!!! To be honest my BHR feels

the same as my 'natural' hip 99% of the time.

At the end of the day we each make our own choice but if you have the

option I'd go for BHR.

Arlene

[Guest guest]

Dear Len,

I am from Croydon and also was qualified to have a BHR by Mr. Marsh of the =

Mayday (Croydon) Health care trust in the NHS. However, I would have had to =

wait at least 12 months. He could do it privately within 3 months at a total=

cost od £8000-9000.

Through this surfacehippy group I learnt of Dr Koen de Smet in Gent, Belgiu=

m, who would do it for a total cost of c£5,500 and within two months. Dr de =

Smet is possibly the third most experienced surgeon in the world in this sph=

ere. I would advise you to e-mail or telephone him and see if that might be =

a less expensive and faster alternative to your present arrangements. Refer =

to the Files section of this site for a list of UK-relevant BHR surgeons. Dr=

de Smet is on that list.

Good luck,

Chris.

> Dear ,

> I was due to go into NHS for THR on Jan 28th 2001, an=

d I turned it down having a month previously attended the Horder centre Crow=

borough, East Sussex and seen Mr. Forsyth a trained surgeon in Re-surfacing,=

he will perform the op on May 7th at Tunbridge Wells BUPA which will cost j=

ust over £8000. He said, I was suitable. I state the obvious when I say I wo=

uld like to continue sport, so would everybody who needs a hip replacement, =

even those who

>

[Guest guest]

Re: Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

> Len,

>

> I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.

>

> If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface hippies

in

> order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I am

> equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it into

the

> sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing (doubts

and

> all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the THR.

>

> My heart tells me how great it would be to jump back in to my activities

of

> 10 and 15 years ago. My head tells me that for the last four years it's

been

> an accomplishment to occasionally jog the 50 or so yards necessary not to

> miss the train for work, and that " merely " a THR will give me the activity

> capacity (golf, hiking, maybe skiing) that I can be content with.

>

> I've made no final decision yet.

>

> Steve

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Steve.

Hi to you and other UK hippies. I live at Leeds and am 52 a bit older than

you and I have been following resurfacing for over 4 years now and am

totally convinced that 'resurfacing' should in normal circumstances be the

way forward for anyone say under 65. Have you watched the video that

Mc'minn has produced... i suggest you get it and have a look; on it is a 55

year old badmington player who has had it for 5 yrs and he is still playing

at national level. Me, all I want is to walk without a stick and not have

pain.

I have been trying to get The Leeds health Authority to refer me to a

consultant that does 'resurfacing' for over two years now as its not done

here on the NHS. Their objection has been that it has not been approved by

NICE. But now that NICE [see Grantonuk- yesterdays posts]. has given

provisional approval I'm hoping that the health authority will now refer me.

TonyM from Leeds

Re: Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

> Len,

>

> I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.

>

> If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface hippies

in

> order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I am

> equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it into

the

> sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing (doubts

and

> all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the THR.

>

> My heart tells me how great it would be to jump back in to my activities

of

> 10 and 15 years ago. My head tells me that for the last four years it's

been

> an accomplishment to occasionally jog the 50 or so yards necessary not to

> miss the train for work, and that " merely " a THR will give me the activity

> capacity (golf, hiking, maybe skiing) that I can be content with.

>

> I've made no final decision yet.

>

> Steve

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

If I were 60 or 80 I'd still go for the resurf...post op hip scores are

higher and operative complications like fractured femurs seem to be lower.

In fact, I'll bet most of us on this site feel that resurfs will replace THR

in the next decade!

Re: Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

Len,

I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.

If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface hippies

in

order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I am

equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it into

the

sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing (doubts

and

all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the THR.

My heart tells me how great it would be to jump back in to my activities

of

10 and 15 years ago. My head tells me that for the last four years it's

been

an accomplishment to occasionally jog the 50 or so yards necessary not to

miss the train for work, and that " merely " a THR will give me the activity

capacity (golf, hiking, maybe skiing) that I can be content with.

I've made no final decision yet.

Steve

[Guest guest]

Steve, I'm 59 (an oldie but a goodie) and I am scheduled for the C+

on March 18th. We all have to chose our own path but once I found

out about resurfacing, I never considered a THR. My stepmother, not

a really active woman, had THR in both hips in her late 60s and

suffered numerous dislocations. They were extremely painful . . .

believe me she wasn't riding very happily into the sunset. Even

after I decided to go for the resurfacing I continued my research and

as each day passed I became more convinced that I had made the right

decision.

Good Luck!

Betty

> If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface

hippies in

> order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I

am

> equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it

into the

> sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing

(doubts and

> all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the THR.

>

[Guest guest]

Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

Hi there Len,

I have congenital dysplasia of the left hip which has in turn led to

osteoarthritis. I am now almost 40 years old married with two young children.

My problems started about 10 years ago with some pain in the hip, but the last 3

years have seen a rapid deterioration. I suffer pain when walking and

consequently cant walk very far. Extreme stiffness and a limp after walking to

the shops. I can no longer kick a ball around with my kids, go on family day

trip/holidays that will involve prolonged walking or standing. Some nights I am

unable to sleep for the pain and exercise is a no-no now.

I have tried many NSAIDs but they ALL without exception cause me indigestion

or sickness. I have had suspected stomach ulcers on more than one occasion.

So, there you are the reasons why I am hoping to have a BHR within the next

6-12mths on the NHS. The surgeon cant guarantee that I will be suitable for

that op so I may end up with a THR. Fingers crossed eh.

Keep in touch

[Guest guest]

Steve - You are nowhere near no-man's land. 4 years ago, when I

was nearly 52, my GP first refused point-blank to countenance me

having a THR, just said I was too young. (Neither he nor I knew about

resurf then) He reluctantly changed his mind when he saw the state I

was in.

Thank God, I found out about about BHR just before the extremely

slow NHS got round to be-heading my perfectly healthy Right femur,

save for the loss of 1mm or so of cartilage.

I went to the 60th birthday of a friend the other day. He has 3

year old bilateral THRs, done 6 months apart - and he's already got

problems with one.

Given the choice Steve - don't even think about it!

Terry - Still extatic 1 year+11days after RH BHR.

> Len,

>

> I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.

>

> If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface

hippies in

> order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I

am

> I've made no final decision yet.

>

> Steve

[Guest guest]

Hallo arles_UK

Nice to hear the positive side of resurfacing in the UK.

I assume you had it done privately, where and who did it, interesting to hear

about Dr. Smets in Belgium I fell committed to the arrangement I made but a

couple of months ago I would have made my way to Belgium to save £2,500.

Keep in touch if you have

time

Len

Re: Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

Hi

I was 52 when I had mine 17 months ago and at the time it never

entered my head that I was in 'no man's land'.... age is just a

number! I can't imagine why anybody would opt to have healthy bone

removed when there is an alternative. I doubt if anybody on this

board with a resurfaced hip regrets their decision and would opt for

THR if they had to do it again. The only restriction with BHR is

bungee jumping and I can live with that!!!! To be honest my BHR feels

the same as my 'natural' hip 99% of the time.

At the end of the day we each make our own choice but if you have the

option I'd go for BHR.

Arlene

[Guest guest]

Hi Len

Mr Treacy at the Priory in Birmingham. Thought I'd go to the top...

my thoughts were that if he opened me up and found something odd he'd

probably have seen it at all before !!! Go for experience first. De

Smet in Belgium seems to be very experienced by all acounts.. some

say he's number 3 in the world after McMinn & Treacy

Good luck

Arlene

[Guest guest]

Would anyone have any knowledge about the possibilities of me getting my hips

resurfaced in Europe on the socialized medicine....without being a European

citizen?

I am appealing to my insurance here who is denying the resurfacing of two

hips thus far, and do NOT want to get a THR because i am 52 and very active.

I am also looking for ideas on where to research for " another "

alternative....there must be something. Any ideas? peg

[Guest guest]

If you don't hold citizenship in the country (and have been paying your

taxes there) you can forget using their social services. Of course, you

could always try and apply for asylum.... I do know of some people with

limited means who have managed to get medicare/medicaid in the US to pay at

least part of it, but I lack specific knowledge about how to do this.

Failing that, you might contact a local hospital for charitable societies.

-- J

>Would anyone have any knowledge about the possibilities of me getting my

hips

>resurfaced in Europe on the socialized medicine....without being a

European

>citizen?

>I am appealing to my insurance here who is denying the resurfacing of two

>hips thus far, and do NOT want to get a THR because i am 52 and very

active.

>I am also looking for ideas on where to research for " another "

>alternative....there must be something. Any ideas? peg

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> Len,

>

> I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.

>

> If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface

hippies in

> order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I

am

> equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it

into the

> sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing

(doubts and

> all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the THR.

>

> My heart tells me how great it would be to jump back in to my

activities of

> 10 and 15 years ago. My head tells me that for the last four years

it's been

> an accomplishment to occasionally jog the 50 or so yards necessary

not to

> miss the train for work, and that " merely " a THR will give me the

activity

> capacity (golf, hiking, maybe skiing) that I can be content with.

>

> I've made no final decision yet.

>

> Steve

Hi Steve,

I'm 56, had my C+ by Dr A a little over a year ago. By any measure,

I've done very well, I do all of the things I did when my hip was

fully functional except play basketball, I've elected not to test it

by that kind of running and jumping. But I do ski, and I do plan to

play raquet ball.

I had the C+ primarily because of a very low risk of dislocation, and

because there are so many people who've had it who maintain very

active life styles. Plus the tribology (bearing friction studies) of

the metal/metal prosthesis suggested that the device would most

likely outlast me.

If you read over in the totally hip group, you'll find many people

complaining of signficant pain and restrictions after THR. While

there have been a few signficant complications reported in

surfacehippy, they seem to be few and far between. Most of us have

been able to go back to work in 4-6 weeks. The recovery seems to be

much longer for the THR.

I think that almost everyone who's had the resurfacing procedure done

and has reported on it here is very pleased with it, and are getting

back to a " normal " life. If you can make the connections to have a

resurfacing done, I would strongly urge you to consider it most

seriously.

Best wishes,

Jack son

[Guest guest]

Who decided that the present thinking is resurfs won't need revision? They

will...the question is when!

Quoting Kit Leary :

> <html><body>

>

>

> <tt>

> Steve...<BR>

> This sounds serious... don't do it! & nbsp; <BR>

> <BR>

> A THR leaves you with no safety valve for the future. & nbsp; If you have to

> have something done, a Surf Job & nbsp; makes sense. & nbsp; What is the down

> side? & nbsp; With a resurfacing, you get a hip with fewer restrictions than a

> THR, and if a revision is needed (and the present thinking is it won't be)

> then the fall back is... a THR. & nbsp; <BR>

> <BR>

> So, if you're wrong about the resurfacing, you get to start over, with a THR,

> and at lease a couple of intervening years of hip freedom. & nbsp; On the other

> hand, if you go for the THR now, you get a sure thing: lots of restrictions,

> and a future at age 63 or so of a likely THR revision, with even MORE

> restrictions. & nbsp; So, if a resurfacing goes wrong, you face a second

> operation, and you start out afterwards right where you'd be if you started

> first with a THR. & nbsp; But if you get the THR, even if it goes right, you

> face... yes, a second operation at a more advanced age, more restrictions and

> you will have lost all hope of experiencing the joy of a successful surf

> job.<BR>

> <BR>

> At least that is the way I see it. & nbsp; I've slowed down too much in the

> last few years, and even gotten into gaining weight. & nbsp; I want my hips

> back, and I want to go by way of the precision engineering of a surf job,

> versus the rough carpentry of a THR.<BR>

> <BR>

> Kit<BR>

> & nbsp; Re: Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK<BR>

> <BR>

> <BR>

> & nbsp; Len,<BR>

> <BR>

> & nbsp; I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.<BR>

> <BR>

> & nbsp; If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface

> hippies in <BR>

> & nbsp; order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I am

> <BR>

> & nbsp; equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it

> into the <BR>

> & nbsp; sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing

> (doubts and <BR>

> & nbsp; all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the

> THR.<BR>

> <BR>

> & nbsp; My heart tells me how great it would be to jump back in to my

> activities of <BR>

> & nbsp; 10 and 15 years ago. My head tells me that for the last four years

> it's been <BR>

> & nbsp; an accomplishment to occasionally jog the 50 or so yards necessary not

> to <BR>

> & nbsp; miss the train for work, and that & quot;merely & quot; a THR will give

> me the activity <BR>

> & nbsp; capacity (golf, hiking, maybe skiing) that I can be content with.

> <BR>

> <BR>

> & nbsp; I've made no final decision yet.<BR>

> <BR>

> & nbsp; Steve<BR>

> <BR>

> & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; <BR>

> <BR>

> <BR>

> <BR>

> <BR>

> <BR>

> & nbsp;

[Guest guest]

Steve:

I've got news for you. At 60, if you're in good heatlh, you'll still

be thinking like a 25 year old. Go for the resurface. I did at 63 and a

year later, I'm here to tell you...it's the only way. No metal shaft down

your fumur and no ortho telling you, " don't do this and don't do that " .

Resurfacing is freedom revisited.

[Guest guest]

Re: Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

Len,

I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.

If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface hippies

in

order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I am

equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it into the

sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing (doubts and

all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the THR.

My heart tells me how great it would be to jump back in to my activities of

10 and 15 years ago. My head tells me that for the last four years it's been

an accomplishment to occasionally jog the 50 or so yards necessary not to

miss the train for work, and that " merely " a THR will give me the activity

capacity (golf, hiking, maybe skiing) that I can be content with.

I've made no final decision yet.

Steve

[Guest guest]

Other people have gone in hoping to end up with a resurface, but

prepared to have a THR if essential.

The first thing they tell you when you wake up is 'it's a Resurface'

(hopefully).

[Guest guest]

This is exactly the question that I have struggled with for several years... and

I have avoided any operation. I have managed OK, but the worse of my two bad

hips has started to get a lot worse. So what do I do? Does it matter a lot if

one is 40 or 55 years old? Maybe.

At 40, going straight for a THR just about guarantees two future revisions, if

you plan to be at all active (within the constraints of the THR). And of

course, unless that technology gets a lot better, you would probably be under

greater restrictions with each revision. If you go for the surf job first, and

it does last 20 years (or more?!), then you probably only face one revision...

and by then there may be a way to revise back to another (new generation) surf

job, wouldn't that be great! Fewer restrictions all along the route.

But the tough question, and I guess the question you started out with is the one

that haunts us all, the one that drove Richie crazy before and just after his

operation: even though a surf job is your goal, you don't really know for sure

whether you will wake up with a surf job, or a THR, once you have decided to go

for the operation. Why is this? It is a matter of bone quality, and there's

the rub, so to speak.

This is one of the best examples of a medical -Catch 22- that you can find. All

the THR docs say to wait as long as you possibly can before going for a hip

replacement, in the hopes that once you get your THR, you'll be old enough that

the THR will out live you. This is the advice I was given when I first was

diagnosed. So what happens while you wait? The discomfort grows, your ability

to do the things that make you you, decreases. Your level of physical activity

slowly diminishes as your life slows down.

And all the while, you are grinding down the bone at the head of your femur.

This has the potential to cause cysts, which reduce the quality of the bone, and

thereby reduce the likelihood of you getting a resurf job. So if you wait TOO

long, you get the worst of both worlds! You make yourself a THR candidate. But

maybe it's OK, because you will, by then, have slowed down enough (because you

will have been living with pain enforced physical restrictions) that a THR will

seem miraculous.

The question is... will you be 60 by then, or will you be 45 by then? One can

wait, but how long is too long? The way I look at it, IF you are going to need

an operation for sure at some point, and if the sooner you do it, the greater

the chance of coming away a surfer, then it makes sense to go for it... but it

is a nagging fear that you might wake up with a THR. This is where competent

diagnosis is very important. And you have to know your body. I managed quite

will on anti-inflammatory drugs, no stomach problems, and discomfort was kept

well in check. But their effectiveness has started to decline, more and more.

So for me it's time... I just hope it isn't past time.

Re: Newbie for Hip resurfacing in the UK

Len,

I've got the scales out and am weighing THR vs resurfacing.

If I were 35, I have no doubt I would cast my lot with the surface hippies

in

order to maintain my daily racquette ball schedule, and the like. I am

equally sure that if I were 60, I would go for the THR and ride it into

the

sunset. At 48, I'm in a hippy no-mans-land and seem to be easing (doubts

and

all) along the avenue of least resistance, which is toward the THR.

My heart tells me how great it would be to jump back in to my activities

of

10 and 15 years ago. My head tells me that for the last four years it's

been

an accomplishment to occasionally jog the 50 or so yards necessary not to

miss the train for work, and that " merely " a THR will give me the activity

capacity (golf, hiking, maybe skiing) that I can be content with.

I've made no final decision yet.

Steve