Guest guest Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 Regina, I am a candidate for resurfacing. I am 55 years old, very athletic, with advanced osteoarthritis in my right hip. I was headed for a conventional total hip replacement until I heard about resurfacing. I saw Dr. Harlan Amstutz of the Joint Replacement Institute in L.A. a few weeks ago. He deemed me a good candidate for resurfacing since my bone qualtiy is good despite the OA. I am tentatively scheduled for early August for the surgery, pending outcome of my insurance co. review. If I am denied insurance coverage I plan on immediately beginning the appeal process. In the interest of not losing time I have contacted Dr. McMinn in Birmingham, England and plan to have the surgery done there while I continue the appeal. The cost at JRI, all inclusive, runs between $37,000 to $45,000 Whereas in Birmingham the cost is approximately $15,000. Even though this is alot of money I will pay " out of pocket " as I am convinced that resurfacing is the way to go for the younger, active patient. I will take my insurance co. to the mat over this as I believe all of us should. FYI Amstutz uses the Conserve + device whereas MCMinn uses the device (Birmingham) he supposedly developed and is manufactured by Midland Medical Technologies. There are differences, but overall I consider them to be minor. Best Wishes, Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 Hi Regina, Alot of us have been through similiar if not exactly the same situations. there are a number of Orthopedic surgions located somewhat near you who can give you a comprehensive evaluation on wheather or not metal on metal resurfacing is a viable option for you. The Orthopedic Surgeon I chose was Dr. s in Baltimore land. He is head of Sports/Orthopedic Medicine for Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore land. He and his staff did an outstanding job of motivating the insurance co to cover the procedure and gave me a hip implant which has vastly improved my life. He works with the Cormac 2000, which is one of the premier metal on metal devices (although not the only one) which are being utilized now. There is no delay on availability on the device and Dr s is more than willing to receive X-rays via mail for the initial evauation, is great to work with, and will return your query call in person, answering all your questions up front and honestly. This is not an endorsement. It is intended as reference point you may wish to persue, you will get honest info, no BS, and a sincere desire to help resolve your problem. If i may be of further informational help please feel free--Shefster@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 I had a bhr done by Dr. De Smet on 12 June 2002. Hospital costs were Eur 7,000 and Dr. De Smet's costs of Eur 2,500. I stayed at the Holiday Inn at Gent before and after surgery at Eur 129 including breakfast. This added about Eur 1,000 to the costs. I used frequent flyer miles for airfare. I figure I will have about US$11,000 invested in my hip, not including airfare. Dr. De Smet has assembled a great team (Jan and Mark). My experience with him, the hospital and the Holiday Inn (Sabine in the restaurant) were all positive. I would not hesitate to have him operate on my other hip if it becomes necessary. Dr. De Smet is a skillful surgeon and a great individual. He visited me all but one day (Sunday) when I was in the hospital and the hotel. Mark (Physical Therapist) and Jan (Physician Assistant) visited me every day. I fly home one week after surgery. (If I had it to do over, I would stay about 10 days before flying home.) I drove at one week after surgery. Went back to work part time 12 days after surgery, full time after 14 days. Went to one crutch at 2 weeks after surgery. I cannot tell you how impressed I have been with Dr. De Smet. His email address is: koen.desmet@... He normally responds to his email on the same day that you send them to him. Good Luck, Doug >>> regina_chris@... 07/01/02 10:09PM >>> <html><body> <tt> I am 44 years old and interested in hip resurfacing. My leg is <BR> approx. 2 inches shorter and I am walking with a cane. Does anyone <BR> know what the requirements are to qualify for such an operation? I <BR> searched the web and found three devices (Cormet 2000, Birmingham Hip <BR> and Censerve Plus) that could be possibilites. <BR> The waiting time in Vancouver could be two years and this procedure <BR> is new in Canada. I am looking at Belgium or Birmingham, England. It <BR> might be very expensive, since I have to pay for it myself. But it <BR> would be worth for sure. Did anyone go through this already? I would <BR> love to hear from you. & nbsp; & nbsp; <BR> <BR> </tt> <br> <!-- |**|begin egp html banner|**| --> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2> <tr bgcolor=#FFFFCC> <td align=center><font size= " -1 " color=#003399><b>Yahoo! Groups Sponsor</b></font></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor=#FFFFFF> <td align=center width=470><table border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td align=center><font face=arial size=-2>ADVERTISEMENT</font><br><a href= " http://rd.yahoo.com/M=213858.2174088.3620944.1829184/D=egroupweb/S=1705094\ 725:HM/A=763352/R=0/*http://www.classmates.com/index.tf?s=5085 " target=_top><img src= " http://us.a1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a/cl/classmates_com2/bll_lrec1.gif " alt= " " width= " 300 " height= " 250 " border= " 0 " ></a></td></tr></table></td> </tr> </table> <!-- |**|end egp html banner|**| --> <br> <tt> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 Hi, You did not appear to say who you were, however if you go to the Home page then files you will see Lens trip to Belgium which is my experiences in May, I can thoroughly recommend it, I am now 6 weeks post op and feeling great Len Spendiff hip resurfacing I am 44 years old and interested in hip resurfacing. My leg is approx. 2 inches shorter and I am walking with a cane. Does anyone know what the requirements are to qualify for such an operation? I searched the web and found three devices (Cormet 2000, Birmingham Hip and Censerve Plus) that could be possibilites. The waiting time in Vancouver could be two years and this procedure is new in Canada. I am looking at Belgium or Birmingham, England. It might be very expensive, since I have to pay for it myself. But it would be worth for sure. Did anyone go through this already? I would love to hear from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 Hi You didn't leave your name but I wish to note the following: You are not restricted to the UK or Belgium to get Resurfacing. Some of the other western European Countries do have it available as does South Africa, Australia and India - no doubt I've left lots out. As you mention Birmingham I trust you mean Mr Treacy or Mr McMinn who are the originators of BHR (Mr McMinn also being involved with Cormet previously). These guys are the teachers of the Resurfacing World and therefore command a premium. The pupils (i.e. Trained surgeons) of which there are over 70 in the UK alone charge less. That is not to say that the pupil is inferior to the teacher as is true in any 'walk of life'. Best Wishes and may you get the treatment you seek. hip resurfacing I am 44 years old and interested in hip resurfacing. My leg is approx. 2 inches shorter and I am walking with a cane. Does anyone know what the requirements are to qualify for such an operation? I searched the web and found three devices (Cormet 2000, Birmingham Hip and Censerve Plus) that could be possibilites. The waiting time in Vancouver could be two years and this procedure is new in Canada. I am looking at Belgium or Birmingham, England. It might be very expensive, since I have to pay for it myself. But it would be worth for sure. Did anyone go through this already? I would love to hear from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2002 Report Share Posted July 10, 2002 You cannot go wrong with Birmingham (where it was invented) or Belgium. I just had both hips resurfaced with Dr. DeSmet 8 days ago and I am feeling great already. Being from the US, I saved 40000 US dollars out of pocket and I got maybe the best surgeon in the world. I am still here in Gent, Belgium for another 5 days of rehab. best of luck in your decision, there is plenty of great info on this email board or Dr. DeSmets website, www.hip-clinic.com. Saeed Madison, WI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2002 Report Share Posted August 8, 2002 Hi, Brad: What a small world! I am also in Carlisle and will be sending my x-rays to Dr. Mont tomorrow. When was your friend's surgery and how is he/she faring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2002 Report Share Posted August 8, 2002 Nearest to you are Drs. Mont & s in Baltimore. Acquaintance of mine from Carlisle, PA was one of Mont's earliest patients like myself. Mail me direct for details. Regards, Brad B hip resurfacing hello everybody, I could use a little help. I am from Pittsburgh, PA, and please don't hold that againt me, and I am looking for information on hip resurfacing, any doctors who perform it, and any other information, but I seem to be hitting brick walls each time I try. Also, since I am exploring options at this point, any relavant information would be greatly appreciated. sincerly, resurferwannabee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 2002 Report Share Posted August 8, 2002 I met Joe Etter, from Carlisle, during the exercise sessions on the floor right after surgery. I had surgery on 12/20/00 and he was a day after me. Have spoken to him on the phone a time or two and ran into him at a Sinai reunion on one occassion. He was doing well. Regards, Brad B Re: hip resurfacing Hi, Brad: What a small world! I am also in Carlisle and will be sending my x-rays to Dr. Mont tomorrow. When was your friend's surgery and how is he/she faring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.