Birmingham Hip Resurfacing

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:35:05 PM Pacific Standard Time,

david.vale@... writes:

These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe) both have

done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

cannot make a bad decision.

I agree with this sentiment, and I had both of mine done by Treacy.

Des Tuck

10/01 and 5/03

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:35:05 PM Pacific Standard Time,

david.vale@... writes:

These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe) both have

done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

cannot make a bad decision.

I agree with this sentiment, and I had both of mine done by Treacy.

Des Tuck

10/01 and 5/03

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:35:05 PM Pacific Standard Time,

david.vale@... writes:

These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe) both have

done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

cannot make a bad decision.

I agree with this sentiment, and I had both of mine done by Treacy.

Des Tuck

10/01 and 5/03

[Guest guest]

These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe) both have

done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

cannot make a bad decision.

Vale

(Mr McMinn, Rt BHR 11/11/1999 - over four years old)

> Dear All,

> I am going to have the above op. shotly. Has anyone got any views

on

> the respective merits of having it done by McMinn or Ronan

> treacy? Am sure they are both excellent but any views would be

> gratefully appreciated.

> Alistair Denham.

[Guest guest]

I agree with Vale. No other surgeon has the experience of these 2 -

around 3000 hip resurfacings each (conservative estimate). This experience goes

with word of mouth results. I was a patient of Ronan Treacy and I know several

other people who were patients of these two. I have yet to hear a bad word said

against them. There are other OS's who are good/excellent but non approaching

their experience. Nothing to choose between them - see Vales comments.

Incidentally the teams Treacy & McMinn have around them is awesome. They do

their own operations but have other OS's who are very experienced in other

fields observing and learning from them When you are overlooked all the while

you have to be good.

Rog ( March & May 2001 - Ronan Treacy)

Re: Birmingham Hip resurfacing

These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe) both have

done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

cannot make a bad decision.

Vale

(Mr McMinn, Rt BHR 11/11/1999 - over four years old)

> Dear All,

> I am going to have the above op. shotly. Has anyone got any views

on

> the respective merits of having it done by McMinn or Ronan

> treacy? Am sure they are both excellent but any views would be

> gratefully appreciated.

> Alistair Denham.

[Guest guest]

I agree with Vale. No other surgeon has the experience of these 2 -

around 3000 hip resurfacings each (conservative estimate). This experience goes

with word of mouth results. I was a patient of Ronan Treacy and I know several

other people who were patients of these two. I have yet to hear a bad word said

against them. There are other OS's who are good/excellent but non approaching

their experience. Nothing to choose between them - see Vales comments.

Incidentally the teams Treacy & McMinn have around them is awesome. They do

their own operations but have other OS's who are very experienced in other

fields observing and learning from them When you are overlooked all the while

you have to be good.

Rog ( March & May 2001 - Ronan Treacy)

Re: Birmingham Hip resurfacing

These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe) both have

done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

cannot make a bad decision.

Vale

(Mr McMinn, Rt BHR 11/11/1999 - over four years old)

> Dear All,

> I am going to have the above op. shotly. Has anyone got any views

on

> the respective merits of having it done by McMinn or Ronan

> treacy? Am sure they are both excellent but any views would be

> gratefully appreciated.

> Alistair Denham.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/21/2003 3:03:54 PM Pacific Standard Time,

alistairdenham@... writes:

Would you recommend Treacy. Whats it like pre and post op.

Thanks.

Alistair.

After having had my first resurf with Treacy, I went back for the other one.

I've referred four patients to him, all of whom have been very happy. I was

referred to him by a prior patient of his who is still delighted after three and

a half years. Three of us are high ranking martial artists - 5th degree black

belts and above. I'm sure that communicates my confidence in him.

From what I've been reading, my experience was a little better than the norm.

But let it be understood, this is no cakewalk. I have two 12 inch scars on

my backside and there was pain associated with getting them. However what I

experienced was much better than I expected.

I was able to walk about three miles by the fourth day post-op, and was up to

five by about ten days post-op. However I also attended a three day karate

seminar which ended two days before my most recent surgery, so I kept in

reasonably good shape right until the moment I went under the knife. I believe

this

helped a lot.

Treacy operates with blistering speed. My first one took 35 minutes, the

second took 45 because he was teaching other surgeons. The fact that I was able

to

make overseas calls to my family about 90 minutes after I went under, to tell

them I was alright, speaks volumes.

I experienced no ill-effects from the anesthetic, no unusual pain and no

nausea. I stopped the morphine about 24 hours after surgery. I took Paracetamol

for about 10 days, and that was it.

The nurses who watched me in the corridors of the hospital said it looked

like I wanted to throw the walker away, rather than balance on it. I switched to

two sticks after two days. During my recovery immediately after discharge

(speaking about both times and during the first week after discharge), I went to

the Cadbury's chocolate factory, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the

Millenium Point Museum, saw Miss Saigon, and traipsed around downtown Birmingham

and

London. I took buses, trains, taxi's and cars. No problem.

After my first one, I left Birmingham to fly home three weeks post op. I

travelled by myself, taking a taxi to the bus station, a bus to Heathrow and

flew

London to New York and New York to San Francisco.

I am now six months post op for the second one. Last weekend, I went to Los

Angeles where I participated in 11 hours of rigorous karate training over a

weekend. While I am still experiencing some muscle pain from the side where I

had

the " new " one done, I expect that by the end of a year, I will feel nothing.

I have residual pain from all the years of compensating, and it is

disappearing week by week. My flexibility is back to the level where it was at

about age

21. I am now 49.

I find Treacy to be a thorough gentleman, as caring a doctor as one could

hope to find. He is extremely busy, and doesn't have the time to hang around and

socialize. He has a surgical assistant who visits the patients and interfaces

for him when he can't be around personally. He does a lot of globe-trotting to

operate on the difficult cases in other countries, and to teach.

I found his staff to be supportive and helpful, and considering the charges I

would have incurred in the USA if I had been resurfed here, I don't think

there's any question about whether the decision to use Treacy was correct for

me.

He enjoys an impeccable reputation worldwide, and I believe it is

well-deserved.

My own orthopod who is doing follow-up asked me to come in so he could

photograph me for a presentation he was making in Hong Kong this week about new

surgical techniques. He had seen me pre-op both times and said he could hardly

believe what he saw in terms of my post-op flexibility. I'm not doing the splits

by any means, but compared to what I could do before, it's night and day.

Convinced yet?

Des Tuck

[Guest guest]

Thanks for that. Any idea bout Mr. G . Kavanagh at St. s Cheam. By the

way who did yours?

Vale david.vale@...> wrote:These are the two who jointly

developed BHR and (I believe) both have

done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

cannot make a bad decision.

Vale

(Mr McMinn, Rt BHR 11/11/1999 - over four years old)

> Dear All,

> I am going to have the above op. shotly. Has anyone got any views

on

> the respective merits of having it done by McMinn or Ronan

> treacy? Am sure they are both excellent but any views would be

> gratefully appreciated.

> Alistair Denham.

[Guest guest]

Would you recommend Treacy. Whats it like pre and post op.

Thanks.

Alistair.

destuck@... wrote:

In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:35:05 PM Pacific Standard Time,

david.vale@... writes:

These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe) both have

done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

cannot make a bad decision.

I agree with this sentiment, and I had both of mine done by Treacy.

Des Tuck

10/01 and 5/03

[Guest guest]

Would you recommend Treacy. Whats it like pre and post op.

Thanks.

Alistair.

destuck@... wrote:

In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:35:05 PM Pacific Standard Time,

david.vale@... writes:

These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe) both have

done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

cannot make a bad decision.

I agree with this sentiment, and I had both of mine done by Treacy.

Des Tuck

10/01 and 5/03

[Guest guest]

your experience with Mcminn seems something of an unpleasant experience. Was it

as I may have to decide between him and Ronan Treacy.

Thanks.

Alistair.

mledirect mledirect@...> wrote:

I recently (4.5 weeks ago) had a BHR from McMinn. To tell

you the truth, I barely saw him. Just 10 minutes in his office (most

of the consultation was carried out by one of his staff surgeons,

ph ), and about 2 minutes before I went under the

anaesthetic in the operating room. McMinn is overweight and I'm pretty

sure he smokes, which I didn't think was a very healthy condition for

a doctor, and his manner is rather abrupt. He also doesn't really look

at you when he's talking to you.

Both of his staff surgeons, ph and Chandra, were assisting at

my surgery (I think; there were about 6 guys in blue scrubs, shower

caps, and masks, and I didn't have much time to look at them!), and

one or both of them visited me everyday in the hospital. They are both

from India, as are many people in Birmingham. ph is very sociable,

while Chandra is more terse. ph was very obliging about allowing

me to have oxygen whenever I felt lightheaded (which the nurses

demanded I get a " prescription " for), and authorizing pills for any

problems I had.

I think McMinn only works in Birmingham Nuffield Hospital, which

is a private institution. The food is very good there, on the whole.

All the rooms are private, with ensuite bathroom. The total cost for

me (as a patient from Canada whose insurance wouldn't cover surgery

abroad, since it wasn't a life-or-death situation) was almost £11,000.00.

McMinn doesn't give you a choice of anaesthetic. You must have

a general, and also a ventilator with a tube down your windpipe. He

keeps the incision very small (mine is under 5 inches, horizontally on

my lower buttock), which means your leg gets twisted around a lot

during surgery. After surgery I had some lung problems for a few days,

and muscle spasms for several weeks, as a result. My knee is still not

quite back in the right place, but it's much improved. I had almost no

swelling at any time after the operation, and didn't need much

morphine the first night. The nurses and the physios at the Nuffield

were all very familiar with the operation, and very helpful. They have

a high regard for McMinn's expertise.

I can't say that I have had no pain; in fact, I take a muscle

relaxant every night, and codeine pills (Cocodamol or Tylenol 3) a few

times a week. But usually in the daytime I don't need any pills. I

could walk with one crutch after 5 days, and with a cane at 3.5 weeks.

I can also walk properly with no cane if I'm limbered up, or limp

around without it if I'm stiff from sitting too long (but I try not to

practise limping!) I've had a couple of " accidents " involving moving

my leg at forbidden angles, and one fall on the stairs from going too

fast, so some of my aches and pains may be attributable to those

incidents. I also had my hip " locked up " for four years before the

surgery, and some ligament damage from a previous accident, so I'm not

surprised that my muscles are still complaining.

However, I get more flexible every day, and I really notice

improvements from doing my exercises regularly. It takes about an hour

a day to do them all once and then rest lying flat for 20 minutes

afterwards as they prescribe. They recommend doing them all twice a

day, but I don't have time now that I'm back at work. I also don't

have time (or the weather is too awful) to do as much walking everyday

as they recommend, but I do have stairs in my home that I go up and

down quite often. So far, I'm happy with my progress, although I did

go back onto a crutch for a few days, to give my hip a rest after I

fell, as the crutch seemed more supportive than the cane.

If you have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

n

rBHR Oct.17/03 McMinn

[Guest guest]

Dear Alistair,

Whoever you choose, just make sure they measure your legs

pre-op and address leg length issues with you beforehand. I

was done by Treacy and my right leg was left between 1/2 and 1

inch longer than the other. While a BHR may reduce the risk of

leg lengthening, I am living proof that it is no guarantee that you

will be spared it. This result really compromised my ability to

enjoy my restoration of function and ROM. It has really impaired

my salsa dancing & balance and is a huge hassle re shoes and

pant hems.

I'm feeling especially mean around this topic at present because

I need my other hip done and after months of e-mails to him,

have yet to be obliged with an explanation as to how he will

make this one longer to match without over or under correcting it.

He scoffed at my leg lengthening concerns the first time, so I am

doubly chary this time. The responses I receive back from his

secretary ignore my questions and instead suggest that I book a

date. Why would I want go back over without some guarantee

that I will be left better off than I am and a thorough

understanding as to how the improvement will be achieved?

From some of the reports I've heard, I am starting to wonder if

their success hasn't reduced their service to patients. If you are

a simple, straightforward case, I'm sure you'll be fine with either.

Just know that while choosing a doc with a great rep may reduce

the variables associated with a less than optimum outcome, it

doesn't eliminate them.

If you're in England, you can meet these guys. I'd interview them

and see who you like best.

Good luck.

Sheila

> In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:35:05 PM Pacific Standard

Time,

> david.vale@b... writes:

> These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe)

both have

> done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

>

> Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your

hospital

> dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le

Blanc. You

> cannot make a bad decision.

> I agree with this sentiment, and I had both of mine done by

Treacy.

>

> Des Tuck

> 10/01 and 5/03

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Sheila

I regards to the leg length . . .it could be from compensations made in your

pelvis and lumbar spine that progressively happened before your surgery. We

do what ned need to do to keep moving and to try to stay out of pain. The body

is amazing. But these patterns just don't Go away " The brain remembers, the

body remember and we stay crooked. I have been dealing with thiis in my body

as my left leg seemed shorter to me at first too.

Find a good Pilates teacher :-). . .. or phisical therapist. Get an

evaluation on your alignment and patterning. Maybe this will reveal your

problem.

And the best thing would be for the legs to find their equal length:-)

Best

alyce

LC2K 5/23/03 W.Kennedy

[Guest guest]

Sheila

I regards to the leg length . . .it could be from compensations made in your

pelvis and lumbar spine that progressively happened before your surgery. We

do what ned need to do to keep moving and to try to stay out of pain. The body

is amazing. But these patterns just don't Go away " The brain remembers, the

body remember and we stay crooked. I have been dealing with thiis in my body

as my left leg seemed shorter to me at first too.

Find a good Pilates teacher :-). . .. or phisical therapist. Get an

evaluation on your alignment and patterning. Maybe this will reveal your

problem.

And the best thing would be for the legs to find their equal length:-)

Best

alyce

LC2K 5/23/03 W.Kennedy

[Guest guest]

Mr McMinn did my surgery. I really liked him - not the smoothest

bedside manner maybe, but he is very straightforward and plain-

speaking and, though he is the main developer of the procedure he was

very careful not to " sell " it to me.

I thought the derogatory comments I saw elsewhere about his being

overweight and (pure speculation apparently) about whether or not he

smokes were uncalled for. I believe he has done more than anybody

else to develop this procedure for which many of us are so grateful.

My general anaesthetic was fine - and I felt that having chosen the

surgeon for his skill and experience, I would let him choose how he

works.

Four years on everything is still great.

Regards,

Vale

> > Dear All,

> > I am going to have the above op. shotly. Has anyone got any views

> on

> > the respective merits of having it done by McMinn or Ronan

> > treacy? Am sure they are both excellent but any views would be

> > gratefully appreciated.

> > Alistair Denham.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Sheila

If you are so dissatisfied with Treacy I wonder if you have considered going

to De Smet? He always answers emails himself, usually within 2-3 hours, and he

uses the BHR. I am sure he would address your concern about leg length.

Success does not seem to have made him any less caring or careful.

Sharry RBHR De Smet 27/08/2003

Re: Birmingham Hip resurfacing

Dear Alistair,

Whoever you choose, just make sure they measure your legs

pre-op and address leg length issues with you beforehand. I

was done by Treacy and my right leg was left between 1/2 and 1

inch longer than the other. While a BHR may reduce the risk of

leg lengthening, I am living proof that it is no guarantee that you

will be spared it. This result really compromised my ability to

enjoy my restoration of function and ROM. It has really impaired

my salsa dancing & balance and is a huge hassle re shoes and

pant hems.

I'm feeling especially mean around this topic at present because

I need my other hip done and after months of e-mails to him,

have yet to be obliged with an explanation as to how he will

make this one longer to match without over or under correcting it.

He scoffed at my leg lengthening concerns the first time, so I am

doubly chary this time. The responses I receive back from his

secretary ignore my questions and instead suggest that I book a

date. Why would I want go back over without some guarantee

that I will be left better off than I am and a thorough

understanding as to how the improvement will be achieved?

From some of the reports I've heard, I am starting to wonder if

their success hasn't reduced their service to patients. If you are

a simple, straightforward case, I'm sure you'll be fine with either.

Just know that while choosing a doc with a great rep may reduce

the variables associated with a less than optimum outcome, it

doesn't eliminate them.

If you're in England, you can meet these guys. I'd interview them

and see who you like best.

Good luck.

Sheila

> In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:35:05 PM Pacific Standard

Time,

> david.vale@b... writes:

> These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe)

both have

> done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

>

> Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your

hospital

> dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le

Blanc. You

> cannot make a bad decision.

> I agree with this sentiment, and I had both of mine done by

Treacy.

>

> Des Tuck

> 10/01 and 5/03

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

With all due respect, that is not what happened to me. And I have

spent a fortune on physical therapy, only to be finally informed

that I was stuck with lifts & custom shoes until/unless I can get

the left leg lengthened. The p.t. asked for the surgical reports to

understand what happened and the sketchy notes we got back

never even mentioned length.

My right leg was slightly longer before. I told my surgeon this.

Without measuring me, he contradicted me and pronounced my

legs " even. " I pointed out that he hadn't measured me and that I

knew I had a small discrepancy, which was no big deal: I just

wanted to make sure it wasn't exacerbated.

I asked him to promise that he would not make the leg longer

and his exact words were " I promise. "

I knew the minute I stood up that the leg had been lengthened.

He assured me the irregularity was simply due to post op

swelling. When I insisted this felt different, he threw the x-rays

up on the light screen, measured THEM, and said, " I only made it

a millimeter longer. " Then he assured me I would not be aware

of the problem in 6 months. I wanted desperately to believe him.

When I e-mailed him 6 months later to say the discrepancy had

not abated, he told me the problem would be resolved when I get

my left one done.

I know he does a lot of patients & has performed miracles with

difficult cases, but I was extremely disappointed not only by this

unexpected outcome, but by his lack of curiosity, concern or

contrition. What I most wanted out of surgery was to have my

dancing ability restored, and while the pain has abated & rom

has been greatly improved, I have a whole new set of extremely

frustrating problems that leaves me unable to even do a perfect

basic step. Yeah, yeah, I can walk around fine in my stuffed

shoes. But the high-level dancing I do really demands even legs.

I still stand by what I tell any hip patient consulting with ANY

doctor, regardless of his lofty reputation. Make sure the surgeon

measures your legs. Discuss leg length issues pre-op & insist

on a comprehensible explanation as to how they will be

addressed. If making my leg longer was unavoidable, perhaps I

could have waited for a bi-lateral or prepared for this outcome,

but one of the reasons I opted for resurfacing was the claim that

the leg length irregularities so common to THRs were not a risk

with this procedure.

Best to you all,

Sheila

> > Sheila

> > I regards to the leg length . . .it could be from compensations

> made in your

> > pelvis and lumbar spine that progressively happened before

your

> surgery. We

> > do what ned need to do to keep moving and to try to stay out

of

> pain. The body

> > is amazing. But these patterns just don't Go away " The brain

> remembers, the

> > body remember and we stay crooked. I have been dealing

with thiis

> in my body

> > as my left leg seemed shorter to me at first too.

> >

> > Find a good Pilates teacher :-). . .. or phisical therapist. Get

> an

> > evaluation on your alignment and patterning. Maybe this will

> reveal your problem.

> > And the best thing would be for the legs to find their equal

> length:-)

> >

> > Best

> > alyce

> > LC2K 5/23/03 W.Kennedy

[Guest guest]

With all due respect, that is not what happened to me. And I have

spent a fortune on physical therapy, only to be finally informed

that I was stuck with lifts & custom shoes until/unless I can get

the left leg lengthened. The p.t. asked for the surgical reports to

understand what happened and the sketchy notes we got back

never even mentioned length.

My right leg was slightly longer before. I told my surgeon this.

Without measuring me, he contradicted me and pronounced my

legs " even. " I pointed out that he hadn't measured me and that I

knew I had a small discrepancy, which was no big deal: I just

wanted to make sure it wasn't exacerbated.

I asked him to promise that he would not make the leg longer

and his exact words were " I promise. "

I knew the minute I stood up that the leg had been lengthened.

He assured me the irregularity was simply due to post op

swelling. When I insisted this felt different, he threw the x-rays

up on the light screen, measured THEM, and said, " I only made it

a millimeter longer. " Then he assured me I would not be aware

of the problem in 6 months. I wanted desperately to believe him.

When I e-mailed him 6 months later to say the discrepancy had

not abated, he told me the problem would be resolved when I get

my left one done.

I know he does a lot of patients & has performed miracles with

difficult cases, but I was extremely disappointed not only by this

unexpected outcome, but by his lack of curiosity, concern or

contrition. What I most wanted out of surgery was to have my

dancing ability restored, and while the pain has abated & rom

has been greatly improved, I have a whole new set of extremely

frustrating problems that leaves me unable to even do a perfect

basic step. Yeah, yeah, I can walk around fine in my stuffed

shoes. But the high-level dancing I do really demands even legs.

I still stand by what I tell any hip patient consulting with ANY

doctor, regardless of his lofty reputation. Make sure the surgeon

measures your legs. Discuss leg length issues pre-op & insist

on a comprehensible explanation as to how they will be

addressed. If making my leg longer was unavoidable, perhaps I

could have waited for a bi-lateral or prepared for this outcome,

but one of the reasons I opted for resurfacing was the claim that

the leg length irregularities so common to THRs were not a risk

with this procedure.

Best to you all,

Sheila

> > Sheila

> > I regards to the leg length . . .it could be from compensations

> made in your

> > pelvis and lumbar spine that progressively happened before

your

> surgery. We

> > do what ned need to do to keep moving and to try to stay out

of

> pain. The body

> > is amazing. But these patterns just don't Go away " The brain

> remembers, the

> > body remember and we stay crooked. I have been dealing

with thiis

> in my body

> > as my left leg seemed shorter to me at first too.

> >

> > Find a good Pilates teacher :-). . .. or phisical therapist. Get

> an

> > evaluation on your alignment and patterning. Maybe this will

> reveal your problem.

> > And the best thing would be for the legs to find their equal

> length:-)

> >

> > Best

> > alyce

> > LC2K 5/23/03 W.Kennedy

[Guest guest]

Would be interested to speak to you may be over telephone as I have got myself

in a degree of confusion over who to get to do op. and where. I live in London

and have already seen 4 consultants those Being Kavanagh.,Fairbank at Parkside,

Bankes at Guys and Mcminn at Birmingham. Recently spoke to someone who

recommended Treacy at Birmingham. All Iam sure are good but you can no doubt see

why I am confused. Ineed to make a decision as I have recently put off op. with

Mcminn for unrelated reasons. Any help wld be gratefully appreciated. As a

sportsman it is even more important for me to make right decision.

I am more than happy to call you if you leave a no. or leave it on my mobile and

I will call back. My no is 07966 152343.Otherwise any further info you have wld

be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks.

Alistair.

Gord Rathbone lataylor@...> wrote:

I was resurfaced by Mr. Field at St. 's, 20 month's ago. The

surgeon and the hospital were both excellent, including anaesthetist,

nursing, dining and rehab therapists. Mr. Kavanagh is highly regarded

there. Please feel free to contact me directly if you feel I can

provide any useful information---Griz

In surfacehippy , alistair denham

wrote:

> Thanks for that. Any idea bout Mr. G . Kavanagh at St. s

Cheam. By the way who did yours?

>

> Vale wrote:These are the two who jointly

developed BHR and (I believe) both have

> done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

>

> Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

> dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

> cannot make a bad decision.

>

> Vale

> (Mr McMinn, Rt BHR 11/11/1999 - over four years old)

>

>

> > Dear All,

> > I am going to have the above op. shotly. Has anyone got any views

> on

> > the respective merits of having it done by McMinn or Ronan

> > treacy? Am sure they are both excellent but any views would be

> > gratefully appreciated.

> > Alistair Denham.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Would be interested to speak to you may be over telephone as I have got myself

in a degree of confusion over who to get to do op. and where. I live in London

and have already seen 4 consultants those Being Kavanagh.,Fairbank at Parkside,

Bankes at Guys and Mcminn at Birmingham. Recently spoke to someone who

recommended Treacy at Birmingham. All Iam sure are good but you can no doubt see

why I am confused. Ineed to make a decision as I have recently put off op. with

Mcminn for unrelated reasons. Any help wld be gratefully appreciated. As a

sportsman it is even more important for me to make right decision.

I am more than happy to call you if you leave a no. or leave it on my mobile and

I will call back. My no is 07966 152343.Otherwise any further info you have wld

be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks.

Alistair.

Gord Rathbone lataylor@...> wrote:

I was resurfaced by Mr. Field at St. 's, 20 month's ago. The

surgeon and the hospital were both excellent, including anaesthetist,

nursing, dining and rehab therapists. Mr. Kavanagh is highly regarded

there. Please feel free to contact me directly if you feel I can

provide any useful information---Griz

In surfacehippy , alistair denham

wrote:

> Thanks for that. Any idea bout Mr. G . Kavanagh at St. s

Cheam. By the way who did yours?

>

> Vale wrote:These are the two who jointly

developed BHR and (I believe) both have

> done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

>

> Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your hospital

> dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le Blanc. You

> cannot make a bad decision.

>

> Vale

> (Mr McMinn, Rt BHR 11/11/1999 - over four years old)

>

>

> > Dear All,

> > I am going to have the above op. shotly. Has anyone got any views

> on

> > the respective merits of having it done by McMinn or Ronan

> > treacy? Am sure they are both excellent but any views would be

> > gratefully appreciated.

> > Alistair Denham.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

That's amazing! 2.5cm is over an inch! I don't understand how your surgeon

could accomplish that but I'll take your word for it.

Still, newbies need to understand that resurfacing is not designed or

intended to provide the control over leg length that stemmed THRs do.

Mike Trautman

C2K, Sep 03

Re: Re: Birmingham Hip resurfacing

> At 08:42 PM 11/24/2003 -0600, you wrote:

>

> >Are you aware that resurfacing does not provide any means of changing the

> >length of one's leg?

> >With resurfacing, there's nothing that can be done to alter the anatomy

of

> >the joint.

>

> Mike,

>

> Be careful here. My left leg was lengthened over 2.5 cm, and right was

> lengthened slightly also. I ended up with perfectly even legs (my left

leg

> was lengthened to even me up with the right side intentionally).

Depending

> on where the cup was placed, there is actually room to change the

effective

> length of the leg. It is possible then, that Sheila had a cup placed

lower

> than the " original equipment " . It may have been the docs intent (although

> he apparently has not communicated that if that is the case), if her

> biologic acetabulum was originally out of whack.

>

> Cindy

> C+ 5/25/01 and 6/28/01

[Guest guest]

I am male,44 and live in Chennai,India. I have a congenital

condition on my right hip and have been adviced by the Doctor to

undergo Birmingham hip resurfacing.

Is there any Indians in the group, who would like to share their

experiences with me as I understand that only a handful of surgeons

in India are trained to do this procedure.

I would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks and regards

Uday

[Guest guest]

Due to have op. on 3rd February. Becoming slightly nervous. Due to have it done

by Treacy in Birmingham having originally been down for McMinn. Treacy

recommended to me by someone I was put in contact with.

Words of reassurance welcome. Am keen cricketer and golfer and want to give my

self best chance to get back doing these sports.

Alistair.

Sharry Schneider sharry_schneider@...> wrote:

Sheila

If you are so dissatisfied with Treacy I wonder if you have considered going

to De Smet? He always answers emails himself, usually within 2-3 hours, and he

uses the BHR. I am sure he would address your concern about leg length.

Success does not seem to have made him any less caring or careful.

Sharry RBHR De Smet 27/08/2003

Re: Birmingham Hip resurfacing

Dear Alistair,

Whoever you choose, just make sure they measure your legs

pre-op and address leg length issues with you beforehand. I

was done by Treacy and my right leg was left between 1/2 and 1

inch longer than the other. While a BHR may reduce the risk of

leg lengthening, I am living proof that it is no guarantee that you

will be spared it. This result really compromised my ability to

enjoy my restoration of function and ROM. It has really impaired

my salsa dancing & balance and is a huge hassle re shoes and

pant hems.

I'm feeling especially mean around this topic at present because

I need my other hip done and after months of e-mails to him,

have yet to be obliged with an explanation as to how he will

make this one longer to match without over or under correcting it.

He scoffed at my leg lengthening concerns the first time, so I am

doubly chary this time. The responses I receive back from his

secretary ignore my questions and instead suggest that I book a

date. Why would I want go back over without some guarantee

that I will be left better off than I am and a thorough

understanding as to how the improvement will be achieved?

From some of the reports I've heard, I am starting to wonder if

their success hasn't reduced their service to patients. If you are

a simple, straightforward case, I'm sure you'll be fine with either.

Just know that while choosing a doc with a great rep may reduce

the variables associated with a less than optimum outcome, it

doesn't eliminate them.

If you're in England, you can meet these guys. I'd interview them

and see who you like best.

Good luck.

Sheila

> In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:35:05 PM Pacific Standard

Time,

> david.vale@b... writes:

> These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe)

both have

> done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

>

> Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your

hospital

> dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le

Blanc. You

> cannot make a bad decision.

> I agree with this sentiment, and I had both of mine done by

Treacy.

>

> Des Tuck

> 10/01 and 5/03

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Due to have op. on 3rd February. Becoming slightly nervous. Due to have it done

by Treacy in Birmingham having originally been down for McMinn. Treacy

recommended to me by someone I was put in contact with.

Words of reassurance welcome. Am keen cricketer and golfer and want to give my

self best chance to get back doing these sports.

Alistair.

Sharry Schneider sharry_schneider@...> wrote:

Sheila

If you are so dissatisfied with Treacy I wonder if you have considered going

to De Smet? He always answers emails himself, usually within 2-3 hours, and he

uses the BHR. I am sure he would address your concern about leg length.

Success does not seem to have made him any less caring or careful.

Sharry RBHR De Smet 27/08/2003

Re: Birmingham Hip resurfacing

Dear Alistair,

Whoever you choose, just make sure they measure your legs

pre-op and address leg length issues with you beforehand. I

was done by Treacy and my right leg was left between 1/2 and 1

inch longer than the other. While a BHR may reduce the risk of

leg lengthening, I am living proof that it is no guarantee that you

will be spared it. This result really compromised my ability to

enjoy my restoration of function and ROM. It has really impaired

my salsa dancing & balance and is a huge hassle re shoes and

pant hems.

I'm feeling especially mean around this topic at present because

I need my other hip done and after months of e-mails to him,

have yet to be obliged with an explanation as to how he will

make this one longer to match without over or under correcting it.

He scoffed at my leg lengthening concerns the first time, so I am

doubly chary this time. The responses I receive back from his

secretary ignore my questions and instead suggest that I book a

date. Why would I want go back over without some guarantee

that I will be left better off than I am and a thorough

understanding as to how the improvement will be achieved?

From some of the reports I've heard, I am starting to wonder if

their success hasn't reduced their service to patients. If you are

a simple, straightforward case, I'm sure you'll be fine with either.

Just know that while choosing a doc with a great rep may reduce

the variables associated with a less than optimum outcome, it

doesn't eliminate them.

If you're in England, you can meet these guys. I'd interview them

and see who you like best.

Good luck.

Sheila

> In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:35:05 PM Pacific Standard

Time,

> david.vale@b... writes:

> These are the two who jointly developed BHR and (I believe)

both have

> done more of these ops than anyone else, ever.

>

> Choosing between them would be like deciding whether your

hospital

> dinner should be cooked by Gordon Ramsey or Le

Blanc. You

> cannot make a bad decision.

> I agree with this sentiment, and I had both of mine done by

Treacy.

>

> Des Tuck

> 10/01 and 5/03

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Alistair.

Big decisions in life are always difficult and you will often find

yourself in a position of uncertainty. Even if you spend hours

collecting information you may find that opinions and experiences of

others raise as many questions as they answer.

This has been my experience in life.

You may find that at the end of the day, you just have to close you

eyes/ears and jump. This is perfectly acceptable in this case as you

are not getting a full view of the operating surgeon's ability. (The

silent majority syndrome)

However what I have also noticed is that a more successful strategy

is to accept that there will be both positive and negative aspects to

whatever decision you take, but if you work hard to make the best of

the outcome you will end up a sense of achievement, and will be

satisfied with the result.

Hip resurfacing is really the only option for an energetic future and

a great deal of it's' success will be down to your weight and fitness.

I had mine done 2 weeks ago and have learnt a lot from the recovery

period, especially about things I didn't ask about beforehand. I do

however feel that much of the future is in my own hands.

Good luck