More Bionic Than Ever

It’s been awhile since my last post, and just so nobody thinks I abandoned this site, here’s what’s been going on.

I’m a little more b-i-o-n-i-c than I was just six months ago.

Actually, +2 more bionic.

Here’s what happened.

If you know me or have read the WHY BIONIC JUDO? page on this site, you’ll know that I’ve had a number of surgeries, mostly for joint damage caused by extreme judo training.

One of my surgeries was for a hip replacement. It was not the traditional total hip replacement (THR) but a more bone-conserving surgery called hip resurfacing (HR). It’s a perfect solution for athletes and physically active people. Many judoka have had this type of surgery, and I still get calls from friends who are interested in hip resurfacing.

It’s basically a ‘no limits’ remedy for hip replacement, and once properly healed, you’re good to go. You can pick up where you left off before your hip took a nose dive.

Depending on the device AND the surgeon, your risks of failure are extremely low, even after 10 years. As low as 5% failure rate.

Starting in 2000 when my problem was diagnosed by the now infamous Dr. Tony Galea, I researched and waited 5 long years before deciding on my surgeon. So in April 2005, I received a new lease on life with a new hip.

But instead of the 10, 15 even 20 years of a problem-free hip, I ended up with only 6-1/2 years.

But still, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s backtrack.

I Had Excruciating Bursitis That Wouldn’t Go Away

About 1-1/2 years ago, I started experiencing nasty bursitis on my operated hip. I treated it with ice and anti-infammatories, but still, it would come and go. But at one point, it refused to go away and was causing me a lot of sleepless nights.

Eventually, after three separate sets of x-rays, it was determined that the bursitis was being caused by an abnormal bone growth called hetero ossification (HO) inside the muscle. The pressure on the hip bursa by the HO was causing the bursitis. It can be quite common after the trauma of hip surgery and the only way to fix it is to remove it with surgery.

Where Do I Sign Up? Let’s Get This Over With.

So in August 2011, I had a second hip surgery to remove a large chunk of bone from the side of my hip. Since I was awake with a spinal epidural throughout the 30-minute surgery, the doctor showed me the offending piece of HO. It was quite large – about the size of a toonie (for you south of the border, that’s a $2 coin) but at least 1/4″ thick.

Even though it was a relatively minor surgery, I nevertheless had to follow up with physio to strengthen the muscles that he had to cut through. At this time, I started experiencing some snapping and pain in my groin area. This was different from the bursitis pain which originated on the side of my hip. I was told by both my surgeon and physio that it was probably something called snapping hip syndrome caused by a tight ilio-psoas muscle deep inside the groin.

That sounded somewhat strange to me because the ilio-psoas on my good hip was tighter than my right, and I had no problems there. Anyways, I was told that the physio and deep massage would clear it up.

Yeah, right!

After 4 weeks of treatment and agonizing, sometimes sleepless nights, I said this is enough. I couldn’t even lie on my right side without feeling as if my hip joint had dislocated . It would take an agonizing five minutes to roll over onto my back. I then stopped all physio and exercise until my 6-week follow-up appointment for the HO surgery.

Golden Rule: Groin Pain That Won’t Go Away Is A Red Flag And Should ALWAYS  Be Checked Out

“No wonder you’re having pain. Your femoral cap is loose!” said my doctor when he looked at my x-rays at my followup appointment.

My jaw dropped.

“Somehow the bone didn’t bond to the cap and it needs to be replaced,” he quietly continued.

“Okay,” I muttered, all thoughts now focused on a quick fix. “We can just put on a new cap, right?”

“No can do,” he replied. “You need a total hip replacement.”

I couldn’t believe it. This is great! Really f***ing great, I thought to myself. How could this happen?

After all the years of research, appointments and dreams of a normal hip, I was devastated. My physically active life was over! It was never going to be the same again.

“And what’s more,” he added. “It’s an emergency and you need immediate surgery. Your hip could collapse at any time.”

That part I knew was true because I had reverted back to crutches for the first time in almost seven years since I stopped the physio. My hip was clunking and moving around inside me.

But my mind was whirring , and I figured there’s got to be another way.

For 12 long years, I had been dealing with this hip problem, and I thought it had been a done deal.

But deals can fall apart.

With A Fury I hadn’t Experienced Since My Competition Days, I Immersed Myself Into Saving My Hip

The next day, my surgeon’s office called and said, “Come into emergency tomorrow and Dr. Smith will do the surgery.”

I declined the generous offer.

Over the next 3 weeks, I contacted hip specialists in Canada, England, India and the U.S. When they saw my x-rays, they said that only a THR was the solution in my case. Only one surgeon, Dr. Derek McMinn in the UK, offered the possibility of implanting a unique resurfacing device called the Birmingham Medial Hip Resurfacing (BMHR) system, a device that he invented. However, it depended on the condition of the bone under the loose cap.

And he would only know that once I was on the table with his surgical knife in hand.

And… it would cost me $30k to find that out.

Nothing was guaranteed, and I could still come back with a THR, something I could get here in Ontario.

By now, three more weeks had passed since my condition had been diagnosed as urgent. It would be months before I could get in to even consult with a hip surgeon for another opinion, much less get a surgery date. Things were looking pretty gruesome – and dangerous.

Suddenly I got another surgery date from Doc Smith. It was in five days, and if I passed on it this time, I could end up in a very vulnerable, painful and dangerous position.

So in the end, because of all the uncertainty, and the delay in getting a surgery date anywhere else, I settled on his chosen THR device called the Stryker ADM X3.

That was 3 months ago.

However, there were a couple of positives with the stemmed Stryker. Because it was the same manufacturer as my original resurfacing implant, I was able to keep the cup which is the part that sits inside the pelvic bone. No need to use a hammer and chisel (literally) to dig it out. And because it’s a dual mobility model with two articulating heads, the ADM also gives me a little more range of motion.

Recovery was much less severe than the initial resurfacing surgery. Not having to remove the cup was a big help. There was less tissue damage and a lot less swelling. Only my quadriceps were sore for a while. My biggest goal now is to get back the half of my butt that seems to have disappeared.

My doc wants me to be stay out of the gym for at least four months this time around. The general feeling seems to be that hip replacement surgeons are becoming more conservative with recovery times.

What’s My Prognosis?

Doc Smith says it’s a ‘no limits’ device.

“Can I run?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t advise it,” he said. “Too much impact.”

“What about cycling?” I asked. “No problem. Some even ski, play tennis and hockey,” he replied.

And the big question in my mind, “Judo?”

“I dunno. Kinda risky,” came the answer.

We’ll see.