My name is Rob Young and I am your typical middle-aged man. I am 44, married to Pam, who I do not deserve (I report, you decide) and two boys, Eli and Daniel, ages 7 and 4, respectively. I work for a pre-IPO Silicon Valley software company where I am serving a sentence as Product Manager for one of the company's true money makers. My career aspirations at this point are for my company to IPO, for my stock options to go through the roof and for me to be able to focus my efforts and attention on things related to working in my garden and getting reacquainted with the golf courses in and around Louisville, KY.
I started this blog to record my thoughts, feelings and actions leading up to and beyond a hip resurfacing procedure that I am considering for this summer or fall. Who knows maybe my experience, good, bad or downright ugly, will help others with a similar condition decide if this is something they should consider. So, let's jump right in...
First a little historical perspective. I have always LOVED playing sports. From my very earliest days I have always enjoyed been part of some kind of team. In fact, if there is a ball involved I have probably played the sport at some time. I have never been a star, but I always tried hard and feel that I have contributed to more wins than losses in my less than stellar amateur career. In addition to team sports, I was an avid runner beginning around age 18. I ran almost every day, and have enough race related T-shirts to clothe a small country. The zest for athletics, running and being on a team is with me to this day.
In my early 20's I noticed a slight twinge along the inside of my right leg after playing ball or cooling off after a long run. I didn't thin anything of it, because hey I was young and it was probably just a sore groin muscle. Sore muscles are good! They mean you are getting stronger! In my late 20's and early 30's the pain got worse and began popping up when I was sitting or standing for long periods of time. Worse it had extended to the outside of right leg on occasion and seemed to bother me on even "rest" days. Yes, I was still playing and running hard, so I decided to have it checked out.
The first doctor visit for my hip was on a Tuesday in March of 1995. I remember this because I love the NCAA tourney and I went the Tuesday before it kicked off. The visit involved a collection of my viitals, a short discussion on the location of my discomfort, a rundown of my activities and finally an x-ray of my right hip. Keep in mind that I was seeing this doctor for the first time (hey, I never needed a doctor until then), so when he told me I had osteoarthritis in my right hip I quickly dismissed him as a quack. When he showed me the x-ray and where the cartlidge should have been it sunk in that I might really have a problem. My doctor prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs and an alternative exercise program to preserve the condition of my hip.
Needless to say, I began taking anti-inflammatory and continued on with the exercise and sports I enjoyed most. My condition actually leveled out for the next 7 years. It wasn't until I hit 40 that the pain had set in for good (or bad in this case) and I had a noted decrease in the side to side mobility in my right leg. I have gone to several doctors in the last 4 years to discuss my condition and possible treatments and up to just recently have been told that total hip replacement (THR) is the only real option for someone living in the USA. I am to blame for ignorance of the other alternatives, but now that I know I have options I am ready to take action.
Specifically, I am considering having a hip surfacing procedure done by a local orthopedic surgeon. This procedure preserves much more of the original bone and allows younger, active patients to return to high impact sports after 12 months or so of healing. Given I am in constant pain these days, the surgery and recovery should be a piece of cake. I am looking forward to having it done!
The posts to this blog will contain my experience leading up to and beyond this surgery. I will describe in detail everything I learn along the way and hope I can leave trail of bread crumbs for those that might be facing a similar decision point. My decision has been made, I want my life back! Please join me as I venture down this road!
A real "hip" kinda guy
