many thanks

[Guest guest]

-Verne,

Thanks a lot for your help and support prior to the surgery. You and

the others really paved the way for me. This website was crucial for

me finding out about resurfacing and getting up the nerve to actually

do it.

Schiller

-- In surfacehippy@y..., " enrevreltub " <verne@n...> wrote:

> Welcome home....it only gets better.

> Verne

>

>

>

> >

> > I was resurfed on 3/12/02 as planned by Dr. De Smet. I just

> got back

> > to Calif. yesterday. It was a heck of a trip, but the main thing

is

> > that the surgery went well. I am 12 days post op and getting

> along

> > nicely on one crutch. I can actually get around the house with

> no

> > crutches. I am taking no pain medicine, although I am still

> taking

> > indomethacine to prevent heterotopic bone growth and this is

> an nsaid

> > with some pain killing properties. But the discomfort is

> minimal.

> >

> > Dr. De Smet is a wonderful caring doctor. I've never met any

> doctors

> > like him in the U.S. He is a young guy, about 36, but he has

> done

> > over 300 resurfs and quite obviously knows what he is doing.

> He

> > makes himself available at all times, answers all questions

> > patiently, and truly cares about his patients. He gave me his

> home

> > phone number and cell phone number so I could always reach

> him.

> >

> > Others have chronicled their experiences in Ghent and mine

> was quite

> > similar, so I won't discuss it in great detail. But there are a

few

> > points worth mentioning.

> >

> > If I had to do it over again I would come to Belgium and stay for

> at

> > least a week to get over the jet lag and tiredness before the

> > surgery. I had the surgery on my second day there. I had a few

> > tough hours after the surgery (more like 16 or 20), and the jet

> lag

> > made it worse. I've never had major surgery before and it was

> tough

> > when the anesthesia wore off and I had to keep my right leg

> extended

> > while lying on my back. I'm a restless sleeper and I craved

> being

> > able to turn on my side. I became nauseous too, and this was

> no fun.

> > But it was all tolerable and the situation improved rapidly.

> > Everything changed by the next day when I and my Belgian

> room mate

> > Jacques, were encouraged to get up and start using the

> walkers. The

> > day after that it was time to start using crutches.

> >

> > An interesting point: after the surgery Dr. De Smet told me that

> he

> > discovered considerable avascular necrosis in my hip and a

> lot of

> > dead bone had to be removed from the femur. This had not

> been

> > apparent on the x-rays to him or to Dr. Amstutz (I had originally

> > planned to have the surgery at JRI, but got sick and postponed

> the

> > surgery, then I found out about Dr. De Smet). Several days

> later Dr.

> > De Smet and I were talking and I asked him if perhaps

> another, more

> > conservative doctor might have switched me over to a THR mid

> surgery

> > due to bone quality. He said it was possible. Knowing that

> made me

> > very happy that I had come to Belgium. US doctors who

> implant the C

> > plus are known to be very cautious about taking on tougher

> cases

> > because they don't want a bad result which might impact the

> status of

> > the C plus which is still investigational in this country.

> >

> > One other point, I was generally very happy with the UZ Gent

> > hospital, but the food there was basically uneatable. If you are

> > planning to go there bring your own food or have someone

> bring it to

> > you. The hospital staff doesn't mind.

> >

> > All in all, I'm very pleased. I would not hesitate to recommend

> Dr.

> > De Smet. For me there was a cost incentive since I have no

> > insurance. I probably saved over 15K by having the surgery

> there

> > instead of the JRI. But even if the cost was not a factor, I

would

> > still recommend having the surgery in Belgium.

> >

> > Schiller

> > BHR 3/12/02