To The Tennis Player Going For a THR

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You can absolutely return to your high level of play after a

resurface!

I was also a 5.0 until my LEFT hip began to give me trouble. My

level of play dropped to 3.5-4.0 right before my resurface in

Nov '02. A year and a half later, I was playing in 2 A-Leagues and a

5.0 team here in LA. People who knew me back when, were amazed and

happy to see me back. My tennis coach, while watching me play a 5.0

practice match, said no one would ever have guessed I'd had hip

surgery by the way I moved on the court. I have no pain in my

resurfaced hip and no restrictions whatsoever.

If you love competitive tennis, I doubt you'd be happy playing at a

lower level, so I strongly urge you to consider resurfacing. You can

talk to Saeed, another fine tennis player with bilaterals, who is

back playing high level tennis.

BTW, I may be just about ready to resurface my other side. Two weeks

ago, I began having those oh-so-familiar symptoms in my RIGHT, good

hip. So, I just had new xrays taken, had them sent to De Smet in

Belgium, and if he confirms that I'm down to bone on bone, I am not

waiting. I am going back for another resurface before my qualtiy of

life is compromised again. Also, I remember having back problems

with my left hip and they disappeared after surgery.

Having said all this, you have to be comfortable with your

decisions. I'm just encouraging you to really study all of your

options before you make them. Please feel free to contact me if you

have any questions.

Best of luck,

Donna LBHR 11/13/02 DE SMET

> I really want to thank all of you who have posted over the last

> several months. Good advise, good humor and an incredible amount

of

> empathy. I am 61, living in the Bay Area, and have played

> competitive tennis all my life. My NTRP rating has fallen from 5.0

> to 4.5 and now to 4.0, primarily because of my inability to move on

> the court. It has gradually gotten worse over the last couple of

> years. (If I weren't 6'5 " , I'd have a real tough time getting to

the

> ball right now.) I have come to the realization that no matter what

> procedure I elect, I am not going to climb back to a 5.0 rating. I

> had a long talk yesterday with the surgeon who will do the THR

> ( Gilbert), and he is quite familiar with the resurfacing

> procedure and said that it really was a personal decision. He even

> said that if I chose to resurface, he would continue to work with

me

> after the surgery. In my case, it is o/a, and I can't stand up

> straight, and it is effecting my back - my hips really don't hurt

> that much. If I were 40, there is no question that I would choose

> resurfacing - but... I have made the decision to put my faith and

> trust in him, and we are scheduled for bi-lateral THR on 5 October -

> ironically the date is exactly 39 years from the day I reported to

> Quantico, Virginia and the United States Marine Corps. (In a

little

> different shape!)