My name is Bill Thom, aged 67 and a Scot living in London. My hip
operation was a Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedure and was done on
November 2nd 2009. I had been consulting my surgeon Mr. Ronan Treacy for
about 7 years as my hip was gradually deteriorating which made it difficult
for me to enjoy an active life. I am an accomplished ski-er and I also
play tennis every week. It was becoming increasingly clear that the BHR
solution was pretty ideal for me and eventually, the hip joint showed signs
of serious wear and Mr. Treacy advised that it was now up to me to decide whether to have the surgery.
I was fortunate as I had private medical cover that would cover most of the
costs and so I quickly decided around October 2009 to get the thing
sorted. I attended the Priory Hospital in Birmingham where Mr. Treacy does
his hip surgery for the pre-operative tests and then was admitted for the
surgery on November 2nd. I met Mr. Treacy who drew where the incision
would be made on my hip and I was sure that I was in good hands with him and
his team as he has done between 5000-6000 of these operations which is his
specialty. My anaesthetist talked to me about his role, and the next day
I was put to sleep. The surgery was conducted in well under an hour and
everything went very well.
When I revived and I woke up I was given self administered pain control
using morphine and could top up any time I felt discomfort using a button on
a small handheld machine. I was fine. The only awkward after effect was
I had to have a catheter inserted as I could not seem to urinate. The
following morning after the surgery I was able to stand and took a few
tentative steps with support. The following day I was able to walk with a
type of Zimmer frame up and down the corridor, and the day after that I was
walking with two sticks without pain. The procedure was a complete success
and the care and treatment I received from Ronan Treacy and his team was
superb as was the care and support given by nursing staff and
physiotherapists at the Priory.
I left hospital on the fifth day and when my wife Betsy arrived to pick me
up to take me home to London she was amazed how well I was walking with
sticks, and standing she thought about two inches taller and with a good
posture. The wound was neat and clean and I had no sign of infection. The
dressings used were easily changed and I was given some to take home along
with some pain killers. I did get constipated for a while, probably
caused by the morphine and the painkillers, but this was easily dealt with
using suppositories for a few days.
Six weeks after the surgery in mid December I returned to Birmingham to see
Mr. Treacy and he was very pleased with the progress. I exercised each day
with simple techniques given to me by the physiotherapists at the
hospital. I also started walking about a mile each day, and within 3 weeks
of the surgery I was down to one stick, then in a few days I was walking
very well without any support. The leg swelled up after exercise but I
used high pillows to raise it while resting and was able to manage the pain
reasonably enough. I had no infection and was careful to follow the
procedure of not raising the leg too high and sitting correctly. I soon
began to get full movement and was able with a little help get my socks on
and dress myself without assistance.
I was also able to return to playing some gentle tennis doubles and this
was just before the end of the year just eight weeks or so after the
operation. To my great surprise Ronan Treacy also said that I would also
be able to ski this season, and in the first week of March 2010 just four
months after the BHR was done I was zooming down the blue and red runs in
Courchevel with a friend. It was superb exercise for my hip and I only fell
once during my six full days of ski-ing. The one time I took a dive, I
landed with a crunch on a rather hard packed piste on the new hip side, but
there was no problem.
I would advise any one with a progressive hip problem, especially if you
want to be active in your old age, to consider the BHR hip option and get
yourself along to see Ronan Treacy. He has basically given me back full
movement, and I am free from pain. Should you wish to contact me then I
would happily relate the details of my hip resurfacing experience and have
no hesitation in recommending the Birmingham team who put me back on the
tennis court and the Alpine pistes in under four months.
Bill Thom
I was fortunate as I had private medical cover that would cover most of the
costs and so I quickly decided around October 2009 to get the thing
sorted. I attended the Priory Hospital in Birmingham where Mr. Treacy does
his hip surgery for the pre-operative tests and then was admitted for the
surgery on November 2nd. I met Mr. Treacy who drew where the incision
would be made on my hip and I was sure that I was in good hands with him and
his team as he has done between 5000-6000 of these operations which is his
specialty. My anaesthetist talked to me about his role, and the next day
I was put to sleep. The surgery was conducted in well under an hour and
everything went very well.
When I revived and I woke up I was given self administered pain control
using morphine and could top up any time I felt discomfort using a button on
a small handheld machine. I was fine. The only awkward after effect was
I had to have a catheter inserted as I could not seem to urinate. The
following morning after the surgery I was able to stand and took a few
tentative steps with support. The following day I was able to walk with a
type of Zimmer frame up and down the corridor, and the day after that I was
walking with two sticks without pain. The procedure was a complete success
and the care and treatment I received from Ronan Treacy and his team was
superb as was the care and support given by nursing staff and
physiotherapists at the Priory.
I left hospital on the fifth day and when my wife Betsy arrived to pick me
up to take me home to London she was amazed how well I was walking with
sticks, and standing she thought about two inches taller and with a good
posture. The wound was neat and clean and I had no sign of infection. The
dressings used were easily changed and I was given some to take home along
with some pain killers. I did get constipated for a while, probably
caused by the morphine and the painkillers, but this was easily dealt with
using suppositories for a few days.
Six weeks after the surgery in mid December I returned to Birmingham to see
Mr. Treacy and he was very pleased with the progress. I exercised each day
with simple techniques given to me by the physiotherapists at the
hospital. I also started walking about a mile each day, and within 3 weeks
of the surgery I was down to one stick, then in a few days I was walking
very well without any support. The leg swelled up after exercise but I
used high pillows to raise it while resting and was able to manage the pain
reasonably enough. I had no infection and was careful to follow the
procedure of not raising the leg too high and sitting correctly. I soon
began to get full movement and was able with a little help get my socks on
and dress myself without assistance.
I was also able to return to playing some gentle tennis doubles and this
was just before the end of the year just eight weeks or so after the
operation. To my great surprise Ronan Treacy also said that I would also
be able to ski this season, and in the first week of March 2010 just four
months after the BHR was done I was zooming down the blue and red runs in
Courchevel with a friend. It was superb exercise for my hip and I only fell
once during my six full days of ski-ing. The one time I took a dive, I
landed with a crunch on a rather hard packed piste on the new hip side, but
there was no problem.
I would advise any one with a progressive hip problem, especially if you
want to be active in your old age, to consider the BHR hip option and get
yourself along to see Ronan Treacy. He has basically given me back full
movement, and I am free from pain. Should you wish to contact me then I
would happily relate the details of my hip resurfacing experience and have
no hesitation in recommending the Birmingham team who put me back on the
tennis court and the Alpine pistes in under four months.
Bill Thom
