Bill Colohan Hip Resurfacin...

Bill Colohan   LBHR Dr. Bose  2007

On the 13th of March I had a BHR done in Chennai by Dr. Bose. I would like to give feedback regarding my observations and experiences while there.

I left Cincinnati, OH on 3-7, arrived Chennai, India 3-9. I flew business class and cannot imagine anyone doing otherwise. I would highly encourage anyone with the means to do so to fly business class.

I entered Apollo Specialty Hospital on 3-12, a day before surgery. They ran a series of tests, EKG, blood, urine analysis, etc. I spoke briefly with Dr. Bose and some of the other doctors who are part of the team.

The following morning, bright and early, I was greeted by the nurses and wheeled off to the surgery room. You are set aside to rest quietly until they are ready to bring you in. When things are ready they bring you in and lift you on to the surgery table. What will strike you is the temperature, which is quite cool, perhaps 62 degrees or so.

They will ask you a couple of questions, "William, how are you feeling?" "Are you comfortable?" and then they will begin a brief conversation with you. This will only last a few seconds. The next thing you know you will be in the recovery room. You will hear sounds and probably attempt to say something but not much else. For me, I had a slight sensation of choking. I do not know whether I still had a tube in my throat or whether it was simply a matter of being unable to swallow. Either way, I was mentally prepared for it since my father, who had been operated on by Bose about a year earlier, had prepared me for this sensation. You should be equally prepared. It made a big difference for me. I did not panic and the discomfort passed fairly quickly.

You are then taken back to your room to rest. An IV is placed in your arm which gives you a constant stream of pain killer. Surprisingly, there is not much discomfort, given the seriousness of the operation. Don't misunderstand me. You will feel pain and there will be discomfort but it will not be unbearable or excruciating. The IV becomes more painful as the week goes on, with a slight burning sensation when they add new pain killer that intensifies over time. If it becomes too painful they can insert another IV in another location.  

You will receive constant monitoring by the nursing and support staff. I had heard rave reviews about the nurses, how superior they were to American hospitals, etc. My take is a bit different. Labor is one of the cheapest commodities in India. Therefore, unlike the US and the West, there are plenty of nurses to take care of your needs. However, like anywhere else in the world, there were some good ones and there were some bad ones. VG was exceptional. Another young nurse seemed to drop every pill and syringe she gave me. On one visit she dropped whatever it was she was giving me 3 times...

You will go through an emotional roller coaster ride. You may experience anxiety leading up to the operation, euphoria for the day or two following surgery and then possibly minor depression when the euphoria of having the surgery behind you starts to ebb. I think this is all pretty normal since I had a chance to talk with a couple other patients who shared very similar sensations. Having someone along with you would probably make a significant difference. I did not have that luxury as my wife and I have two young boys and we determined as tough as it may be on me it would be even tougher on them if neither of us were there for them. Bring a friend if you can...

In summary, I would give Dr. Bose and his surgical team an A. They are first rate. I would give the nursing staff and various other hospital related activities and accommodations, as related above, a C- . It is a long, tough trip but the end result is worth the short term pain and discomfort, in my opinion. I happen to have insurance and may have been able to have had this covered by my insurer in the US. However, after weighing all of the options, I decided it was wiser to go with a physician who had performed 800+ procedures and who had trained under McMinn and Treacy in the UK. Had my insurer paid for the operation in the US the net costs would have been roughly the same. I still plan on contacting my insurer, BC/BS to see if I can receive partial coverage. I will let everyone know how this goes...

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