HIPS DON'T LIE - SO SAYS SHAKIRA

I just realized that I haven't updated everyone with the results of my orthopedic specialist appointment regarding my hip pain. Some of you already know the outcome but I know many of you are still in the dark.

I mentioned to the doctor that I was hoping to feel better for our big cruise vacation in April. He said he looked at my x-rays which did confirm the arthritis. He had me lay down, moved my leg around asking when it hurt & had me describe the pain. He announced that my hip was worn out & I would need hip replacement surgery. Then he just wanted to talk about travel.

What the fuck??? The LAST thing I was expecting to hear was that I need hip replacement! Honestly, it never entered my mind that would be the ultimate diagnosis. Never! I was just a little flabbergasted trying to wrap my head around the fact that I needed surgery where they would put big pieces of metal inside me. I thought I had bursitis or a pulled muscle.

Since I didn't even want to think about actually having the surgery at this point, the doctor recommended a cortisone shot into the joint a couple weeks before the trip then decide on the surgery later. I drove home in a bit of a blur with all sorts of things spinning around in my brain. Not the least of which was, "What the hell? I've never had major surgery. My body has never let me down like this. Shit, I really am old."

Over the next few weeks, I made it my mission in life to find out everything I could about hip replacement. I started by talking with everyone I knew who had hip replacement surgery. Countless hours were spent online researching the different techniques, the limitations, what the surgery entailed, etc. After reading the description of the surgery - the socket is replaced with a metal cup lined with plastic & the top of your thigh bone is sawed off before the spike with the ball is pounded into the bone - I was feeling pretty nauseous. Okay, deep breaths, Kath.

My personality is such that I need to know everything to expect. And the more I go over it, the more normal it sounds. It is hard to deal with at first but once I know the details, I feel better. Describing cutting through muscles & sawing off bones seems less freaky the more I talk about it. But I seriously doubt I'll watch the video of the actual surgery I found online.

One of my phone calls was to my dad's home physical therapist in the Bay Area. She was nothing short of a miracle worker for my dad when he literally could not roll over in bed several years ago. As she told me about the various types of surgery & the recovery times, she said if I was still in the Bay Area she had a great doctor to recommend. I said, please, recommend away. I'm totally open to driving a couple hours.

I met with Dr. Sah on February 21 in Fremont. Everything about his Institute for Joint Replacement is first class with state of the art surgical techniques. She was right, he is who I want doing my surgery. Prior to my appointment Lou & I drove into Fremont for a seminar that Dr. Sah was presenting on joint replacement. Both of us were impressed with him & his approach. He is that rare combination of excellent surgeon & compassionate, caring person. If anyone wants to check it out, here is his website: http://sahortho.com/

Now that I know more about x-rays, symptoms & what to expect I'm 99% sure that I do indeed need hip replacement surgery. I've been holding out hope that a miracle would occur making me suddenly feel fine again but that hasn't happened. The primary criteria seems to be when your pain is impacting your life, it is time to suck it up & have the surgery.

I will have the cortisone shot on March 19, spend a week with Charley for spring break & leave on our three week cruise to Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Oman & Dubai on April 4. If I survive the cruise relatively in tact, we will still do our previously planned trip to southern Texas in May. I'm not going to jeopardize any time with my Charley this summer recovering from hip surgery. Dr. Sah will schedule me for late July or early August when I can devote all my time & focus to healing.

Last week I received a full page handwritten letter from Dr. Sah thanking me for my visit & telling me he is looking forward to participating in my care. He ended by telling me to enjoy my trip to Singapore! I was impressed. I've never received a thank you letter from a doctor before, let alone a handwritten one!