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SuperPath Hip Replacement?

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FLgirlie, Judy here and we are both seeing new Drs for SuperPath and both work from home,so guess we are kindred spirits. I am seeing Dr. Kurtz in Nashville at 1:30 today and am excited and nervous. I am only about 45 minutes from him though unlike you being a couple hrs away. Good luck with your appt. we can compare notes tomorrow. Everyone has been great about sharing fears, experiences and ideas on here! I will post my answers the evening to the questions I have.


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@Freaky freak
Good to know you work from home too. We will definitely have to compare notes. I have about a 5 hr drive, so it's a ways there and back. Probably won't get back until late Tues. But I think this doc is worth it.
FLgirlie
 
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FLgirlie That is what I did. I actually was off until Dec 31, but I went back Dec. 4th...just 3 days a week. It was mentally helpful to start getting back to my normal life.
 
calikat, so how many weeks were you off work before Dec 4 when you went to 3 days a week? Then how many weeks did you stay at 3 days a week?
FLgirlie
 
FLgirlie I had my THR (right side) on Sept. 26th of this year. I just went back to work last Wednesday, one day short of 10 weeks. My leg and hip are still achy, especially at night. I still have to take NSAIDS and ultracet, usually once in the morning and again before bed. But there are several people on this site that have had less pain than I have, and they have been able to completely get off medication. I have decided to give up fretting over still needing the medication. Last week I tried to go without, and I was MISERABLE. But I am happy to be back working. For me personally I think right now it would be difficult to work 5 days a week. I am going to stay at 3 days for now.
 
calikat well I think you are great going back to works at 10 weeks..let alone giving up the pain meds as well.....I'm 10 weeks post op and still quite stiff and tired..so I think you are doing a grand job. Take care..Chrissie xxx


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I just had my left hip replaced utilizing the Superpath technique. My surgeon was Doctor Elvis Grandic in Boynton Beach Florida. He is a "Rock Star"! I was able to walk up and down the hall with a walker only hours after my surgery. The day after surgery I was able to climb stairs with a cane. I can't imagine finding a better surgeon for the Superpath procedure anywhere. The Bethesda West Hospital is new and very nice. They are geared towards orthopedic care and provide excellent and courteous service. Sorry if I sound like an infomercial for Dr Grandic and Bethesda West, but my hip replacement experience far exceeded my hopes and expectations.
 
@Sailfreeordie I don't know if you have followed my surgeries and recoveries but I had the superpath technique. I agree with you it is an awesome procedure. My doctor is Dr. Olson. There are only a few doctors that perform this technique and I'm so glad I discovered it before I had any of my surgeries. Everyone heals at their own rate and the worse that your hip/s were the longer the healing time. The doctors say for complete healing it takes up to a year so don't over do it too soon after surgery. The surgery doesn't manipulate the leg and muscles as bad as some surgeries do so that cuts down on a lot of pain and recovery time.

Your part of the world looks beautiful to me right now....we have snow and really cold temps. Take care.
 
Hey Sandybeach,
I hope that the Superpath procedure continues to gain popularity with other good ortho docs as it seems to have a distinct advantage concerning accelerated healing time and reduced trauma and pain. I live alone, so this was very important to me. I was able to quit taking pain medication two weeks after surgery. I still have muscle soreness as I regain strength and flexibility. My arthritic hip was so bad prior to surgery that my left leg had become pretty weak and stiff. I am gradually getting it back into shape, and going slowly with the rehab. It took 10 years for it to get this bad so I am not rushing things after surgery. I assume Dr Olson performed your Superpath replacement surgery. Were you pleased with the results? I have heard he is very good. Dr Grandic has done around 600 Superpath surgeries and I am extremely pleased with my new hip.
 
@Sailfreeordie Yes, Dr Olson was my surgeon. I am very satisfied with the results from my surgery. I am almost to my one year mark since my first surgery. My hips probably were bad for many years but when I noticed the pain and decline of my hips were within a few months time. I got to where I could hardly walk and had next to no ROM. I have taken my recovery slow and steady and it has worked out well for me. I liked the no restrictions that you have with the superpath surgery. My doctor told me I could do whatever I wanted to as long as it didn't hurt. I haven't had any set backs. I am getting most of my flexibility back now. I can sit with legs crossed, I can walk up and down stairs now normally and not have to hang on to the railing. I can get up and down from sitting on the floor. I do have to work at strengthening my muscles. I have gym equipment for that and I need to use it. Take it nice and slow and you will be back to doing everything in no time :yes!:
 
Newbie here. Hello everyone. Have an appointment with Dr. Grandic end of Jan and superpath scheduled for Feb. 5th at Bethesda West. I called for an appt., and they faxed me the new patient forms, which I mailed back with my mri cd, xray cd, and medical history. I called his surgical scheduler, Sasha, and made surgery rez. I went to a surgeon here in Ga. who does anterior and posterior and was set on anterior, then read this thread. THANK YOU ALL WHO POSTED ABOUT SUPERPATH. I am so grateful. The Boynton Beach Courtyard Marriott has a discounted rate, ask for the Bethesda hospital rate. I reserved a roll in handicapped room for 8 nights. Made post op appt for the 11th, then plan on driving back to Atlanta. Supers, is this feasible plan? Thanks.
 
@kpalms Welcome to this site. The moderators will want you to start your own thread so that everyone can watch your progress and give you support.
I had both my hips replaced with this procedure. I stayed over night in the hospital each time and then went home. My home was about 2 1/2 hour drive. My husband drove but I did that without any problems. How far of a drive home is it for you? Your doctor will let you know if it's doable. I have heard of people having this procedure, staying in town for a follow-up and then flying back home too and they have been okay. I think you will be happy with this procedure....no restrictions!!! My doctor told me if it didn't hurt I could do it. You will know what you can and can't do. Healing takes time. This procedure will cut down on healing time because of less trauma during surgery.
 
Thanks for info. Don't know how to start thread! Already feel support from all of you now!! So nice. Will drive back to ATL probably after appt. on 11th., guess will split trip up, stay on road halfway, maybe JAX. Will bring lots of pillows, laptop, comfy loose clothes. Any other tips for hospital or after?
 
@kpalms, how far a drive is it for you back home? After a week out from your surgery, you should do fine on your trip. You will probably just need to get out of the car every few hours and walk a little so you don't get too stiff. For my stay in the hospital I wore the hospital gown. I only stayed over night and the gown was the easiest to get around in for me. The hospital provided me with socks that had slip resistant bottoms that I wore instead of slippers or shoes. I wore sweat pants and a lose top to the hospital and back home. The hospital gave me the ice packs that I used in the hospital to take home so I kept those on my leg going home. That's one thing you want to keep handy is ice packs for those early days after surgery. The ice keep the swelling down and just plan feels good. After my first surgery I didn't have much swelling but I did use ice a lot and that maybe why. My second surgery was more of a challenge and I had some swelling and a little more pain but I never got bruised after either of them.
 
@kpams to start a new thread go to the homepage or the first page where you see all the threads that everyone is writing on. At the top right is a black box that says: start a new thread, click on that and that's where you begin :)
 
In regards to the superpath, Dr. Kurtz did my left hip November 7, 2013, so I am 9 weeks out this Thursday. I was off a walker and cane by week 4. At week 2 I was barely relying on the walker, used it for safety sake. Absolutely not one set back. Walking is back to normal, my limp I was still having is residing and I have began regular exercise routine. I live in KY and sought Dr. Kurtz for 2 reasons, 1. superpath and 2. location. He is 4 hours from me and it worked out perfectly. When I consulted with him, he said that he had done X superpaths and X anterior. He has had equal recovery with both. When I reviewed further after talking to him, I found him to be right on the money. People recover at just about the same rate as an anterior. Either have a 0.2% slip rate and the immediate walking is the same. I decided to go with the Anterior, despite my original request for Superpath. There are more materials available later down the road for Anterior, Wright Medical owns the rights to the Superpath material. I am a 37 year old, mom of a 5 year old and a 2 years old. I am a paramedic that works 24 hour shifts and I am already physically ready to go back to my job. So, either one that you choose, good luck. It is quite remarkable. He is a fantastic physician and anyone that uses him is blessed!! His office staff is amazing as well. Best wishes.
 
@kpalms....we have an whole forum devoted to instructions on how to perform various functions on BoneSmart. Click on the Help & Info tab at the top of the page and then on the How To Use the Forum link. You'll find a lot of helpful information in addition to learning how to start your own threads.
 
Jamie, thanks. Just read last 8 pgs of this thread. BeckyR, did you have surgery yesterday? My best wishes for a speedy recovery. If you're at Bethesda West, like I will be, appreciate comments on it, looks like a beautiful facility. FLgirlie, suggest BBeach Courtyard hotel if you need a place, have handicapped suites with kitchens. We're staying there night before surgery to postop visit, 8 days. Hope will get to sit in sun some :). I am going to document this process, put tips, lists here when possible. A Happy New Year for all of us!
 
kpalms, I can't imagine anything but great results for you. As I have said before, Dr Grandic rocks! For what it is worth, I had Superpath on the morning of December 11th, took a cab to Ft Lauderdale and was on a plane heading back to St Thomas the morning of December 13th. ( Yes, I booked a flight on Spirit Air on Friday the 13th. :-O ) I was still sore but made it with no problems using a cane and was traveling by myself. After 8 days in a hotel you should be more than ready for your trip back to Atlanta. You will probably want to stop and stretch every so often, and I would keep an ice pack for the trip if possible. ( Of course recovery rates can vary from one person to the next ) I was not overly concerned about how my scar would look, but Superpath also allows for a smaller incision. If you want to get a look at Dr Grandic's handy work ( and my ugly butt :-) ) look at my post in the post op section with pictures of scars from hip surgery---page 30. When compared with some others I was again impressed with Dr Elvis' skills and the Superpath technique. I wish you great success and hope you have the same excellent outcome I was blessed with. The first couple of days were a little rough, but not too bad. It is no picnic, but don't stress too much about it. I started to feel a lot better after day 10 or so. Keep an ice pack on your hip to keep pain and swelling to a minimum. Really loose fitting pants are a must due to inevitable swelling of the hip. Follow Poppet's mantra---Slow and Steady for your post op recovery. Dr Grandic is a super guy and Bethesda West may be even nicer than your room at the Marriott. Even the food is good and you order from a menu. One of the nurses called it the Bethesda Ritz. I called it the "Get Well Hotel". It is extremely nice for a hospital. God Speed kpalms and please tell Dr Elvis his patient from the Virgin Islands says "Hello".
 
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