SuperPath Hip Replacement?

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@kpalms.....BeckyR's surgery was back in May of 2013. She is no longer posting on BoneSmart, so she won't be able to respond to your questions.
 
@bionicmedic good to hear from you! I have bilaterals on the 21st with Dr. Kurtz.


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Oh good deal! He is amazing! I had mine at centennial and they treated me like royalty! Good luck and hope to hear how it goes!
 
They are great too. I've had family at both.
 
Sailfreeordie, Amazed at your recovery. You flew after two days? Did I read that right? No postop appt.? Planned on staying the week after surgery for postop appointment on 11th. Hope to be in STJ this fall at Westin. Have visited all islands, have timeshares. Hope to be diving again this fall. Will meet Dr. G on 28th. Were u given postop Iv's in hospital for pain or pills? Aspirin or blood thinner to take? I keep rereading your post. You flew two days after surgery.....incredible, amazing. A miracle!!!
 
Sailfreeordie, Saw scar. It's tiny. I have made the right decision definitely. I am so grateful I found this site. Also when can you swim again? I'm still amazed you flew two days after surgery? Did the airport metal detector go off?
 
Hello kpalms@,
I had surgery the morning of December 11th, and flew back to St Thomas on December 13th---so I actually checked out of the hospital on the morning of the 3rd day. I think my flight left Ft Lauderdale around 12:50 in the afternoon. Spirit air got a wheelchair for me when they saw me come in with a cane. I could have made it without the chair, but did not want to overdo it so soon after surgery---so I accepted the ride. I am stubborn and proud, so it felt kind of wierd being in the chair. Gives me a whole new appreciation for those who are wheelchair bound. I announced that I had just had a hip replacement and NSA automatically did the pat-down and didn't even run me through the metal detector---so I can't answer your question on that one.

NOTE: I got my prescriptions filled while on the way back to the Ft Lauderdale Airport on the 13th. Please be advised---You will want to fill your prescriptions at a pharmacy in the same county as Bethesda Hospital. (Palm Beach County I believe) I was told at the hospital that you may run into problems filling a prescription for narcotic substances (your pain meds) outside the area where your Dr practices. (especially out of state) I guess this is due to prescription forgery and such??? I was able to work a deal out with Dr Grandic concerning my post op utilizing electronic media due to the fact that I was an "international" patient saving me yet a third set of airfare and hotel expenses that were not covered by my insurance.

I am not going to swim until I amabsolutely sure my incision is completely healed. (sealed up well) Last thing I want is an infection to set me back. i am probably good to go, but why chance it. I figure next weekend I should be OK to do some paddleboarding with friends. My arthritis was so bad that I could not even stand to swim before the surgery, so an extra week or two is no big deal.

Last note is my disclaimer. :) As over the moon as I am with Doc Grandic and the Superpath proceedure, this is still definately major surgery and plan on being really sore for a few days. Ice packs and pain meds will be your friends. That being said, try not to be overly paranoid about the surgery. This was my first major surgery and I was nervous as hell going into this thing, so I understand if you have some trepidation. I believe that is normal for most folks. Fortunately, I was able to completely discontinue pain meds after day 10. I am blessed with a high tollerance for pain and I heal really quickly, but your results may not be exactly as mine were. Everyone is different and recover at their own pace. This is not a race or a competition, and not something that can be rushed. Your body will let you know how much you can or can not do if you listen to it. After going through the process, I can say I would trust Dr Grandic completely should I ever need additional knee or hip surgery. I know there are probably a lot of great ortho surgeons out there, but I would not use anyone else. He really knows his stuff and is very personable and caring. I have full confidence in Doc Grandic and please give him my best regards when you see him on the 28th. I don't think you could have picked a better person for the job.
 
Many thanks for the info, esp about pain rx. Appreciate all advice. Didn't know if u were given any swimming/bathing restrictions. Did u take blood thinners? Will bring ice packs, loose clothes, pillows, books, scrabble, netbook.....making a list! Have to do this, difficulty walking now. Need both hips done. Might as well have skilled surgeon, smallest scars. And time in sunny Fla in Feb.!!!
 
This Superpath surgery does look groundbreaking but like @Jamie has said, not everyone can have this surgery, I'm not even sure they do it in the UK and I wouldn't want anyone who can't to think they are getting a second class operation. I had posterior surgery for both of my hips last year and recovered very quickly. I was up walking the next day and in the hydro pool doing exercises. I left hospital on day 4 walking with just 2 sticks, (canes), and once home discarded the canes quite quickly except when walking outside, for safety against other people really. I was back at work, in the office at 4 1/2 weeks having driven myself there and back working full time by 7 weeks. I found ways around the restrictions I had and even managed to get my socks by what probably looked like comedy methods!! I very much was of the opinion of 'how can I manage to do this' rather than 'I can't do this'. We are all different and recover at different rates but I couldn't have been any more pleased with my recovery from posterior surgery in the UK.
 
Hello Littlejem,
Great to hear about your excellent THR results. I believe you hit on an excellent point concerning mindset and successful recovery. I agree 100% that the "how can I manage to do this" vs the "I can't do this" approach is important to rapid and full recovery. I will temper that comment with Poppet's mantra of the "slow and steady" approach when recovering from surgery. I believe it is possible to over do it sometimes when recovering from surgery. When I had excercised "enough" my body sent me signals to "rest and recover" for awhile. We need to "listen" to our bodies and pay heed to it's warnings. As you mentioned above, everyone recovers at different rates and this is not a race or a competition. By the way, I am still unable to put my left sock on the same as I do my right, but I am working on it. It takes time to adequately stretch and strengthen muscles that have been neglected for a long time due to joint pain. Also, I find myself standing with all my weight on my right leg, even though my left hip doesn't hurt anymore. Old habits are hard to break and I am working to correct those habits.

As far as the Superpath vs other hip replacement methods go, I in no way intended to suggest that other proceedures were not good. I believe the end result with all THR proceedures is roughly the same from a statistical point of view. Superpath is the "different" approach that is not as widely used. (at this time) I feel it is important to share my experiences with others so they can gain perspective on this option. You mentioned that Superpath may not be available in the UK, but maybe soon it will be. I heard it is now available in Australia, but I have not done research to verify this. My point is that I believe this proceedure will become more and more popular as time goes on. (just my opinion) The reason I support this view is that, while end results are basically the same, this proceedure seems to be easier on the patient. Again my previous posts were not intended to suggest that anyone who did not have Superpath got cheated, as the alternative methods also provide excellent results. It is important that this forum serve as a vehicle where patients can share information and experiences for the good of all who read it. I personally had excellent results with Superpath and feel obligated to share with others who may be considering this variation of THR.

Left THR December 11, 2013
 
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I am thinking about going out today to get a recumbent bike! Only because it looks fairly inexpensive, but also safe to get on and off of. Kmart, about $150, sale ends today. I think it would be useful in recovery to have in my home, in addition to walking and other exercises. I know restrictions and PT is a bit different for all methods, so since I am having superpath, I especially would like to hear from anyone with knowledge and/or experience with Superpath PT and whether the recumbent bike would be necessary and/or warrant the cost. If you don't think I will get some decent benefit from it, I'll skip getting it.
If moderators know who has had superpath, could you please tag them? I'll try to look up later and add tags if possible.
Thanks for any help on this!
 
@Sailfreeordie Your story is amazing. I can hardly believe you flew in, had surgery, and then 2 days later flew home alone. Wow. I am also not close to Dr. Grandic, but am about 5 hrs away and will drive. I'm really concerned about care afterwards. The ortho docs in Tampa want nothing to do with another surgeons surgery, but my family doc is willing to help as best he can. How did you handle followup?
I would love to hear more details of your story .How are you doing now? I think you are about 5 weeks from surgery, right?
 
@kpalms
you and I are having surgery just 2 days apart. We should trade contact info and talk while we recover together. Like @Sailfreeordie I am also not staying for post op 10 days later. Dr. Grandic says he is fairly confident I can leave to drive home to Tampa, 5 hrs, the day I am discharged. So that's my plan.
 
Also curious about superpath postop. Need high toilet seat? Other aids? Maybe we'll meet. I'll be in Bethesda West on Wed. two days after you.
 
Hello kpalms and flgirlie,
My suggestion is to get with Dr Grandic about your post op schedule.
I made two separate trips from St Thomas for pre op and the actual surgery. Doc showed mercy on my wallet concerning the post op. We were able to do that via electronic media and close communication via phone calls. I am sure if things had not went so well that I would have been required to make another trip to Florida. I don't want to say he will do this as a routine practice, especially on this public forum. That is a matter to be discussed between Dr and patient. I think the fact that I live1500 miles away and am not a wealthy person had a lot to do with it. Travel, car rental, and lodging is not covered by insurance.
I am recovering nicely from surgery, but want to get some physical therapy. As I mentioned earlier, I put off the surgery for so long that my left leg had lost a lot of strength and flexibility. It is still smaller than my right leg. I can finally cross my leg to put on my left sock normally. It hurts (muscle wise) to stretch that far and I can barely do it, but gets a little better day by day . Complete recovery will take time, but that's not the fault of the implant, rather the condition of the left leg due to 10 years of limited use.
Left THR Superpath December 11th, 2013
 
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We really don't have a lot of members who have had the SuperPath surgery, so I'm glad when someone posts here in this thread and tells their story about it. It is still relatively new even here in the US and not that many surgeons are using it. You can do a forum-wide search for "superpath," but it won't yield much right now.....maybe in the next few months as we get more members who have had it.
 
Hello Jamie,

Thanks for your encouraging words posted above. I don't mean to sound like a spokesperson for Superpath and Dr Grandic, however my experience was far better than I had hoped for. I certainly don't want to insinuate that other procedures and ortho docs are substandard. There are many success stories on this forum. That being said, it seems that Superpath is a little bit easier on the patient. It was certainly no picnic, but not as bad as I was expecting. I guess unless I have had the other procedures I can't be completely objective, but this sure seems to be the case. One thing that I am certain about is that my doctor is top shelf.
 
You are not the first person to have good results with this approach and then post them here, so no worries about the glowing reports. After all, we really DO like success stories!!! Your posts are just fine and are informative for people who are interested in this new approach. It is new enough that it really isn't time tested like the others, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. Much like the anterior approach, if it is an easier procedure for patients, it will eventually get picked up in the mainstream. So, please do continue to talk about your experience. I'm as interested in how you do as anyone!
 
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