Why Travel Abroad?

[walker]

wow - those are beautiful facilities - my hospital did not even have a raised toilet seat OR handrails - in the BATHROOM... and i was on the orthopaedic ward - isn't that unbelievable?
group hug everybody....

 

[UTdave]

Walker,

Re: Patella fractures

If the fracture lies horizontally (transverse fracture) the forces at the knee tend to displace the fragments resulting in non-union and need for open reduction and internal fixation. Vertically oriented fractures can often be managed in a knee immobilizer and time.

Hope that helps. Don't substitute my lowly information for an board-certified orthopedic surgeon's!

D

 

[webbie73]

Agreed Gail, but when traveling alone, it is nice to have the security of medical care close at hand. Besides, just look at these, they are not your run of the mill facilities! (smile)

Belgium:
http://www.villacentopassi.com/fla/index.html

India:
http://hipresurfacingindia.com/New_Hip_Surgery_Facility.php
The brand new facility for overseas Hip Surgery Patients has been inaugurated. This has been named the "Platinum ward". Facilities here are custom built for Hip Surgery patients.

It includes the following:-

* Private suite with fully automated cot
* Easy access to Bath/ toilet which is customised for
Hip Surgery patients
* Wall mounted plasma TV with 50 channels & (Over 1,000 English DVD movies available for rent)
*All suites equipped with Laptops having cordless wi-fi internet connection so that it can be operated from the bed
*Extra couch for an accompanying person to sleep
*Kitchenette with microwave/ refrigerator/ Coffee maker
* 'Hip corridor'
for patients to practice walking after surgery
* Lounge to relax or receive visitors. This has an attached mini library
* Overseas patients office is situated within this facility for easy interaction and availability

Just saying anyone in that position that does not have insurance or the financial means to have surgery here, you can find top notch care with several incredible docs overseas and "not" be afraid.

HipPain

Considering myself pretty lucky to have gone to a hospital with all the above, had a surgeon who is tops in his field, operated on in a state of the art OR which was build for computer assisted surgery and didn't have to leave the USA. Even had 14 days in a beautiful rehab center.
So yes, for some over seas is the answer but you can also get the same treatment here. You make is sound like you can only get that kind of service overseas.

Kathy

 

[hippain]

Hi Kathy,

That is great you found a wonderful place here in the U.S. 'and' that you were fortunate enough to have had insurance to cover it. Sorry if I made it 'sound' like you can only get that overseas, never meant that at all. I just want those less fortunate than you to know that some of the horror stories you hear about overseas surgeries are 'not' always true 'if' you do your research carefully, find the right surgeon and hospital, check to find a local doc to do follow up, then it can actually be a beautiful and healing experience. (smile) Have a wonderful weekend.

HipPain

 

[Troweltalk]

Hi Kathy,

That is great you found a wonderful place here in the U.S. 'and' that you were fortunate enough to have had insurance to cover it. Sorry if I made it 'sound' like you can only get that overseas, never meant that at all. I just want those less fortunate than you to know that some of the horror stories you hear about overseas surgeries are 'not' always true 'if' you do your research carefully, find the right surgeon and hospital, check to find a local doc to do follow up, then it can actually be a beautiful and healing experience. (smile) Have a wonderful weekend.

HipPain

What if you don't have a good experience overseas?

We know how our own medcial and legal systems work, so what recourse does a "medical tourist" have in a far away land like India; especially with extremely limited funds (which seems to be the main reason you have promoted to go overseas).

 

[hippain]

I have heard of medical tourist companies, some reputable, some not, again, do your research, that offer insurance coverage that covers anything that goes wrong. Some that I have heard of are Healthbase and Worldmedassist. Again, with the top docs that most go to for hip resurfacing, I have never read of one case on the other message boards that have ever had any serious problems.

I have however read of some cases that had serious problems and have had no recourse even though they had surgery in Canada or the U.S. because they signed a waiver.

Again, Mudpro you have every right to and luxury to stay in the U.S. to have your surgery and choose to go to the doctor you wish to, but for those that have no choice there is no need to try to scare them. I am sure there are other doctors in India or Mexico, or other places that are not reputable and patients have had horrible results, but if you do your research thoroughly then you should not have any problems.

I am 'not' promoting that people should go overseas at all. I am saying that if someone is put in a position where they lost their jobs have no medical insurance and can not afford surgery in the U.S. that there are other options. Unfortunately this is a reality in the way our economy here is today. There are plenty of excellent surgeons in the U.S.

HipPain

 

[Troweltalk]

I have heard of medical tourist companies, some reputable, some not, again, do your research, that offer insurance coverage that covers anything that goes wrong. Some that I have heard of are Healthbase and Worldmedassist. Again, with the top docs that most go to for hip resurfacing, I have never read of one case on the other message boards that have ever had any serious problems.

I have however read of some cases that had serious problems and have had no recourse even though they had surgery in Canada or the U.S. because they signed a waiver.

Again, Mudpro you have every right to and luxury to stay in the U.S. to have your surgery and choose to go to the doctor you wish to, but for those that have no choice there is no need to try to scare them. I am sure there are other doctors in India or Mexico, or other places that are not reputable and patients have had horrible results, but if you do your research thoroughly then you should not have any problems.

I am 'not' promoting that people should go overseas at all. I am saying that if someone is put in a position where they lost their jobs have no medical insurance and can not afford surgery in the U.S. that there are other options. Unfortunately this is a reality in the way our economy here is today. There are plenty of excellent surgeons in the U.S.

HipPain

With all due respect and courtesy...

You ARE "promoting" or "selling" this whole concept, i.e., in the same breath you claim to have heard about serious cases in the US and Canada where people have signed a waiver and have no recourse against a doctor or facility that botches something, while making claims that you have never heard of any problems with any of the "top" doctors abroad, i.e., India.

I'm sorry, but to make such blatantly bias and misleading statements, it does make one suspect your motives.

 

[Josephine]

Whilst not wishing to put down the excellence of the treatment you got, hippain, and regardless of all the pleasant stories from any resource or country, there is an irrefutable, inescapable fact which is that all surgeons, even the very, very best, have their share of poor outcomes.

This is the truth, plain and simple.

There is not a surgeon on this planet that never has complications, short or long term, and somewhere along the line there are going to be patients who have had the bad luck to be one of those five in every thousand (0.5%) that have problems.

Obviously I am pleased you are one of the 995 lucky people - as am I - but it has to be taken into account when doing something like this. I just think of all the people who have been highlighted in various TV documentaries and those I have come across in real life. Far too many for my liking. It's a big, big risk.

 

[Judles]

Well done, Jo!!!!! How are YOU feeling today! Wow! There's such a big difference in how your scar looks!! . I think everyone would love to close this thread already! I think we all get it!!!!

 

[Josephine]

I'm tempted, Judles, but I don't like being a strict nanny! Perhaps eventually it will wear itself out.

Well, I can only hope!

 

[Judles]

Sounds like you are doing great!!!

 

[Jamie]

I think the most important point in the last couple of posts for anyone considering going to another country (or, for that matter....staying in their OWN country) is to have a plan for what to do in case there is a problem with the surgery. Small or large, whether you hear of them or not, problems can arise and it would be wrong to not present that fact for people who are researching options. Find out what recourse you have if something doesn't work out properly. And then go forth with whatever decision you make (that is best for you) knowing that the greatest percentage of surgeries done in a major well-respected hospital by an experienced surgeon skilled in YOUR particular procedure go quite well.

 

[Rebecca]

Hi All!

I'm a newbie, this is my first post so if there are any perceived slights please take them with a grain of salt as none are intended!

For over 20 years I was a professional skier. When not on the slopes I worked in the ER dealing mostly with orthopedic issues. What they don't tell you when you begin to do something as aggressive as skiing a hundred plus days a year, is the toll it takes on your joints. For me the issue was not my knees, but my hips. There was an unknown genetic issue in my family hiding in the wings so between the two, I was bone on bone in my hips at the ripe old age of 35 after only 15 years of skiing, After 20 years plus a few and only a smidgen over 40 years old, my joints had became so inflexible my skiing days were done with.

As I was loosing my ability to ski I went to one of the top sports orthopedists on the east coast. He did an examination and after the X-rays were in his hand, he put them into the viewer, gave a low whistle, (he told me for years that I was nuts to ski) and said “Becky, it's not going to be a question of do you have your hips replaced, but when." He then went on, and VERY candidly, listed ALL the restrictions I would have following a THR unless I wanted a dislocation. What is more as I was still young and active he said I could count on a THR being replaced at least three or more times during my life and that I should reasonably expect diminishing returns from every surgery.


His “off the books advice?” Endure the pain until I could stand it no more! I really had little choice as I did not want to give up so much of what I loved, so I lived on in increasing agony for ten years until even with large doses of narcotics I had progressed to the point where walking was now an issue, My skis and snowboard long since gone...


In the mean time, I did my homework, consulting with all the best doctors as to what THEY would do (same answer as the first) and did journal search after journal search looking at every possible option, comparing prosthesis', doctors, hospitals, and procedures knowing that one day I would have to cave in and get it done.


In my searching I came across Hip Resurfacing and the BHR time and again and it quickly stood out as the preferred procedure and prosthesis for a woman of my age and hopefully, resumed activity level. The only question was where, and with whom did I have it done. Here in America even now HR is still a new procedure, and frankly there are very few doctors who've passed that critical threshold of the 70-80 procedures required to become proficient with its placement. Because of this, every doctor I spoke with said. “If they discovered damage worse than they feared I should expect to wake up with a THR. “ Uhhh... where was my say in this? This is why I lived in pain for 15 years!!


I have worked in medicine for too long to accept that and off the record, ALL the doctors I consulted with agreed, but offered no other choices. So I began to researched doctors overseas with more experience and greater success rates with a BHR than those in the states settling finally on DR VJ Bose in Chennai India. Dr Bose studied directly under McMinn the creator of this prosthesis and DR Bose is now at the top of his field having now performed well over 1,500 HRs with all three of the variations of the BHR. (I was somewhere around 1,600 or so) I also researched Apollo Hospital where he practices and found them to be an accredited facility with a documented secondary infections as low or lower than most of the hospitals here.


So once I had my insurance companies blessings it was off to India,


Yes the trip to and from India in pain is ungodly long and not for the feint of heart. Yes it is very disconcerting to be in a strange land while one is healing. No, for me it was not the cake walk some have, nor was it painless, Far from it! I had lots of pain and even being a former athlete I though my recovery slow, (I had seen all the wonder videos too!) but than again I was always impatient with such things and I have to admit compared to other women I know who've had a THR, it was the difference between day and night.


I was off the walker after two days, I was able to drive after two weeks, I was down to a single crutch in three weeks and so on... My PT after leaving the hospital, consisted of walking more every day and going to a heated pool three times a week for an hour where I working on range of motion and regaining strength. At six months I was able to resume Ballet Classes... something that I had given up 15 years before because I lost my range of motion and it just plain hurt too much


Bottom line... I have worked in some of the better hospitals here in America and I have received, and seen some of the best care possible anywhere. That said, this is shrinking world and the images we have about what medicine is like “out there” is outdated and frankly xenophobic... We now have real choices and we are all the better for it.


Personally? Having been behind the scenes for years in medicine and now having experienced it in a very different setting. When it comes down to my own care, or the care of my loved ones I will seek out the best doctors with the best records for the procedure I or my loved ones need wherever that doctor and hospital may be... Its a new day and the fact we are having an international conversation about it on line rather proves the point doesn't it?


Thank you all again for allowing me the privilege of joining in on your conversations!


Becky

 

[loggon]

Glad to hear you are doing better Jo

I am all for closing this thread down. As pointed out to me in a private message we get some newbies and they come here first.

I think this thread takes away from what this site was set up for.

That being folks to make us happy when we are whinning about our pains.

Folks sharing their experience with us on their surgery.

Asking questions and having the great advise of Jo, Jamie and the other members.

A place you know you can sign on to and be feeling bad and leave feeling great.

Time to close this thread. Hippain you and I think your friends have made your point. There are other places to go. I am sure they are great to. But as Jo said no matter how good the OS is mistakes can and are made.

In the good ole USA we have mal-practice insurance for that whether or not a waiver has been signed. Sell it know all about it.

Yep I have to agree with the other person making the post Hippain,
you are PROMOTING leaving ones country to have surgery elsewhere.

One thing, if they don't have money to have surgery in the country they are in, they don't have money to fight a law suit if something goes wrong. If you are not a citizen of the Country you had the procedure in, you have NO recourse.

Lets close this site and not let another one like this open.

 

[prairienut]

I also favor closing this thread. All points have been made and remade.
Gail

 

[Judles]

Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you, Pat!!! Aren't we all fortunate that we have OPTIONS??? No matter where in the world you have your surgery done, we ALL want the BEST outcome!!!

 

[Texas]

I agree, The points have been made over and over again. No new material. We all get it now!!! . Pretty much every choice in the world is on here. Now it's just repeated!!!!! Thanks for listening like we did !!!

 

[Jamie]

I understand how you guys feel. But the best thing for those of you who think that everything has been said on this subject and that you're not interested in this thread is just to ignore it.

Jo is right that the forum must be free to allow whatever dialogue members want as long as it fits the BoneSmart rules of not being inacurate, abusive or inflammatory. Granted....a couple of threads lately have had some problems in those areas, but that's when your friendly moderators DO step in and take action.

I have no problem with someone coming on and posting their story. People doing that and allowing other members to ask questions is part of what we are all about. And there are plenty of folks willing to question! Our members have BRAINS and they can pick up comments that just don't ring true. Members have a right to make up their own minds as to whether the claims being made are something they believe in or not.

In the meantime, please know that Jo and I are watching every thread here to be sure that if a line is crossed, the posters are dealt with in the proper manner.

 

[Texas]

Thank you Jamie, still thinking about those shoes though lol, gotta have a lil humor, just makes things better !!!!

 

[Judles]

And I'm thinkin of Miss Toody siting next to those red crocs! Gotta keep her mom happy!!!