My Story

MY STORY

I'm 33 years old, with a hip on a mission. I underwent a left hip resurfacing on 5th July 2010. It was the DePuy ASR, which has been under the spotlight since the recall on August 2010. 

One month after my surgery!!

The bad news is that I only found out "hap-hazardously" about the recall 2 weeks ago. The good news is that I can do something about it.

In 2 weeks I have been to hell and back trying to get answers, and for the past 18 months I have been tolerating a plethora of symptoms as a result of the implant. I hope that my story will help South Africans go about this the right way, without the trauma of being left in the dark about the reality of this thing.

WHY HIP RESURFACING AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE?

In 1995 I was the fastest woman on water in SA, water ski racing behind super-charged Chevrolet V8's, racing in the ocean in enduro's for as long as 2 hours @ 100km to 140km/h.

I had a serious fall at the World Championships in Belgium, and I was admitted to a Hospital in Blankenberg with a grade III MCL injury (medial collateral ligament of the knee),  and a head injury. 

After a few stitches to the forehead, the only pain I could feel was in my knee. We suspect that I suffered a partial hip dislocation at the time, but I was not feeling pain in that area because the pain was deferred. Also, it was difficult talking to foreign doctors and explaining how I was feeling after concussion.

For years after this I dismissed the pain emanating from the left hip, and always thought that it was due to the strenuous exercise I was always doing. I continued wakeboarding - rode for one season of the SA Pro Tour Stop, and did my last water ski race in 2005 in England.

In 2009 I started swimming and had entered for the SA Masters Championships for 2010. My goal was to conquer! Once I had started daily training, I suffered intense pain in the hip, and couldn't walk for longer than 5 minutes, and I couldn't exercise without pain in my hip.

I saw my first orthopedic surgeon in February, who told me I had necrosis of the femoral head. I could NOT believe him when he told me I would need to have a hip replacement. AT MY AGE....JA RIGHT!

I was determined to prove him wrong. I went for 2 other opinions and they all came back with the same conclusion. Refusing to accept this, I started my research.

I read all about hip replacements and became petrified that I would feel like an old woman, with no chance of conquering my sport, with limited mobility, and a lifetime of "being careful".

I found out about "hip resurfacing", a new technology and approach which is the perfect alternative for young patients.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
This is taken from Wikipedia:
Hip resurfacing has been developed as a surgical alternative to total hip replacement (THR). The procedure consists of placing a cobalt-chrome metal cap, which is hollow and shaped like a mushroom, over the head of the femur while a matching metal cup (similar to what is used with a THR) is placed in the acetabulum (pelvis socket), replacing the articulating surfaces of the patient's hip joint and removing very little bone compared to a THR. When the patient moves the hip, the movement of the joint induces synovial fluid to flow between the hard metal bearing surfaces lubricating them when the components are placed in the correct position. The surgeon's level of experience with hip resurfacing is most important; therefore, the selection of the right surgeon is crucial for a successful outcome.

WHY WAS MY PROSTHESIS, THE DEPUY ASR RECALLED?
It was recalled because of it's high failure rate. Surgeons and studies expect the DePuy ASR to reach a 100% failure rate within the next few years. Please watch this awesome video explaining why it was recalled: