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From: PRES SMITH
Date: 15 Jun 2000
Time: 19:47:22
Remote Name: 38.28.54.141
GREETINGS FELLOW HIPPIES!! MY STORY, LIKE MANY GOES BACK MANY YEARS. I'M 51 NOW & COMPLETED MY 4TH SURGERY 4/12/00. AT 32 I WAS AN AUTO BODY MAN WHO WAS SO CRIPPLED UP I HAD TO LITERALLY DRAG MYSELF AROUND ANY VEHICLE I WAS WORKING ON. AFTER BEING MILKED BY CHIROPRACTORS & ACUPUNCTURISTS FOR YEARS I FINALLY WENT TO A REAL DOCTOR WHO SHOWED ME, ON THE CHIROPRACTORS X-RAYS, WHAT MY PROBLEM REALLY WAS. AT THE TIME, I TOO, WAS TOLD I WAS TOO YOUNG TO UNDERGO REPLACEMENT PROCEDURES BECAUSE THIS WAS SUCH A "PERMANENT, IRREVERSIBLE STEP". AFTER FINDING A WONDERFUL RHEUMATOLIGIST WHO GOT ME WALKING AGAIN FOR A FEW YEARS, THE PAIN BECAME SO SEVERE THAT I COULDN'T STAND IT ANY LONGER. I TOLD THE SURGEON THAT IF HE WOULDN'T DO IT I WOULD FIND SOMEONE WHO WOULD. SO, IN "83" I HAD A CEMENTED THR. I WOKE UP WITH NO PAIN, LOOKED DOWN & SAW MY TOES & WIGGLED THEM & SAID.....YESSSSS. FIVE YEARS LATER THE OTHER SIDE WENT BAD & BRUSHING OFF THE DOCTORS SAME WHINE ABOUT BEING PERMANENT, I HAD THAT ONE FIXED ALSO. ONLY PROBLEM WITH THE SECOND ONE WAS THE CUP WAS INSTALLED WITH A 25 DEGREE ERROR IN THE ANGLE & FAILED IN FIVE YEARS...OPPPS! THEN WITH HELP FROM MY RHEUMATOLOGIST I FOUND MY CURRENT SURGEON WHO REPAIRED THE LEFT SIDE WITH A NEW CUP & BALL, AND THAT HIP HAS BEEN FINE SINCE. (KNOCK ON WOOD) AT THE TIME OF THE 3RD SURGERY, THE DOC WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE RT IMPLANT DUE TO ITS AGE & THE FACT THAT IT WAS CEMENTED. FOLLOWING ANNUAL CHECKUPS, LAST FALL THE RT HAD REACHED A POINT WHERE THE TISSUE AROUND IT WAS STARTING TO SHOW SIGNS OF DAMAGE & I SCHEDULED THE REVISION FOR APRIL 12TH. THIS DOCTOR STRESSES A 12 WK "NO WEIGHT" PROGRAM FOR REVISIONS SO I STILL HAVE A MONTH TO GO BEFORE I CAN PUT WEIGHT ON IT AGAIN. I FEEL I AM VERY FORTUNATE WITH ALL MY PROCEDURES (SAVE MAYBE THE 2ND ONE FAILING). I HAD VIRTUALLY NO POST-OP PAIN ANY OF THE 4 TIMES EXCEPT FOR A LITTLE DISCOMFORT FROM THE WOUNDS THEMSELVES. AND AS I'M SURE MOST OF YOU CAN SAY, THAT IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT "BONE ON BONE" GRINDING PAIN IS! AM LOOKING FOWARD TO RETURNING TO WORK IN JULY (NOT A BODYMAN ANYMORE) BECAUSE EVEN CABLE TV HAS ITS DEGREE OF TOLERANCE. WISH SITES LIKE THIS WERE AROUND DURING ALL MY OTHER RECOVERIES. WILL BE GLAD TO CORRESPOND WITH ANY WHO WANT TO, MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS smilingeagle@earthlink.net TO ANY OF YOU WHO ARE FACING THIS PROCEDURE, HANG IN THERE, IT'S NOT AS BAD AS MANY FEAR IT IS AND, IT SURE BEATS THE ALTERNATIVE.....BLESS YOU ALL PRES SMITH (^_^)