From comments posted on my blog -
Is it worth it to travel to see Dr. Philippon - YES! I have seen the aftermath of surgery done by other "experts". Dr. Philippon becomes the last hope for many of those patients to fix the repairs done by others. There is a reason that pro athletes go to see him for hip problems. It's the same reason you should -- he sees more of these types of problems than any other hip surgeon in the united states - he is the expert and he is SMART!! I have 100% confidence in him and wouldn't let anyone else deal with my hip issues.
Accommodations in Vail - Expensive!! ugh!! Steadman Hawkins used to have some deals with some places in Vail -- not that you are going to get 50% off or anything like that but it should help somewhat. I would also check VRBO.com. People list condos and homes for rent and it turns out to be much more pleasant than staying in a hotel.
Me give up hope? -- NEVER!!! I will conquer this and I know Dr. Philippon won't stop until I am back to where I want to be. We are a team and I will be backpacking, hiking, canyoneering and causing all sorts of trouble before long. It's another year in a whole lifetime. I am good with that.
Always happy to answer questions as I hope you all know. If you want to email me directly -- almcz@aol.com.
And, my last piece of advice -- stay in Vail and do PT as long as you possibly can with the therapists at Howard Head. They are incredible and you will be way ahead in recovery by the time you leave. I have done it both ways and my strength on my left side still exceeds my right even though I am having issues with my left. Just like with Dr. Philippon, these are people who work with pro athletes and see LOTS of hip patients every day. They know what to look for, when to push and when to stop something before you do damage. Love, love them!!
3 comments:
I wish you would have posted the comment about Howard Head a few months ago. I had my Surgery August 30th. Everyone at Howard Head was great, and I wish I would have stayed at least 2 weeks post op, vs. the one I did.
My PT back home said that mine was the worst case she had ever seen, but she is amazed at how smooth my hip feels when she does the circumduction portion of my PT. So that's another huge credit to Dr. Philippon, as she deals with a local Orthopod on FAI with over 100 patients per year.
Anyway good luck on your next surgery!
April - I have been reading your blog for a long time but have yet to comment. I felt inspired to go ahead and see if Dr. Philippon would fix my hip (CAM bump and labral tear with acetabular impingement). He said yes and I am scheduled March 8th, 2012. I am curious...did he tell you this is a genetic thing, and is your other hip the same problem you had initially that required your first surgery? The reason I ask is that since this started in my left hip and I got my surgery date, I am starting to have the same pains in the right hip. Uggh. I am wondering if I'll have to have the other one fixed too! After your first surgery did you get back to full activity with your hiking etc? Thanks for your time.
Laura
I agree with everything April said above. Thanks to this blog I made the decision to stay in Vail for a month post-op, and there's no way another choice would have been good enough for me. I rented a little one bedroom condo in the Vail Raquet club in May 2011 for about $1300. It's about a 10 minute drive to the facility and I found it on VRBO. Vail Village, East Vail, and West Vail are all really close to each other.
8 months after my first surgery I had scar tissue binding and restricting my movements, only getting worse everyday. Now, 11.5 months post-op I am getting better everyday, training for a 17 mile hike to the bottom of the grand canyon on the 1 year anniversary of my revision and reconstruction with Dr Phillipon.
The whole operation, Dr Philippon's office, the hospital, and all the folks at Howard Head are top notch and this blog convinced me of that. I highly suggest anyone considering going to vail read every entry in this blog.
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