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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
 Posted - 12/28/2011 : 09:39:58
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Thanks for the article Shawn, very timely since my hip has been more painful this past week due to overdoing it on the courts. When it hurts like this, it puts me back into the "arthroscopic repair" thought mode, as I'm in the "rest-it" mode. Now that this article has appeared in the vaunted NYT, it will become the "truth" by tonight. I really have no thoughts on the technology of hip-implants, Dr. Sarno mentioned in passing, to the effect that they can be a medical miracle.
What's interesting is "yesterday" implants were touted for "hope", tomorrow they will be the source of "fear" for those having them, ticking time bombs and potential sources of primary and secondary gain.
There have been nearly 150 comments to the NYT article and I've copied two that reflect my views:
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"PhaedrusWest Virginia
I was diagnosed with bad osteoarthritis in my hips 12 years ago at age 42, ending my marathoning and running career. Luckily, my superb orthopedic surgeon strongly recommended against surgery, saying that I was too active to sustain artificial hips for very long. He also had the foresight to simply advise taking naproxen, sparing me from the nightmares of other, now-discredited arthritis pain relievers like Celebrex.
Instead of surgery, I just stayed active, forcing the ligaments and muscles to manage the balky joints. Six years ago, my left femur totally fused to my pelvis with the arthritis, and since then my pain level has plummeted. I take a handful of Aleves per year, often going months without a single one.
Since my diagnosis, I have learned to snowboard (easier on the hips than skiing), and have continued to climb rocks and mountains. This past summer I finished all the 14,000' mountains in the lower 48 by climbing four technical (5.4 to 5.9) 14ers in a day. When the chips were down, even my fused hip performed way better than I could have hoped. One of the peak experiences in my life, and with old, very crappy hips.
Arthritis delivers meaningless pain, so I have learned to work through it. The best cure is to stay active even though it hurts. The pain does go away if you just keep going!
Dec. 28, 2011 at 7:58 a.m."
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"Belltower South Carolina
It isn't difficult to convince a person with hip pain that he/she requires hip replacement. Too bad it isn't just as easy to convince doctors that the procedure is usually totally unnecessary. Why is that? The answer is GREED, pure and simple. If you're a surgeon, you don't get paid unless you perform surgery. I feel very sorry for all the unnecessary suffering of patients whose implants have failed and certainly those who developed severe infections as a result of the gross negligence of medical personnel and the operators of our filthy hospitals. If we had the guts to eliminate waste, abuse and incompetence in our medical "system", we could have an excellent health care system with reasonable costs.
Dec. 28, 2011 at 7:53 a.m.
Clyde WynantPittsburgh, PA, USA"
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TaylorJoh
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2011 : 09:19:39
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tennis tom, those responses are remarkable and they're remarkable people. They aren't TMSers that is for sure. They remind me of my dad. I don't think my dad has experienced TMS pain in his life.
He never even missed a day of work. But he was sent home. One time, his face blew up from an infection in his tooth, but his boss sent him home, said he didn't want to look at him lol. Another time he got sent home was after a vicious dog attack. Got both of his ankles and wrists. His boss didn't want to see his blood soaked bandages and again sent him home. A couple of years ago at the age of 66, he got into a near fatal accident and broke 61 bones. 6 weeks later, he's up doing his garage sale and flea market shopping walking miles a day. It's amazing how tough and resilient the body is if the mind is "strong". I don't ever recall my dad yelling, stressing or expressing any anxiety. Due to his history of never having pain, I really believe he just doesn't register those emotions. My grandpa was the same exact way. But the most of the women in my family, just the opposite. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2011 : 10:08:36
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| TJ, your Dad does sound like a very remarkable man! The NYT comments section to the article is now closed with over 250 replies. I'm going to peruse them, some are a bit scary though. |
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The High Cost of Failing Artificial Hips
