Two Hip Replacements, One Active Lifestyle

Barbara Seiberlich, Columbia St. Mary’s surgical patient

Posted: June 1, 2006

Severe pain was the motivation for Barbara Seiberlich’s decision to have joint replacement surgery for both hips. The left hip replacement occurred two years ago, and surgery for the right hip was done last June.

The 58-year-old had experienced arthritic pain in her hips over a number of years, at first intermittently and then progressively worse. “The pain became almost totally debilitating,” she said.

Barbara, who has worked for 13 years in the radiology field, managed to perform her job while in pain, but her life was otherwise severely curtailed.

“The pain affected all aspects of my life. I was depressed, angry and extremely upset because I couldn’t carry on normally,” she said. “I couldn’t shop for groceries or at the malls, couldn’t sleep at night, couldn’t take my granddaughter to the zoo, couldn’t do the walking and biking that my husband and I had enjoyed together for exercise. Even at work I had a difficult time getting out of a chair.”

Barbara had been under a doctor’s care, but in January 2004 she went to Dr. Bruce Faure, an orthopaedic surgeon at Columbia St. Mary’s, for an examination. “The X-rays of my left hip showed bone touching bone. The protective cartilage on my hipbones had totally worn down. He also found that my right hip was deteriorating, too, but not as badly.”

Barbara had the left hip replacement surgery in late March 2004. “The day I had the operation, I returned to my hospital room and the severe pain that I had lived with for so long was totally gone. The nurses had me up walking that same night. And from that point on, they couldn’t get me to stop,” Barbara said. “In fact, three months later my family and I walked almost four miles in an Alzheimer’s fund-raising walk. The only member of my family who was able to keep up with me was my little granddaughter. It was wonderful.”

The surgery on Barbara’s right hip took place in June 2005. “The second operation differed from the first because it was minimally invasive surgery with smaller incisions. I had a faster recovery time because of this procedure,” she noted.

Joint Camp was excellent experience
Barbara credits Columbia St. Mary’s orthopaedic staff and the hospital’s Joint Camp with the “outstanding” recovery from both hip replacement surgeries.

“The Joint Camp experience was excellent and so informative,” she said. “My husband also was involved. We were able to see the actual titanium hip replacement components that were to be used. Also, the Joint Camp staff taught us what to expect during and after the surgery. They taught us how to walk with a walker and cane, how to go up and down stairs, how to get in and out of bed and how to get out of a chair.”

Barbara’s husband served as her Joint Camp coach, giving her moral support and helping with rehabilitation.

“The most important part for me was to faithfully do the rehabilitation exercises,” she said. “The Joint Camp staff encouraged me to do so. To this day, I still lie in bed and do some of those exercises. Not that I have to, but I’m just so happy that I can do them without any pain.”

Barbara highly recommends Joint Camp for anyone undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery. “It’s very informative, personal and helpful. And you get to meet the staff on the orthopaedic floor, so they aren’t strangers to you when you check into the hospital for surgery. That makes a big difference.”

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