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Patient Testimonials:Johnny Bench's Testimonial for Ceramic-on-Ceramic Hip Replacements
Suddenly, my life and lifestyle were dictated by my pain. I would wake up with pain, go to bed with pain, and wake up to it all over again. It was preventing me from enjoying my life, and even my family. Something as simple and pleasurable as throwing a baseball to my son in the backyard, became virtually impossible. I was often tired, could barely manage more than a few hours of sleep at a time, and the constant pain made me irritable and short tempered. I couldn’t even walk upright! My pain had finally reached a level that was unacceptable to me. Fortunately, it was around this time that I happened to be in Naples, FL for a golf outing and I bumped into my good friend, Dr. Mort Bertram. After the round that day, Mort came up to me and said that he had seen me walking down one of the fairways, and from the way I was hunched over to one side, he guessed that my hip pain had worsened. I was quick to agree with him, and decided there and then to set up an appointment to see him and finally do something about this pain that was ruling my life. I had known Mort very well when he was practicing in Cincinnati, so I had complete faith in him as a doctor. For this reason, I was back in Naples a mere 7 weeks later, and eagerly awaiting my new hip, which had, for in my mind, become synonymous with a new life. As I mentioned, knowing Mort as I do, I was confident that the operation would be a success. What I had not been prepared for, however, was how unbelievably better I would feel in such a short time! Dr. Bertram used the very latest in Total Hip Replacement technology, the ceramic-on-ceramic joint replacement, which incorporates a titanium stem with a ceramic ball coupled with a ceramic socket. The piece de resistance was the Accolade Stem, which allows immediate weight bearing. In fact, the technology is so advanced, and the resulting joint is so stable, that they actually get you up and out of bed the same day as your surgery! While that first time was a little painful, it got considerably easier each day, and under Dr. Bertram’s excellent care, I was barely using two crutches by the time I was discharged from the hospital, four days later! (It certainly helped considerably that the staff at NCH were very capable and efficient, and provided me with the highest possible level of care. I owe a debt to each and every one of them!) I was given a detailed physical therapy and rehabilitation program, which I found easy to follow, and I was also able to spend a week doing aqua therapy, which helped me tremendously. I was even able to throw away my cane (having long since given away my crutches) a mere 3 weeks after the surgery! Most wonderful of all, though, has been the absence of pain in my life. I have now resumed all of my daily activities, including driving a car, and I am trying to convince Mort that I am just about ready to tee it up again! I now sleep through the night, waking up refreshed and pain free, and looking forward to every day. I have even grown an inch or two, now that I can walk upright once again! The difference that this surgery has made in my life is impossible to quantify. All I can say is, Thank you, Mort, for truly giving me my life back! Johnny Bench |
After spending more than 16 years playing Major League Baseball, and being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, you can imagine that I know a few things about baseball. It may also come as no surprise to you, that I also know a lot about pain. During my career I have endured all kinds of pain; broken fingers, pulled muscles, and even 9 broken cups! However, it wasn’t until 2002, after years of taking medication for osteoarthritis, when my right hip joint had finally worn down to the point that it was bone-on-bone, that I fully realized just exactly how debilitating pain could be.