Episode #897
April 11, 2026
Years ago, I had growing sciatica pain in my inner right thigh.
It was annoying, and I tried to ignore it.
Over time, the pain worsened, but I just kept pushing through it. A limp developed. I ignored it. It will get better, I told myself.
While exploring Bush Gardens wild animal park in Florida, I had an appointment at the Giraffe safari, 1/2 mile across the park. Even though the pain had crept into my leg again, I thought, “No problem. Half an hour to spare. I’ll just jog over there.” 100 strides along and the pain spread. I slowed to a walk. The pain was biting. Limping to a park bench, I sat and watched the crowd walk by. Adults strode past, young children skipped, and babies toddled. Even the old folks were nimble with their canes. “How do they all walk so easily with no apparent pain?” I marveled. In that moment, I knew that I had a serious problem.
Back home, I was diagnosed with acute osteoarthritis. The orthopedic surgeon said I needed a total hip replacement (THR). He illustrated the procedure with a skeleton doll.
“I will open up your thigh, dislocate your hip, and cut off the femur head, here,” he said, with a chopping motion. “Then I will ream out the hip socket and insert a metal cup. It’s a press fit, so I will seat the cup with a small hammer. Next, I will drill a 5/8” pilot hole in the femur for this prosthetic,” he continued, holding up the metal ball and shaft. “Once the glue and shaft bond, I can reassemble your hip and sew you up.” Unbelievably, the surgeon smiled and winked at me after this explanation.
“One more thing,” added the doctor. “This shaft tends to loosen over about 10 to 15 years. When that happens, we will need to replace this ball and shaft with one that has a larger diameter shaft.”
“What if the second shaft fails?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, but that will be that. There will not be enough thickness left in the femur to do another refit. And by the way, parachute landings will speed the THR failure.”
I was 50. I should quit skydiving? NO WAY! The first refit could be at 60, and the final failure could occur as early as 70 years old. After that, a wheelchair. This cannot be the best solution.
I researched alternatives to the THR.
A new alternative was an Articulating Surface Replacement (ASR). Instead of cutting the femur off, it is prepared and capped. No time-to-failure was given, but if the ASR failed, I could refit with a THR and then another THR after that. This extended the worst case to age 80 and was likely to last the rest of my life. Furthermore, the ASR will tolerate running and parachute landings. SOLD!
Because the ASR was experimental, the FDA had not approved it, and my insurance would not cover it. In the US, an ASR operation would cost $60,000.
I contacted a medical tourism agency. They put me in contact with a surgeon in India who had worked on the development of the DePuy ASR. Arrangements were made for round-trip airfare to India for my wife and I. The hospital was world-class. Paula stayed with me in my private room, and after the surgery, we stayed in a 4-star hotel arranged by the tourism agency. Included in the package was an overnight field trip to the Taj Mahal. All of this cost less than $20,000, a third of the cost in the USA.
A word about the Max Super Specialty Hospital in New Delhi. It is three high-rise buildings. South Block is orthopedic and joint replacement (where I was). East Block is where X-rays, MRI, and other tests are done. The East also houses Cardiac sciences, Oncology care, and transplants. The West Block handles Neurosciences, Urology, Liver and Kidney transplants, and Reconstructive surgeries. This is not a Hospital where many native Indians go. Patients are primarily Chinese, Arab, European, and American. This is partly because the $20,000 I paid for my surgery and stay would have purchased $100,000 worth of India’s goods and services.
There is a huge contrast between the Max Hospital and New Delhi. Traffic is horrendous. People are crowded to the point of maintaining no personal space. Poverty is shocking.
The buildings look as if they have not been painted since the British left. But the front doors of houses and businesses were often beautifully painted. When you entered a home or business, the interior was always neat, organized, and exuded an atmosphere of calm and welcome.
Every day I was at the hospital, the surgical crew visited me one person at a time. In the evening, my chief surgeon came to my room with his entire team. A personal psychiatrist visited me every day before and after the surgery. One outstanding visit was from the assistant surgeon. He came to my bedside at 8 pm the night before the surgery. He is a tall, light-skinned man who wears the turban of a Sikh. Somewhere on his person, he carries a dagger. This is a man who stands at the very top of the India cast system. His accented English was perfect. He sat on the edge of my bed and said, “OK, Rick. We are going to do this tomorrow. Is there any question you have that we have not answered?” After a moment of thought, I said, “My friends, family, and doctors in the USA express concerns about infection here.”
He tilted his head in that typically Indian manner, smiled, and said, “We do not do infection here!”
This was apparent to me when I was gurneyed into the surgical theater. The SWOOSH – SWOOSH of the positive pressure environment was reassuring. Ironically, I could hear the mooing of sacred cows in the parking lot. Just before I was sedated, the nurses and interns in the room fired up In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida for their new American friend.
I awoke to a new future at the hands of the most skilled and professional people I have ever met. I have been skydiving for twenty years since then with no problems with my bionic hip.
IF YOU LIKE THIS BLOG YOU’LL LOVE MY BOOKS:
“Skydivers Know Why Birds Sing” by Ricki T Thues is now available on Amazon.
It is a Love story of Rick and Paula Thues and their 35 years of Skydiving.
Click HERE to buy the paperback or Kindle ebook at Amazon.
Follow Ricki T Thues on Amazon HERE.
ALSO AVAILABLE:
“Technically Human” by Ricki T Thues, the iMentor, is available on Amazon.
It is a compilation of selected episodes from this bLog which tell the story of Humanity through the eyes of the iMentor.
Click HERE to buy the paperback or Kindle ebook at Amazon.
The ebook version of “Technically Human” is also available on Kobo. Click HERE.
For you Barnes and Noble Nook readers it is available for Nook. Click HERE.
The “Technically Human” ebook is also available on Apple Books . Click HERE.
