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Six weeks after his second hip replacement, Ron can do almost anything he wants to do. "I could feel it coming on for several years," Ron says. "It got to the point that I couldn't sleep at night." So, on a Monday in December, Dr. Mark Davis performed surgery on his right hip.
On Tuesday, Ron was up walking and on Wednesday and Thursday "I walked all over the place," he says with a chuckle. "It hurts, but it's a different kind of hurt from the pain before the surgery." And his hip wasn't all that was fixed that day. "I'd had blood pressure problems before the surgery, and after Dr. Davis fixed my hip, I don't even have to take the medications any more," Ron says. "My doctors aren't sure why, but their guess is that the pain had a lot to do with my blood pressure being so high."
Ron's active lifestyle for the past 66 years may have had something to do with his hips wearing out. "I used to race boats when I was a kid, outboard hydroplanes, and you did it on your knees," he says. "I also ran track and played football in college and high school. Those probably weren't the best things I could have done for my joints."
Ron and his wife work out at the Punta Gorda Tennis and Fitness Club almost every day and have for years. "We lift weights, and to us that's fun," he says. "Being in good shape before the surgery had a lot to do with how quickly I was able to recover after it, I think." Ron knew he had to be careful when he went back to the gym following his surgery. "Even when you get up and walk, you can't do everything. I couldn't do some things immediately after surgery, like sitting down on a bench to work out. You have to be careful how you sit down and stand up for a period of time, but I'm in good shape so that makes a difference."
Ron found Dr. Davis about two and a half years ago when he needed his left hip replaced. "I called a doctor friend of mine in New York, and he said, 'Why are you calling me? You've got some of the best doctors down there because they do about 100 surgeries for every one we do up here.' " Ron talked to a neighbor who had tried to have Dr. Davis do some work on him. "But Dr. Davis was very honest with him and told him he could help him, and it turned out to be a problem with his back instead. That honesty impressed me."
Ron's advice? "If it hurts bad enough, I'd say have the surgery done. I'm very partial to Dr. Davis because he's a real person, someone you can really talk to," he says. "You'd be surprised how many people ask you about your surgery afterwards."