HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY IN ONTARIO
After learning I needed a hip replacement at 59 years old, I was advised by my ortho that a new procedure called Hip Resurfacing was now an option for younger more active patients, and I was given the option of pursuing this. Less than two months later I met with a doctor in Ottawa who advised me that there was a one year wait for hip surgery, by which time I would be 60 years old and too old for hip resurfacing for a female. Prior to this appointment I had done lots of research and found out that although I was at the higher end of the age scale, I should not be considered too old for this procedure, however this particular doctor was not prepared to do anything other than a THR.
Through the following websites, I gained as much information as I could and made contact by email and/or met with four more doctors and all agreed I was indeed a good candidate for this procedure.
Links: http://www.surfacehippy.info/index.php
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/surfacehippy/
http://www.hipresurfacinginfo.com/
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/transformation/wait_times/public/wt_public_mn.html
The biggest problem in Canada is the long waiting lists. Through the various websites I was able to get the names of qualified doctors in Canada who performed hip resurfacing and then found the hospitals they were affiliated with. I narrowed down my search by selecting the doctors whose hospitals had the shortest waiting lists and less than four months later I had a Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) done in Toronto.
Hopefully these links will give someone else the information necessary to achieve their goal.