A Birmingham man who underwent two hip replacement operations in just seven weeks says his ‘dream came true’ when he took his wife dancing while on a cruise to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Less than a year earlier Don Bowden had almost been unable to walk or even dress himself as the hip pain he had suffered for years increased to unbearable levels.
But the 52-year-old social worker’s life changed following the two operations at BMI Edgbaston Hospital in Birmingham, carried out by orthopaedic surgeon Mr Manoj Sikand.
From early childhood Don Bowden, of Great Barr, Birmingham, had suffered problems with his hips and, by his early twenties, was diagnosed with arthritis.
In pain, but determined not to let it affect his life, Don carried on with his hobbies of hill walking, backpacking and golf. But, as the years went by, the pain increased until he had to give up on his old hobbies
“Some days I had to work hard to carry out basic actions, such as getting in the car or walking upstairs. I started to accept my limitations and compensated by finding alternative ways to do things,” explained the dad of two.
Then an accident in which a chair collapsed underneath him left him in such pain that doctors felt, despite his relatively young age, surgery was the best option.
Mr Sikand explained: “Don was suffering from advanced arthritis with the collapse of both hips and formation of large cysts in the joints.
“His hips were very stiff and allowed little movement so his mobility was significantly affected. The surgery was quite challenging because of the nature of the disease and his age - he is relatively young for such an operation.
“However, the outcome was excellent and I was delighted to see him up and about so quickly. He still has a great part of his life in front of him and I am sure he will enjoy it much more now he is able to do the things he loves.”
Mr Bowden is now taking regular 10-mile walks with his wife Sonia and has returned to playing golf. But he says the highlight was their anniversary cruise.
“We literally danced the night away - something I have never been able to do. It really has given me a ‘young again’ feeling and I can’t thank Mr Sikand enough.
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