Patrick's Story

Thankful for quick recovery following hip surgery after years of discomfort

Growing up as one of four boys in his family, Patrick Mendez of Dearborn, spent much of his time with his brothers participating in a variety of sports. The 55-year-old corporate tax consultant continued his active healthy lifestyle into adulthood including golf and running the Detroit Free Press Marathon.

Now a married father of four with three grandchildren, Patrick takes great pride in his active role in his children’s lives including being part of their athletic endeavors and serving as a traveling softball coach. But his busy lifestyle deterred him from seeking care for nagging hip pain that progressed through the years.

“Although it was not extremely painful, I had experienced pain on the right side of my hip for about 10 years,” he says. “It progressed to the point where I would really start noticing pain when I would sit, run or even push the lawn mower.”

Taking control and improving mobility

Patrick shares that in 2022, his wife Stacey was diagnosed with breast cancer and was successfully treated at Henry Ford Health. With Stacey’s positive hospital experience and family members who had undergone hip replacement procedures at Henry Ford, he researched and consulted with Trevor Banka, MD, orthopedic surgeon who specializes in total joint replacement.

“There are health care choices in the region and after several members of my family had positive experiences with their health situation, including two daughters who are athletes and had excellent results with sports acupuncture, I made the decision to seek treatment with Dr. Banka.”

After a careful evaluation, Dr. Banka confirmed that Patrick could benefit from a right total hip replacement.

"Patrick had been suffering with severe hip osteoarthritis also known as joint degeneration and was powering through despite the severity of his condition. He was really taking care of others and trying to ignore his hip pain," says Dr. Banka.

In September of 2023, Patrick underwent the surgical procedure, and he was pleasantly surprised how quickly he bounced back.

“I waited several years to undergo the surgery because as a busy husband and father, I did not want to be away from any activities that could prevent me from experiencing important aspects of my family life. Fortunately, Dr. Banka was very clear about what to expect and that relieved my fears,” said Patrick. “I had the surgery at 7 a.m. and by 9:30 a.m. I was already up and moving down the hall and heading home by 11:45 a.m.”

Patrick says he was proud that he did not need any prescription or over the counter medication. “It wasn’t due to a high pain threshold; I just didn’t need it.”

And physical therapy was minimal due to his excellent recovery from the procedure. “Due to my quick recovery and mobility, I was even able to drive to physical therapy for follow-up treatment two weeks after surgery,” said Patrick.

Dr. Banka noted Patrick may need a total hip replacement on his left hip down the road and it’s likely his recovery will be just as quick.

“Patrick’s swift recovery is what I expect from most of my patients, and I have no doubt he will bounce back just as quickly when he's ready for his left total hip replacement,” noted Dr. Banka. “My surgical approach, technique and rapid recovery protocol allow for patients to resume their desired activities very quickly and they usually surprise themselves at how fast they are back to normal."

Diet and health are a priority for Patrick. And even though he held off on committing initially to a hip replacement, with a new right hip and doctor that made his experience a success, he doesn’t hesitate to get additional treatment on his left hip if needed.

“I was worried that surgery would mean I would be out of commission for several months. After Dr. Banka clearly explained what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised. My wife even took several days off of work to help me in my recovery and she joked after the second day she didn’t know why she took the extra time off.”