Cork priest recovers in no time after ‘bikini hip op’
Performed through the bikini line and purported to result in quicker recovery times, less pain, and minimal scarring, the operation has a new poster boy in Fr Kelleher.
Within a day of surgery at the Mater Private Hospital in Cork, Fr Kelleher was walking “with no real pain compared to when I had my other hip replaced nine years ago”, he says.
The replacement at that time was a DePuy hip — since the subject of a worldwide recall after studies showed high failure rates in the implants.
“I spent six to eight weeks in hospital at the time,” said Fr Kelleher. “It was a totally different experience, there is no comparison whatsoever in terms of the timeframe for recovery.”
His bikini hip replacement took place on November 27.
“Three days later, my sister called to see me at home,” said Fr Kelleher. “I was walking around, no crutches. She asked when I was due to have my surgery.”
The former parish priest, who retired, but returned to duty at the Bishop’s request, now works as a curate in Cobh. At Christmas, just a month after his surgery, he flew to the US for a few weeks to celebrate his 70th birthday.
“I had six games of golf in four weeks and I jogged on the beach in Hawaii,” said Fr Kelleher.
He has officiated at five weddings since the surgery and “danced ‘til 3am in the morning” at the most recent. He also squeezed in a trip to Poland to help train an athlete in the high jump — she gained 5cm for her personal best in three days.
Fr Kelleher has a long connection with sport, but is best known in the fields of athletics, camogie, and ladies football. He is currently a selector with the Cork ladies minor football team.
Karuppiah Mahalingam, orthopedic consultant, operated on Fr Kelleher at the Mater, whichs he is the first in Ireland to carry out this operation, which they say results in “less post-operative pain as the muscles are not cut; less blood loss and muscle weakness; a rapid recovery (the patient will be up walking within 3-4 hours after surgery); a hidden scar in the groin area; less risk of dislocations; an early discharge home; and the patient can drive as early as 9-12 days after surgery”.
However, Fr Kelleher said a positive mindset played no small part in his recovery: “As my good friend physio Peter Maher says: ‘What the mind can conceive, the body will achieve’. That bit of advice always stands out.”
The surgery, according to the Mater, is suitable for the majority of patients.
It can also be performed on fractured hips in some cases.
