Share review of Mr Nirav Shah

Mr Nirav Shah 2022-11-25 Person 5 5 0

was apprehensive when I first saw Mr Shah in 2019 but he soon put me at my ease and reassured me that a left hip replacement was my best option if I wanted to remain active. I was in my mid sixties and had got to the stage where I could barely walk, let alone do anything more strenuous. I had been referred (on the NHS, via my GP and a physiotherapist) for both hips, but it was my left one that really hurt. The circumference of my thigh on that side was several inches less than on my right, and stepping onto it felt very . After examining my X-rays and checking me over Mr Shah emphasised that even though my right hip was showing clear signs of deterioration, if it didn’t trouble me, there was no need to worry about it. I was placed on his NHS waiting list and a few months later given a hospital appointment. This was for January 2020. The lead up to the operation, the procedure itself, the hospital stay, and the aftercare, went very smoothly. I was soon back home, recovering. I had been told to expect a testing few weeks as my muscles adjusted, and I did find it hard initially, especially having to sleep on my back, After the third week, I felt myself going from strength to strength, and when I saw Mr Shah a month later he pronounced himself satisfied with my progress and emphasised that I could now lead a more or less normal life. When I saw Mr Shah again, for a further check up, in February 2021, my left hip was completely pain free and fully mobile. However, my right hip was deteriorating, to the point where its thigh had also shrunk dramatically, though I was still largely pain free. Mr Shah and I discussed this and we decided to review progress a year later, but that if it got worse in the meantime, for me to let him know. I held out for a further year, but by the time I saw Mr Shah in Spring 2022, I knew I had little option but to have my right hip replaced too. For the second time, I went on Mr Shah’s waiting list and returned to hospital in early August. Everything went much as before, and soon after I found myself recovering at home, briefly struggling with having to sleep on my back again. After a few weeks, I experienced the familiar resurgence of strength and vitality. Up to this point, it was reassuring to realise that the incredible reliance I was placing on my left leg was testimony to how well it had integrated since my first operation. Now, three months after my right hip replacement, I am looking forward to it doing much the same, which is a fantastic prospect. Apart from these two hip operations, I have never spent much time in hospital, and none ‘under the knife’, so no comparisons can be made. However, my unequivocal view is that I received the most wonderful treatment, from first to last, under the auspices of the NHS. I have nothing but boundless praise and admiration for all the professionals involved, from the doctor who first saw me and referred me to the physiotherapist, who in turn referred me to Mr Shah. Mr Shah himself, of course, has now provided me with, as he put it, ‘a matching pair’ of hips ‘for life’, for which I am more grateful than I can say. The fact they operate so seamlessly with the rest of me is testimony to his skill. All the staff I encountered at Goring Hall - receptionists, nurses, physios, caterers, ancillary workers, etc - were uniformly friendly, helpful, and unfailingly positive in outlook, which went a long way to lessening my apprehension. Finally, I must add a word of thanks to the two anaesthetists I saw, both of whom were extremely reassuring during those scary moments prior to ‘going under’.