Robert DiBarba

If you had asked me how I was a year ago, I would have told you it felt like life as I knew it was over. For as long as I can remember, I've been a very active person. From playing hockey in college during my youth to coaching my daughters' softball teams as an adult, being out and about was not only natural to me, but gave me a sense of joy no Netflix marathon ever could.

It was in the spring of 2015 that I first began to feel pain in my hips. I was 58 years old and up until then had never experienced part of my body giving out on me. After trying to ignore the pain, I realized it was here to stay and went to see my first doctor. His diagnosis was Acute Arthritis and gave me cortisone shots before sending me on my way.

As months went on, the pain in both my hips grew worse and began to seriously impact my everyday life. Before I knew it my stride turned into a painful limp and I was reluctantly forced to purchase a cane. I swallowed my pride and realized I was not the capable, independent man I once was. I needed a solution to get my life back.

It was in my search for a second opinion that I found Hospital for Special Surgery and Dr. Nawabi. Understanding the severity of my situation, Dr. Nawabi saw me right away and determined that I needed a total hip replacement on both my hips. We immediately put a plan into action to replace my right hip on 9/10/15 and to replace my left hip soon after (My left hip would eventually be replaced on 1/27/16.

I'd never had major surgery before, but Dr. Nawabi made me feel at ease through the entire process. He truly gave the words "attentiveness" and "caring" new meanings for me. My pre-op appointments were never rushed as Dr. Nawabi made sure to thoroughly explain to me every step of the process and answer any questions I had. He had a genuine concern for my situation that made me feel confident I was in good hands.

I was a candidate for the anterior approach and the Makoplasty Robotic Arm Assist procedure. Dr Nawabi explained to me that this procedure is patient specific and performed from a 3-D model of your hip. After many discussions we both agreed this was my best treatment approach. By using this method, he was able to achieve optimal implant placement which resulted in a quick, pain-free recovery period for me. Thanks to Dr. Nawabi and the team at HSS, I had zero complications on either of my surgeries.

With a full range of motion and stability in both of my hips, I'm thrilled to say I have gotten a second chance at the active lifestyle I once thought I had lost forever. I'm back at the gym three nights a week and get to spend my weekends walking around my favorite city, NYC, with my daughter. Thanks to Dr. Nawabi my outlook on life has totally changed. I never thought I would have a pain-free life again, but here I am back in the game even better than before! I can't say enough about Dr. Nawabi and the team at HSS. I used to dread waking up in the morning. Now I wake up whistling, ready to take on the day each (pain free!) step of the way.