News about Rudy Galindo

News about Rudy Galindo

Avascular necrosis (AVN), the damaging hip condition that Rudy was diagnosed with in summer, 2002, has necessitated surgical repair to restore function and eliminate increasingly severe pain. He will have total replacement of both hips. The first surgery is scheduled for August 19 in Reno; the second will be approximately six weeks later.

He will have the recently FDA cleared ceramic-on-ceramic hip implants that are now being used for younger, active people requiring the procedure.

Rudy plans to take the better part of a year off for surgery and to recover and rehabilitate. His goal is to skate and perform again. According to his surgeon, he will be able to do this; according to Rudy he will do it!

Some good news about Rudy's health came at the right time prior to surgery in his latest HIV-related blood work--C4 cell count over 600 and viral load undetectable.

There is more information--and will be more as it becomes available--on Rudy's web site: www.rudy-galindo.com/news.htm

Pardon duplicate posts on other boards.

Amanda

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

Not good news! Total hip replacements and the ensuing Rehab is enough to make one dispondent. He's a fighter, though, and my best to him.

Joe

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

Amanda, thanks for this information about Rudy. I hope he can do everything he wants to do after surgery.

Dee

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

Thanks Amanda ... I wish him the best.

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

Thanks for the news about Rudy. I wish him good luck in his recovery and hope to see him on the ice again.

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

IF ANYONE CAN GO THRU THAT KIND OF OPERATION AND COME OUT WINNING IT IS **RUDY** HE IS A FIGHTER AND I AM SURE HE WILL COME BACK STRONGER-MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS WILL BE WITH HIM

CB

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

After such a surgery, I doubt Rudy will be hitting all the triples but I bet we will see him on the ice. He is the kind of entertainer that doesn't need all the jumps to keep his audience happy. Best of luck to him.

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

Thanks for the news. It's not good, but I hope that everything will be OK. My best wishes to Rudy.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>He is the kind of entertainer that doesn't need all the jumps [/quote] I agree. They've been always a nice bonus, but he doesn't really need them.

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

Man, this sport is hard on the bones & joints! It's sad that he has to undergo this surgery and lengthy rehab. I wish him the best.

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

I just went to the website to check it out. My thoughts and skate prayers are with him. He is a fighter, I trust that he will be back.

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

I'm sad to hear that Rudy has to go through all of this, but glad that he can be pain-free once again. Good luck to him. ITA that Rudy is one skater who does not need all the triples - he's a real entertainer. I'm also happy to hear that his HIV seems to be under control. My prayers are with him. I love this guy.
Sally

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>The area Rudy mainly represents is the Health Connections case management program. "Health Connections case managers, social workers, and nurses help 700 clients solve their day to day needs which has had a fundamental effect on fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS in Santa Clara County."[/quote] This is one of the reasons I've always really admired Rudi; he always finds time to give back to his community. I know most skaters who have made big money do equally valuable volunteer work and I admire them for what they do as well. It just seems that Rudi has always been especially aware that anything can happen to anybody at any time and that services such as Health Connections can make the difference between someone going through unbearable suffering and a dignified and pain-free death. Even before he was diagnosed with HIV, for me, there was no one else in skating like Rudi.

As for the AVN in his hips, as most people know, people with HIV have to take a lot of medication to keep the virus and related medical problems under control. Unfortunately, some of these medications have side effects that can cause avascular necrosis. So in Rudi's case, it may not be the skating that caused his problem; it may have been one or more of the medications. It also could have been a combination of the medication side effects and skating. Whatever the cause, my heart goes out to Rudi for having to deal with yet another difficult health problem.

Of course I wish Rudi all the best with his surgeries and rehab. Having HIV makes the surgeries more dangerous in that they have to take extra precautions against infection, but I'm sure he has a great medical team. One thing about avascular necrosis is that it is one of the most painful conditions one can have. It's literally raw bone grinding on raw bone. If you hold a stethescope up to an AVN joint that is really far gone and have the person move, it sounds like dry sticks breaking or crunching. Rudi is enduring more than I can express, I'm sure, but I'm sure he is doing it with his typical positive approach and sense of humor.

GOOD LUCK, RUDI!
Rgirl

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

Rgirl, thank you for writing all those details, even though they're not easy to take... It's good to be well informed, though.

Btw, does anyone know if Rudy have an address we can write him at? I tried to find one at the web page, but there's only a guestbook, and I don't even know if he ever reads that.

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

Thanks to all of you for providing additional information about AVN and for giving Rudy so many positive wishes. For those who have asked, Laura is providing a Reno address for messages to Rudy. Hearing from people would give him a terrific lift and encouragement. (He also has his 34th birthday soon after his first surgery--September 7). I'll post as soon as I know.

There have been connections drawn about the frequent occurrence of AVN in HIV+ individuals since hip problems have shown up so much in that population. Although the role of medication is hard to question for obvious reasons (consider the alternative of NOT taking it), hip replacement technique may have benefitted from the need to do so many such operations on relatively young people.

Ceramic on ceramic has been around for over a decade, but only recently were materials utilized (alumina) that, when mixed with ceramic could avoid it's tendency to crack, etc. The FDA finally approved the technique in February, 2003, although several such operations had been performed prior to that time with successful results.

X-Ray images of AVN are stomach-turning. It's not the classic arthritic failure or fracture shading of bone and tissue, but rather a diseased look surrounding the joint area, almost like a giant gunshot wound. Rudy has been in often severe pain and so looks forward to skating pain-free. To him, there really isn't a question about not skating.

Amanda

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

After replacing both hips (R in 2000 & L in 2003) I can reassure people that the basic rehab is not too horrible after the first couple of days. And better to get both of them over with as quickly as possible.

A year later, I am having such fun doing everything without pain for the first time in years. This is a great change in quality of life.

I wasn't an athlete before surgery & don't aim to be one after. Rudy will go much farther towards skating again but "repetitive shock" activities (running, jogging, skipping) are forbidden to hip rep. patients. So jumping may be out almost completely.

Wishing him all the best & a completely successful recovery.

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

OH I THought you were going to say that he had died of aids or somethin, would serve him right. :|

<strong>Was going to delete this post but changed my mind as I want everyone to know this poster is now BANNED.</strong>

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>OH I THought you were going to say that he had died of aids or somethin, would serve him right. [/quote]

And you are wondering why people don't like you....

what?

skaterskickbutt, I seriously hope I'm hallucinating right now and didn't really see what you posted there.

Re: News about Rudy Galindo

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>OH I THought you were going to say that he had died of aids or somethin, would serve him right. [/quote]

That took a lot of nerve. Who the hell are you to play morality police?

Re: what?

Rudy is proud of who he is and doesn't have to make up a fake alias in public, unlike a certain "anorexic plastic six foot novice level skater at age 18 who can do triple Lutzes" poster who has to make up all sorts of things to get people to notice her.