I would like to encourage readers to be their own advocates when it comes to their health and in particular to be willing to ride the ferry to seek a second opinion.

My wife required a hip replacement at the improbably early age of 47. She saw a doctor located in Silverdale, who looked at her X-ray and said, “Oh, my God. You must be in a lot of pain.”

He then explained that no one would do her hip because she was too young. My wife asked that, given the great pain, what she should do for the next three years. The doctor recommended an over-the-counter acetaminophen pain reliever twice a day and a walking stick, before encouraging her with the words, “and when you are fat and fifty, someone will do your hip.”

My wife had a successful hip replacement on Sept. 30 at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. She is neither fat nor fifty. If there are any other patients waiting to age and gain weight before surgery, I recommend instead that they consult a physician in a greater metropolitan area.

Christopher Moore,

Poulsbo