I am in the USA, in Tennessee. Last year I had both of my hip joints replaced four months apart. The first one was perfect. Within five weeks I was as mobile and flexible as I had been before the Avascular Necrosis brought on by 30 years of intermittant cortico-stearoid use for severe asthma. The first surgery leg I can hug my knee to my chest...absolutely not pain whatsoever. The second one is a nightmare. Beyond the normal pain after an Anterior approach, I have been left with severe constant pain. The only thing that changes is the levels of pain. At it's best, I need a cane and I limp. At it's worst I need my walker and cannot move my leg at all in any way, nor can I dangle it and hop and it causes nausea, sweating profusely, the sensation that I am going to faint and messing on myself. Thank God I have not messed on myself.
Now, ten months out from the second hip replacement, I struggle with weight gain from inactivity, depression and I shower less frequently and well, you get the picture. My doc had me receive an injection into a tendon, Illiopssis or something like that, believing that it is the culprit of my pain. That tendon became so angry afte the injection, that is put me down for 4 to 5 days at a time unable to move.
Now, due to my true inability to make my monthly payments to his office, I have been kicked out of the practice. I understand why, but it leaves me without any hope of ever finding my way back to functioning again. There is no room in the billing structure for a patient whose surgery did not end up well. I am charged full price for all of my visits even though they link to the surgery ten months ago.
I plan to read all I can on here and I guess I am searching for ideas and solutions and at the very least hope to not feel alone in this journey.
God thats terrible Dawn.
You will overcome ...thinking of you xxxxxx
I'm in the Uk.
Complaints about Doctors happen. What if you were to indicate a proposed complaint unless he addresses the issues you now have?
What can or could be done to rectify the problems? What do you think went wrong?
How can you get yourself mobilised.
How is your diet?
You got people visiting? If not hang out on here...join an existing thread too and cheer others on...whilst getting support. Hope this helps Dawn.
I'm so sorry! I'm also not only in the US but in Tennessee as well. By any freak chance are you also in Nashville? If so, Vanderbilt might be able to help you. They have some great doctors.
Wow. No, I am in Johnson City, Eastern TN. I wondered if Vanderbilt would be a good place to obtain a second opinion? Glad to meet you!
Thanks! I will hang out here. No I have no one visiting. I think obtaining a second opinion from someone out of my region would be my next good step to take.
My instincts tell me that the second hip replacement (left leg) left my leg significantly longer than the other (my right). So much so, that when I go to the therapy pool and grab the bar while both feet are planted on the side of the pool and stretch, my right leg cannot reach anymore but the left one does. And here I have been trying to make the long one walk like the shorter one. I hope I find answers.
What I know for sure is that I cannot just push through the pain. My diet is good, albeity too much sugar when I am depressed, but my tendency to stress eat is in full swing.
It is such a good suggestion to cheer others on...I will do that!
Sorry for all your misery...did you have both replacements done Anterior?
I too often feel my life is so much over NOW since Anterior, it did not turn out as I HOPED and believed it was going to. I'm much older I'm sure than you, so have done lots of life but now not much....and spend my savings on doing repair work from the replacement work....
My issues were not steroid connected, old age and degenerative arthritis and the groin was the major reason I did this.....thinking back almost 4 yrs post op, can't remember if pain was worse than or are all the issues now worse....in many ways post op are worse...
I don't know what else to say at this point, I'm not in the greatest place since the Anterior replacement...I've never cursed as much as I have in the last few yrs....joy xo
Thank you Marey! I will find the way to overcome and it sure helps to know that I am not alone! People in general will come to the aid of another who is in crisis, but when it is chronic crisis, people forget or grow tired or something.
Do as much as you can to resist extra sugars/carbs....they do us no good, none....a little now and then, but RESIST.....
On your asthma issue and sounds like you've been thru the mill with steroids and the damage from them...
I've had a lifetime history of allergies/sinus issues but not asthma...long history of allergists and otc drugs and once I found pycnogenol my allergies were so improved...I have NOT taken a drug in almost 19 yrs.....take pycnogenol or grape seed extract every day for 19 yrs soon.
A friend who deals with asthma has been on grape seed ex over 5 yrs now and she is improved....still does some of her drugs, but she's improved...
I've worked with alternative "medicine" for about 25 yrs and too bad I could not have done an alternative replacement!!!!! j
Thanks you joy47826! Yes, both replacements were done Anterior. What boggles my mind is that my first one was so perfect! It blew everyones minds at how well I did. I agree, I think that the post op pains are worse than the preop.
In the two years before surgery, I had never used pain killers so long in my life. I pulled myself off of them six months ago because I despise how they dull my passions, my interests and it just did not feel good. So I am weathering this excruciating pain with over the counter Ibuprofen and hot baths.
You know, when I was in my twenties I can remember declaring that as long as wisdom replaces my youth,then I will not mind growing old...SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE SLAPPED ME!
Oh yes! To have done an alternative replacement would have been great! Or found some way to blow life into the dead hip joint!
Yes, I was born with severe asthma and have lived a great portion of my life in hospitals. I have taken good care of myself through my adult years, but suffered medical neglect in my growing up home as well as cgarette smoke. Once I could take care of myself, I searched all methods of healing and prevention. For the most part it has helped. But the 70% lung capacity loss I suffered after giving birth has remained. I manage well, but now, I have given in to the impulses of my horrid sugar addiction. Right now I am taking the sugar in straight! Not even bothering with it being in something else. As I am eating that plain sugar I am telling myself to stop but I cannot. This is full blown addiction! Even though I understand the damage it causes, I cannot seem to grab a hold of myself!
Dawn, It sounds like you need it repalced again. If I weere you I would do a search for a "quialified" doctor. i'm not trying to be nosey, but of your insurance has already paidfor the surgery and the surgery did not work, it seems to me that this doctor sould "Fix" your hip. A hip replacement that is put correctly should not have pain like that. In fact after the intinal healing you should not be having any pain. If the first hip is perfect the so should the second hip be.If you are being honest in your post then you need to contact the doctors state board and report this doctor and persue getting your hip fixed the right way. He should not have refused you as his patient. Check him out, Do what you have to to get your hip right. He is trying to avoid you big time... As your doctor he should be making the hip right... Don't sit back and do nothing. Do you have someone who can help you? Why is he charing you for follow ups after a high dollar surgery? That should not be happening and especially since the hip is not right!!! I'm just being honest, you havre to look after yourself bacause no one else will.
We just don't know the future for us, I thought I'd be 39 Forever and was going to write a book and title it 39 Forever....
Life has LOTS of detours and one of my dear departed friends taught me so much about aging and her wisdom omg......she had a fall in her 80's broke her femur bone, they tried to fix it but she had to end up with replacement....she went downhill after those surgeries...she passed at 93...but what a fighter she was. I think of her so often since especially this replacement...I'm 76, replacement at 72.
She was big on brocolli and chicken and NOT a sugar and carb eater....I follow that food path too.
I could not agree more 70sgirlCynthia! I have my regular physician working to get me in at a teaching university for a second opinion. My surgeon is excellent, actually, and he has done four major and one minor surgery for me. All excellent except for this last one. The actual gadget he used to replace the natural hip joint is in place perfectly. Because it hurts so much is why I am online searching for research and help.
Admittedly, I have been feeling like a victim and while in victim mode, I tend to allow myself to be run over. Thank you for the pep talk because I did not realize how victim complacent I had become. Never have any of my medical problems and surgeries challenged me like this one has.
You can break that addiction....for many years I would end up buying candy bars as I checked out at the register in a store....After reading and hearing lectures on the damage of sugars I stopped that habit....slowly I've stopped so much, now and then buy some chocolate dark that is....but do better than I did all my life before.
The statement that really got me is: Cancer cells love a sugary environment.....this one GOT ME. but good.
My sis has advanced MS and so addicted to sugar/carbs....I tried so much to help her, but she fell into her habits at her house of carbs/sugar. Even her daughter who has been overweight all her life, has changed and lost a lot of weight and blamed her mom/dad for all the sugar/carbs in their house... The sguar is killing her....she can no longer talk, lost her vocal cords...she's 10 yrs younger than me. She no longer walks, has not for some yrs. Sugars have been a MAJOR culprit in the MS.
I was a wine drinker all my adult life, loved my wines, enjoyed shopping for the best quality and often organic wines and a few years ago gave it all up....have no desire to buy a wine which is all sugar. Such freedom.
I do not have diabetes but watch my blood sugar like a hawk.......
Maybe all this has helped you....joy
Re: sugar addiction..theres a summit at mo...just today...last piece ..its about emotional eating and there's a website which may help. Just google the transformation nutrition summit. x
I can see that it is an emergency that I stop all of this sugar. I am 56 and adopted my three grandbabies nearly 10 years ago. So I need to be up and about! Being a good role model is important to me, but I am sure not showing them how to fight an addiction! I will be grateful for any and all advice you choose to share with me. Fortunately, I am a healthy eater, veggies, beans, not much meat, fruits, etc. I believe that the sugar addiction was brought to life via depression and a sense of hopelessness.
On another note, it had been my observation throughout life that elderly people who fell and broke their hip, or any injury that took away their mobility as they knew it, seemed to never quite spring back. Now I understand what it is like, and I am still considered to be young. When every physical effort is a huge undertaking..it is just not worth the effort.
sounds like you've got loads of support here dawn...very pleased for you xxx
think cynthia has nailed it!