Hi
I had a hip revision of the right hip on the 2/7/14 (this was the 3rd hip operation due to on going problems over the last 10yrs after an accident at work). I had been touch toe weight bearing for 6weeks then got the ok to begin partial weight bearing, all was going fine and finally thinking things were beginning to get better. On the 1/9/14 I was sitting on the chair watching tv with my family when I seemed to get a slip sensation from my hip. I had no pain with this apart from the normal I had been having but my leg seemed stuck, anyway I got my son to slightly lift my leg as I sat forward and I felt a jolt in the hip joint then it was fine again. This happened twice within about 20 minutes of each other so rather than causing problem as it was about 9:30 pm I though I would call my surgeon for advice the following day. I got up the next morning a little sore but that's all, so come about 10:30am I decided it was time for the call, as I was on the phone organising to see him ASAP my hip slipped again which I told his secretary on the phone she said something wasn't right and to go Friday but if anything happened to call an ambulance. Then as I was thanking her for her understanding at my request the unthinkable happened and the whole hip dislocated the pain was so bad I just couldn't talk anyway cutting a long story short I was rushed to my local main hospital to have the dislocation reduced under general anaesthetic. I was told 3times I would be going down but I just lay there in agony with them only giving me paracetamol which did nothing for the pain at all. It got too much and was in the process of getting myself transferred to see my surgeon when they decided to sort it. I was lay there on a bed with a dislocated hip for 32 hours and minimal pain relief. I am back home now but off to see the surgeon in an hour to see what can be done. I am scared to move it feels so weak and unstable. I was told after the reduction it was unstable in some positions.. And I'm very worried it will just go again. I'm male and 43 yrs old.
my goodness, thats not good, where are you? I certainly would write a letter of complaint and copy my MP. You are so young for this, hope you can get it sorted soon. I am 6 weeks PO and still finding it difficult to walk without aided, but doing all they tell me, Woukd they consider doing a Total Hip Replacement .
My sympathy. The treatment in the hospital was appalling & I would contact Patient liaison there, if only to try to prevent the same thing happening to someone else.
You will now have to be very careful and try to slowly build up the muscles round your hip to try to stabilise everything. Ask your consultant about PT or OT to allow you to do this as safely as possible and to build up your confidence again.
When I say good luck I really mean it, you've had a bad time and I'm selfishly thankful it wasn't me. Don't feel a wimp, that experience would knock anyone's confidence. But I hope your consultant comes up with a good plan for the future. Keep us posted.
This is my third total hip replacement on the same leg will speak to the surgoen at my appointment shortly as for the hospital it was good hope in Sutton Coldfield ( just outside Birmingham) but my surgeon is one of the top ones in the Royal Orthopeadic in Birmingham which is where I wanted to be taken. I didn't put this in my pits but the orthopeadic doctor at good hope said after 12 hours tha they will just pop it in and refer me to my surgeon because " they can't be dealing with this here" ........
thanks for the support 
Thanks for the support. I will be sending a complaint once I have seen my surgeon today for the exact reasons you said and I will also keep you posted
You have really been through the mill haven't you. I can only think that you were too polite despite the pain you were in. It's inexcusable to leave someone in pain like that as though it's a refugee camp in Syria and we live in a supposed first world country. I feel very upset for you so I won't say anything else.
Hi Snape
Thats dreadful treatment you had. I thought i was bad...2nd THR and weeks post op doining an NHS exercise there was a crack........rushed to hospital, fractured greater trochantor bone {femur I think} anyway...nothing we can do about it, it will heal by itself but take a long time. 7 months later I'm still on crutches
Please let us know what the consultant says.
Love
Eileen
Hi
Thanks for the support I did try to be polite but I must admit I wasn't very nice approaching the 15 hour mark right up until the end but when I'm a patient I usually try to be an easy patient it just got the better of me at the time I'm sad to say due to the agony I was in
Omg Eileen that's not good either I see the surgeon in less than 2hours and will be telling him everything will keep you posted on his response. Someone who is a nurse at another hospital( friend) said something about a brace but must admit sounds terrible but if it works I will try anything as it's so unstable
After 15 hours in pain and no doubt being starved for the anaesthetists I wouldn't be impolite I would be using what is often referred to as 'industrial language' (and I rarely swear). When I compare what happened to you to the pain treatment I got post-TJR it is unbelievable. In fact yours almost amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. I've forgotten who is in charge of inspecting English hospitals, might be Care Quality Commission, but I would be writing a factual account of what happened in that A&E. The delay for theatre time might be excusable but the lack of pain relief isn't and if they didn't give you any fluid for 36 hours that could be damaging to your health - they could have put in a drip.
The brace doesn't sound good but a plaster cast might be harder. The main thing is to stabilise that joint and built up your muscles to hold it there.
Hope you get good news.
I have always found that threatening to discharge myself gets their attention but with a dislocated hip that would be difficult. Asking to speak to a manager, which they cannot refuse is an option. PALS who are in all hospitals I think are usually helpful too. I have had dealings with them all over the years and probably have "awkward b...h on my file. So be it. I could write a book about my hospital experiences but I might save it for if I end up in a wheelchair at some point.
Hi Snape
Well my pain in the hip bone {and other places has been getting worse} I am in agony if i sleep on that side so sleeping on the other side all night is hard. I'm waking up with pain in my shoulder,arm and hand
So today I picked up the phone and rang the consultants secretary,...(I saw him in June and he said I'll see you in 6 months time
Christmas!!)
and asked to be seen earlier. Shre rang me back in 5 mins to say he had just walked into th room and says he will see me on Mondayat 6pm...a lot better than December.....Must start writing my list of aches pains etc LOL
Watching this thread for your update.....I'll be out in the afternoonbut will be back
Love
Eileen
I do not know what to say except that it should not have happened. So sorry for what you are going thru. Hope it gets better from here on..
Good grief....I have no surgical answers etc...and why these replacements don't hold and whatever is happening..
But I keep going back to working on building strong bones with magnesium and optimal Vit D3 and K2 and some quality calcium and avoiding the fluoride in so much of the waters in North America. The MD's NEVER talk about this prevention and support minerals and hormones our body needs....our body does not need fluoride in our joints and organs.....this gets me going and gets me more and more angry.
Oh well the surgeon wasn't you pleased about how long I was waiting but was as happy as he could be following a dislocation. He thinks the reason was due to lack of muscle (he took lots away due to problems during the operation) and obviously the strength of what's remaining. My instructions are to be very very careful as it will take a long time for it all to heal again due to a more sever op than originally planned. He has told me to wear a leg brace around my knee they gave me to avoid bending the knee, and also strengthen the leg. He said it also helps prevent further dislocations. The only real bad point was that if it does dislocate again I'm pretty much looking at another revision operation to replace the cup and ball wth oversized parts but obviously no one wants that. I will keep posting after my follow ups as he wants to see me in November to check. Thanks to everyone for your support and advice
Hi eileen
im glad you made the call, waiting until December would be a nightmare. Let's hope that on Monday he can give you some advice or at least make a plan of action for you please keep me updated how it goes.
good luck will be waiting to hear the outcome of monday
snape
Hi folks I am an AHP in a large hospital. Tip for the day for all you wonderful people out there shout from the rooftops keep your finger on the buzzer demand to speak with someone from the complaints department. Nurses are the backbone of any hospital but there are rushed of there feet if your are quiet it's one less patient to worry about. It's sad and people find it hard to do but if you don't speak up or complain you will be forgotten about. I have seen it so many times assessing people how are you I'm in agony not sleeping to which I reply who have you told the answer no one I don't want to make a fuss. People remember it's our jobs to help you get better but if we don't know we can't fix it. A good patient is someone who lets us know what's wrong.
Please don take this tge wrong way I get so frustrated when I hear or talk to people who are so nice pleasant and don't want to bother anyone in pain. Please shout shout and keep shouting till you are happy. It's sad that our health service has been reduced to this. No one should he in pain for that long
Sorry but what is an AHP? I would say that the NHS is running on not making a fuss! It's a kind of reverse energy. Unfortunately when I got a bit ratty with the buzzer because I had been left on a bedpan in agony, the staff decided to ignore me. I know this because when another patient rang her bell for me,they came straight away. So there can be penalties for making a fuss. It made me very determined to become independent of the staff as quickly as possible. I liken the whole experience as being on a kind of gulag. That does not mean that I am not grateful for living at a time and in a place where it's possible to have this operation without worrying about paying for it.
Trust me they were aware I wouldn't leave them alone and was screaming in agony and I will be complaining. I totally agree the nurses were over worked but they still find time to just stand by the desk in groups ignoring the buzzers until someone actually goes to get them says this person needs help this was constant where I was.