Description of Event or Problem · 1
I HAD A HIP REPLACEMENT ON (B)(6), 2009. MY THERAPY AND RECOVERY SEEMED TO BE FINE. THERAPISTS REPORTED TO ME THAT I WAS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. I WAS RELEASED FROM PHYSICAL THERAPY AND TOLD TO RESUME NORMAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS I COULD TOLERATE IT WITHIN 6 WEEKS OF THE INITIAL HIP REPLACEMENT. ONCE RELEASED I WAS WALKING IN A SWIMMING POOL AND ATTENDING WATER AEROBICS TWICE A WEEK. ANYTIME I ADDED MORE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY I WOULD HAVE MUSCLE PAIN. I CHECKED WITH THE SURGEON AND WAS TOLD, IT WOULD JUST TAKE TIME BUT CONTINUE WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THE THIGH PAIN CONTINUED. I CHECKED WITH THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE AROUND THE 6 MONTH MARK CONCERNING THE CONTINUED THIGH PAIN AND WHAT SEEMED TO ME LIKE MUSCLE WEAKNESS. THE DOCTOR THEN SAID IT WOULD JUST TAKE TIME. A FEW MONTHS LATER I STOPPED TAKING ALEVE OUT OF CONCERN OF TAKING THIS TOO LONG. I HAD BEEN TAKING IT DAILY FOR OVER A YEAR AT THIS POINT. I WAS GETTING WORSE WITHOUT THE ALEVE SO WE CONTACTED A FAMILY FRIEND THAT IS A PHYSICAL THERAPIST. SHE AGREED TO EVALUATE ME AND TRY TO HELP. I WENT THROUGH 8 WEEKS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY. ANYTIME SHE WOULD TRY ANY EXERCISES BESIDES BASIC STRETCHING MY PAIN WOULD FLAIR UP EVEN WORSE. SHE HAD ME TRY A "E-STEM" MACHINE. SHE WAS ALSO DOING ULTRASOUND 3 TIMES WEEKLY IN HOPES OF THIS BREAKING UP SOME OF THE SCAR TISSUE AND POSSIBLY HELP MY PROGRESS. AT THE END OF THE 8 WEEKS SHE THEN SUGGESTED I CONTINUE WITH WALKING IN THE WATER DAILY AND STRETCHING AND IT WOULD JUST TAKE TIME. AT MY YEARLY CHECK-UP I SHARED MY SYMPTOMS AND CONCERNS WITH THE DOCTOR AGAIN. THIS TIME HE SAID I SHOULD NOT HAVE PROBLEMS LIKE THIS STILL SO IT MUST BE MY BACK. HE SENT ME FOR AN MRI WHICH SHOWED SOME ISSUES WITH MY LOWER VERTEBRAE. HE THEN SENT ME TO A PAIN MANAGEMENT DOCTOR. SHE DID 2 INJECTIONS IN THE AREA OF MY BACK THEY THOUGHT WAS CAUSING MY THIGH PROBLEMS. AT THE TIME OF THE 2ND INJECTION I WAS TOLD IF THE 2 INJECTIONS 2 WEEKS APART DID NOT RELIEVE MY PROBLEMS I WOULD PROBABLY NEED BACK SURGERY. AFTER SHARING THIS NEWS WITH A FRIEND IN THE MEDICAL FIELD THEY RECOMMENDED A BACK SURGEON TO VISIT. I HAD THE MRI SENT TO THE BACK SURGEON PRIOR TO MY APPOINTMENT. AT THE APPOINTMENT THIS DOCTOR SHARED THAT HE HAD THE SAME HIP REPLACEMENT AND THAT WITH TIME AND INJECTIONS IN MY HIP I WOULD GET BETTER. THIS INJECTION DID GIVE ME MORE RELIEF THAN THE PREVIOUS ONES BUT THE PAIN STILL RETURNED. AT THAT POINT I DECIDED MY WEIGHT MUST BE THE ISSUE SO I WOULD WORK ON MY WEIGHT AND CONTINUE TO TRY TO WORK THROUGH THE PAIN. IN (B)(6) 2010 WHEN I HEARD OF THE RECALL FOR THE DEPUY ASR, I CONTACTED MY SURGEON'S OFFICE AND WAS TOLD I DID NOT HAVE THE RECALLED IMPLANT AND NOT TO WORRY. I HAVE STILL BEEN IN CONSTANT PAIN. I DO NOT GO A DAY WITHOUT ALEVE. IN (B)(6) 2011, I RETURNED TO SURGEON'S OFFICE AND BROUGHT INFO I HAD RESEARCHED CONCERNING PROBLEMS WITH METAL ON METAL HIP IMPLANTS. I SHARED CONCERN ABOUT STILL HAVING PAIN 2 YEARS AFTER THE INITIAL HIP REPLACEMENT. HE THEN HAD AN INJECTION ORDERED FOR MY HIP WITH FLUID BEING ASPIRATED. THEY CHECKED FOR INFECTIONS BUT IT ONLY SHOWED INFLAMMATION. THEN I HAD A BONE SCAN. IT SHOWED SOME CONCERNS WITH THE FEMUR. I WAS SENT FOR A BONE SCAN WITH THE WHITE BLOOD CELLS TAGGED. THAT SHOWED INFLAMMATION IN THE FEMUR. I HAVE NOW GONE FOR BLOOD TESTS TO CHECK THE LEVELS OF CHROMIUM AND COBALT IN MY BLOOD. I HAVE NOW DEVELOPED A STRANGE SOUND AT DIFFERENT TIMES UPON BENDING TO SIT THAT IS SIMILAR TO A GATE THAT CREAKS WHEN OPENED. I HAVE SEVERE PAIN UPON STANDING AND STARTING TO WALK. I HAVE TROUBLE JUST MOVING MY LEG FORWARD TO TAKE A STEP. I CAN WALK TO GET PLACES BUT THE MORE I WALK THE MORE PAIN AND INFLAMMATION I WILL HAVE LATER OR THE NEXT DAY. I CANNOT EVEN MAKE IT THROUGH GROCERY SHOPPING WITHOUT PAIN. I STILL CANNOT LAY ON THE SIDE OF THE AFFECTED HIP. I STRUGGLE WITH MAKING IT THROUGH A WORK DAY AS A TEACHER. IF I DO EXTRA WALKING IT TAKES DAYS FOR ME TO RECOVER. I STILL CANNOT WALK A FLIGHT OF STAIRS WITHOUT PAIN AT THAT TIME AND MORE PAIN UPON WALKING LATER. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RAISE MY LEG TO THE SAME HEIGHT AS MY OTHER LEG SINCE PRIOR TO THE SURGERY.