THR Calcification problem - advice needed

[Sullivand]

@Hooray
What a wonderful description of your 6 week check. I delighted in your success getting there on your own and that you are progressing so well in your recovery! I also liked the explanation that pulling our muscle is a 6 week recovery but ours have been sliced through! A powerful message that made me cry because it made the pain, time and struggle to recovery validated! Well done! Enjoy reaquainting with your new self!

 

[Hooray]

I can't believe how quickly time seems to be passing at the moment. Wednesday coming will mark the 10 week anniversary of my operation, but the last 3 or 4 weeks have simply flown.

My hip is really behaving itself, and I've taken one or two liberties and not really had any issue. On Friday I ventured out together with my wife for the first time on public transport since the operation. She is a wheelchair user, so I need to be able to power her along as well as me when we are out together. We traveled on the tube to the centre of London. The underground is quite limited in the number of stations with ease of access for wheelchairs, so some careful route planning is involved. We parked up at our nearest “accessible” station, and as is our usual habit, left ourselves the bare minimum of time to get to our planned destination. Liberty number 1 immediately followed, as we found that the lift was out of action for maintenance. With time pressing, we elected to do the stairs. I supported her on her crutches down the stairs, and then climbed back up to the top to carry her wheelchair and attached bags down the stairs. It was only about 20 steps but I couldn’t have dreamt attempting this a couple of weeks ago, but the hip was fine.

At the other end of our day out, knowing that our car was parked at the top of some stairs, we consulted with tube staff about the best route back. The suggestion was to go to the end of the adjacent line (High Barnet) and then bus back to where the car was parked. The platforms there have step-free access we were told. Well yes.
The slope from the station to the street above where the buses run is entirely step-free. But what a slope!! Liberty number 2 was pushing a heavy wheelchair up a very steep and very long slope which ran for a good 100 yards, if not further. I didn’t manage to do it in one go, but had to stop and gasp for breath about ¾ of the way up. We got to the top with a huge effort, but again the hip was fine. There's a background dull ache after heavy exertion, but really nothing to complain about

I was extremely tired the following day, and that brings me to mention the only real issue I have at the moment. I still get really, really tired. OK, so the above little escapade would probably tire most people, but this was a one-off. I went to see my GP about the fatigue the week before last, and he ran a whole series of blood tests. All is Ok there, he says, and his theory is that I’m stressed, and this is causing fatigue. By his reckoning the hip would not now be the problem.

I work for a few hours at a desk, but simply seem to run out of steam. Just coming up to 10 weeks post-op; should I be feeling tired?

 

[copsham]

Wow you are impressive with your jaunt to Central London. My equivalent but tiny by comparison was walking from Marylebone to Baker Street to change trains, in a rush because of the timetables. But you did all of that and understandably will be tired. I remember at 12 weeks thinking I am back to normal now but I was not exerting myself to the extent that you have to. I would say from a laypersons view that you should try and take it easy. Why not go out but to more local places. You have proved that you can do it but don't risk it again! Look after yourself.

 

[Jamie]

The tired feeling is part of recovery. It's why we tell folks not to expect to be back to normal for 6 months to a year after surgery. Your body has been through a lot and stamina is one of the last things to return. Actually, you probably didn't have the level of stamina you now expect before surgery either. But it just wasn't noticeable because you were limiting your activity because of hip pain. Gradually, you'll find yourself able to do more and more. It just takes time.

 

[Hooray]

Hi All

It's now a little over 6 months since my LTHR, and if I'm honest, I'm not really where I had hoped to be. I get pain in the joint area, down my thigh front, in the groin, and buttock too. Usually the pain is in one place or another, but not in more than one place, so it's difficult to focus on the real location - worst I would say on the hip itself. The hardest part for me to deal with is the resting pain that i experience at night in bed, but sitting too can be horribly uncomfortable at times. At the 6 week check up I mentioned that I was in some pain, but was told then that it was to be expected for 6 months or longer while the new joint settled in and the trauma healed. I take cocodomol, and when really uncomfortable tramadol, but prefer not to as I find this does make my thought process a bit fuzzy and I really need to focus on work.

At 5 months, I called the hospital, and they said come in for a review. The x-ray report said the following - "Comparison is made to previous views of May 2015. There is a new large area of soft tissue calcification posterolateral to the greater tuberosity of the left hip. The prosthesis itself is unchanged apart from a very thin linear level of gas situated superior and medial to the acetabular cup at the cement bone interface"

My consultant on reviewing the x-ray asked "Can you wait?" . I asked for how long, and for what. He said that the calcification if addressed surgically now would very likely just come back again, so any invention would be a waste of time at this stage. He proposes leaving everything alone for a further 12 months and then have another review. The hope is that the calcification will over time be re-absorbed into the blood stream. The advice is keep active, work with the physio team, and get on with life!

Should I worry about the "thin linear level of gas"?

The sleep deprived nights had caused me extreme fatigue, where I just could't get through a day without coming to a halt. My GP originally was convinced that the fatigue was caused by stress - there's lot's of things contributing to this at the moment, but after a short counselling course, and having seen the x-ray report, we have agreed it isn't! He is just now starting me on Amitriptyline to see if this helps with the sleep and pain problems. Only 3 days of this so far, so too soon to say if it's helping.

I should say at this stage, the active pain levels are generally lower than before the operation - and I have better range of movement etc, so the in that respect things have worked, but I had hoped by now to back to normal. I walk every day, and otherwise am fit and healthy

I've tried to research calcification, and can't see much that helps explain things further to me - Anyone else come across this? Any and all feedback appreciated !

Could perhaps one of the Admin team please change the thread title - something like "Calcification problem", just to flag it up to the good people on this forum

Thanks x

 

[Jaycey]

@Hooray I'm going to tag @Josephine for her advice on the results of your x-ray. Hang in there!

 

[Josephine]

Should I worry about the "thin linear level of gas"?

I can't really say without seeing the xray. Any chance you could get a copy?

 

[Hooray]

Thanks Josephine, I can ask! Any thoughts on the calcification?


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum

 

[Josephine]

Same reply as before, I'm afraid.

 

[Hooray]

Two and half years on, the time has come for a long overdue but very recent and current little update. Back in November 2015 my surgeon told me that I was carrying a fair bit of calcification in the soft tissue around the site of the joint replacement. It's a common thing, I was told, but generally speaking it causes no symptoms of note, so there is really nothing to be concerned about. It was only 5 months since the operation, and the strong likelihood was that the joint would settle, and the new bone growth, the calcification, too would settle, and the body would re-absorb the calcium deposits.

Let's leave it for a year, we agreed, so come back to see him at 18 months post surgery, and he would expect by then that the problem would have resolved. In any case there was no point at all in considering surgery at so soon after the replacement, as the strong probability is that the problem would come straight back.

My body had proven that it reacted to the trauma in this way, so intervention creating further trauma would produce the same effect. Leave it alone and wait and see

I was reasonably happy at that decision - yes, I had some discomfort, but it wasn't terrible, and I was in a much better position than prior to surgery. After all I could pull on socks and tie my shoes - important milestones of improvement!

- I am not fastest keyboard user so forgive me please for not completing the update in one posting. I'll bring everything further up to date very soon!!