Revision THR Complex surgery with revisions, infection, sepsis, and more…
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myglasshalffull
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All my best for your Friday appointment.
Legseleven
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I’m new here and just found your thread. What a time you’ve had. I wish you luck for Friday, you can do this, no one should suffer like you have and clearly the new consultant appears to believe in the “do no harm” part of the Hippocratic Oath. I’m hoping he will really listen to you and understand what you’ve been through. Take it slowly, write everything down before and yes sugar gets us much further than salt in building trust and new relationships, especially professional medical ones. Take care will be thinking of you.
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danelady
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@myglasshalffull. Thanks so much for your support, I am needing it more than ever.
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danelady
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@Legseleven. Hi, very nice to meet you. I never doubted a Dr before, always put complete trust in them but I've never had a bad experience before.
Even though Tucson is not really a big city and all the ortho surgeons know each other I am giving this latest surgeon my complete trust. I have no choice.
My cement spacer feels loose but the surgeon who put it in said it was never coming out. See? They already have me with one foot in the grave!
When I called the other day to make a new appointment the woman on the phone had nothing but praises for this new surgeon (to me). Thank you again for your kind words.
Even though Tucson is not really a big city and all the ortho surgeons know each other I am giving this latest surgeon my complete trust. I have no choice.
My cement spacer feels loose but the surgeon who put it in said it was never coming out. See? They already have me with one foot in the grave!
When I called the other day to make a new appointment the woman on the phone had nothing but praises for this new surgeon (to me). Thank you again for your kind words.
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danelady
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Home.
First off, Dr Opie was everything I hoped my next doctor would be like. He exudes confidence, compassion, he's inquisitive...not condescending and he is very, very tall, lol.
He thought this was only about the knee then I explained the sad story about my hip going bad so he had pics taken of my hip. Neither one of us mentioned any other Dr's names and I kept my personal opinions to myself. This meeting was to hopefully find a solution and give me my life back again.
Since my phone was stolen I lost a lot of the pics I took of my damaged hip so they took a couple there.. Dr Opie about jumped out of his chair when he saw all the screws. All he said was it wasn't the way he would have done it. And now there's not much that can be done for it but replacing the knee will greatly improve my stability.
So far I approve of him, his attitude and how he didn't stray from the fact that this is about helping me I feel good about it, I feel like I can trust him and that he's not just looking to put another notch on his belt that sez. SEE! Look what I can do.
First off, Dr Opie was everything I hoped my next doctor would be like. He exudes confidence, compassion, he's inquisitive...not condescending and he is very, very tall, lol.
He thought this was only about the knee then I explained the sad story about my hip going bad so he had pics taken of my hip. Neither one of us mentioned any other Dr's names and I kept my personal opinions to myself. This meeting was to hopefully find a solution and give me my life back again.
Since my phone was stolen I lost a lot of the pics I took of my damaged hip so they took a couple there.. Dr Opie about jumped out of his chair when he saw all the screws. All he said was it wasn't the way he would have done it. And now there's not much that can be done for it but replacing the knee will greatly improve my stability.
So far I approve of him, his attitude and how he didn't stray from the fact that this is about helping me I feel good about it, I feel like I can trust him and that he's not just looking to put another notch on his belt that sez. SEE! Look what I can do.
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You've been down a long difficult road with more setbacks than anyone should have to face. It's amazing that you're still showing up and haven't lost hope. Your strength is admirable, danelady. I'm so happy to hear you like the new surgeon and feel you can trust him. I pray this is a huge step toward regaining better strength and mobility. Please keep us posted and have a nice holiday weekend!
@danelady
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myglasshalffull
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Yay! I’m so happy you found a doctor that listened to you & you feel comfortable with.
It’s been a very long road for you & you deserve to have your life back.
It’s been a very long road for you & you deserve to have your life back.
Deni444
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I'm so pleased to hear you are finally getting the attention and care you deserve. Your story so far has been heartbreaking and I truly hope and pray you are now truly on the road to a meaningful recovery. 
. We'll miss you on the hippie side.
. We'll miss you on the hippie side.
Elf1
Staff member since October 2019
@danelady so happy to see you back online! Sorry about the knee but you can come on over to the knee side, they're very nice people and don't bite! They actually welcomed me with open arms when I had to switch from the hip side!
Keeping positive thoughts about this new surgeon and hope he can get you on your way to living a better life!
Keeping positive thoughts about this new surgeon and hope he can get you on your way to living a better life!
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danelady
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Hi. It’s been a while since I posted and MUCH has happened in my life. Many surgeries, dislocations and infections definitely took their toll. A year ago I was in a new rehab after being rushed to the hospital with an infection and sepsis (so I was told because I don't remember anything). I didn't remember much for 5 days. I did remember my many hip surgeries but I had no idea who or where I was, to top it off it felt like I jumped out of an airplane in mid-air but I had no bruises.
No one could tell me why I had that extreme pain. I think they assumed I was coming off a fentanyl addiction.
Sepsis makes you suffer, sepsis tortures you, sepsis makes you WANT to die. Sepsis also set my hip recovery (which had been an upward climb) so far back down the hill I didn’t feel like dealing with anything anymore. It's a year now and I only JUST am able to get my other leg in the tub to take a shower.
Nice to be back with the BoneSmart community.
No one could tell me why I had that extreme pain. I think they assumed I was coming off a fentanyl addiction.
Sepsis makes you suffer, sepsis tortures you, sepsis makes you WANT to die. Sepsis also set my hip recovery (which had been an upward climb) so far back down the hill I didn’t feel like dealing with anything anymore. It's a year now and I only JUST am able to get my other leg in the tub to take a shower.
Nice to be back with the BoneSmart community.
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Welcome back, I've missed you! 
I am so sorry for everything you've been through over the past several years. No one expects a hip replacement to turn into years of surgeries, dislocations, infections and setbacks. It's understandable if you're feeling exhausted and discouraged. The fact that you kept going after all of this says a lot about you. I wish you could get back the life you had before all of this. I certainly hope that you know how much we care about you, and you understand we're here to listen whenever you're in need. I hope that after everything you've been through, you find some comfort, some relief, and many moments of peace. Sending love and a warm hug.
@1LeggedTrucker
I am so sorry for everything you've been through over the past several years. No one expects a hip replacement to turn into years of surgeries, dislocations, infections and setbacks. It's understandable if you're feeling exhausted and discouraged. The fact that you kept going after all of this says a lot about you. I wish you could get back the life you had before all of this. I certainly hope that you know how much we care about you, and you understand we're here to listen whenever you're in need. I hope that after everything you've been through, you find some comfort, some relief, and many moments of peace. Sending love and a warm hug.
@1LeggedTrucker
myglasshalffull
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So happy to hear from you!
Great name seeing you were a truck driver for so many years. You’ve been through so much.
Are you home at this point? Keep us updated, i think of you often. You sure are a warrior.
.
Great name seeing you were a truck driver for so many years. You’ve been through so much.
Are you home at this point? Keep us updated, i think of you often. You sure are a warrior.
.
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danelady
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@Layla @myglasshalffull
Thank you, I missed you guys very much as well. I second, third and fourth guess everything now. My life moved at a snail's pace but now it moves in reverse. I tried to connect with my 7 yo granddaughter but it's just too hard.
I said it before and I'll say it again, no one understands the risks we take with joint surgery like a fellow hipster. Then it starts to fail and we are falling down the rabbit hole far deeper than we ever imagined, it's traumatizing. The future we thought we had no longer exists. I had been learning to make adjustments to my new mobility issues, but was in no way prepared for the lethal monster that moved under my bed.
I lived outside of town but while hospitalized with pneumonia I was robbed of everything I saved for my retirement, including my pickup and all of my clothes, metal detector, brand new hiking and camping gear, art supplies and, gulp....my Canon 6D, 600mm zoom and various macro lenses. She took stuff that wasn't worth anything except as tools for a handicapped person to survive daily life.
I finally made the move into the next county which all my healthcare people had been pushing me to do. 'Go to Pima Co' they said. 'There's a lot more resources and better drs' they told me. I made the move then made the calls, John from Pima Co Council on Aging returned my call.
'There's no help here for you'. Hmm
I found a great surgeon too. He took an x-ray of my hip and about fell out of his chair saying 'Well I wouldn't have done it that way'.
He'll be happy to replace the knee, which is gone but not touching the hip.
A little over a year now and I still don't have a ramp. I do have 4 rickety stairs and one hand rail with rusty nails sticking out. I had been here a few weeks when I felt something wet on the side of my foot, I couldn't see it and couldn't reach my foot but I did notice my leg turning red after a few days.
My next memory is a nurse checking my IV and me yelling in pain. She said 'Hi, glad you're back you almost died'. Every day someone came in and asked what my name was or what day it was or where was I. It was always on the tip of my tongue but disappeared. One day it all came back and they sent me to a rehab.
I had been in some very nice rehabs with this hip but now I lived in a seedy part of town so I was sent to the rehab from hell. I had to call 911 on the second day and after the police took my statement one of the big managers came to talk to me. 'Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the rest of the staff?' Me? No, I'm not. But this place was run by gang members who stole your pain pills, lied and bullied the patients. And not just me, everyone there lived in fear. I reported them to the state then called my insurance and wanted to know whose bright idea was it to use facilities who are listed as sub par.
I not only have to struggle with my hip, I also have my mental state and severe pain from the sepsis, I'm happy to say I've rounded the corner and I'm improving. A big, big help is I get my groceries delivered. It's expensive but the food banks I've checked out don't have help for handicapped.
I had to find my precious Valkyrie another home. Thinking about her makes me cry, crying right now.
The rabbit hole is deep and unforgiving.
Thank you, I missed you guys very much as well. I second, third and fourth guess everything now. My life moved at a snail's pace but now it moves in reverse. I tried to connect with my 7 yo granddaughter but it's just too hard.
I said it before and I'll say it again, no one understands the risks we take with joint surgery like a fellow hipster. Then it starts to fail and we are falling down the rabbit hole far deeper than we ever imagined, it's traumatizing. The future we thought we had no longer exists. I had been learning to make adjustments to my new mobility issues, but was in no way prepared for the lethal monster that moved under my bed.
I lived outside of town but while hospitalized with pneumonia I was robbed of everything I saved for my retirement, including my pickup and all of my clothes, metal detector, brand new hiking and camping gear, art supplies and, gulp....my Canon 6D, 600mm zoom and various macro lenses. She took stuff that wasn't worth anything except as tools for a handicapped person to survive daily life.
I finally made the move into the next county which all my healthcare people had been pushing me to do. 'Go to Pima Co' they said. 'There's a lot more resources and better drs' they told me. I made the move then made the calls, John from Pima Co Council on Aging returned my call.
'There's no help here for you'. Hmm
I found a great surgeon too. He took an x-ray of my hip and about fell out of his chair saying 'Well I wouldn't have done it that way'.
He'll be happy to replace the knee, which is gone but not touching the hip.
A little over a year now and I still don't have a ramp. I do have 4 rickety stairs and one hand rail with rusty nails sticking out. I had been here a few weeks when I felt something wet on the side of my foot, I couldn't see it and couldn't reach my foot but I did notice my leg turning red after a few days.
My next memory is a nurse checking my IV and me yelling in pain. She said 'Hi, glad you're back you almost died'. Every day someone came in and asked what my name was or what day it was or where was I. It was always on the tip of my tongue but disappeared. One day it all came back and they sent me to a rehab.
I had been in some very nice rehabs with this hip but now I lived in a seedy part of town so I was sent to the rehab from hell. I had to call 911 on the second day and after the police took my statement one of the big managers came to talk to me. 'Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the rest of the staff?' Me? No, I'm not. But this place was run by gang members who stole your pain pills, lied and bullied the patients. And not just me, everyone there lived in fear. I reported them to the state then called my insurance and wanted to know whose bright idea was it to use facilities who are listed as sub par.
I not only have to struggle with my hip, I also have my mental state and severe pain from the sepsis, I'm happy to say I've rounded the corner and I'm improving. A big, big help is I get my groceries delivered. It's expensive but the food banks I've checked out don't have help for handicapped.
I had to find my precious Valkyrie another home. Thinking about her makes me cry, crying right now.
The rabbit hole is deep and unforgiving.
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Joint replacement is a risk, we all know that going in and take a chance with the hope for a life better. We tire of the pain and limited mobility of a deteriorating joint. Your situation is rare and so unfortunate.
Your hip journey was enough alone, but add to it everything else you've shared and it's so unbelievably sad.
All I can think is - it has to get better, right? Thankfully you're healing after the sepsis. I'm sorry there aren't more resources available to you medically and personally. It doesn't seem right. I pray your situation continues to improve in small cumulative ways. It's so sad you had to give up Valkyrie.
Big hugs.
I hope she's adjusted to her new home and she's happy and thriving.
Wishing you enough comfort and peace to get through another day.
@danelady
Your hip journey was enough alone, but add to it everything else you've shared and it's so unbelievably sad.
All I can think is - it has to get better, right? Thankfully you're healing after the sepsis. I'm sorry there aren't more resources available to you medically and personally. It doesn't seem right. I pray your situation continues to improve in small cumulative ways. It's so sad you had to give up Valkyrie.
Big hugs. I hope she's adjusted to her new home and she's happy and thriving.
Wishing you enough comfort and peace to get through another day.
@danelady
