THR Developed Heterotopic Ossification in Left Hip

[Mr.HoNoMo]

@YoungHippy!!!! I'm so sorry you had to go through all that! That was honestly horrifying to read considering how similar our injuries were... It's so damn crazy how our entire lives can change in an instant from a freak car accident!

I'm actually even a little confused as to why you're still experiencing some issues with your hip. I thought a THR was meant to mimic an actual hip, and shouldn't be limiting your ROM or lifting ability but maybe I'm wrong about that...

Putting my shock and horror aside, I am glad to know that you're almost completely pain free! And it's amazing that after all you went through the one thing you miss the most is helping people in nursing homes! It's incredible how this forum seems to attract such caring people. I've spoken to another member on this forum that also had a caregiving job, and had a similar giving/caring personality. It's so good to know that kind people like you are all over this forum!

Same! A little over 2 weeks, the last week of that in rehab teaching me about my restrictions and how to do things in my non weight bearing state. Once I was home and able to settle into my routine in my familiar environment things were better. Was a little stir crazy from not working though.

Omg I forgot about the rehab and physical therapy I did while in the hospital! That was also hell lol! I remember I could barely stand and walk with a walker for more than 5 minutes without feeling like I was gonna pass out. Insane thinking about how far we've come from all that. The body's ability to heal is incredible.

In all I was non weight bearing for about 4 months. Weren't those first few steps the most awesome feeling in the world?

Yes those first few steps felt amazing! I was in Physical Therapy when I first walked without a walker and my Physical Therapist was so proud of me. Before that I was sooo scared even thinking about taking any steps without my trusty walker; I'm so thankful I had a PT that was patient with me and understood my fear/anxiety.

I think when they installed our hardware it was placed outside the bone. But I think during the healing process the bone may also envelop some portion of the hardware, hence the reason some of it looks to be inside the bone, especially around the area where the fractures were.

Ah yeah that's right my OS did say the bone might eventually fuse with the hardware...Which actually makes me even more confused as to how on earth they would remove hardware if they had to...That's a scary thought though so hopefully nothing bad happens and they'll never have to remove the hardware and it will just remain a mystery to me lol.

Yes, I have alot of the same hardware as you. The first time I saw my x-rays I thought it looked like braided wire. I was on a good amount of pain meds at that time...lol. I later learned that it was actually plates and nails and screws. I'm uploading a pic of my x-ray that I keep on my phone for those times that someone tells me that I am way to young to be walking the way that I do.

Haha yeah the first thing I thought when I saw my x-rays was "I hope all that ain't permanent!" Cause I just couldn't believe all that hardware was in my body, yet wouldn't affect my movement in any way. I'm still not even sure what exactly those "plates" are supposed to look like outside of the body, cause you're right they do look more like braided wire in the x-rays.

By the way, all of the hardware in our bodies is metal right? So I'm assuming that means metal detectors don't like us anymore? I haven't been under a metal detector post-surgery so I don't know how that works exactly lol.

 

[Celle]

Actually I think the rod is inside my femur so how on earth would they even get that out???

My mother had a rod inserted down the length of her femur when she had a nasty spiral fracture.
Eight years later, when she was in her mid-eighties, she had a knee replacement. The surgeon removed the rod from inside her femur without any problems. I believe the surgeons have special instruments that help them remove such things.

 

[YoungHippy]

I'm actually even a little confused as to why you're still experiencing some issues with your hip. I thought a THR was meant to mimic an actual hip, and shouldn't be limiting your ROM or lifting ability but maybe I'm wrong about that...

You are not wrong about that. I am still trying to get answers on why I turned out the way I did. I know one person in real life who had the same injuries that I did. Car accident, fractured acetabulum, multiple surgeries to fix, and finally a THR. She was not able to return to work as a caregiver either. She ended up on disability. But she walks with a normal gait, is even able to chase after her kids. We even had the same original OS for the fracture surgeries, but different OS for the THR. That's why it fascinates me to meet people with similar injuries, to get an idea of the differences and similarities. I have not had health insurance since 2016 so I am at a stand still as far as second opinions until that changes.

Omg I forgot about the rehab and physical therapy I did while in the hospital! That was also hell lol! I remember I could barely stand and walk with a walker for more than 5 minutes without feeling like I was gonna pass out. Insane thinking about how far we've come from all that. The body's ability to heal is incredible.

That's how I was too! After about 3 minutes or so I thought my arms were just gonna fall off in protest.

By the way, all of the hardware in our bodies is metal right? So I'm assuming that means metal detectors don't like us anymore? I haven't been under a metal detector post-surgery so I don't know how that works exactly lol.

Metal detectors are fun. I actually have a couple of stories about that.

My local court house has metal detectors, and I got called up for jury duty. When you enter the court house you have to walk through the metal detector, and if it alerts they have a separate wand they can use to narrow down what's making you alert. I walked through the metal detector, it alerted. I went ahead and told them I had a hip replacement. So the dude swipes his wand somewhere around waist level and nothing happened. He looked puzzled. I had to literally explain to him where the actual hip joint was. He kinda looked confused. His partner told him that the best way to confirm that was to pass the wand over my butt. So he did, and I went on. I was up there for a week, and had to go through the metal detector each time. They had to wand me every time. It got to the point that they were just like "come here and let me pass this over your butt and you can go."

The hospital in the next town over has metal detectors that you have to pass through for their ER. That's where I was taken after my accident. Of course coming in on ambulance you don't have to pass through, but anyone accompanying you has to go to the front and go through. When my accident happened and I realized I was hurt, I called my uncle first (it was his car I wrecked) and told him to go get my mama for me. So they show up at the hospital. Mom has an artificial knee, and he has bilateral hip replacements. Mom walked in first, the detector went off. She told them about her knee, they wanded it and let her pass through. My uncle walked through, it alerted, he told them he had THRs and they laughed at him. My uncle is the same age as I am, which was 38 at the time. They told him he was too young to have artificial joints. They swore he had something in his pockets that was making the detector go off. They patted him down and couldn't find anything, but they still thought something was fishy. They told him to prove that he had artificial hips or he wasn't coming in. And that's how he ended up dropping his pants to show off his scars in the lobby of the hospital. Of course they were very apologetic afterward, and after word spread about that the rest of the staff practically fawned over him because they were worried that he would sue.

 

[FCBayern]

@Mr.HoNoMo if you are traveling through an airport in the US make sure and tell TSA about your replacement before going through a metal detector. They will put you through the milli-wave machine instead. If you set the metal detector off they will do a very up close and personal pat down, so unless it's been a long time since you had any attention better to avoid that. Wasn't until my second trip through an airport that a kind TSA agent gave me this advise to avoid the pat down.

 

[Mr.HoNoMo]

My mother had a rod inserted down the length of her femur when she had a nasty spiral fracture.
Eight years later, when she was in her mid-eighties, she had a knee replacement. The surgeon removed the rod from inside her femur without any problems. I believe the surgeons have special instruments that help them remove such things.

OMG sorry your mother went through all that! It's still a trip hearing about the crazy ortho injuries and surgeries people have to go through! It's good to know that it's possible to remove the rod without any additional problems though, so thank you @Celle!

You are not wrong about that. I am still trying to get answers on why I turned out the way I did. I know one person IRL who had the same injuries that I did. Car accident, fractured acetabulum, multiple surgeries to fix, and finally a THR. She was not able to return to work as a caregiver either. She ended up on disability. But she walks with a normal gait, is even able to chase after her kids. We even had the same original OS for the fracture surgeries, but different OS for the THR. That's why it fascinates me to meet people with similar injuries, to get an idea of the differences and similarities. I have not had health insurance since 2016 so I am at a stand still as far as second opinions until that changes.

Wooow that's crazy! I can't believe ANOTHER person had to have a THR from the same accident! And even crazier that the same surgeon operated on both of y'all! ...I hate to say this, and I hope I don't sound ridiculous, but the OS that performed on y'all might need to be investigated or something. It's just so strange to me that both of y'all went through multiple unsuccessful surgeries due to possible negligence, like not discovering that a portion of the head of your femur was missing... But then again, maybe the severity of the injuries themselves just makes surgery very difficult even for the best OS... Apparently after my accident I was in the operating room for several hours before my parents could come see me, so I understand it's not at all an easy surgery...but still, have you or the other person ever thought about the first surgeon possibly causing or worsening your condition from the unsuccessful fracture surgeries? Is there even anything you can do about that if they are the cause?

And I hate to hear that about your health insurance situation... I know I would be either homeless or dead if I didn't have health insurance, so it hurts to know that not everyone has it... After going through this hellish accident and recovery process I now fully understand why it needs to be reiterated again and again that the healthcare financing system in this country is absolutely terrible.

Metal detectors are fun. I actually have a couple of stories about that.

My local court house has metal detectors, and I got called up for jury duty. When you enter the court house you have to walk through the metal detector, and if it alerts they have a separate wand they can use to narrow down what's making you alert. I walked through the metal detector, it alerted. I went ahead and told them I had a hip replacement. So the dude swipes his wand somewhere around waist level and nothing happened. He looked puzzled. I had to literally explain to him where the actual hip joint was. He kinda looked confused. His partner told him that the best way to confirm that was to pass the wand over my butt. So he did, and I went on. I was up there for a week, and had to go through the metal detector each time. They had to wand me every time. It got to the point that they were just like "come here and let me pass this over your butt and you can go."

The hospital in the next town over has metal detectors that you have to pass through for their ER. That's where I was taken after my accident. Of course coming in on ambulance you don't have to pass through, but anyone accompanying you has to go to the front and go through. When my accident happened and I realized I was hurt, I called my uncle first (it was his car I wrecked) and told him to go get my mama for me. So they show up at the hospital. Mom has an artificial knee, and he has bilateral hip replacements. Mom walked in first, the detector went off. She told them about her knee, they wanded it and let her pass through. My uncle walked through, it alerted, he told them he had THRs and they laughed at him. My uncle is the same age as I am, which was 38 at the time. They told him he was too young to have artificial joints. They swore he had something in his pockets that was making the detector go off. They patted him down and couldn't find anything, but they still thought something was fishy. They told him to prove that he had artificial hips or he wasn't coming in. And that's how he ended up dropping his pants to show off his scars in the lobby of the hospital. Of course they were very apologetic afterward, and after word spread about that the rest of the staff practically fawned over him because they were worried that he would sue.

Lol yeah those were some wild stories!! I'm kinda shocked your dad DIDN'T sue after they put him through all that! And we actually have more in common than we thought, cause I was also summoned to court right after my accident/surgery! I was in a wheelchair at the time so they allowed me to go around the metal detector, but I can't imagine what they would have done/thought if they forced me to use it!

@Mr.HoNoMo if you are traveling through an airport in the US make sure and tell TSA about your replacement before going through a metal detector. They will put you through the milli-wave machine instead. If you set the metal detector off they will do a very up close and personal pat down, so unless it's been a long time since you had any attention better to avoid that. Wasn't until my second trip through an airport that a kind TSA agent gave me this advise to avoid the pat down.

Ohhhh ok I had no idea this milli-wave machine existed! I definitely don't want any kind of attention from security, so thanks for the warning/heads up @FCBayern haha!

 

[Mr.HoNoMo]

Update Time!

Just a quick lil update and question for y'all. So I got a CT Scan of my left hip and pelvis done at the request of my surgeon at Grady. I don't have the written report yet because I only recently got the CT Scan done, but I do have the CT Scan images on a disc and...the 3D Volume Rendering Images of my pelvis are honestly horrifying to look at. Like I know CT Scans are meant to show more than a normal x-ray can show, but I didn't expect the extra details to be so realistic and scary lookin'!

Does anyone on this forum have experience viewing a CT Scan and 3D Volume Rendering of a pelvis? I want to include the images on this post for the world to see, but I also don't want to horrify any of you nice folks lol! So if someone has experience looking at CT Scans I would love to PM them and ask for their opinion on how mine look! Or if you're just curious and want to see them for yourself I'll gladly PM them to you as well...Or maybe I should just post them in here for everybody to see anyway lol idunno I'm just so freaked out by them!

I know there's an experienced nurse on this forum named Josephine who I believe could give some helpful insight on the images, but she hasn't logged on in a couple months and I don't wanna bother her if she's busy or something. Does anyone know if she still comes to the forum?

 

[VSlowLife]

So glad to hear from you!

Just a quick lil update and question for y'all.

Sorry I can’t help with reading any images. Hope the report will be available soon.

 

[leejaa]

Sorry you are a bit freaked out by the images. The 3D volume rendering does make things look a bit too realistic and strange at the same time. I hope you will get to review them with your OS so you can fully understand them. It is always stranger looking at our own images than someone else's.

 

[Jamie]

It's perfectly fine to post the images here. You can make them a thumbnail size, if you prefer, so they don't disturb anyone. We always appreciate having the "before" and "after" images of our members....especially in 3D. This new technology is quite exciting to us!

Josephine has retired from BoneSmart and is no longer on the forum. She didn't read CT scans or MRIs anyway - only xrays. Reading the nuances of these images is a skill that requires a trained professional. Your best bet is to wait to talk with your surgeon about the results and your options going forward.

 

[YoungHippy]

Glad you checked in!

 

[Mr.HoNoMo]

Aw that's unfortunate that Josephine is no longer on the forum! I've been reading and lurking in a few threads that she posted in, and she was always a great help to people who needed a professional opinion! Hope she's enjoying her BoneSmart retirement though!

Ok well.... y'all have convinced me to post the CT Scan 3D images on here.... but please brace yourselves before viewing them so you can avoid getting any nightmares! ...Lol maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but these images are seriously just extremely cringy and terrifying to me!

I still haven't recieved the written report from Radiology yet, so right now I'm just thinking the worst about my current condition and am also very confused as to how I'm even still walking (limping) around with my pelvis looking like this!

...But while I'm waiting for the written report I still welcome any opinions on how these images look to y'all. Like do y'all think I'm developing arthritis or could possibly need a THR for my left hip? From these images my left femur barely even looks like it's still hanging on ugh I hate these damn images!

 

[YoungHippy]

Those are both horrifying and awesome at the same time! Horrifying because it looks bad. I'm sure some professional will say that looks normal for your injuries at this phase, or be able to give explanations for what you can see there. Awesome because you are in fact walking around on that. Remember we are not very far removed from the time where people who had injuries like ours would be confined to a wheelchair. Modern medicine is amazing. I do have to add that looking at that makes my hip hurt.

 

[CricketHip]

Sometimes the images look much worse than what we are feeling and I hope that this is the case for you. It's a positive that you are up and walking,
I hope they can come up with a treatment that halts the progression of excess growth.
I would be in shock after viewing them for the first time, too.

But you sound good, you just have to continue to keep your chin up and trust there is something that can be done. Even if it takes several consultations and some time to find the right decision and treatment

Take care and know that there are a lot of of praying and rooting for you!

 

[Layla]

Hello @Mr.HoNoMo
Wow, interesting images to say the least. Viewing them makes me hurt for you.
Prayers for your comfort and healing as you move forward. I’m sure many will be watching your story with interest. I hope today is a good day!

 

[Jamie]

I'm so glad you posted these images. Any details about what is shown will be beneficial for us here at BoneSmart and others who read your story. This type of imagery provides a whole 'nother level of precision that someone who knows what they are looking at can determine. I look forward to hearing what you learn from your doctor.

 

[Jamie]

I thought it might be helpful for people to be able to compare your xray image to a similar one in 3D, so I've copied and pasted them here:

Seeing where the metal is helps to explain some of the darker colored areas in the 3D image.