Revision THR Golfer67 Recovery Thread

Well my surgeon has decided that I have something wrong with my hip area that is not simply recovery pain or bursitis. He has ordered new bloodwork and a MARS MRI to try and find out what is causing my continued pain, swelling and disability. The MRI is not until April 15th so it will be sometime before we start to get answers to my problem (if there are any answers). I am so happy just to have a new look at my condition because it is not any fun to still have problems when you should be getting well.



Golfer67
 
I’m so sorry you have to go through this. Hopefully the next few weeks pass quickly and you receive a firm diagnosis and plan to resolve the issue and relieve your pain. We’ll be here for support so please keep us posted.
@golfer67
 
My Doctor ordered a MARS MRI for me and I have the results on a DVR disc. Looking at the results I don’t see anything to explain why I am still having pain and swelling above and behind my actual hip. I have an appointment with my Doctor on 4/22/2021 this Thursday so maybe my Doctor will see something that I don’t see. My Doctor also ordered some bloodwork and some of the markers for inflammation are out of range my Monocytes are 12.3% and the normal range is between 1.7% and 9.3%. He also ordered a Sedimentation Rate Test and my value was 21 MM/HR and the normal range is 0-15 MM/HR the test also flagged my C-Reactive Protein at .8 MG/DL. Does anyone here know if those ranges indicate a problem or if the markers are not elevated enough to be concerned with?



Thanks

Golfer67
 
@golfer67 Do you have the report that goes with the MRI?
 
I don’t think I have the complete report I asked for it and they said they would mail it to me. I could access a report in MyChart at the hospital but I don’t think that is the complete report. In the synopsis report it did say that the gluteus tendons appear intact but my problem is not at the incretion point on the trochanteric area it is higher up and to the rear of that point. The MRI may not even show that area I am not sure.



Golfer67
 
@golfer67 - Your appointment with the surgeon is on the 22nd, just few days away.
Please let us know how you get on and what your surgeon says.
 
So I had my appointment with my surgeon yesterday and the results are mixed but somewhat encouraging. First the MRI did not show any alarming problems. However after a thorough examination which included finding the points in my gluteus muscle that produced pain my Surgeon decided that I do indeed have a partially torn Gluteus muscle that has started to try to heal. The area that is painful is not right over my hip or over the Trochanteric bone it is up high near the Iliac Crest and appears to be the same muscle that I tore when I was 14 years old and running track back in high school. My Surgeon wants to treat it conservatively because the pain and swelling has been getting ever so slightly better lately. He gave me trigger point cortisone shot in the damaged area and prescribed a twelve day of a heavy cortisone pill. I sure hope his diagnosis is correct and I think that it is as when I research partially torn Gluteus muscle I found that unless the muscle is completely torn that it will eventually heal if treated properly. My research also said that every time that I place stress on the injured muscle that it would reinjure the muscle and cause it to take longer for it to finally heal completely. I have been guilty of trying to rush the healing process by doing more walking and exercising than I should.



Golfer 67
 
I have been guilty of trying to rush the healing process by doing more walking and exercising than I should.
In this case overcome and conquer means "take it slow and ice"! Now that you realize you are doing too much you can re-evaluate and adjust @golfer67.
 
On April 22 I went back to my Surgeon due to swelling and pain in my replaced hip area. My surgeon administered a cortisone shot in the area and prescribed a very high dosage of oral prednisone to be taken for 12 days. At first it seemed that the treatment was going to work but on the morning of April 28 I woke up very ill. The illness kept getting worst until finally at around 10:30 PM on April 30 I had to be taken to the Emergency Room of the local hospital with a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit. I was diagnosed with a Bronchial infection and given antibiotics and cough suppressant and a follow-up appoint was made with my primary Doctor for May 10th. Yesterday I had my appointment with my primary Doctor and she thinks that I developed a bad case of acid reflux due to taking too much prednisone. This caused the acid to rise up and get into my bronchial tubes and cause the infection so I am being treated for both acid reflux and the infection. I am feeling better but I am still very sick. My primary Doctor also thinks that I should not be having the swelling and pain that I am having in my hip. She thinks that I am allergic to the hip implant and she is sending me to an allergy specialist to test me for an allergenic reaction to the metal in my new hip. So that is my latest difficulties related to this hip replacement from HELL maybe things will get better because they can’t get much worse at this point.
 
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Hello @golfer67
I‘m so sorry you‘ve had such a rough time lately. It’s unfortunate that the meds that were prescribed had such a negative effect landing you in the ER. Hopefully this new course of treatment is easier on your body and health.

With any luck there is no metal allergy, but a clear cut diagnosis as to the origin of your pain and a plan to resolve the issue so you can finally move forward in comfort and peace. Please keep us posted, we’re here for you.
 
So that is my latest difficulties related to this hip replacement from HELL maybe things will get better because they can’t get much worse at this point.
Be careful what you wish for!
Sorry to hear you're having so many problems. The torn muscle deal made sense and it's good to see there is nothing wrong with the implant. I always wondered why they didn't perform any tests pre-op to see if our bodies would mind the metal they were implanting and instead wait until there are problems to consider it.
 
Just a quick update on my 9 month anniversary of my hip replacement I am still having pain and swelling in my hip so I am scheduled to be tested on June 7th for metal allergies the testing takes a total of four appointments in a seven day period.. I will reevaluate my situation when I get the results of the test. Hope everyone is doing well and that recovery is going well.
 
Hi @golfer67
Thanks for stopping by with an update. I wish you were feeling better on this nine month anniversary. Best of luck with the testing. Hopefully whatever is causing your discomfort is discovered soon and treated, bringing you relief. Keep us posted.:) :-) (:
 
Tomorrow June 7th I start a four appointment sequence to determine if I am allergic to any of the components in my hip implant. I contacted the manufactures of all the hip components that were used and I have the exact makeup of all the components so the allergy center will know what to test me for. The process is very complex and will last until June the 14th. I also have an appointment with a highly respected OS here locally for a second opinion on my situation after the test on June 22ed here is the Doctors info. https://oaevansville.com/james-e-goris-m-d/ one way or another maybe I can at least start to find some answers as to why I have unusual pain and swelling. The answers may be that I am not allergic to my implant from the allergy center and maybe that everything is normal from the second opinion but either way at least I will have more information as to why I am in the shape I am in.
 
Best Wishes you find an answer soon with the easiest possible remedy to ease your pain and mind. We’ll be here so please keep us in the loop.
Take good care!
@golfer67
 
Well the series of test to determine if I have an allergy to the metal in my hip implant came back negative. So according to the allergist a reaction to the metal is not the reason that I have pain and swelling in my hip. I have an appointment with a very well respected orthopedic surgeon next Tuesday 06/22 it is my hope that he can find my problem.
 
Well I went for my second opinion from a well-respected orthopedic doctor today and he told me that my hip implant looked very good and that my pain and swelling is not coming from my hip but from the muscles and tendons up above the hip. He then told me that there is nothing surgical that he could do to help my condition wished me good luck and sent me on my way. It did not take me long to realize that I was in the wrong place to find a solution to my problem so I left without doing much arguing. I am really at a loss as for what I should do next. My swelling is so bad that it causes me to limp in a way that has caused Plantar Fasciitis in my foot on my good side so I can hardly walk because both my left hip and my right foot are hurting at the same time. I need to find a hip center that only deals with hips and the muscles around the hips. I have had eight spine surgeries and they were all done at a spine center that is associated with a teaching hospital and they could fix anything. It is a shame that the spine center does not work on hips.
 
I need to find a hip center that only deals with hips and the muscles around the hips.
You need to find a revision specialist - someone who deals with problem hips. They are out there and they can offer you help.

Could the spine centre recommend someone?
 
Sorry to hear about the visit with the new ortho, seems like it was a waste of time.

What you wrote = The area that is painful is not right over my hip or over the Trochanteric bone it is up high near the Iliac Crest and appears to be the same muscle that I tore when I was 14 years old and running track back in high school.

Even though you had an anterior approach your hip is still dislocated and most muscles are disrupted in some way. I know the injury was when you were 14 and healed, I wonder if it left scar tissue behind and it tore again. Do you remember if you had complete tear of the glute med. when you were 14?

I am betting the issue is with either the glute med or min.

Thanks,

Larry
 
Sorry to hear that you're still struggling and getting no answers. Any chance of contacting the spine center and getting a referral from them? At this point I'm sure traveling would be worth it, how about the Cleveland Clinic?
 

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