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THR Grannyhippy's Recovery Thread

@Cynthia777, I sure hope that they can find out what is wrong soon too. Today my OS's secretary phoned to ask me if I had had a bone scan since my hip operation as my OS now wants me to have a nuclear bone scan to detect if the prosthesis is loose. I said that I had had a bone density test done in February this year and everything was fine as far as I can remember. His receptionist said that this was a different bone scan to the one the OS wants done. I think I have had the type of bone scan that he wants for another problem many years ago.

Anyway, I rang my local GP and asked them to send a copy of the results of the bone density scan I had done in February to my OS and later I phoned his secretary to let her know. She had received it but the said that the OS has decided that he wants to speak with the neurologist first before sending me the forms to get the bone scan that he wants me to have. So it will be a short while before I know what is going to happen and I might as well wait and see.

I had been asking people and looking up the names of different OSs but had not decided on one yet. Maybe I won't need to.

How is your recovery going now with your second hip done? I often see your posts about other people but not about your progress? How is your sciatica?
 
At least your OS is on it. The only trouble I've seen happen to other members is their OS who performed their THR swears there is no problem with it. Then they end up getting a second opinion from an OS (one specializing in revisions AND not connected with their current OS) only to find out there was an issue. You are well over a year post-op and in my opinion (for what it's worth) you should not be experiencing problems at this point. Some OS's have a very hard time admitting that something went wrong with the surgery they performed. I call it the "little God syndrome" and I think it's far too common than we think. I KNOW my OS has this problem (and I told him so...I told him he was arrogant! :heehee:) and he really could care less about his patients (but he's excellent skill wise).

How sweet of you to inquire about me! I'm doing FABULOSO! I'm five months post-op (first THR) and three months post-op (second THR) and all back/sciatica and butt pain (all pain for that matter) has disappeared. I contemplated breaking down and going to PT, but I'm so happy I didn't go, as all pain resolved itself after a couple of weeks. The only residual difference from pre-hip problems, is I notice slight groin pain if I suddenly twist (which disappears in a few minutes) and I notice when lifting anything over about 20 pounds, I can feel the hips aren't completely healed yet (not pain, but just a stressed feeling in the hips). I couldn't be more pleased with my results. I'm praying the same for you too @Grannyhippy!

I'm not sure if you mentioned whether you've had any current xrays done, but if you have, why not post the xray here so Josephine can take a look at it? She's so good at pointing out any problems with loosening etc.

Hugs and prayers!
CC
 
@Cynthia777 it is good to hear that you are doing so well recovering from both your surgeries and I am glad to hear that your back problems have now been resolved since having both hips done. Gosh! time flies. I can't believe it has already been three months since your second operation.

My OS's secretary phoned yesterday to say that he had spoken to the neurologist and he wants me to go back to the neurologist because the neurologist did not perform the particular tests he had asked for. It won't cost me anything except the cost of the needle because he should have done these tests when I saw him before. Within ten minutes of speaking to my OS's secretary the neurologist's secretary phoned to arrange an appointment with them. That will be next week and then I will go back to my OS a week after that.

My OS also spoke to me this morning and explained the situation. He feels the message to the nerves is not getting through somewhere. It is being interrupted and if I have these tests done it should help to clarify whether the problem is from my back or within the hip itself. He said he wants to get to the bottom of the problem and he laughingly said that I am "not a good advertisement" for him the way I am. He agrees I should not be having these problems this far down the track. So it's more tests and wait and see.

I am a bit of a Googler and I came across one case where this woman's symptoms and situation was almost identical to mine and she had an undetected torn gluteus muscle and strain. It was a large tear. I had looked up gluteus medius avulsion after hip replacement to bring up the site. Who knows. Maybe that is my problem but I will not speculate.

I don't have a recent x-ray of my hip. Only my lower back.
 
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Thanks so much! I know...time is flying by my friend!

How frustrating that the neurologist didn't perform the correct test, but thankfully you don't have to pay his fee again. Your OS sounds wonderful because he isn't brushing you off like some of our member's OS's do.

You know what? I'm going to tag @Krista for you because she has something similar to what you found online! She's a real sweetheart and is going through a very difficult time right now (she has two compression fractures of the spine). You should check her thread out. In case you've never looked a member up, just type "Krista" in the search box above and you'll see her name on the right side of the page.

PLEASE let me know how your test goes. You're in my thoughts and prayers @Grannyhippy. Hugs...:console2:
 
Grannyhippy, I had a right THR a year ago and have a severe gluteus medius tear that requires surgical repair. It was seen on a MARS MRI by my second opinion surgeon, but I suspected it before because I am unable to balance alone on my surgical leg, and the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus function to hold the hip steady while on one leg, as in walking or running. I have never been able to balance on the surgical leg since THR and have always had a very bad limp, so I've been using either a walker or crutch this whole time since the op. I am scheduled for repair on August 15, but that date is in question because now I am having back problems that may require postponement. I'll keep you posted on how the surgery goes, whenever it goes. I also have pain in my hip area and butt, mostly aching, but sometimes more sharp and piercing. Sometimes the leg "catches" and gives way, but since I am always using a walking aid, the consequences aren't too bad from that.

This is an often underdiagnosed problem. My original surgeon had no idea what was wrong with me, even when I presented him with the evidence I had gathered about a possible glute tear. He insisted it couldn't tear, and certainly surgery would never be required to fix it (if it couldn't tear). Little did he know. I will have two other surgeons working on my hip. one who specializes in glute repairs and has pioneered surgical techniques. The other to do exploratory surgery.

Good luck with this. I had an orthopedic surgeon and two radiologists who missed the diagnosis completely, even when faced with the MRI proof in front of their faces. They didn't know what to look for. All my best wishes to you, @Grannyhippy!
 
Thank you for the information you just posted @Krista. I suspect you are right and even casually mentioned that possibility to my OS surgeon when I spoke to him on the phone the other day but he did not answer. I am not sure he heard what I said or whether he just did not have an answer. I still may consider another surgeon down the track. Since it has been over a year since my first referral to my OS I will have to get another one from my GP. I have an appointment to do so in a couple of days. Luckily I have no trouble with driving. The neurologist asked if I was able to drive. I don't weight bare when driving so I manage it quite well but I don't drive long distances these days. I am usually the passenger then.

The article about that lady with the gluteus tear said that many doctors had misdiagnosed her problem. It is a problem that is often overlooked. I remember once when my physiotherapist was massaging my hip she said it felt like the muscle was parted but the following week it felt normal. I had been tempted to get a referral to the surgeon who repaired my complete shoulder tear arthroscopically. He did a good job of it and he also does hip revisions.

Last night my daughter-in-law went into labour ten days early. Her water broke and it wasn't long before her contractions were down to 20 minutes apart. I only live 15-20 minutes away and had offered to go over and look after their two year old when the time came. By the time I quickly got dressed, woke my husband to tell him, grabbed my nightclothes to take over and drove over there her contractions were two minutes apart. They had just put their son down to sleep. They made it in time and had a beautiful baby boy around around one or two o'clock this morning. 3.3 kg. (7.275 lbs.) His wife tried for a natural birth but once again needed a cesarean so bubs is bruised and battered from the natural birth attempt and was put in the intensive nursery unit. He also had a little bit of trouble breathing when they first cleared his throat etc. Like his brother his heart rate went down during the birth attempt.
 
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Congrats on your new grandson! Your daughter-in-laws delivery mirrored mine exactly! I had 17 hours of labor, daughter's heart rate dropped and then a c-section. She even weighed almost the same as your grandson (7 lbs 6 ounces). Look at her now....
 

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Oh Wow @Cynthia777, Your daughter is beautiful like you. My son did email a photo to us but they are very particular about me not posting photos of their children on Facebook or any public forum without their permission so I won't forward it on but he is a beautiful child. My daughter who was my first child weighed 7lb 9 ounces and my son weighed 6lb 15-1/2 ounces. Both were natural births with an epidural but the nurses on both occasions
said I did not need the epidural because I was doing fine without it, but I am a piker and opted for the painkiller. Even though my labour started early in the morning the day before my daughter was born I was instructed not to go to the hospital until the contractions were twenty minutes apart. It was a long drive to the hospital on a stormy night and my contractions were already two minutes apart by the time I arrived. The doctor only just made it in time for the delivery and the nurse said that if he did not hurry she would be delivering the baby. When my son was born my obstetrician decided to induce me three days before he was due and it was a quick delivery.
 
How sweet of you, I could only wish I was as pretty as my Gina (of course this is coming from her mama)! :heehee:
I totally understand where your kids are coming from! It's a darn shame this world has become such an unsafe place. Ahhh, having babies, those were the days! The years have flown by my friend. :-)
 
Thanks @Krista and @Grannyhippy....you're both WAY too kind! :loveshwr:

Sorry @Grannyhippy, that was my fault! @Krista posted here because she was replying to the picture of my daughter that I posted here on your thread. I have a tendency to cause havoc wherever I go! :heehee:

I hope the information that Krista gave you will help you in resolving your pain issues. She did a ton of research and actually diagnosed herself and had to educate the doctors! Way to go Krista!

Keep us posted @Grannyhippy! :flwrysmile:
 
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I went back to the neurologist last Wednesday and he did an EMG on my gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. There is nothing wrong with the nerves to those muscles. They are functioning normally.

His report to my OS usually takes about a week and I have an appointment to see my OS this coming Thursday 18th August. The neurologist said that my OS was quite patronising towards him during their conversation last week. I don't think my OS's request for the tests he wanted done were clear in the referral to the neurologist and that is probably why he did not perform the EMG when I first saw him a fortnight ago.
 
@Cynthia777 and @Krista,

I went to see my orthopaedic surgeon this morning. He had spoken to the neurologist who tested the nerves to my gluteus medius and gluteus maximus muscles and as I stated before those nerves are working normally but somehow the message is not getting through from my brain to my hip on the operated side so the hip gives way and I stumble when I walk. My OS also asked about my visit to my neurosurgeon last year regarding my back. My OS still feels as though there may be some compression of the nerve to the hip from the L3/L4 region in my spine. My neurosurgeon errs on the side of conservative treatment before even considering any surgery. When I saw him last year he did not think I needed surgery on my back but did suggest hydrotherapy in the pool and I was to go back to see him in three months if I was not right by then. I have not been back to see him. I did have a guided transforaminal epidural injection last November but it did not help.

So, My OS thinks I need to learn how to change my gait. With him holding my hand lightly I walked very slowly, bent over to start with as instructed, then I straightened up gradually. I seemed to be walking straighter and the hip did not give way as much so I am to go home and practise walking this way with my husband holding onto my hand lightly for support. I am to go back to see my OS in a fortnight's time. I hope this works out for me. I very pleased that my OS is investigating my situation thoroughly. I think I have started to regain some confidence in him. He will also talk to my physiotherapist but thinks that if I practise walking the way he showed me I may not need to return to physiotherapy.

@Krista, I did ask my OS if there was a possibility of a tear in the muscle and he said that the muscle would not move the way it does if there was a tear in it so he does not think so. He was relieved to find that the nerves were intact as he was worried that he may have accidentally cut them during surgery which can happen.
 
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