THR I am the Storm

[danelady]

@Merrimay Hey you!!!

I am putting my phone on the charger right now and won't attempt anything until it is fully charged!!
Anyway, I figure going down will be easy, going back up again might be harder so I won't spend so much time standing around that I'm too tired to walk back up again.

Wish me luck!

 

[Jamie]

@danelady …. I’m so glad to hear from you and know that things are getting a bit better.

Please, please don’t ignore your doctor’s calls about the stitches. They need to come out, pronto. Your doctor can arrange for Home Health services for you. When left in too long, they can become embedded and extremely difficult to remove. This can also result in major scarring and a painful removal for you. You don’t need anything that causes extra pain when you’re trying to heal. You also don’t want to do anything that might risk infection. I know you’re still having a lot of hip pain, but you NEED to do this.

 

[Newhip_Pol]

Hi @danelady, just catching up with your more recent saga. So sorry to hear you have had such a terrible time but glad to know things are gradually improving.

I have to say I agree with Jamie and others, those stitches MUST come out and MUST be taken out by someone who knows what they are doing. Yes, it is likely to be a painful procedure but nowhere near as bad as your bone pain but the longer you leave it the worse it will be and the greater the risk if infection.

Take care, your BoneSmart buddies worry about you.

 

[danelady]

Hi! I would like you all to know that Saturday was the mostest beautifullest of days and everybody was out enjoying the warmth. My neighbors, who happen to be my dearest friends, were all outside as well, detailing their vehicles and enjoying the sun. I thought it was the perfect time to attempt going down the ramp and back up again, so slowly I went....inch by inch...then walked the length of the cement pad, using the walker of course. Going back up the ramp I needed to give an extra push with each step but I got 'er done!!!

My hip felt stable and was getting stronger every day so I made an appointment to see my dr on Thursday and he can take my stitches out too. All I did today was just hang around the house, either in bed or in the wheelchair and do absolutely NOTHING more strenuous than changing channels on the TV.

But nothing ever goes as smooth for me as it should, does it? About an hour ago, while just sitting in my wheelchair, it happened again. What happened again you ask?

DISLOCATION #6!!!!!!

I just cannot believe it!!!!!
Right now it's dark and I'm sitting at my door enjoying the still nice weather and not feeling any pain at all while trying to decide if I should have the ambulance take me to the hospital about a mile away from the one I swore I'd never go to again. Or just suck it up and go to the other one and DARE anyone to even look at me sideways.

My neighbors went to dinner earlier, about the same time as when the hip came apart, so I'm also waiting for them to come home to let them know what's going on.

Wish me luck, dear friends.

 

[Layla]

Heartbreaking, unbelievable, unfair.
Prayers, lots of prayers going up…

 

[danelady]

Thank you dearest @Layla. This is truly a conundrum.

 

[Layla]

I hate to see you go to that hospital again after your experience last time.
However, that decision is up to you. More importantly, I can’t believe you have to endure another dislocation and whatever follows. I’m at a loss for words, danelady. This is so sad.

 

[Jamie]

This is most troublesome, @danelady. My feeling is that you should not go back to that hospital again. Is the other one a fairly large hospital? What's the name of it so I can take a look? And does your surgeon have privileges there? If your hip is dislocated, you really should not stay at home. But I don't understand how this keeps happening even with the constrained implant that you have. I'm thinking it's time for a new surgeon.

 

[danelady]

The EMTs brought me to the same ol' ER and I looked everyone up and down from the gurney and they did the same to me but so far everything is cool. Actually, I saw a lot of familiar faces and they even came up to say hi to me, so I'm feeling a little better. I'll feel a lot better when I see who shows up to take x-rays. Ooh, the x-ray machine is here!

 

[Jamie]

I'm glad you're at the hospital. And really glad you're being treated well so far. Fingers crossed everything goes okay....thanks so much for letting us know the latest update. You know we're all concerned about you!

 

[danelady]

@Jamie Thank you Jamie. Paul, the x-ray tech came in to take a chest x-ray but he couldn't tell me why. He also said I'm going to be admitted. He's a very nice gentleman and I hoped I didn't sound too gruff but I told him that from now on I need someone to explain what they're going to do to me before they do it, no more blindly accepting that I'm in good hands. The dear sweet man brought a doctor back who explained that because of the totally useless Lock Ring, Wing Nut....whatever.... this dislocation needs to be reset by surgery. I really have no choice, I mean it's not like I can walk out of here on my own. The thing is.....

I DO NOT WANT ANOTHER OPERATION!!

None of them have done what they were supposed to do anyway. I want them to get my hip back in place and then I want to go home, maybe find another surgeon.

 

[Newhip_Pol]

Hi @danelady - thinking if you, cannot imagine how you must be feeling. No real advice to give either except to say that given your history surgery seems inevitable (and it sounds like major reconstruction). Here's hoping you can find a surgeon to trust in your present circumstances.

 

[danelady]

@Newhip_Pol Thank you so much for your kind words. I've never looked for support to help me get through a rough patch....I just preferred to deal with stuff on my own. Of course, I had no idea how deep this insane rabbit hole would take me and as the months turned into a year I felt like I was abandoned by the drs and free-falling into a fog of unending pain.
The support I received from the members here helped keep my head above water. No matter how short or long the messages were I felt connected to my fellow members who are experiencing, or have experienced, the same confusion, asked the same questions and above all felt the same pain as I did.
Once again, thank you.

 

[Merrimay]

Oh, my dear @danelady! I, too, feel at a loss for words at your latest heartbreak.
I just don't understand why these dislocations keep happening! I'm not expert on reconstructive surgery, but has an OS done a thorough analysis of why this continues to happen to you? Or do they just throw up their hands and stick in the same old lugnuts?

Whatever they keep doing is NOT working, so I think you need a NEW, more expert, and potentually creative set of eyes. Might you contact the Mayo Clinic for a consultation?
I marvel at your inner strength, physical fortitude, and humor as you continue to endure what no one should! Please keep us in the loop. We are here for you!

 

[Jaycey]

@danelady Is it time to seriously consider a new surgeon? I think Jamie may have recommended him but I'll leave his details here. Can you at least call Dr Chow's office to get his input?

Dr. Jimmy Chow
Chow Surgical, LLC
3700 N 24th Street
Suite 160
Phoenix, AZ 85016
480-490-6561

 

[danelady]

@Jaycey Hi Jaycey! Without a doubt, I am putting some distance between myself and my OS and whatever sharp instrument he has stashed in a pocket.

The ONLY work he will be doing on me today is resetting my hip, after which I am gone from here. What's crazy is I could dislocate 5 minutes later and need another operation again.

Yes, Jamie sent me Dr Chow's contact info and I called them. Very nice people, no one spoke down to me and my questions were answered.

Unfortunately for me, Dr Chow does not take insurance. I did some research on him and WOW! I sure wished I could have used him!

 

[lanstan]

All I can say is i want you to know we are all behind you with on line support. It feels like it is not enough and it is frustrating we cant help you more. Virtual hugs!

 

[Jamie]

@danelady….I have talked with Dr. Chow’s office and there may be some options for you to get at least some help from him.

While it’s true that his billing situation has changed lately and it might be more expensive to see him, I believe it may still be possible for you. I’m willing to help you and see what can be done, if you like.

To start, tell me exactly what insurance you have. I’m guessing you have some type of Medicare program. If so, is it a straight Medicare Part A and B or an Advantage program? Do you have any supplemental insurance to cover the copays? If you have a supplemental policy, does it cover out-of-network costs? If you let me know the exact type of insurance you have, I can do a little research too to see what the policy may or may not cover.

Dr. Chow is no longer ”in network” for Medicare or most insurance companies for his service. But you could see him virtually or in person for a consultation for $250. You would need to provide him with all your x-rays to review prior to the meeting. If you can afford to do this, it would be a good place to start before deciding what to do next. While there are surgeon fees that have to be paid directly to him, any hospital costs are still covered by Medicare. This is usually where the bulk of expenses are in any procedure.

If you are uncomfortable discussing this on the public forum, please put the information in a PM to me here on the forum. I will try my best to help you.

 

[myglasshalffull]

Just reading this danelady and all I can say is OMG!
What is going on, I am so sorry...

 

[danelady]

Hey, I'm alive! Feeling pretty good too, but that might also be from the amount of morphine still in my system. The drs are stumped but they've come up with a theory as to what might be causing this.

I had my left knee replaced back in the 90s and afterwards I noticed my left leg wasn't straight up and down anymore. It bent inwards a bit at the knee and over the years it's become more and more noticeable. I really didn't care and never mentioned it, my knee pain was gone which made me very happy.

Normally, an acetabular cup can be adjusted a bit so it meets the femeral component at the proper angle but the cup I have now is that custom built piece that can't be adjusted. So they're wondering if the 2 pieces not lining up correctly could be causing the easy dislocations. It does make some sense to me. They also got a brace on my leg while I was still on the operating table to hold my leg straighter, it's cloth, has hinges and is pretty light. We shall see. Right now the morphine is pulling my eyelids down. Have a wonderful night!

@Jamie Oh thank you love. I will get with you about Dr Chow when I don't have this much morphine in my system, lol.