THR I am titanium!

[dickinson]

@calikat , so sorry to read of your continuing ordeal.
an allergy to the implant?? "disappointing" sounds like an understatement
and still so much pain, poor you
my wishes that it gets resolved soon in the best possible way
d

 

[calikat]

Hi @Josephine the ultracet is a 37.5mg/325mg tram/tylenol combination. I was adding an additional 500 mg of tylenol with it, but I find the addition of the NSAIDS to be much more effective. I had visible swelling along my outer hip area which has now diminished since starting the NSAIDS 3 days ago. I am in quite a bit of aching discomfort right now. It is deep into my inner thigh/groin/adductor area and wraps around to the back of my leg socket? Not sure quite how to explain it. The pain feels different than pre surgery.

 

[Peaches]

Hi, @calikat ... you have been through the wringer and I am so sorry. I am glad to hear you are recovering nicely from the hand surgery. You deserve a break! Hang in there. Keep us posted as to how you are doing with everything else. I hope things turn around soon for you.

 

[Josephine]

I had visible swelling along my outer hip area which has now diminished since starting the NSAIDS 3 days ago.

I think that's purely co-incidental! NSAIDs might be 'anti-inflammatory' but they don't work that quickly!

The pain feels different than pre surgery.

I'd be rather surprised if it didn't!

It is deep into my inner thigh/groin/adductor area and wraps around to the back of my leg socket?

Okay, show me where it is using this chart: each square needs a double reference like this BR3F, okay?

 

[calikat]

@Josephine ER3F...the top left corner section where my thigh attaches to my pubic (?) bone, then wraps around to the back, ER4B bottom rt corner, FR4B top right corner, FR5B along the top of the square, and then continues around. The pain really circles around the top of my leg where it attaches to my body. The pain in the back is worse when I am sitting. This morning is not too bad. Last night was pretty intense even with pain medication. Also the pain comes from deep inside. It is not palpable, but it can be made worse by non weight bearing movement such as rotating my hip in or out.

 

[calikat]

Thank you @Peaches and @dickinson I am so happy and relieved that my hand/wrist surgery seems to be recovering so well. I am glad I moved forward with the surgery. My hand surgeon said I had no cartilage left in my thumb joint, and that is why it was so painful and swollen. Some days I had difficulty pulling up my pants! LOL! I had begged him in early December for another cortisone injection in my thumb because I felt like I could not face another surgery so soon after the hip, but he refused. I had already had 4 injections over the past two years. The last injection was to get me through the hip surgery. He told me I just needed to have the surgery. It was my Christmas present to myself, although I was very nervous because of the problems/pain I was/am continuing to have with my hip.

 

[Kim22]

Hi @calikat I am very impressed by your recovery from your recent hand surgery but very sorry to read about your possible metal allergy as well as your ongoing IT band pain.I see that you are seeing an allergist tomorrow and your OS again next week.I will be interested in the outcomes of these appointments.I hope your pain is now under control.

 

[Josephine]

So your pain is here at the back?

The pain in the back is worse when I am sitting. This morning is not too bad. Last night was pretty intense even with pain medication. Also the pain comes from deep inside

The site of that pain in the rear and your description of the pain leaves me in no doubt that this is Piriformis syndrome. The pain coming to the front it probably that too. Read the article I just left for you..

 

[Vetgirl]

Oh @calikat you have been in the wars yourself!!!!

I read a bit back that you don't like to complain because of what I'm going through but to me it seems like you are in just as much of a pickle especially with your ongoing pain and hand surgery. I can't believe you may have a metal sensitivity!!!!!

I will be praying that these issues can be resolved for you quickly......

You have been such a constant source of strength to me and I'm sorry I haven't been more supportive of you

Good luck with the testing

 

[calikat]

@Josephine It circles around my whole leg. If I knew how to draw it on you photo I would. I have read the article before and just again, and it does not really sound like my symptoms. I don't have pain in the buttock, It is below that where my leg attaches. It could be the piriformis. My PT worked on that while I was going to PT, but she said it did not feel tight. I don't know at this point. I am at a loss. I just know something is not right, and I should not still be in this much pain.

 

[calikat]

@Josephine I tried to draw the area of my pain.

 

[calikat]

@Vetgirl thank you for your kind words. I am determined to figure it all out. And my reconstructive hand surgery is so far a success!

 

[Josephine]

Well done! That's very informative. And I would be fairly confident in surmising that it's related to the actual joint and not the surrounding tissues.

 

[calikat]

@Josephine I had my 14 year old son help me! LOL! And it does feel like it is coming from the joint. Thank you again as always for your invaluable input. <3

 

[calikat]

Hi @Josephine I am having the most bizarre reactions to icing. It happened last week when I tried to ice my hip. After about 10 minutes of icing my skin started to burn and itch. I removed the ice pack. My skin continued to turn very red and started to feel very itchy and hot. Penny sized white welts began to appear. It was very strange. I thought I might have developed an allergy to the gel ice pack so the next day I tried again with ice in a plastic bag which I then put in a pillow case. The reaction was the same. I took pictures with my phone because it was so bizarre. I promise you I am not crazy! I decided to try and ice my hand and wrist last night. Sure enough at around the 8 - 10 minute mark my arm started to turn crazy red, and itchy with a burning sensation. The redness increased after removing the ice and itchy welts appeared. Even my left hand/palm which was holding the ice to my right arm turned very red and itchy. Am I allergic to ice???? Have you ever heard of such a thing? I am having all these crazy symptoms.

 

[calikat]

I saw the allergist/immunologist this afternoon. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the doctor believes me and does not think I am crazy! LOL! I took all my pictures of the rashes. Unfortunately he believes that I either have some type of low grade infection in my hip, or I am having an allergic reaction to my hip implant.

The rashes and reactions to the ice packs are something called "cold urticaria".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_urticaria
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cold-urticaria/basics/definition/CON-20034524

It is the underlying cause for the cold urticaria that is the concern. The doctor says it is from some type of active inflammation in my body which is causing an immune response. Since the symptoms started after my hip replacement he believes the hip is the source. He is putting together a letter to send to my OS which he said he would send out tonight. I will need imaging studies, blood work, and he is going to order a metal testing kit specific to my implant from the manufacturer. He wants to rule out an infection first. I have an appointment with my OS next Wednesday. I feel disappointed with the news, but also relieved that I now have a course of action and someone to help guide me. He seemed very knowledgeable about metal sensitivity problems with implanted devices and recently had a patient who had problems with a spine device. He said she did very well after they replaced it with something else. I think he was trying to give me good news to follow up with the bad.
So that is my update. Thank you all for your support.

 

[Josephine]

Well what a turn around! I'm so pleased you have someone on your side at last!

 

[sunsetbiking]

@calikat I am so sorry to hear this news, I hope they get to the bottom of the issue. Could either the infection or the metal allergy also cause the pain you have been having? Do you think it is all linked together? So glad you have a great allergist/immunologist and he working to get this all figured out for you. I just can't believe another one of my September hippie sisters is having such serious issues with their new hips.

I will keep you in my thoughts and I hope you find out the issue and it fixed quickly.

Please keep us posted, I will be thinking of you and remember we are here for you!

 

[calikat]

Could either the infection or the metal allergy also cause the pain you have been having? Do you think it is all linked together?

Absolutely sunsetting. I have known for a while now that something was not right. I was just in denial and hoping that I was wrong.

 

[sunsetbiking]

Let's hope it's a simple fix and all of issues are taken care of at once, I will be thinking of you and hoping for a positive outcome.