THR Not so happy with my Surgeon.

[Nickelpede]

My surgery was scheduled for Wednesday June 17th. The Orthopaedic Institute in Ocala Florida called me Friday morning and asked me height and weight. They said I have to lose 40 lbs. I cannot believe that they waited this long to tell me. This is the first that I heard of this. The caller said it was the Doctors protocol. I told them that the Doctor could have said something, the package of information could have documented it. I am very upset with them.

 

[Jaycey]

@Nickelpede I can fully understand why you are upset. To wait so late to tell you this is just cruel!

Can you contact your surgeon's office? At least you can find out why you were not told this earlier. Or it could be that someone is putting this restriction in place without your surgeon's knowledge.

 

[Nickelpede]

It was the Surgeons office that called me. I told them there was no mention of this before.
There was nothing in the package of information.
They did tell me to quit smoking, which I did many months ago.
The surgery was delayed due to the Covid scare. and now this.
My wife is a Dental Hygienist and canceled all her patients for the next 2 weeks so she could be home.
This whole thing has been such a hassle.
I knew I needed to get a physical, that took 3 weeks to get into the Doctor, It got rescheduled twice. Then my Doc said I would have to get the okay from my Cardiologist.
He made me get a EKG on Tuesday, Echo cardiogram 80 miles away on Wednesday. Then a Stress test yesterday. I got there at 9:15 and was there until 2:00pm. I sat in the waiting room from 10:30 until 1:45 waiting to see the Doctor and get a letter approving my surgery.
Tuesday when I was 80 miles away our house was hit by lightning. It took out my well, the cordless phone /answering machine, the DSL modem, the router and a computer.
When I called the phone company said they will have it repaired in 6 days.
So I have no Internet and no phone. Our cell phone signal is so weak we have to use a booster that goes through the Internet, so we have no cell phone either.

Part of the protocol I was given was to stop taking any aspirin, ibuprofen or OTC pain pills for 10 before surgery. So I have be able to use only ice for pain relief I get home from work, nothing during the day.

I'm ready to start smoking again.

 

[Hip4life]

Oh, my. I would be upset as well. What a mess! It does seem weird that your OS did not mention this at the onset. Even with clearance from all the other docs, I’m surprised. I know you were probably being flippant, please don’t undo the good you’ve done by smoking again. You’d have to do it all over again, anyway. The other thing that bothers me is that it is difficult to lose any weight let alone 40 pounds without being able to exercise accordingly and that is difficult when you’re in pain. If you can’t, he won’t do the surgery? How long before 40 lbs are gone? I guess you could start looking for a different OS. Yikes. I’m so sorry.

 

[Nickelpede]

I want to add that my Cardiologist wrote an RX for Zetia, even though he had not seen my blood work.
From the web:
(Zetia) is an expensive drug used to lower blood cholesterol for patients who are at risk of getting heart disease or a stroke. Zetia average retail price of $163.67 for 30 Days, but it can be found cheaper

I looked up Zetia side effects:
diarrhea, back pain, stomach or abdominal pain, numbness or tingly feeling, tired feeling, headache, dizziness, depressed mood, runny or stuffy nose, cold symptoms, joint pain, back pain, cough Abdominal fullness, black tarry stools, bleeding gums, bloating, blood in urine or stools, chills, constipation, darkened urine, fast heartbeat, fever, gaseous abdominal pain, general tiredness or weakness, indigestion, large, hive-like swelling on face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, sex organs, loss of appetite, light-colored stools, muscle cramps or spasms, muscular tenderness, wasting or weakness, nausea, pains in stomach, side or abdomen, possibly radiating to the back, pinpoint red spots on skin, recurrent fever, severe nausea, skin rash, unusual bleeding or bruising, upper right abdominal pain, vomiting, yellow eyes or skin

So I saw the first side effect and said that won't do.
The Cardiologist was a real idiot in prescribing this to me prior to having hip surgery.

I am rapidly loosing faith in the Medical profession. I guess that's why they say they are practicing Medicine, because they see everyone as lab rats.

 

[Hip4life]

I know you’re frustrated and disappointed but you just haven’t found the right care team. No one is perfect but having worked in medicine/healthcare for 40 years and from personal experience, there are many good, caring doctors out there. So don’t give up hope. One other thing: If you’re up to it, you might want to ask to talk to your OS directly about all this. I say this because I’ve had the experience where the staff was telling me one thing and when the OS found out my situation, he was on a completely different, more helpful page. He then told me to contact him directly in the future. You could give it a try and if it remains the same scenario, then you’ll know for sure. We’re here for you. Keep us posted.

 

[Pumpkin]

@Nickelpede,
Frustrating what is happening to you with you current medical situation.
I agree ask to talk to your surgeon directly, if in fact this came from the surgeon at this late date.
Suggest you start looking for another surgeon who does not consider your weight a problem.

 

[zauberflöte]

@Nickelpede do we have an emoji for steam coming out my ears? Wow. I am sorry for your lightning strike and its cascade of failures. The OS office sounds like a real piece of work. First off, they would know your height and weight from your chart! My OS started calculating BMI at the first appointment between my two hips (clearly he's a cherry-picker...), so even that is right there on the chart. I agree with @Hip4life and @Pumpkln about speaking directly to your surgeon. There is no way anybody could lose 40 lbs in 5 days. I might also call my cardiologist to ask for the reasoning behind prescribing this particular drug at this particular time.

And if you get no joy from OS, time to interview a few more. I am so sorry all this went down just as you're in your final countdown.

 

[Creampuff]

I am sorry for all this hassle you've experienced. I agree with others, try to speak directly with the doctor and look for another surgeon. It doesn't seem reasonable to be told to lose 40 pounds at the last minute.

 

[CricketHip]

What a horrible chain of events for you! Hopefully you have contacted your surgeon's office and put in a request to speak with him directly? Or plan to do so this week?

But, if those bridges have burnt, then surely there are other capable surgeons who will agree to work with you. I am so sorry this happened to you and you are very right to be upset. I'm not sure how long you waited for your surgery date, but knowing that they wanted some weight loss should have been discussed long before this.
I am so sorry.

 

[GrannyC]

I totally agree with the others. In fact if this happened to me, my first thought would be to find another OS. But at this late date, it might be wiser to speak to the surgeon about this personally and know for sure what is going on. If they still say you need to lose the weight, then definitely find another surgeon. You might check with your GP for recommendations. I believe there are some surgeons who will accept heavier patients. When looking for one, it might be good to talk to the office before making the appointment to be sure they would consider the surgery. You don’t want to waste time waiting for an appointment only to learn later they won’t consider surgery. Just hang in there though and don’t go back to smoking as it slows recovery. You’ll find the right answers with a bit of persistence.

 

[Nickelpede]

I showed up at the Orthopedic Office this morning at my scheduled pre-op appointment time.
The girl that I spoke to on Friday would not see me, but one of the PA's would.
I have an appointment with the Surgeon at 4:30 today.

 

[Hip4life]

Oh, good for you! Write down your points and questions before you go. I always forgot a couple of important ones if I didn’t. Make sure you at least get an answer to why you were told about the weight loss at that late juncture. All the best that you get some illumination and a way forward with your appointment this afternoon.

 

[zauberflöte]

Keep us posted! Write down all the answers you get, too. I hope it is a go!

 

[leejaa]

I hope all went well at your appointment and you received good news.

 

[GrannyC]

Good for you in getting the appointment. I hope you’ll keep us posted on how it all went.

 

[Nickelpede]

The appointment went really well.
The surgery is back on for this Wednesday.
He had me get on the table straight up and started manipulating my leg and checking the size of my leg and hip.
Right then he said that he could perform the surgery.
He said it was an oversight to not have me in sooner for another evaluation when elective surgery was allowed again.
He said Insurance companies are requiring the reduced BMI, not him.
I think it made a difference that I carry most of my weight in my upper body.
I'm relieved to get this moving forward again.

 

[zauberflöte]

Great news! That's.... tomorrow

 

[Hip4life]

Oh, that’s wonderful! I’m glad you advocated for yourself and your surgeon was compassionately receptive. Unfortunately, the misfire in communication happens in healthcare more often than we’d like but is, usually, easily corrected if those involved are aware. A lesson you should take to heart going forward on this journey. Prayers and blessings for a restful night tonight and uncomplicated surgery tomorrow with good pain control. Looking forward to your post on the healing side when you’re up to it.

 

[leejaa]

Best wishes for a successful surgery and a smooth pain controlled recovery. See you soon or when you are able on the sunny side (recovery).