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THR Old New Hip<

annie1234 said:
Does BS have a back forum or is it covered in the "other joints" forum?
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This forum as a whole is specifically for joint replacements. Sorry.
annie1234 said:
Does anyone know of a good back forum on another board?
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Never found one yet. Actually, did find one once but it wasn't very active.
 
@annie1234 Have you tried a TENS machine for your back issues? Before I was diagnosed with all my back issues I used a TENS. It really does take the edge off and helps you get more mobile.
 
@YoungHippy where do you live in NC? In I'm Jacksonville...home of Camp LeJeune and the Marines!

@Jaycey I don't have a TENS unit but have heard from several friends that they really help. Are the OTC units any good or should I ask for a doc to prescribe one so insurance can pay?
 
Guess I'm "borrowing trouble" but does anyone have suggestions for a good hip revision doc near me? I'm a bit limited in my transportation options so would like to go no further than New Bern or Wilmington NC. Thanks...
 
@annie1234 I am close to Plymouth.

I'm not sure if this guy does revisions or not, but he came highly recommended when I was waiting for my surgery.
His name is Dr Greenlaw in New Bern NC. I had mine done through Orthopedics East in Greenville, and my friend that lives in Vanceboro actually ended up in Raleigh to get hers done at Duke Hospital.
 
@YoungHippy Dr Greenlaw's name has come up a couple of times. He belongs to the same group my OS is in (Barton Arthur). Even though we are told to seek out someone not connected to your first OS, it would make my life easier to go to New Bern. What would really make my life easier would be to find out my hip pain is cause by my bad knee!

I'm not familiar with Plymouth..will have to look at a map. :heehee:
 
I've used a TENS for years. I'm actually on my fourth unit right now, worn the others out!
I use them for a number of issues but one thing I would never use them on is a newly operated upon site!
I'd wait until at least 10 weeks out.
 
@annie1234 I say Plymouth, but it's really more this big dead area between Pinetown and Plymouth. Pinetown is kinda close to Washington NC.

My friend was going to use Dr Greenlaw, but he was out of network for her insurance. I attempted to get in to see if maybe he would do my THR faster than Dr Bates would. Unfortunately the first open appointment he had was the same day as my THR was scheduled for. So I stuck with where I was already at. I did notice that his website has changed though. Last year his main focus was hips. This year he highlights knees and hips are more of an afterthought.
 
I've had nothing but a round of troubles this past week. I blew up with generalized edema, very short of breath, plus my back/hip/knee pain has continued. Saw IM, did labs. Said my BNP was ok so not CHF, but liver enzymes all elevated. Put me on lasix and aldactone TID for the edema. Stopped all Tylenol and all NSAIDS as he thought that was what was causing the elevated liver enzymes. Put me on tramadol in spite of seizure risk...and it really doesn't do anything for me as far as pain relief. Wouldn't even look at MRI report...said that he was leaving that up to neuro and OS. So I went home (at least he did put me out of work while he was dieuresing me). I peed off 24 lbs of fluid over 1 week. I didn't realize just how edematous I was. I managed to catch a cold too and when I saw him 2 days ago, he said my chest was congested (well, yeah...I knew that!) and put me on azithromycin for a week, dropped the lasix and aldactone back to once a day. Went back to work yesterday...clocked in at 1430 and out at 0250...no lunch, 1 potty break! At least my residents were glad to see me back. I see neuro today and he will go over my MRI results with me. No luck so far in getting in earlier with the OS. I'm hoping that neuro might call and see if the OS can bump up my appt. I sincerely tried to not take Tylenol or NSAIDS but with the cold I had to take a few doses of 650's of Tylenol for the fever/aching. I'll ask neuro if he will give me a Rx for some plain oxycodone till I see IM in 3 weeks and get a recheck of my liver labs. So, I'm sitting here at 0450 trying to watch tv to keep my mind off my discomfort. Miserable!!!

@YoungHippy I looked on the map to see where Plymouth/Pinetown is...you are sort of "out n the country" aren't you?
 
@annie1234, reading your last post practically had me gasping. All of the recent physical problems in addition to the initial complaints, and then to a 12 hour workday, with only one bathroom break and no lunch? I can't even imagine... I hope you can get through this without more of a setback in your recovery. Sending good vibrations to you! :fingersx:
 
I've seen my Neuro and OS...Neuro says the MRI basically boils down to lots of degenerative stuff most of which comes along with becoming a "senior" (??????) Ortho did some X-rays and the good news is my THR implants look good . The bad news is the X-rays showed a couple of lumbar compression fractures which the MRI didn't mention. Ortho called the radiologist who read the MRI and then told me that they felt they was too old to do a kyphopkasty on. (?????) Ortho did give me a handout on back strengthening exercises which I'm trying to do--with the assistance of a nosy dog and several cats! My mind is sooooo greatly relieved to know my hip is ok. So now I'm back to working to save up money to get my other knee replaced.
 
@annie1234, glad that your THR implants look fine! Regarding the compression fractures (CP) and the kyphoplasty...I've had them both. It is possible to find out later on that you had a CP, that it healed, and you never knew you had one! It happened to you and to me.

Apparently, it is the age of the fracture that has to do with whether they recommend a kyphoplasty or not, with most healing done by 3 months. Once a fracture has healed, there are no benefits to having a kyphoplasty. The reason for doing one are these, according to this very informative link from spine health, https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/back-surgery/kyphoplasty-vertebral-compression-fractures:
  1. Reduce or eliminate back pain
  2. Prevent further collapse of the fracture, thus avoiding an increase in spinal deformity and progression of postural problems
  3. Restore normal spinal alignment, thus improving the patient's posture.
I had a compression fracture in 2011 with pain and spasms, but I didn't know what was wrong - never had an x-ray or treatment. It healed. I had another in July 2016, and was in agonizing pain. I had a kyphoplasty in August.
 
@Jaycey @Krista That's what I understood the OS to be telling me...that the fx's were too old (healed) to do the kyphoplasty. NOT that I was too old. :heehee: Unfortunately, my back while MUCH better, will occasionally grab me mid-movement. Guess I'll just have to learn to live with that.

I love what spell check does to my grammar: "they felt THEY WAS..."
 
I'm now set up for an epidural injection of my back next week. Hope it will help--all I know about epidurals is from working L&D. I guess my back pains are causing me to walk crooked as I'm again having pain in my hip...same pain and in same places as before the replacement. I still have a nagging feeling that something isn't right in that hip. I've noticed that I drag my right foot a bit when I've been sitting and first stand and take a few steps. This is so confusing and worries me. Is it hip or back causing the problems? And I'm sort of feeling like my ortho has passed me off to the pain clinic...I don't know how to feel about that....
 
So sorry :/ it is not easy to figure out hip vs back. Also hard to sort out what is knowing our body and worrying too much. It is really really hard to sort out. Nothing changes if nothing changes, so now you are trying this, and it will inform what happens next. ...and if you need to, you have every right to seek a second opinion and you absolutely should, if this epidural does not help you. It certainly cannot feel good to feel "passed off" and I know that feeling, from when my first recovery did not go well. Hang in there, try this and see what happens, them keep trying. You deserve to not be in that kind of pain. Keep us posted
Cathy
 
annie1234 said:
@YoungHippy I looked on the map to see where Plymouth/Pinetown is...you are sort of "out n the country" aren't you?
Click to expand...

Just now saw this reply, Idk how I missed it before. I like to tell people that I live so far in the boonies that we had to pipe in the sunshine :) In reality though, sunshine is plentiful, it's the internet connection that had to be piped in. The phone company said it was the first time they had ever installed high-speed internet in a 200-year-old farmhouse.

If you wanted to come to Greenville you could see my hip surgeon and get him to recheck your hip to see what he sees. Or I remember seeing on here at one point that there was a surgeon in Texas that would do consults via email if you have copies of your x-rays to send. Hope you figure out what is going on soon.

My mom had the epidural injections in her back a couple of different times. I think they did it in 2 stages, the first time they did a short acting injection to make sure they were in the right spot. The premise being if that helped on the short term they would do something longer acting on the follow-up visit. The epidural didn't so well for her. They tried something called radiofrequency ablation and she had 9 months of relief on the first try, but the subsequent procedure only lasted about 2 weeks.
 
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