THR Petrified

[mendogal]

Look at you taking charge of your care! I'm really proud of you.
Fingers crossed you get the referral to a revision specialist quickly!

 

[CherokeeGem]

Look at you taking charge of your care! I'm really proud of you.
Fingers crossed you get the referral to a revision specialist quickly!

I could not have done this without any of you for the last 9 months I have not had a voice and now I do.

 

[Jamie]

You did well and are right not to allow this doctor to experiment with you and your hip. He’s obviously out of his comfort zone.

The fluid check is something that might need to be done to ensure there is no infection, but your new revision surgeon can determine if it’s needed or not. If there were to be an infection in the joint, it’s something an experienced revisionist will have dealt with many times before. You would need to request the involvement of an infectious disease doctor in your case as well as the orthopedic surgeon.

If there is an infection, it is common to treat it with a two-stage revision. That may be why your current doctor mentioned this to you. In this process, your original implant is removed, the incision area is cleaned out, and an antibiotic spacer joint is placed in your hip for a period of time (usually around 6 weeks) while the infection is treated with an appropriate antibiotic medication. Once the doctors are sure your body is free of the infection, a new hip implant is placed. During the time you have the temporary hip spacer, you would be able to walk, but it’s just not as good as your final hip will be.

However, it is possible that your problem is not an infection at all. You didn’t report any drainage from the incision, redness, or a fever which are the typical signs that an infection is present. It can also be indicated by elevated blood levels.

When a stem is loose as your MRI indicated, you can have significant pain from the slight motion going on when you walk on a loose stem. It moves only slightly, but it is enough to actually change the bone surface (called bone remodeling), which is not good over the long term. This is why we’ve been encouraging you to try and keep the weight off your leg as much as you can.

There is little chance that bone growth into the stem will occur after this much time. So, while it is a good thing to baby your leg for now as much as possible (glad that you found a walker!!!), I’m glad you’re pursuing an appointment with a revision surgeon.

 

[CherokeeGem]

You did well and are right not to allow this doctor to experiment with you and your hip. He’s obviously out of his comfort zone.

The fluid check is something that might need to be done to ensure there is no infection, but your new revision surgeon can determine if it’s needed or not. If there were to be an infection in the joint, it’s something an experienced revisionist will have dealt with many times before. You would need to request the involvement of an infectious disease doctor in your case as well as the orthopedic surgeon.

If there is an infection, it is common to treat it with a two-stage revision. That may be why your current doctor mentioned this to you. In this process, your original implant is removed, the incision area is cleaned out, and an antibiotic spacer joint is placed in your hip for a period of time (usually around 6 weeks) while the infection is treated with an appropriate antibiotic medication. Once the doctors are sure your body is free of the infection, a new hip implant is placed. During the time you have the temporary hip spacer, you would be able to walk, but it’s just not as good as your final hip will be.

However, it is possible that your problem is not an infection at all. You didn’t report any drainage from the incision, redness, or a fever which are the typical signs that an infection is present. It can also be indicated by elevated blood levels.

When a stem is loose as your MRI indicated, you can have significant pain from the slight motion going on when you walk on a loose stem. It moves only slightly, but it is enough to actually change the bone surface (called bone remodeling), which is not good over the long term. This is why we’ve been encouraging you to try and keep the weight off your leg as much as you can.

There is little chance that bone growth into the stem will occur after this much time. So, while it is a good thing to baby your leg for now as much as possible (glad that you found a walker!!!), I’m glad you’re pursuing an appointment with a revision surgeon.

Yes I've had no redness, no fever, no drainage at all ever, nothing like that. I'm afraid I've already done significant amount of damage since he kept telling me to walk on it cuz I do 50 plus hours weekly on it. It kept telling me just to work through the pain and it would build my leg up. Now it's almost unbearable. So I'm not doing anything until I can reach a specialist.

 

[Jamie]

That’s wise. While you’ve probably not done so much that it can’t be fixed, you don’t want to risk doing anything more right now. Hang in there just a little longer. Hope you can get an appointment soon.

 

[CherokeeGem]

Assertiveness when it’s needed is part of being a BoneSmartie. Information is the power behind being able to speak up for yourself and you’re on the way to getting the information you need. I’m proud of the way you’ve stepped up to the plate. I feel the increased confidence in your posts! Hopefully you’ll begin to see how well this will work for you and you’ll be on the road to a good recovery. We’re always in your back pocket. Don’t hesitate to post here for support and strength as you work your way through this.

Have any you experienced if u barely bump your foot on your surgical leg or stumble and then all of a sudden get a horrible stabbing pain above your knee and in your knee then after that pain subsides you have a constant aching for a while? I have to try to find another revision specialist because Dr.Krebs has no appointments for the rest of this year and over 100 people on the call list waiting to see him! So I'm not quite sure how to research it but it showed me a list of available orthopedic surgeons and I'm ignorant when it comes to looking stuff up but I'm going to try my best.

 

[CherokeeGem]

That’s wise. While you’ve probably not done so much that it can’t be fixed, you don’t want to risk doing anything more right now. Hang in there just a little longer. Hope you can get an appointment soon.

Yes I have to try to research for other doctors they gave me a list of available ones but I don't know who would be good and who wouldn't so I'm going to have to try to learn how to research this because Dr Krebs is booked up for the rest of this year for appointments. Ugh

 

[Jamie]

I can help you with that research if you’ll post the list of surgeons they gave you.

 

[Jamie]

Sorry to hear Dr. Krebs is so booked. That happens with the really good guys. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other good options out there.

 

[Jamie]

I’m not surprised that you get pain in your leg if you bump your foot. The force of any impact travels up the leg and will hurt in the area where your stem is loose. It’s also possible to have pain in a lot of different places in your leg when something is not right. It travels. That’s called referred pain. Be sure you’re taking something for your pain, even if it’s just Extra Strength Tylenol. With the Tylenol, you should probably be taking 1000mg every 6 hours. Just be sure you don’t go over 4000mg in any 24 hour period and that you count any other meds with acetaminophen in them (like sinus or cold medications).

 

[Jamie]

Remember you always have the fall back position of going to the Emergency Room at the main hospital where Dr. Krebs practices. If your pain gets too bad, please consider this option. One thing this does for you is that it forces the ER to take a good look at your hip implant, take additional tests fairly quickly, and call in an orthopedic specialist from the hospital (it could even be Dr. Krebs if he happens to be the on-call doctor) to take a look.

You have to be the judge of your pain levels, but don’t feel guilty if you decide on this option. ERs are appropriate for people who are having extreme pain. It would be ideal if you could have a friend or family member drive you there, should you need to go.

 

[CherokeeGem]

I can help you with that research if you’ll post the list of surgeons they gave you.

Jamie here they are and only the first two are available before late August but really don't want to base my decision on that. I sure wish I can get in to see somebody that's good a lot sooner.

Peter Surace, MD
Nicholas Scarcella, MD
Alexander Roth, MD
Glenn Wera, MD
Matthew Deren
, MD
They also told me I could use my own and they would write the referral but I'm not even sure how to go about doing that and find out if they're available before August

 

[CherokeeGem]

I know everyone's probably getting tired of me posting and I Hope and Pray that I don't get kicked out for doing so.

 

[Jamie]

We absolutely are NOT getting tired of hearing from you. The more we learn about you and your situation, the better the support we can give you. So don’t worry one bit about frequent posting.

Both Dr. Surace and Dr. Scarcella perform hip revisions and complex reconstructive surgery (if needed)….so that is good news. I did find a YouTube video of Dr. Surace that (to me) was very impressive regarding how he approaches cases and treats his patients. Here is the link to that video for you:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

If it was me, based on the information I was able to find, I would explore an appointment with Dr. Surace first. But there is nothing wrong with having a consultation with both of them so you can compare and see who you are more comfortable with. You don’t need to tell the scheduler that you’re doing that….just make separate phone calls to set up the appointments. You can always cancel one or the other if you decide you want to go with the first doctor you see. Both these doctors work out of the Medina hospital, so that is a little bit closer and easier to get to for you. I honestly think you would be fine with either one of them.

 

[Jamie]

I just realized my spell check murdered Dr. Krebs’s name in a couple of the posts above….called him Dr. Karen! Sorry…..I’ve corrected that. Some days I really love my computer…..it has a mind of it’s own….

 

[mendogal]

@CherokeeGem - we're here for you however long this process takes.
I look forward to cheering you on through your recovery.... meanwhile, whatever your mood or concern, you've got a team on your side here.

 

[Supersub]

So sorry you’ve had such a tough time @CherokeeGem. I hope you can find a good surgeon to help you soon. I hope it is of some comfort that people on here are thinking of you and wishing you well

 

[myglasshalffull]

You can never post too much here. We have all faced various challenges during recovery that frightened us & we turned to our fellow bonesmart posters.
All my best, hope you find someone soon & keep ER visit in forefront just in case.

 

[CherokeeGem]

We absolutely are NOT getting tired of hearing from you. The more we learn about you and your situation, the better the support we can give you. So don’t worry one bit about frequent posting.

Both Dr. Surace and Dr. Scarcella perform hip revisions and complex reconstructive surgery (if needed)….so that is good news. I did find a YouTube video of Dr. Surace that (to me) was very impressive regarding how he approaches cases and treats his patients. Here is the link to that video for you:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

If it was me, based on the information I was able to find, I would explore an appointment with Dr. Surace first. But there is nothing wrong with having a consultation with both of them so you can compare and see who you are more comfortable with. You don’t need to tell the scheduler that you’re doing that….just make separate phone calls to set up the appointments. You can always cancel one or the other if you decide you want to go with the first doctor you see. Both these doctors work out of the Medina hospital, so that is a little be closer and easier to get to for you. I honestly think you would be fine with either one of them.

Yayyy I got an appointment with Him so far. I'm still going to try to get one scheduled for someone out of Cleveland main campus. I'm a little concerned that he is in the same building with my current surgeon. Thinking maybe he's one of them that maybe my surgeon spoke to? I will just have to be more assertive in my appointment because I can already think in my head that they're discussing it together. You all are so WONDERFUL. I'm just now wondering if I should go through with the needle insertion to see if I have infection when I personally don't feel like I do. They scheduled for the 8th, didn't even ask me just said that they have me set up for an appointment to have it done.

 

[Jamie]

Since your appointment with Dr. Surace is on July 30, you could certainly reschedule the fluid draw from your hip until you’ve talked with him. You know the stem is loose and you don’t have the normal symptoms of an infection, so introducing a needle into the hip may not be needed at all. I would check with his office and see if he wants you to have this done before you see him.

I suggest you be honest with him and tell him how you feel about the lack of communication from your first surgeon. It’s okay to tell him that you’ve completely lost confidence in him because of this. Surgeons sometimes need this type of feedback, and if these two are in the same clinic, the word will get passed. But, since they do work closely together, be very aware of any feeling that this new doctor has any pre-formed opinions about your case or that he doesn’t want to take immediate action for you.