Revision THR Resurfacing problem I have had

[calikat]

Good luck Norman!

 

[North East Man]

Hello again Josephine & the other interested good people,
Latest update is,
I recently complained directly to the Hospital about my 4 yrs of problems after the Hip resurfacing operation in 2009 & today I had a meeting with the lady Complaints Manager & also the lady Assistant Divisional Manager for Surgical Services who is an ex-orthopaedic nurse. The Manager who is the ex orthopaedic nurse insisted that the malaligned cap on the femoral head is ok as it is within a tolerance & that wouldn't give me pain if I trip/sneeze/cough. I tried to put it over to her that by it not being perfectly fitted it could be the problem but she knew best & wasn't happy I was saying the opposite.
We had to move on from arguing about whether it should have been drilled accurately or not as she told me we are not getting anywhere. She basically suggested I get another expert opinion & offered to get me fast tracked to see another Surgeon at the same Hospital who will look into this problem. So within days I will hear more & let you know. This is going to be quicker than seeing a Surgeon at the other Hospital you recommended Josephine (Mr Nanu). I will keep you informed of what happens next. I asked if they could arrange for me to see Mr Nanu but they said they can't.
I just wish I could get a Surgeon's opinion on this Xray (Attached( showing the stem of the cap running off & not going centrally into the Femur. Maybe it is catching my Psoas Tendon ?

Back soon & thank you for your help.
Norman

 

[calikat]

Hello Norman! Glad to see you back! I am sorry that you are not being heard. Hopefully things will get sorted out. I don't know why people would try to argue with pain. Something has to be causing it.

 

[Josephine]

She basically suggested I get another expert opinion & offered to get me fast tracked to see another Surgeon at the same Hospital who will look into this problem.

You do realise that the surgeon she will send you to see will be a buddy of your surgeon and therefore most unlikely to offer an unbiased opinion? That's why I urged you to see Nanu as he will be separate from you surgeon and have no allegiance to him.

 

[North East Man]

THANKS Calikat. I appreciate your kind words.
Hi Josephine,
Thank you for your valuable advice. I said those same words to her & she told me that doesn't happen these days & they have to be truthful. If a mistake is made these days it has to be disclosed.

BUT Josephine, I'd rather believe you. I will tell them to forget it as I now have an appointment for the 26th Nov to go to Sunderland Royal Hospital. I've rang 5252652 a couple of times to make sure I see Mr Nanu but just got a recorded msg so I'll try again on Monday.

Thanks again for the great advice I've had from you .
NORMAN

 

[Poppet]

Great news Norman, I will tag Jo to let her know, although I am very sure she is keeping an eye on your news Josephine

Just a tip, if you want to "tag" someone in response to their messages to you just type in the @ sign immediately followed by their user name and you'll see a small box below and to the left of the posting area where the members user name will display. Sometimes there might be a very slight pause, but the member user name will appear.

it will show their correct name which you can click on -- then when you submit your post the member's user name/link will turn blue and send a message to them person, like this

Poppet

 

[Josephine]

I said those same words to her & she told me that doesn't happen these days & they have to be truthful

That's her trying to make you believe it will be impartial! What Maggie Thatcher referred to as "being economical with the truth"!! I'm glad you didn't believe her. Considering her attitude towards you, I believe her best interests are more likely towards her bosses (the surgeons) than to you.

I've rang 5252652 a couple of times to make sure I see Mr Nanu but just got a recorded msg so I'll try again on Monday.

Oh dear! I'm so sorry, I gave you the wrong number! The correct number is 565 6256. Right numbers but (as Eric Morecombe famously said) not necessarily in the right order!

 

[North East Man]

THANKS Poppet. Much appreciated.
Hi Josephine,
That's no problem . I'll ring the correct number tomorrow.
My son suggested I could still go & see this Surgeon at the Hospital where I got my BHR to see what he has to say BUT let him know that I am seeing another consultant on the 26th November. What do you think?
Norman

 

[Josephine]

You don't have to tell him. You do want to see how completely unbiased his opinion is, don't you? For one thing he doesn't need to know and for another it's none of his business anyway! I certainly wouldn't say anything.

 

[tracycharli]

Hi Norman,

I just wanted to drop you an email to say i'm in the same position. I had a hip arthroscopy at the QE in Gateshead in May 2012, and it has actually made me worse, i have no mobility now and i am in constant pain. I have been back to the consultant who fobbed me off, and i requested to be seen at the Freeman. Unfortunately my consultant over there left for a new job and referred me back to the QE. My consultant doesn't know why i'm in so much pain, and is "stumped" and has now fobbed me off again. He said he wouldn't operate again, and arthroscopy is the only choice, but he has said that arthroscopy definitely won't work. He is now referring me to another surgeon in the QE who specialises in arthroscopy, which has left me bewildered. It's that damn hospital. I hate it. If there isn't an immediate and obvious answer, they fob you off to someone else, as they don't want unsolved/failed cases on their statistics. It really infuriates me. But what can we do? I have even considered moving house so i don't have to go there, but my house won't sell!!!! I feel for you, and please let us know how you get on.

Tracy

 

[Josephine]

Tracey, you don't have to move house not to go there. You can choose whatever hospital to want - it's the law! Why don't you get yourself referred to Mr Nanu at the Sunderland Royal Hospital like I suggested North East Man did? You will get proper attention there.

 

[tracycharli]

He didn't giove me a choice Jo. He's referring me to a Mr. Tumia and if i'm not happy, i'll go to my GP and request Mr Nanu. it's really pants here, the hospital should be shut down lol

 

[Josephine]

Who, the consultant? Well of course he's going to refer you to one of his chums but you don't have to accept that. Truly, you choose where you want your treatment carried out. It's your choice and it's the law! Go to your GP and get a referred to Sunderland.

 

[North East Man]

Hello again Josphine,
I've been to see Mr Nanu this afternoon who you kindly recommended. So Tracy take the advice I took & go back to your GP & tell him you've decided that you'd prefer to see Mr Nanu in Sunderland.
To prepare for today & maybe save having to go for more X-rays, recently I rang the QE to get a list of Scans/X-rays I'd had since 2009. I then bought copies showing my 2009 X-rays just after the operation, plus July 2011 Scans of my Hip which the surgeon at the QE never ever showed me.
I also bought the latest X-rays of my Hips taken at South Shields when I went for a 2nd opinion in June.
Mr Nanu sent me for a blood test to discount metal ions in the blood. I'm confident that is not problem as I was tested not long ago.
He is arranging for a MRI Scan & Ultrasound to see if he can see the problem before operating.
He also told me I haven't got the BHR & it's another type. I've emailed to ask what was fitted because I was told it was a BHR. Maybe mines was a cheap copy?

If I find anymore info I will be back.
Thanks again to Josephine & the lovely people who've read this thread.
NORMAN
PS I told Mr Nanu Josephine recommended me. He just laughed.

 

[calikat]

Great to hear from you Norman! I am so glad that your consult was a success. I look forward to you getting everything sorted out! Make sure to tag Josephine in your post above so she sees it. You need to put the @ before her name with no space.

 

[Josephine]

Maybe mines was a cheap copy?

Things don't work like that in this business! And prostheses don't fail, it's only the workmanship that causes problems. Like the old saying about bad workmen and their tools? (nudge nudge, wink wink!)

PS I told Mr Nanu Josephine recommended me. He just laughed.

I bet he did!

 

[North East Man]

Josephine

Hi Josephine, (And THANK you for your support Calikat )
Good to see your replies.
YES as soon as Mr Nanu came into the room to see me I felt totally at ease & confident he will investigate what has gone wrong . If he finds that this 4.5 yr problem is the malaligned metal femoral cap I'll be delighted. All the experts say it has to be fitted accurately & mine isn't.
The pain I get feels like there is a nerve or tendon close to the metal parts & when my body jerks slightly it catches on the metal & I get a severe electric shock type pain then it subsides . Lately it's got worse & is waking me up when I roll over in bed while asleep. My wife has heard me cry out a few times when it happens.
I've had some flu like symptoms this last week ie sore throat & the shivers. Strangely those shivers triggered the hip pain off & I couldn't walk without terrific pain. Is this a clue it is a nerve touching the metal?
So as I said earlier Josephine I am now awaiting MRI Scan appointment & Ultrasound appointment & once both done I have to ring his Secretary & she'll arrange for me to go back. I had blood taken today to test for metal ions in the blood

Once I find out more I shall be back to let you all know.
The worst part today was finding a car parking space BUT well worth it.
Have I done the tag right Josephine?
NORMAN

 

[Josephine]

You can see you have done the tag correctly as it's turned blue!

I'm so pleased you took a liking to himself! He's a lovely doctor, surgeon and even better to work with.

Parking is a nightmare there but figure this - they have increased parking by around 60% since I was working there! When on a late shift it wasn't uncommon to have to park around ½ a mile away in the side streets. But those streets are now resident permits only so they had to do something.

Did you know that you can get a free shuttle bus to the hospital from points around the city? One site which should be convenient for you is at the Stadium of Light.

 

[Kim22]

North East Man Hi Norman,I have read your thread and just want to say that I am so glad that finally you have seen someone who has taken your concerns seriously and I hope you get some answers and a solution very,very soon.I am also from the North East and have had major problems getting parked at Sunderland hospital many times over the years.As a visitor I used to resort to parking in the nearby side streets just like Josephine.However that is a minor consideration for you as Mr Nanu sounds like a wonderful surgeon.I will follow your progress with interest.

 

[Josephine]

Mr Nanu sounds like a wonderful surgeon

Oh he is!