Hip Infection* THR Take Two, 2.5 years later
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SurreyGirl
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What a super photo and a gorgeous dog who is really taking care of you 
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Elsinore
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I didn't realize that. Just got in from a walk with the huskies... hips are doing fine.
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Elsinore
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Hello everyone. Been a while.
Extreme pain in hip since December. MRI a month ago shows L5 S1 disc bulge. Docs think this is causing intense hip and groin pain. Go to physio and he says there may be a bulge but that's not what's hurting you (he applied pressure along my spine).
He thinks it's FAI impingement, but can't fathom how that could happen with a THR.
He's contacting my surgeon and GP to talk about it.
My question - is it possible to get FAI impingement with a thr?
Thank you for any response.
Bruce
Extreme pain in hip since December. MRI a month ago shows L5 S1 disc bulge. Docs think this is causing intense hip and groin pain. Go to physio and he says there may be a bulge but that's not what's hurting you (he applied pressure along my spine).
He thinks it's FAI impingement, but can't fathom how that could happen with a THR.
He's contacting my surgeon and GP to talk about it.
My question - is it possible to get FAI impingement with a thr?
Thank you for any response.
Bruce
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Elsinore,
Sorry to hear you are having challenges with your back/hip.
It is possible for soft tissue to be impinged between the acetabular component and the femoral component. It is also possible that the bulging disks are causing your hip pain.
Tight hip flexors can also cause hip and groin pain.
Your doctors should do a differential diagnosis to determine if it is your hip or your back.
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
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Chris
Sorry to hear you are having challenges with your back/hip.
It is possible for soft tissue to be impinged between the acetabular component and the femoral component. It is also possible that the bulging disks are causing your hip pain.
Tight hip flexors can also cause hip and groin pain.
Your doctors should do a differential diagnosis to determine if it is your hip or your back.
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
- That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
- If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
- Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
How can I find my threads and posts?
Thanks,
Chris
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Elsinore
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Hip flexors - interesting point.
I had a very heavy workload before all went south in December. For 3 months I was at my desk 6 days a week. Didn't get out for my daily walk with the dogs.
The day the acute pain started (Dec 15) I was stretching and being pulled everyway by our two confused dogs.
Could that have been the catalyst?
I had a very heavy workload before all went south in December. For 3 months I was at my desk 6 days a week. Didn't get out for my daily walk with the dogs.
The day the acute pain started (Dec 15) I was stretching and being pulled everyway by our two confused dogs.
Could that have been the catalyst?
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Elsinore
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It's getting interestinger and interestinger... saw the surgeon last nite. He suspects an infection that has traveled to my hip and wreaked havoc. Blood test taking last night plus more xrays.
I never knew it could happen two years after the operation.
Apparently, replacing the prosthetics will be a much longer procedure. Yikes.
Bruce
I never knew it could happen two years after the operation.
Apparently, replacing the prosthetics will be a much longer procedure. Yikes.
Bruce
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Sorry to hear you may have an infection.
Here is an interesting article about late onset infections.
Peri-prosthetic infection - also known as late onset infection
Keep us posted on how you are doing,
Chris
Here is an interesting article about late onset infections.
Peri-prosthetic infection - also known as late onset infection
Keep us posted on how you are doing,
Chris
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Mojo333
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Hi Bruce, keeping fingers crossed for you. I seem be in a parallel world to you …. THR 2 years ago and pain since Dec, '20. All MRI, x-rays and tests look fine, also blood work is clear but still worried about infection as nothing else is showing up and pain is 24/7. May be having an aspiration depending on what surgeon says this week but hoping he has some other diagnostic tests. Let us know how you are getting on and fingers crossed all ok.
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Update.
Saw surgeon a month ago, and he's pretty sure it's loose. He said it could happen 2, 3 or even 5 years after, especially if there is a traveling infection
If this is too long, scroll down for summary called TLDR.
My first THR on the other side was 2011. He said it took very well. He also mentioned that my weight gain over the 10 years is a factor as it's a lot more pressure on the joint he installed in 2018. (60 lbs - long story). Working on it. 48 to go.
He ordered a sample of fluid from my hip to see if it was infected around the socket. Had that done 5 days ago. If it isn't swollen, he said, he will only replace the long part in my leg (what's that called? reminds me of an Arabian sword).
I asked him if it's more difficult to replace them than to put in a new one. He said no. Phew.
Anita asked him if he's still doing surgery (we're in a small city with a shortage of nurse support due to Covid, which is slowing down surgeries). He said yes.
He's doing day surgery only so hips and not knees. Then he said "You look strong, we could do it as day surgery". Hmmmm. I like the way he thinks... I think.
So... I thought I should explain how they get the fluid sample from your hip. Anita had a bone sample drawn ten years ago and she said it hurt like crazy. Okay, not her words exactly.
Was I worried about the pain? Yep.
But good news, the procedure felt like a mosquito bite at worse. What they do is stick a very thin needle through your groin area and, just like at a dentist, they apply the anesthetic in various places.
I was situated so I could see the X-ray monitor as he was doing it. Quite cool. And weird given that I could also see the bones in his hand as he applied it.
They wait a couple of minutes for it to "freeze" and then he extracts the fluid.
He showed me about a 1/4 inch of fluid in the syringe and said there isn't much fluid there so it isn't likely to be infected. But sample analysis will tell the story.
So my thinking is that the Surgeon will hopefully do the retrofit in the next 3-4 weeks given the apparent lack of infection.
Okay, so here's the bad part about the hip fluid sample. It is day 5 after the fluid extraction. My hip and thigh have been seriously swollen. And it does hurt like crazy. Morphine is by and large, ineffective. Diclofenac (anti-inflam) works well for about 4 hours but I can only take once a day (limited dose since I had a minor stroke exactly a year ago).
BUT Tylenol Arthritis comes through for the win. Taking it every 8 hours, it gives pain relief for about 6 of those hours. Good enough.
Ooooboy. Hope the doc calls me soon. At least I can manage stairs now.
TLDR: Surgeon thinks he can do day surgery and will likely only have to extract the sword part in my leg and not the receiver in my hip.
Saw surgeon a month ago, and he's pretty sure it's loose. He said it could happen 2, 3 or even 5 years after, especially if there is a traveling infection
If this is too long, scroll down for summary called TLDR.
My first THR on the other side was 2011. He said it took very well. He also mentioned that my weight gain over the 10 years is a factor as it's a lot more pressure on the joint he installed in 2018. (60 lbs - long story). Working on it. 48 to go.
He ordered a sample of fluid from my hip to see if it was infected around the socket. Had that done 5 days ago. If it isn't swollen, he said, he will only replace the long part in my leg (what's that called? reminds me of an Arabian sword).
I asked him if it's more difficult to replace them than to put in a new one. He said no. Phew.
Anita asked him if he's still doing surgery (we're in a small city with a shortage of nurse support due to Covid, which is slowing down surgeries). He said yes.
He's doing day surgery only so hips and not knees. Then he said "You look strong, we could do it as day surgery". Hmmmm. I like the way he thinks... I think.
So... I thought I should explain how they get the fluid sample from your hip. Anita had a bone sample drawn ten years ago and she said it hurt like crazy. Okay, not her words exactly.
Was I worried about the pain? Yep.
But good news, the procedure felt like a mosquito bite at worse. What they do is stick a very thin needle through your groin area and, just like at a dentist, they apply the anesthetic in various places.
I was situated so I could see the X-ray monitor as he was doing it. Quite cool. And weird given that I could also see the bones in his hand as he applied it.
They wait a couple of minutes for it to "freeze" and then he extracts the fluid.
He showed me about a 1/4 inch of fluid in the syringe and said there isn't much fluid there so it isn't likely to be infected. But sample analysis will tell the story.
So my thinking is that the Surgeon will hopefully do the retrofit in the next 3-4 weeks given the apparent lack of infection.
Okay, so here's the bad part about the hip fluid sample. It is day 5 after the fluid extraction. My hip and thigh have been seriously swollen. And it does hurt like crazy. Morphine is by and large, ineffective. Diclofenac (anti-inflam) works well for about 4 hours but I can only take once a day (limited dose since I had a minor stroke exactly a year ago).
BUT Tylenol Arthritis comes through for the win. Taking it every 8 hours, it gives pain relief for about 6 of those hours. Good enough.
Ooooboy. Hope the doc calls me soon. At least I can manage stairs now.
TLDR: Surgeon thinks he can do day surgery and will likely only have to extract the sword part in my leg and not the receiver in my hip.
Wyn wombat
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Hi @Win wombat !
11 days in! Looks like the hard part is done. Way to go!
This site, as you have no doubt noticed, has people who are kind, helpful and excellent coaches.
Your comment made me go back and see what I had said a couple of years ago... stuff that I'll need to remember for this next one. I see that constipation had been a prime concern of mine
How are you doing?
11 days in! Looks like the hard part is done. Way to go!
This site, as you have no doubt noticed, has people who are kind, helpful and excellent coaches.
Your comment made me go back and see what I had said a couple of years ago... stuff that I'll need to remember for this next one. I see that constipation had been a prime concern of mine
How are you doing?
