TKR Very ill after TKR

[eve77]

Not Stanmore Hospital It's Northampton General Hospital. I have been in hospital three times with Pancreatitis and I am sure the pain I get is it keeps recurring because it feels exactly the same. The Surgeons name is Ms Amanda Rees from a consultancy in Sheffield.

The solicitors rang me this morning to tell me they have closed the case but the young lady I have been dealing with said that if I want to find another solicitor they will send all my records to them, she did say how sorry she was. I know she thought I had a good case. The trouble is I have only got until August 22nd and the three years will be up, this solicitor has been dealing with it for nearly 9 months.

I rang another solicitor this afternoon, they have taken details and will get back to me tomorrow but they said they don't know if there will be enough time. Fingers crossed.
Josephine I hope you are recovering well.

 

[Josephine]

Thank you, I am doing pretty well. Just got to pace myself!

I have been in hospital three times with pancreatitis and I am sure the pain I get is it keeps recurring because it feels exactly the same.

Well I never - I wasn't that far out then! And did you tell the doctors that? I cannot conceive they dismissed it as an alternative diagnosis. Talk about tunnel vision mentality!

I rang another solicitor this afternoon, they have taken details and will get back to me tomorrow but they said they don't know if there will be enough time. Fingers Crossed.

Fingers crossed indeed! What a bummer.

 

[eve77]

The solicitors got back to me after three weeks and said they wouldn't take the case.

The surgeon I have been seeing sent me to pain clinic and all they gave me was a cream with chilies in it and it almost took the skin off my hands. Also gabapentin capsules but I haven't noticed any difference after a month.

He also sent me to another surgeon for a second opinion and he read my notes and said that he wouldn't recommend me for the operation because in his opinion the nickle and cobalt wasn't causing the trouble, so I said that it had been proven to affect some people and when taken out they got better after a few months but he just didn't want to listen.

That was six weeks ago and my surgeon still hasn't sent me a follow up appointment. My leg is getting worse with pins and needles and it keeps going dead. I now have cellulitis and my leg is so swollen I can hardly walk and need crutches.

I am now on five water tablets a day but they don't seem to be helping. I have to go back to the doctors twice a week for her to measure them to see if they are going down. I am going to ask her to refer me to another hospital, after I have done my homework to, the trouble is I feel so ill I can't travel far, I spend most of the day laying on the bed or sitting with my feet up.

 

[eve77]

I went to see another surgeon today but it was another waste of time, he was so arrogant, he kept firing question at me but wouldn't give me a chance to answer. He said there was no proof it was the nickle or cobalt that was making me ill. I went for an x-ray of my knee, he said it looked fine.

I tried to explain it was what it was made of but he replied they don't make any without metal in them. He then sent me for an x-ray on my hip. When my husband and I came back he was putting his coat on and walked off without a word and the nurse took us in to see the registrar and he said I was going to have to come back for an injection in my hip.

It is almost four years now and I am just getting worse. I can't eat or sleep and my leg is massive from my big toe to my knee, my calf measures 50 cm around and all my doctor said was to take an extra water tablet in the afternoon. so I am now taking five water tablets a day.

I just don't know what to do next, that is four hospitals now

 

[sistersinhim]

I can not believe the way you have been treated. This is ridiculous! I pray you can find a solution quickly. @Josephine or @Jamie do you have any suggestions for this lady? @eve77 you are in my prayers!

 

[SusieShoes]

I'm appalled that you were given an implant with nickel and cobalt when you had highly reactive results on a patch test for those metals. Do you know who made your implant or the name of the model?

I hope someone here can help you find a surgeon who will take a serious look at your case. You are in my thoughts.

 

[Needhope]

I am allergic to cheap earrings. Ears get red and itchy. Now I’m worried because I had no idea they may contain nickel. What are the symptoms of nickel allergy in a knee replacement hardware?

 

[Josephine]

If you are willing to travel to London my surgeon who is one of the best is Professor Tim Briggs.

@eve77 I think you indicated previously that you'd be prepared to travel I do so agree with Dani about Tim Briggs or his team at Stanmore. I think you should ditch all those others and get yourself referred to the RNOH as soon as you can.

I think also that if you copied ALL your posts off here and put them on a document and printed them off, you could send them to Prof Briggs to get your story across. I could do it for you if you like because there's a lot of extraneous stuff that Tim wouldn't find helpful. I've done that a couple of times and it's proved to be extremely helpful to the consultant and to me!

 

[Needhope]

You poor woman. My heart goes out to you and I’m praying for you. God Bless.

 

[SusieShoes]

I am allergic to cheap earrings. Ears get red and itchy. Now I’m worried because I had no idea they may contain nickel.

Many people react to cheap earrings, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're allergic. I also react to costume earrings, so my surgeon sent me to an allergist for testing. He tested components specific to my implant as well as general allergy testing (patch tests). I was highly reactive only to gold. Very mildly reactive to nickel. The allergist explained to me that my level of reactivity to nickel was so low it would not preclude my implant. He told me all sorts of interesting allergy facts, including that the most reactive tissues in the body are part of the face (eyes, ears, lips). That's how I wear a gold wedding ring on my hand 24/7 with no problem at all, but do react a little to gold earrings (I always thought it was impurities in the gold). I went ahead with the surgery and have had no implant problems whatsoever.

I'm your average person who reacts to nickel or other metals a little. That's most of the population. There are a few people, though, who are highly reactive (allergic) to some metals and they need to avoid implants with those metals. Poor Eve knows she has these allergies and the medical establishment needs to help her find out what's going on.

If you're worried, @Needhope, you can discuss it with your OS and maybe go to an allergist for testing. But chances are you won't have a reaction to your implant.

 

[Needhope]

I hope she gets resolution ASAP. I’m quite worried for her and wished I could help. Please God, help Eve. She needs you now more than ever. Amen

 

[Jamie]

@eve77 ... please take Jo's advice and offer for help. You need to see someone new! This is inexcusable treatment and I'm so sorry you've been subjected to it from all sides. Please don't give up and let Jo assist you!

 

[robhunt3]

What an awful situation, I hope you manage to get the help you need to feel better. Do try to get social services or others to help if you can, I expect the extra burden of your husband's condition (and I don't mean that in a negative way) is not helping you either. Take care.

 

[Xmasknee56]

Eve, Your situation sounds desperate. I’m hoping Josephine’s support will be helpful in securing the opinion you need.
I am wondering if there is anyone who can support you during the visit to hospital or appointments. A sister friend son or daughter. Someone to thump the table and advocate for and with you. Just a thought.
Keeping you in my thoughts. Take good care.
Kathryn.

 

[eve77]

We didn't know about the cobalt until after the operation when I had patch tests at the hospital, but I have known about the nickle since I was a teenager, and tried wearing clip earrings, also suspenders and the metal rings on bras, they used to have some kind of paint covering them and once it wore off I would get a rash where the rings touched and down the side of my legs from the suspenders. I have a metal plate in my hand just below my thumb but that is titanium that was done over ten years ago and I have never had a reaction to it.

@Josephine if you are sure you don't mind doing a report for me, it would be a great help. If you could let me know who to have the referral letter addressed to., I will go and see my doctor.

 

[eve77]

My latest report, my legs ankles and feet are so swollen I can hardly walk, I went to the doctors and she measured around my calves, and the right one is 50 cms which is about 19.5 inches, normally my legs are quite thin, the pain is tremendous, the doctor told me to take an extra water tablet, I already take four in the morning and one in the afternoon, also to put stockings on but my legs are too big to get them on. Also in the last week I have developed double vision, whether this has anything to do with the metal in my knee I don't know, i have an appointment with the optician this week.
I keep falling asleep all the time, even when I am talking to someone, my eyes just go at any time, it has happened about six times whilst I am trying to write this message.

 

[Celle]

@eve77 I'm sorry you're feeling so ill.

I'm going to ask @Josephine what she thinks, but this is my opinion:

It doesn't sound to me as if this is related to your knee replacement, but I do think you need to talk to your doctor again. Taking an extra water pill may be a start, but more needs to be checked.
Did he/she check your blood pressure and your heart?

I don't think that falling asleep all the time is related to your eyes, but rather to your general condition. What did your doctor say abut that?

 

[Pumpkin]

eve77,
Sounds like you need to be seen by a new OS, for an opinion and a new direction.
Celle has tagged Josephine, who will be along.

 

[Josephine]

I totally agree. If your GP doesn't get more pro-active, pay a visit to a walk-in centre tomorrow. I don't think this is something you should hang around on. If you don't have a local WIC, then go to the A&E department.