Consultant Referral - "Iffy....?"

Mines positive to except for it looks like ill be waiting tje full 5 month 😂

I found out after my first THR, that apparently it comes down to not how much pain you are in, according to the Dr's pain can be controlled, hahahaha, but your ability to move.

So the less movement you have the better if you want a hip replacement.

Thats right from the beginning, contacting the hospital that has made your appointment, and saying you are going to have great difficulty if you have to walk more than 50yards, due to pain and inability to walk, having a 4 wheeled granny walker, and shuffling as you are called in to see the Dr.

If they see you walking well, you are dismissed as still functioning. 

and Dr deciding she/he can wait another year.

Oooooh!  I hope not. That borders on sadism and where is their Hypocratic oath?  My OA was moderate to severe two years ago, and many people had surgery at that point,  I was put through physi which was ot particularly helpful, although the stretches will help in recovery from surgery.

Are you telling me that the surgeon did not operate because he stated that this was not the worst hip he had seen?  Outrageous, if this is the case.

I was diagosed with OA in 1987 in San Francisco, so have lived with a deteriorating hip since then!

I think it all depends on the quality of lifr you have rather than the pain. Can you still work? Drive? Exercise? Walk and so on. The doctor at hospital told me i had to leave work and that i wasnt fit to work. Iv been having my hip replacement consultations since 17 because we knew it needed doing but doc wanted to wait as long as possible due to my age. But now im 19 i phone his secutery and said i was sick and i needed it now. I met the doc and he agreed straight away. But tbf its unfair to leave people in the amount of pain they are in just cause they can work and so on

Hi Mick, 

I know and understand what you mean - I was told the same thing:

"we are not at the end of the rope yet" is what I was told - At that time I was hopeful that I would not need surgery ...

Your surgeon probably have seen worse hips than yours ...

Please do not blame the surgeons for everything - they are being held to strict rules made by insurance companies and need surgeries to be approved - 

(Ex-husband is MD in Los Angeles) - 

Sadly, my surgeon who performed both THR surgeries this year is leaving the hospital and his profession - He is in his early 50's and told me that he was disgusted and sick of all the rules, regulations and damn forms (his words) - The only thing he wants to do is surgeries - that is what he studied for, and not for an administrative job that is getting more and more complicated and changes constantly.

Please be kind -

warm hug

renee

 

Thats so true. Surgeons cant just say yes to every person who comes in complaining of hip oain. In some cases the op might make things worse and aurgeey doesnt fix everything

Renee - I had bone scans that showed osteoporosis of the hip joints, and showed those to the GP, didn't seem to make alot of difference to my treatment, or lack of treatment.

I have this very strange memory, I believe it took place in the recovery room, or right at the end of my first RTHR, surgery, as they were cleaning up.

One male voice saying to another, look at this, then tap, and comment, WOW, it just turned to dust, and another voice confirming, she only had about 2 weeks left if she was lucky.

I challenged the Dr with my memory of this conversation, he just smiled at me, and said you should not be able to remember that.

Same Dr who said they would be doing my second hip earlier than was usual, one because I had torn the cartledge in the left hip, and two they could see detioration between two x-rays, three months apart. More osteoporosis??, wouldn't be suprised, and he had seen for himself what happened to the other hip, and the lack of refferal from my GP.

That is bad, Lyn ... was it your GP or surgeon?

 

I was very surprised and devastated when xray at follow up appointment of 1st THR showed bone-on-bone on other hip when 6 monhts prior it was mild OA - 

If a patient is complaining about hip pain and has been referred, that's one thing.  However, if an xray shows an operable condition, that is something else.  The question is why would a GP refer a pateint complaining of hip pain to a consultant without going through the necessary investigations:  i.e. xrays, physio, etc.

I do not think a patient can simply present to a consultant simply complaining of hip pain, without a referral - or can they?

Tbh iv no idea. My whole route of getting on the op list was completely different to everyone elses so i dont actually know how these things work.

I think normally we have to be referred by our GP, we cannot access a surgeon directly.

Graham 🚀💃

I did i rang my surgeons secutery

Hi Sarah:

I think, from what you say, you already had a referral to a surgeon, as you were able to call his secretary.  So, you did not contact him directly.  I have read your posts, and it is clear that thry have delayed your surgery for as long as they could, because you were still growing, and they didn't want to put you through one THR after another as your body continued to grow, because the new hip replacement is not going to grow.  

I really do feel for you, because at your age, you should not be having to go through all this, but it look as though things have taken a more positive turn for you now.  So, don't worry, and try to have a really good Christmas.

Im not sure anyone can actually contact there surgeon but his secutery is close enough to me. My op isnt going to be till after feb so im struggling now tbh. And after 7 months iv also been told im probably going to need an op on my shoulder to so looks like 2016 is going to be a long year. But merry christmas to you and hope you have a good one x

Hi Sarah:

Contacting a surgeon directly is not possible, unless there is a special arrangement between patient and surgeon.  I do know of one instance where a surgeon has given a patient his personal phone number.    In the UK, referral is made through a central hub, that the GP contacts, and they make the referral to the surgeon of your choice.  The surgeon can only be contacted through his secretary. 

All the best to you for Christmas and the New Year

GP was hopeless, surgeon for my first hip was the senior registrar of a team lead by consultant/professor, registrar did my first hip and he was the only one who right from the first time he saw me, said what is going on here, why haven't I seen you before this, or at least a specialist, I still remember him putting up my x-rays on the wall, then the MRI next to it, he was side on to me, and talking to a junior Dr in the room, called him over and said a few words to the effect, look at this, and it was the look on the Junior's face that said it all, I said I have been on the waiting lists for 2 years waiting to be seen, he came back to his desk, and starting shuffling through the file looking for something, asking me what my GP's name was, after he read the referral, he said I would suggest you find another GP.

He was very good to me personally, came and saw me on the ward, each day, saw me for my follow-up when we had the discussion as above.

My right hip is the perfect one, absoluty magic right from the first time I stood up.

Lucky patients in Edinburgh, he has since returned home to be a surgeon in edinburgh, with his skills there are going to be alot of happy hippies in scotland.