Recalled hip joint. Scary heavy metal poisoning & tumors
Posted , 10 users are following.
My hip has been rcalled by the manufacturer due to the risk of heavy metal poisoning and dislocation due to a 2" metal insert to join the ball joint to the hip joint done and recalled in 2011. This 2" piece was designed to make it easier for the surgeon. He did 4 in one day by 1 pm. He was out on the golf course.
every 6 months must do heavy metal testing & nuclear cat scan for pseudo tumors.
The metals rub with wear & fretting metal can get into the blood stream & once a level of the dangerous metals are noted in the blood stream it cannot be removed. Therefore the major organs are effected and shut down. Also causes pseudo tumors around the surgical site due to fretting metals.
Has any one else been in this predicament. Waiting for tumors, blood level tests to show reason for replacement. In the mean time I am in serious pain. pain meds are forbidden in the US unless u r dying. Or after surgeries.See my point.? I am stuck in hell waiting for something to cause the surgeons to replace a recalled joint. Also the original surgeon left the state....
This is my 3 rd hip and this model always was painful when placing all my weight on the leg to step up or down or bend over. The other hip joints never continued to be as painful. I realized the difference in recovery 6 moths out. That's when the surgeon who did the surgery to me the Manu. Did the recall.I complain about the pain to deaf ears. the X-rays are ok , the cat scans are ok.. So I guess I have no reason in black & white to have real crippling pain. I cannot do much since this recalled hip has change my life. Not fair at all.
my rt. hip is fine done 12 yrs ago. This recalled replace the lft. hip worn out plastic cups with a new model which is metal on metal press fit model by Stryker. AGBII .
Any one else experience this issue?
thankx.
peace,luv& laughter.
3 likes, 58 replies
gloria15237 hope4cure
Posted
hope4cure gloria15237
Posted
I choose to stay in a positive place knowing negativity will cause more pain and depression. It really is a darn vicious cycle.
i am glad to hear UR helping UR dad. That is helping u too! I can barely do what I do just keep on truckin! You to r helping pass the day the best way u can. What's the alternative. U r so lucky to have 2 sons who live near u.. Such a beautiful blessing!
Why not print out UR pain issues from different med sites that detail the disease and issues u face each day. Then snail mail them to UR sis. A description for UR pain is not a cop out its a reality. Many refer to FM as a silent unseen disease. It's exhausting too. Tell UR sis u would gladly trade places with her after she reads testimonials and definitions of this illness & the pain u deal with daily from others.
so happy u have UR dogs they are so much more non judgmental and understanding than most people.they are our little angels.
i hope u r set free from the pain & pressure that UR sis causes u. What ever happened to compassion & understanding. We all....some day as u have seen with UR dad talking care of him is a full time job ....how illness eventually catches up to us all.
Stay strong healing thoughts sent UR way.
karolina33830 hope4cure
Posted
I feel bad complainting about litlle pain and swelling and you're going through so much and still looking positive!
Take care x
hope4cure karolina33830
Posted
thank you for UR kind support I appreciate UR gentle words of kindness & comfort.
http://youtu.be/8_qFbNskjCI
Peace, luv & Laughter
carol87667 hope4cure
Posted
hope4cure carol87667
Posted
set appt end of July.plan on a revision in the fall... Keep UR fingers crossed...
Holofernes hope4cure
Posted
mine Exeter on ceramic ball plastic cup as I weigh 110lbs. Looked like a piece of Lego so feels fragile to walk on.
you got VERY unlucky. Heavy metals in the blood terrible. They owe you. See a lawyer. Are you eligible for a transfusion I wonder... Best of luck. The manufacturer shd be shot and the surgeon must have a low IQ. PATHETIC. There is so much data on toxicity of metal on metal. They must be in it for quick profits. You deserve compensation.
hope4cure Holofernes
Posted
Holofernes hope4cure
Posted
swimming is soon good and feels easy on the pelvic entire area. I'm still taking 200mg approx of tramadol (uk) which is only similar to opiates and ok if taken with food. But highly addictive.
As for Cindy and the burn all I can say is omg I would want to kill. Nurse shd have been fired. You get better treatment from a vet. Too many terrible stories and too much pain being endured. I think we should all contribute to a BOOK. I'd take the editing of comments and assembling. But we could all write our own I dare say. It's a thought as it would help prepare future patients (victims)
cindy6649 Holofernes
Posted
I've started swimming again too and it's great. I also participate in classes in the pool that only require gentle movements. I really enjoy it.
As for my burn, I saw my dermatologist last week and he said it was a third degree burn instead of second degree and that it would take another month to 6 weeks to heal. Oh and that I will have a very bad scar. It's very discouraging and so much trouble to keep clean and bandaged. 😡
The book idea is great but I'm afraid a lot of people would be so afraid after reading it that they wouldn't have the surgery. 😁 What's that cliche, "If I only knew then what I know now."
hope4cure cindy6649
Posted
russell95438 hope4cure
Posted
Basically i have joined patient uk because i am after some help and advice about other non related health issues associated with my hip history,i have read so much on the net about all of this but experience is what i need.
About my history...2006 At the prime ole age of 35 i was diagnosed with Avascular Necrosis resulting in a bi-lateral THR in the same year,the implants i had put in were the now notorious depuy pinnacle hip system,all seemed fine until 6 years later when one day with barely 24hrs notice the hip had failed,when i hear someone say excruciating pain i sort of had a idea but that night i did!!...my poor ole dad was having a nightmare as we were up every four hours for the first week to administer pain relief but the mst and oramorph barely scratched the surface,it was not until the revision 8 months later that i came across gabapentin but i wish i had found it then as i was basically flat on my back most of that time!!...before the revision i had the xrays and mri's and the blood tests which i was told by my doctor was 5 to 6 times over the norm for a typical MOM patient but what they say and what the MRHA say are totally different.
So i end up at the hospital for the revision in 2012,,on the morning of the op the consultant come round and we get on ok as i tend to approach things with a sense of humour and optomism and when signing all the forms i ask if i can have the bit coming out for a souvenier but it had to goto the research centre BUT what i did get was photos as there was a medical photographer present.There were 4 images,1 of me opened up and looking down to the existing still in implant,2nd was the bits taken out on a table,the third was one of me opened up again looking down to the ceramic new implant BUT the 4th showed the damage inside and the PSUEDO TUMOURS that had been drained with a large syringe and he basically filled most of that.
Post op...even the first day i knew something was not right as i just could not get up and put weight on but the gabapentin turned up and sorted it and second day i was up and by the 5th i was home.
So the physios and post op lot come to the house and the physio refuses to believe me when i say i have a bit of a burning sensation down the back of my leg and after 12 weeks i was still having the pain relief and using 1 crutch and by now with a bit of time to spare i was starting to research the effects of psuedo tumours and metalosis in later years as i am aware of the danger of high levels of cobalt and chromium in the body.
It was this year nearly 2 years after the revision that i started to have some diagnostic tests..ist were piriformis injections which didnt help then about a month ago i had facet joint injections as they picked up a small bit of arthritis in my facet joint but it didnt work and next is radio frequency treatment so well see but as i know possible effects of the psuedo tumours can be permanant nerve damage in some cases from the metal debris.
This though is the least of my worries as 18months or so on after the revision i am having other problems that are NOT related to the hip which is why i am here to see if anyone is having similar problems.
Whilst my mobility has been going downhill quiker than franz klammer!! it was about 3 or 4 weeks ago when one night i wet the bed and it continued and after 4 nights in succesion and again knowing that the effectsof the metal debris can effect the organs and in most cases as i understand around 18 months to 2 years can be the time that problems start to arise from metalosis.
I decidedto go to the doctor and i had a urine test done that was dipped,then i was asked a week later to provide another to go to the lab,then i had to do another 2 because they found blood in my urine but i amnow worried as i would expect after those tests to know whats going on and that is why i hope to find someone with similar problems as i
I hope this all helps
kind regards
hope4cure russell95438
Posted
thank you so much for UR reply... It is all so well written and makes absolute sence....
i can see that u have been they a lot.. I would first like to express how sorry I am to hear of UR unnecessary suffering..
Drs just go about their business's... While we remain unfortunate enough to end up on the down side of THR surgery are left to fend for ourselves in many ways....I'd the out come is not good.
if our bodies don't fit the mold for recovery too bad.. PT well that may help.
Why in the world don't they do better testing before and after.. It's always puzzeled me... How do the drs cover their reps thrusurgery reports with the standard comments.
not all are the standard outcome.
i have my surgery pics on disc..that is to say what they decided to put on disc.wouldn't it be interesting to compare the 2 ...are UR pics on disc. As I understand it U also have pics of pseudo tumor and damage to the surrounding tissue...a pic was taken if ditagatilized could be on disc. Have u seen them ?
I also have the copy of the surgery report and all follow up appointments. Needless to say there are descrepiencies between that & what actually happened at appts. I do have a witness...
i feel like I am stuck in limbo land.. I now have a failed hip implant... In a great deal of pain.. Can't get surgery secheduled for at least another 6 months . Recalled hips are at the bottom of the waiting list manufacturers pays only a fraction of the costs.. So not only do the patients of recalled hip joints pay the price of revisions and the constant insurance hassle with the manufacturer as well as the aggravation,pain and suffering... So I am trying to cope with this the best I can.
pseudo tumors are also present ,corosion of the metal, along with the stabbing groin pain with every step. The ligaments & tendons are strained and frozen with knots as big a the Grand Canyon.
Ur evaluation was extremely encouraging.. U know what manufacturer UR implant is?
I am a firm believer that there are kickbacks envolded in this as in any other business. Pharmacudical companies are always in the news for kickbacks paid to docs for various reasons. Illegal or not it's millions $$$ yearly.
here I am in the middle.of hell.....still struggling with the same pain issues.
thats the bottom line. It's not always the docs fault as they get the blame for lack of better judgment. It's like a flow chart how the kickbacks are designed...The manufacturer Rep works out deals with med corps. Med corporations gather the hospitals & docs the docs gather the patients gather the ins. Companies...And the money ball keeps Rollin.
And then we wonder why medical costs are so high. Becuz they can set their own price standard... My first THR in 2001 was $21,000.the latest THR in 2011 $44,000. Go figure....???$$$
there are so many things involved behind the scenes that most people cannot imagine. Some of us get caught in the middle.
My lesson from this is that I have learned how uncaring docs are.... not honest... Lie to cover their reputation...protect their practice by deals with manufactures of medical equipment,big pharma...leaving a negative education in the wake of destruction if a patient does not fit the mold.
My body has lost a lot of time....wear & tear takes a toll...
my family is exhausted from this as well...they comment that I have aged ten years in the past 2. I am exhausted all the time.. Have no life.. Cannot do many of the every day normal tasks necessary to take care of myself...so I cannot change this medical system or the past. I have let it go and just move on to tomorrow.. It is what it is..
and and as you put so well in UR last two paragraphs our future is centered around mobility & loss of life expectancy...due to complications from THR.....so now for the remainder of our lives heavy metal tests... CAT SCANS...& pain is unfortunately our future.
i hope u are doing better.. Sending healing prayers UR way across the pond.
russell95438 hope4cure
Posted
i must say very interesting what you say,you are dead right when you say doctors and surgeons go about their buisness and i hope like i you are seeking to be compensated as the producers(mine r depuy)of the products have a hell of a lot to answer for and i will not be very happy if my problem with urinary issues is down to a DISGUSTINGLY POOR research of their products(although by U.S Federal Law they are not obliged to clinially test) and Surgeons being paid to use them,like lead cobalt and chromium are extremely dangerous metals to be floating around the human body and i have gone from photographer,ferreter and keen sportsman to only being able to get to appointments once or twice a week,everything virtually taken away and god knows what thhe future holds and that annoys me greatly with no thought of consequences,for gods sake surely somewhere medically must have mentioned "IS THAT NOT A BIT DANGEROUS??),i dont know if u have have had metakl toxcicity bloods done but it sounds to me like in my case you dont want to be waiting too long trust me hope for cure if you already have the tumours.
And on your question about the photos YES i have them,you see one of my extreme passions is photography and when i was aware that a medical photographer was going to b present in my revision op i was quick to get the images e mailed yo me,if you want to see them i can mail the image of the psudo tumour.
Thank you for asking about how other things are found out now from visit to urology that bladder and kidneys clear of cancer so a plus there but i am being referred hopefull to a better department as we were not happy about the fact that doctor could not answer about the effects of nmetals.
I wish you luck and i shall keep eye on post...let me know about pic...
hope4cure russell95438
Posted
how wonderful to hear UR cancer free. Thank you Jesus...he is watching over u.
i can totally relate to every word as UR described the loss of mobility has robbed u of everything u love in life. It made me cry.. Same here I trained horses cannot all my hard work traing horses & 20 yrs designing a 3 acre garden has all gone to H___
i am broken hearted as u to must be to loose so much from THR gone BAD REALLY BAD. I have $2500worth of testing done every 6 months. STRYKER PAYS FOR THEM . I hope u test still.
I have seen seen pseudo tumors not a pretty sight and tissue necrosis online. I look up study everything I can about this I am not going to be helpless again.
My life is gone its like I am a invalid. Can't walk. Can't stand, sit or sleep .i am in constant pain.. Put the commode riser back on..etc life is lost
. Add insult to injury drs want to see my pre op & post op reports along with the manufacturer tag from STRYKER FROM all the THR parts in the device, so the revision specialists can review my records first before accepting me as a patient. That is outrageous.
The other surgeon doesn't see anything in my tests to show that I am in pain.. Nuclear cat scans MRI bone scans last done 12/29/13 Along with heavy mental blood tests. Pain has absolutely no revelance or loss of mobility or barely functioning.
I will never get my former active life back. While waiting to be in a wheelchair to get this hip out the damage continues.
I am in a class action law suit to sue the manufacturer only...
yet I know that since the 60's MOM is bad. I learned a great deal from my surgeon from my first hip over 14 years ago still good. This hip installed in 7/2011 recalled may 2012. Dr knew it had mom pt excess and lied to my face when I asked about cements that had been recalled and mom hip prothesis . He left the state. Opened another orthaepedic practice.
i was hoping to find more of us on this forum who have been damaged .
group together and set a standard that this could never happen again.
I am so lost bored and lonely.. I am exhausted . I have aged 10 years in the past three. I am not even close to the same person I was 3 years ago.
I will fight I will not give up.
plsase send UR photos. I am really interested in them.
depuy is UR THR MANUF.what model?
u can look mine up. STRYKER ABG ll press fit. It's everywhere. Online.
also ck out the revision model... It's designed By STRYKER TOO.
boy the plot thickens doesn't it!
hang in there we will fight this until the cows come home. I may be down but it is not over yet!
(( hugs))