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Recalled hip joint. Scary heavy metal poisoning & tumors

Posted , 10 users are following.

hope4cure
hope4cure

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

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  • baywalk73
    baywalk73 hope4cure

    Posted

    welll, Hope, I saw the surgeon today, Dr. Perfect i shall call him because he once told me the prosthesis installation was perfect. He continues to deny that there is anything wrong despite the fact that I have to use a walker and cannot walk more than 20 yards in any case. hough he didn't show me the bone scan, he said it revealed nothing. The radiologist report states "Loosening of the stem cannot be ruled out." So once again, I catch him in a lie. I don't know what's wrong he says.'OK so its on to Cleveland Clinic next Monday, hand carrying all my records. This should be interesting.
    • hope4cure
      hope4cure baywalk73

      Posted

      David, wow does UR experience sound familiar. 

      Thats is just the issue with the docs who do THR surgery. There are no public records on these docs to check on their pat history. They are protected by the med corps. There is very little wiggle room for a patient in UR case who has expierenced a crippling out come to find resolution. I cannot beleive u r sill walking with a walker as I too had the same walking issues right out of the gate. This is my 3rd hip so I have experience to compare healing issues.

      As u know I found out later why my calls to the surgeon for appt to find a solution for my pain...were ignored because the hip device was recalled. I found out on the news for Pets Sake! Then of course the dr moved out of state. Been fighting 2 years thru NECLEAR Cat scans which made be very ill. of course the contrast dye used is said to never cause harm . Yet I was ill for weeks after. Then all the heavy metal blood tests.. The lawyer handling the class action suit explained that in Australia there is a regular history record of doctors in that country. So if u need a hip surgery u can check on the case history of any surgeon complaints types of issues good & bad. That could have really helps us.every country should we basically go into surgery after a consult see the X-ray ooo bad bone on bone u have osteo arthritis need a THR.. The dr basically sells his expertise and product the hip device he used is the best bla.. Bla.. It's like a salesmen at UR door. Except these are body parts a lot more trust must me involved and no choice on theproceedures 

      My doc kept up the X-ray deal it's a perfect thing too. Even gave me a copy of his beautiful work the digital X-ray.Then months later calls me crying that I must take precautions due to Metal on Metal issues and lost his perfect attitude began crying over the phone to get the hip out before cobalt and chromium can get into the blood stream and kill me. Living with that realization jumping thru all the hoops to get my records finding docs I am exhausted. 2 years of oh UR test are within the normal range. Well my life is not.,I cannot walk as the weeks months go by it gets worse. My rheumy is out of dealing with my hip he just shook his head. My PC just ignored my complaints. I went to PT again & it DID NOT help.

      I truly hope that u receive a solution to UR pain. There r so many things that can go wrong why in the heck do the patients have to pay the price for a failing hip. U deserve answers I hope u get them and positive results.

      ((hugs))

      HOPE

    • baywalk73
      baywalk73 hope4cure

      Posted

      I, too, went thru the "nuclear medicine" scans but fortunately did not make me sick. But yesterday the surgeon siad the bone scans showed nothing. That's debateable !!! Hahaha Debateable but not so laughable.Also said blood tests all negative. But as I sat there he made sure to keep hiss little tablet turned away from me and did not offer to show me. The Guy's body language tells all.

      Do you still have the metal/metal joint in you? Not clear about that. I hope not. And are you not able to find anyone able to help you? I know there ARE surgeons willing to take cases like thiss but they are not easy to find and they surely don't advertise and as we discussed, you'll have to go out of your immediate area. This can cause insurance problems, something I just realized I better check this out first with Medicare before I go ahead and rackup several hundred K in new surgeries.

      The first time I saw my surgeon and made a complaint, he went into a big song and dance about how I could not survive another major surgery. I never said anything to elicit that kind of response, the asshole had just made a Freudian slip. Even tho that is BS, I still have that hanging over my head. There's no guarantee Cleveland Clinic is going to fix my hip because, like you, the cup is ok, its the stem down into the femur that has to be redone and if I am reading the xray correctly, that is going to be a BIG problem. The stem is off-center, so how do they fix that?? Can they rebuild the bone and redrill the shaft?

    • hope4cure
      hope4cure baywalk73

      Posted

      Yes a god revision surgeon can fix bone. On my first hip implant they removed a Ping pong ball size bone from the hip bone and filled it in with medical grade bovine filler. Then a screw to help hold the hip and joint in place. That was my first hip 14 years ago.

      See on line for information for revision surgery and the many complicated issues involved.

      CHEERS

      HOPE

  • kaleani75551
    kaleani75551 hope4cure

    Posted

    Wow...you have enough material for a novel, i am not kidding.  It is scary too as any one of your issues could happen to any of us.  Hang in there!!  as we say here in the US.  I am guessing you are in the UK.  Things will get better.

     

    • hope4cure
      hope4cure kaleani75551

      Posted

      Hi k...

      I'm in the pacific NW... This is happening to a lot of THR patients..

      Thank you for UR kind support..luv the smiley face. U r an original .

      stay well stay strong and keep up those butt squeezes...LOL  I still do them stron glute strong core...

      ya know I am trying to get patients who have not had success to tell there stories.. Not that's a book fot everyone..every story is different for sure.. I'm hangin 10 as the surfers in the 60's say...

      ((Hugs)) 

    • kaleani75551
      kaleani75551 hope4cure

      Posted

      So we are neighbors, i am in California.  It is always good to hear stories like yours because we, those of us with limited information, can learn a lot.   
    • hope4cure
      hope4cure kaleani75551

      Posted

      Hey I was born in CA. lived there many years and I visit my family & friends there.. I love it here. The fast pace is too much though. Everybody is always in such a rush.. 

      I miss the weather & the lifestyle a lot. Stay cool our heat wave is in the 80'.

      my sis said it's been in the high 90'and 100' there. YIKES...lol

      ((hugs))

  • kaleani75551
    kaleani75551 hope4cure

    Posted

    I forgot this biggrin
    • cindy6649
      cindy6649 kaleani75551

      Posted

      It's ALWAYS important to remind us all that we need to include more smiley faces in our lives as we deal with things that really just make us want to cry. Thanks for remembering and making a point to remind the rest of us. 

      After 6 hours with doctors today and receiving an MRI report showing I may need another surgery, I DEFINITELY need all the smiley faces I can get. Thanks. 

    • hope4cure
      hope4cure cindy6649

      Posted

      Oh no CINDY...

      why surgery? I am so sorry.. PLZ let me know what the MRI SHOWED..

      u must be going thru a lot of emotions right now..

      I will send u a mile of smiley faces.. 

      And this ... Peace , luv & hugs!

  • russell95438
    russell95438 hope4cure

    Posted

    Hi hope for cure...still now mine is all a bit of a mystery...got a cystoscopy in a couple of weeks trying to get to the bottom of it all...i noticed you had horses,i am in and amongst quite a few over here as most of the people who own them here have constant trouble with wild rabbit digging holes which is obviously a potential hazard for man or beast,so the polecats and ferrets will bolt most of the rabbit out but they always get back in the end so a bit like nature itself a constant cycle....i will attach photo and the depuy system i had implanted in 2006 was the PINNACLE SYSTEM....you take care and never give up hope,i have to stay optomistic whatever happens because i have learnt from all the trouble i have had and that is not to get to negative as it only makes the condition worse...it is very easy to say and some days i feel a bit like you but i just have to battle on and accept i have been dealt a bit of a rough hand
    • hope4cure
      hope4cure russell95438

      Posted

      Russell Thanks for the pics. So I made a special trip tru google and watched the whole surgery online. Pennacle system.. 

      There r several which is urs. The cup system SEVAL others?

      see STRYKER ASR.  ABG ll pressfit recall its online everywhere..

      It's hard to imagine how long we have to suffer before we receive help and understanding. The roll pain and suffering can take is insurmountable.

      keep in touch.. I am glad to hear u have finally received a date for revision.

      its so unfortunate we get caught in a crazy belief system that can cause tremendous reflections down the road for years to come.

      if some think that this happens too there not them.. Well give it time...It caught up with me I heard all the recalls on tv for years grateful it didn't include me. Now it does....hope and pray it does not happen again.

      CHEERS

      HOPE

       

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