Tags
blood test, Conditions and Diseases, DePuy, General practitioner, Health, hip implant, Hip Replacement, Magnetic resonance imaging, Patient, science, thyroid problems
I am female aged 62yrs and live in the UK.
I had a revision hip replacement due to high level of metals ie cobalt and chromium 10th August 2011 after several years of feeling very poorly.
I have experienced some debilitating symptons which have completely altered my quality of life, including thyroid problems,nausea, fatigue, headaches muscle and joint pains, breathing problems, poor memory and anxiety and sleeplessness…
In fact I was beginning to think I going crazy after countless visits to my GP who said I was depressed and hyperventilating.
I knew I was not depressed just very very sad at feeling so ill. He recently refered me to a rheumatologist and I have undergone tests. I am waiting for the results which may take another few weeks to get ..
I am very frustrated and scared, feel alone. In spite of having a have a wonderful family and a new grandson who I would like to delight in but due to my health issues am unable.. I do not want to worry them with my real concerns.
I came across this site by default today, as I am trying to find answers help and support.
I want to thank Dr Micheal McCabe for such articulate and understandable words and it seems I am not soo alone..
I would like to speak to other people who feel like me and have had similar experience. It seems impossible to find a forum in the UK. Everything is shrouded in complexities.
Also maybe I am not as computer literate as I could be. It is really difficult to get people to listen especially when you sometimes dont have the energy to talk let alone describe how things really are affecting you.
Anyway thank you for this opportunity to write. I am not even sure where my words will land !!!!
kind regards
Stephanie
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wow this site is so good ,I too have the same symptoms as you I had a revision surgery in May 2012 I am in the UK and also find it difficult to find anyone who has the same problems as me.I am 51 years old with both hips replaced even though I have had one revised I still feel the same as above,GP says its hormone problem ,but I cant walk without great pain.I also had metallosis at revision
Stephanie, Have you improved since your revision? You might go a doctor who specializes in the immune system. I had a Depuy MoM hip 6 years ago and have high cobalt and chromium levels-symptoms like yours, plus peripheral neuropathy, tinnitus, hearing loss and vision problems. My immune doctor is treating me for CIDP with IVIg therapy. I have my 3rd infusion next week and when my immune system improves I have a revision scheduled. Hope this helps and the best to you.
Jim B. Colorado
Most GP’s that ‘see you-once in awhile- for more minor probs, do not take much notice of
Symptoms and often bizarre mobility and medical problems, that go hand in hand
with these ‘puzzling’ (until re-searched), affli;ictions as a direct result of surgical proceedures, for Hip/Knee replacements, AND the processs/technique, which some surgeons perform, so much better than others. With interactive multiple drugs, that have there own devasting affects, leaving your life in tatters.It is a lonely
and isolating process to go through. Just advising you are ‘not alone; you are not going mad, and in unity ‘voices are being heard’ and listened to. Thanks to this Blog
and Earl ‘finding me’ -we collectively help each other, with the ultimate goal that Orthopaedic world, will not be permitted to ‘inflict these too often unsuited devices
onto us -make their money, and esacape responsibility’ of ongoing care.
You are not alone, any longer. If it will help in anyway-others stories (my own) is here and there on this site, and is still under litigation. Best wishes always. Courage and fortitude is your best asset. Try to keep smiling, and keep reading and researching.
Jill.NZ
added comments, on device manufacturers
To Joan, Jim and Jill ( The Three J’s) I say thank you for responding I so appreciate knowing that there are other folk out there who are, sadly, experiencing dreadful symptons brought about by the use of devices that were not researched properly for human use !!…. It is tragic that we appear to be suffering under radar and I can only hope that having found this wonderful site, we are all on the right road to recovery, in spite of misdiagnosis and get justice… If there can be any justice for having the quality of life stolen … sadly time cannot be turned back, but we can make darn sure that we do the best we can to make our future brighter ….with a lot of help from our friends. .. I have been rather unwell for some time now and get overwhelmed with info. so if anyone wants to e mail me I can best ask/answer questions individually… warm regards Steph
Stephanie,
I am a 48 year old male from the UK and had my revision surgery in July 2011. My life has been turned upside down by the medical issues related to the cobalt and chromium toxicity.
Like you I feel alone and abandoned, I have seen numerous specialists and have yet to have someone take seriousley the relationship with my health and the toxic effect of the chromium and cobalt.
I have not been able to work for 14 months and will possibly never return to my job as it is impossible for me to maintain concentration, get exhausted very quickly and can only walk short distances.
Only recently they have discovered growths in my groin area which has knocked me for six.
I suffer from: severe fatigue, chronic headaches, chronic pains in the stomach, chronic pain when passing water, blood from my back passage, severe depression, pain around the revisionary joint, numb hands and feet, light headedness and dizzy spells, disturbed sleep, extreme sweating, racing heart and breathlessnesss, hearing loss and deteriorating eyesight.
I have also been admitted to a psychiactric unit for 4 weeks and continue treatment for chronic mental health matters, I also tried to commit suicide twice and I have no doubt this is related to what has happened.
I am developing a database of MoM patients and their related health problems to show where the common threads exist, so that when you first encounter specialists you can highlight immediately which areas need to be investigated.
I have spent the past 14 months trying to convince the specialists some thing is seriousley wrong, however as this is such a new issue and no real research has been done they are in the dark as to how to help.
If anyone wishes there information to be added to the database do not hesitate to contact me.
M: 07881504233
e:
Best regards
Sandy
I have already a post on this site under ‘Another Smith & Nephew BHR problem’. I have persevered in researching anything to do with the damage of metalloisis, psuedo tumours or whatever they call it on a particular day. I had my left hip total in Germany Jan 2002 and it does what it says on the packet, therefore I had one to compare with when I had a BHR on my right in Jan 2006 and it was never right. My revision to ceramic was in July 2010 and I continue to have the massive pain in the groin, hip area and buttock as pre-revision surgery. This has now given me back problems due to distribution of weight and, like everyone, fatigue etc. Luckily my GP is great and has asked me to send my research to her for her to learn. I am now on fake morphine patches, gaberpentine, neproxine and amitriptylne and get about 80% pain relief and the pain clinic at my hospital have told me it’s for life. Not giving in I discovered a surgeon who has great interest in metal on metal hips, Jeremy Latham based in Southampton. Indeed they are just establishing a special unit for revision hip surgery with an emphasis on mom problems and are incorporating cell biologists, nucular medicine, in fact all the ‘ologies’. They have been given a huge grant and are associated with Southampton University. My GP has referred me there (I live in Hastings and it takes 3 hours each way) and they have accepted me as a patient and have asked if I will be a Patient Advocate. It has recently been discovered that there is,or can be, a reoccurance of the soft tissue reaction post revision surgery. Southampton where aware of this. My original hospital University College London were not!!! And they told me they are still using mom implants. I was speechless. Southampton were honest in saying that ‘they don’t know’ but my reason for being with them was being in the loop as and when, and if, they ever find a solution. If you can go to Southampton at least they are honest and will give you the proper tests. I had never had a blood ion test nor a MARS MRI I have now and have faith that the ‘reader’ of the results will have a better understanding although the surgeon did tell me that things might not show up. I prefer this honesty and at least they are positively looking for answers.
If anyone wants more info or details email me on