HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FELLOW HIPSTERS!
I couldn’t let this time of year pass without sending out a big wish for a better year ahead to all of the wonderful people who I have met on this site (and elsewhere as I traverse this incredibly challenging journey that I know many of you are/have faced!!). I just want to applaud all of you for showing far greater spirit, integrity, honesty, fight, determination, not to mention morals and survival skills than the ‘people’ (a term I use very loosely!) who developed, marketed, sold and ultimately ‘recalled’ the MOM technology that has put many of us where we are today! I want to wish each and every one of you a better year ahead, the strength to keep fighting for answers and the belief that no matter how bad your health has deteriorated, we will find some answers and hopefully those responsible will finally be held to account!
I don’t know how things are progressing in the USA, given the time of year slowly I suspect, but here in Australia there are a number of developing issues that I am aware of. Firstly, I have it on good authority that the long suffering Birmingham patients might finally have someone in the legal field who is preparing the groundwork for the type of legal challenge that we in the ASR camp are now neck deep in. I would advise you to keep an eye out in the New Year for this and of course as soon as anything official is in play I will pass it on to the oracle that runs this site for he deserves the pleasure of announcing this!! Secondly, and slightly more alarmingly, it appears that J&J are getting desperate here and are trying to use their influence and power to corrupt people’s cases against them. I (and others) have recently been told that for any further financial/medical support under their ‘reimbursement program’, we now have to see an “independent” surgeon of THEIR CHOOSING for a medical review, now I don’t know about you, but the wording of “an independent surgeon of our choosing” tends to ring some serious alarm bells in my head!!! Apart from the obvious questions about how ‘truly independent’ this doctor would be, why not use a court appointed doctor?? However they are using the threat of cutting off all support to railroad us into this, nice move arseholes, however what they seem to have forgotten is that we aren’t all animals who will follow the leader into the killing pen for slaughter, we are actually intelligent human beings who can communicate and use our minds to fight even if our bodies mightn’t be up to it. I can honestly tell you, all that they are looking for is any shred of ‘medical evidence’ in each of our cases that they can blame our problems on, rather than the destruction and poison that they put in our bodies!!
If this has happened to you please don’t consider it, talk it over with your legal representatives (or get one if you don’t already have one), or if you trust your GP or current surgeon please talk to them about it, and then make your own mind up. I am very concerned that as the time draws closer for us to ‘have our day in court’ (scheduled for June 2014 here in Australia), that their level of desperation is only going to grow! The truly sad part of all of this is that the only people who are making money out of all of this at the moment are the surgeons who are trying to ‘repair the damage’, the lawyers fighting the legal side of things and of course the ‘loss mitigation experts’ (Crawford and Co here in Australia) who have been engaged to ‘deal with us patients’ so that J&J/DePuy don’t have to! It would actually be far cheaper for J&J to just negotiate with each of us and look after us, but apparently that doesn’t fit their corporate Image!! (If you google ‘Johnson and Johnson Litigation’, there are 5,000,000 hits, nice corporate image that one!!)
Anyway, the sun will be coming up soon and I am taking my family away on holiday today, so my apology ahead of time if I don’t reply to anyone for a bit as it is a computer free holiday! I do seriously hope that all of you do have a better year, that the pain isn’t too much to handle, that you get honest and ethical medical treatment, and above all else that you are at least surrounded by people who care about you and support you. I wish this with everything I have and am very much looking forward to sharing with and meeting more of the amazing people that find this blog!
Take care, don’t let the bastards ever beat you and as I have said before, if you aren’t getting the answers you want then look for them elsewhere!! Happy 2014!!
Stu Cain
Fingers crossed that all goes well in June and fingers crossed that Birmingham victims get their day in court too.
Zimmer Have a lot to answer to/for also, but with a medical misadventure claim
here in this country of NZ, and the many physical,non reversable impairments suffered at their woefully inadequate combined performamnce-against x-ray and chartered advice and information, blindly went ahead regardless, citing $$ if I left (signed out to become more informed) as no direct answers were given, and even then went against ALL ‘Agreed to requests” leaving, damage unequalled, infects, infections, bone cement, when agreed would be none’.. ‘Direct quote from mouth of suspect surgeons ethics -were. If you don’t stay and have this procedure NOW, you will be waiting for 5 months, at much higher cost, at a different private hospital. His only real knowledge of me ‘the prospective patient’ was that monetary cost was an issue, that had to be taken into consideration’ In his one and only 20 minute speil, until he sighted me again, as I was signing out of a North Shore private hospital., aft so many times offering to pay for a further consult fee AND necessity to see/meet Anaenithitist ALL IGNORED, as were ALL request that were agreed to ‘taken no notice..
He wanted me in there so quickly, that offered procedure within a month from 1 only briefest of appointments, and against x-ray advise, with anaesthitic plan chaged considerably, than the one which surgeon outligned would take place. Still a battle with our ACC Corporation, following 9 half years of torturous living, where life as I knew it changed overnight. Earl found me ‘way back’ in early blog days, as I was groping in the dark for the right assistance. Preparing now for one last presentation, when typist can be engaged, and I am well enough to ‘Hold my own, in continuation of Reviewing decision at Tribunal. Pray I am well enough to start and complete this.
I am indebted to Earl, and to each and everyones story, that has been read and re-read, with sorrow and sympathy, for all that have been affected in ‘any way’ from this
blight on the orthopaedic world reputation with ‘major mistakes, unequalled, and accepting the kickback. along with , generic implants that had not passed FDA regulations from their country of origin. Having had’ one on one’ correspondence
with Zimmer representative, I can cite and quote, from that communication back and forth, if need be,.
The pain and suffering still continue, with the resentment ever present that ‘No Accountability’ which at this stage also applies to Peer Review Assesors, whose snapshit in time differed vastly from 58 credible diagnostic assesments.and is the issue being challenged currently, but we -each and everyone on this blog, have to ever endure and pay handsomely for their mistakes.Ultimately doing it ;in our own, indidivdual manner, just as we learn to adapt and cope, in an individual way. Great friends, are the biggest asset, and keeping contact/communication with those whose lives have been affected in similar fashion.
TO Stu,
Your wishes and Good year thoughts expressed, are echoed to all on this blog, with special thanks to Earl, for finding me, and printing what was needed, with WordPress
in conjunction with Twitter has unfolded much research of immense value, .
God Bless-May all, that I now feel I know through this blog, have a peaceful and relaxing start to a year that will see a lot of changes in how organisations are run, and can/should be challenged. If we can pioneer for those that follow, something great has been achieved. Jill. NZ
You say the ‘long suffering Birmingham patients’ but my understanding from all I have read is that the Birmingham device has performed very well?
Regards
andrew
Thank you Stu – your words are encouraging. I hope that more comes this year – I am going to do more, along with a small group of us here in the U.S. I think this blog (and yes, thanks Earl!!) is going to be a great source of information…
To Andrew Archer up there – “OMG the Birmingham mom hip is going to kill us!” (another reason why I decided I need to do more this year – I won’t go down without a fight!!). My advice to you if you got this hip is to get your blood checked – check the level of metals. For me, I had only heard about it in the news (it is silent for some people) and thought I’d go get it checked and thank god I did because the levels were through the roof and I would have been without use of my leg today – most of the muscle is gone but at least I can walk – not run though, which is a huge loss for me because I started running around the age of 15 – until last year (50) right before getting that “poison piece of crap” out of my body (I still have metal in me)!! No, the Birmingham device has not performed well because of the cobalt and chromium leaching into the bloodstream and destroying muscle tissue (pseudo tumors) around the device – from there the metals move on to destroy other parts of the body – even eyes. Our bodies are NOT SUPPOSE to have metal in them!! (that’s why I say it’s going to kill us!). There’s a whole lot more about the BHR – you will learn on this blog I hope! Good-luck!
Connie Marotta
After 7 surgeries in 5 years, 6 hips and a femur fracture during my latest re revision, I would have to disagree that the BHR has performed well Andrew. Definitely not for me anyway.
I am new to this forum and newly diagnosed with extremely high cobalt and chromium from a BHR. Sadly, it means I have no option but a revision. Watching and waiting like everyone else and hope 2014 is the year of positive action for BHR sufferers.
Best wishes for the New Year to everyone…hanging in there together provides much needed support.
Andy