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American Revolutionary War, arthritic hip, Croagh Patrick, Friday, Health, hip, Hip Replacement, January, Pensioner, surgery, Westmeath Examiner
Source article – full text – Pensioner waits nine years for hip replacement – News – Roundup – Articles – Westmeath Examiner.
Pensioner waits nine years for hip replacement
Friday, 21st February, 2014 5:37pm
A Collinstown grandfather who has been practically confined to his home for the past year as he waits for his arthritic hip to be replaced has spoken of his frustration at how slowly the wheels turn in the health system.
Jim* (75) had his first left hip replaced ten years ago “the summer Westmeath won Leinster” and was initially delighted with the improvement to the quality of his life.
“I said that once I got my hip done me and Sarah* (his wife) would climb Croagh Patrick as we spent a lot of time in Westport. It took us almost five hours but we did it,” he said.
After the operation he noticed that his right leg was shorter than the left but initially thought it was because “it was at the end of a 65 year old hip, while the other was brand new”. It was following a visit to his physiotherapist that he realised that the difference was anything but normal.
“She had two visiting physiotherapists in with her and they measured my legs and told me that the right was one and a half inches shorter than the other,” he said.
In order to redress the imbalance Jim has inserted lifts in all his right shoes. While far from not ideal, he was told that the problem would be rectified when he was brought in to have his right hip replaced – that was nine years ago.
Although the pain gradually increased in his hip and began having an impact on his quality of life, Jim says that he was still able to do most things that he enjoyed doing, such as going for walks with Sarah, playing with his grandchildren and working out in his garden. This all came to an abrupt end in January of last year when his condition reached a tipping point.
– See more at: http://www.westmeathexaminer.ie/news/roundup/articles/2014/02/21/4019834-pensioner-waits-nine-years-for-hip-replacement/#sthash.K5dWNiKx.dpuf
This is shocking on 3 accounts; 1. They are allowing the guy to suffer unnecessarily. We have vetted and safe pain therapy options for which this person has been denied. Myofascial Release Therapy with hands-on and needles is almost a guarantee to relieve pain and help revitalized the hip joint–all without a replacement.
2. The reasons for his neglected pain is a narrow minded idea that man can fix pain with our technology. Plain old stubbornness and stupidity.
3. The longer this guy goes without the proper theay the more likely he will suffer the additional fates of mental trauma, social isolation and the possible that this pain can seed deeper into his muscles and spread into other area of his body.
This is the ultimate travesty!