Got the results from my annual check up. Chromium is 6.9, still waiting for the cobalt results, I meet with the doctor again on 11-29-12. I've been having "symptoms" for awhile now. I read the reports on what the safe levels are, 4.0 for a single and 7.4 for a double. In an e-mail from my doctor he told me the safe level was 7.4, and to come back in 6 months instead of a year this time. (He didn't mention anything about that number being safe for bi-laterals) I will request an mri on thursday, x-rays were normal last time (aside from the angle) bone ingrowth looked good, no voids and nothing has moved. But it looks like things are wearing out not so slowly but surely. I have been extremely active and am carrying about 35lbs of un-needed fat. So strict diet plan and cut back on my wallking/standing is my first move at this point (I'm usually on my feet most of the day and regularly carry 35-50 lbs.) Gotta cut that out and see if the levels/sympomtoms are better in 6 months. Hopefully can start a reversing trend and there isn't any tissue damage yet, but it sure doesn't feel as good as it used to, we shall see. It was a year and half ago my old doctor said my synovial fluid was abnormal and wanted to do a ceramic on plastic thr. I'll post up the cobalt results when they come in. Hoping to keep this thing.... I like it, it's not perfect but compared to what it was it's night and day, the difference between living and limping in pain. If I have to take a norco or 2 here and there, I can live with it.
If you're new and reading this, go to one of the re-surfacing gurus ! not a newbie. I know, I sound like a broken record :o 8)
The 4.0 safe levels were from a conservative study, Bill - my surgeon considers anything under 7 to be fine, as does the British agency that looks at such things.
An MRI is probably a good thing, all of the other things sound like good steps - hoping that will reverse the readings if it's contributing. Hope you keep it too, Bill, good luck on the cobalt reading.
Thansk for the note - hope you find the improvements you need.
Intrested about the MRI's - does the metal implant efect having an MRI - got to be some iron in there somewhere?
Hey Phillip, I don't know on the mri, seems like I've read in here that mri's are the only way to see whats really going on in there ? I'll see what he says
Oddly, cobalt is mildly magnetic, but I have not heard of any problems with an MRI for metal HRs.
I believe the FDA uses the same 7 ug/L screening level for both metals, also.
Sorry to hear things are getting a little worse for you B.I.L.L.
Man I gotta tell you guys I don't know what to make of Kaiser. I looked at my Chromium test results yesterday in my medical record, 6.9. Today those test results are no longer in my medical record ? There are test results from years ago but some how that test result has disapeared. Then today I had an appt (for a different problem) and I saw my cobalt results on the doctors screen, he even read it to me, 22.1. Yet no cobalt results are in my medical record/test results. So the cobalt results never made it to where I could access them, and my chromium results have been yanked. I'm not really a paranoid type guy but this seems like some straight up BS to me. I also got an e-mail telling me I don't need to keep my appt. this thursday am, and that I should wait and get re-tested in 6 months. I'm getting mentally exhausted over this. I will be keeping my appt, and have e-mailed my doctor asking where those test results went, although I have a feeling that e-mail will disapear as well..... I'm spent. Sorry to bitch.....
Hey B.I.L.L.-
You never did tell me whether that stood for "Bultaco Is Losing Laps" (or whatever I came up with at the time...maybe you never saw it!?)
Anyway, bitch away! I was not impressed with Kaiser at all. That was maybe...fifteen years ago, experiencing them second hand as my Dad was supposedly getting cancer treatment through them. Just a big machine in my opinion.
Wishing you the best!
Bruce
Quote from: OtterDriver on November 28, 2012, 12:56:41 AM
Hey B.I.L.L.-
You never did tell me whether that stood for "Bultaco Is Losing Laps" (or whatever I came up with at the time...maybe you never saw it!?)
Anyway, bitch away! I was not impressed with Kaiser at all. That was maybe...fifteen years ago, experiencing them second hand as my Dad was supposedly getting cancer treatment through them. Just a big machine in my opinion.
Wishing you the best!
Bruce
Hey Bruce it was originally Boy I Love Limping, but I like yours better. Yes dealing with Kaiser has been ....... interesting. The disapearing test results will be brought up at my appt. on thursday. It is what it is you know, I can take it, I'm not looking to sue anyone, I just want to know why it's been giving me some issues and if it's causing any tissue damage thats all. I'm happy, compared to what it was it's awesome. I just want to know why it feels different now and if it's something I need to address immediately or not. It's not that complicated...
Ok one semi-bitchy letter and the results are all back.
Chromium- 6.9 H < 1.3 mcg/L
Cobalt- 22.8 H < 1.9 mcg/L
I believe mcg/L = ppb ? Correct ?
Quote from: B.I.L.L. on November 29, 2012, 12:55:49 AM
I believe mcg/L = ppb ? Correct ?
The short answer is yes, mcg/L = ppb
Stevel from this forum wrote up a very nice explanation....http://surfacehippy.info/hiptalk/high-metal-ions/help-converting-metal-ion-counts/
Hope that helps.
Quote from: B.I.L.L. on November 29, 2012, 12:55:49 AM
Ok one semi-bitchy letter and the results are all back.
Chromium- 6.9 H < 1.3 mcg/L
Cobalt- 22.8 H < 1.9 mcg/L
I believe mcg/L = ppb ? Correct ?
It would be really nice if the labs would express their results in one common set of units. It would be a service for the doctors and the patients to know that these esoteric numbers don't have to be converted further to make sense.
If the unit H is nanomoles per liter, the following calculation applies:
- Cobalt: 6.9 nmol/L / 1000 * 58.9 molar mass (grams) = 0.40641 ug/L
- Chromium : 22.8 nmol/L / 1000 * 52 molar mass (grams) = 1.1856 ug/L
So assuming that H means that (I think it does), then your levels are below the 4 ug/L that even the strictest study I've seen think safe. Under the other standards (7 ug/L), you have even more headroom.
ug/L is micrograms per liter.
Yeah right ? I looked at Stevels math equation and it might as well been in chinese, but from what I gathered from his chart was that both mcg/L and ug/L boil down to ppm ? Some how ;D
Just got back from the doc, he scheduled an mri and will go from there. Heres what he told me, If you get to a 6 or 7 pain more often than not, revise right away, the mri will tell us whats going on with the muscles/tissue, if it's dying (his words) revise right away, if not, lose some weight and check back in 6 months. If a revision is done he recommends ceramic on polyethelene (plastic). Thats also what Dr Klug in nor-cal told me, if you have to revise go to a ceramic on nylon thr. I'm guessing that must be the standard hip for Kaiser patients at this time. So right now it comes down to the mri results. Either way I gotta drop some weight. It is what it is..... 8)
Well, good luck... here's hoping for good results from the MRI.
Update, 2 weeks since mri, no results yet. How long does it take I wonder ? Dr said 7-10 days, my guess is there behind due to the holidays. The symptoms are not getting any better. The symptoms are swelling, knocking, clunking, "racheting ?" it feels like it hangs up and then "skips", especially rocking side to side, and it hurts. Sitting produces a dull toothache kind of pain, if I walk or stand for any length of time the clunking and pain increase, my butt cheek and back of my thigh feel swolen and cooler to the touch than the un-operated side, and it feels like there is fluid gathering around my foot as the day goes on, by the end of the day my foot is swolen (not bad, but definately noticable) and I feel kind of blah overall, not as much energy as I used to have and I don't sleep well at all. I've tried doing stretching and strength exercises everyday, every other day, 2 x a week, and sometimes not at all. I've tried resting and icing as well as doing nothing. trying to find the magic combo to decrease the symptoms, doesn't seem to matter, seems to go downhill no matter what. Doing nothing is the worst, if I stay off it and try to rest it for a few days it gets worse everytime, daily strength exercises and stretching produce the best results. It feels like the muscles just can't maintain any strength, like whatever progress I make working on the bowflex and stretching in the spa goes instantly back to zero if I rest it for 3 or 4 days. The increase in symptoms and the fairly recent addition of fluid gathering in my foot now has me concerned to say the least, and I'm really tired of being in limbo and hearing, "Leave it in for awhile longer, come back in 6 months" I think I just want this thing outta me so I can get on with my life, or figure out whats causing the problems cause like I said, I've tried every training/resting combo I can think of and making zero headway. Waiting 2 weeks for mri results has been extra special as well, wait wait wait wait wait, 4 years we've been waiting to see if it gets better, I'm convinced it's not gonna, just waiting for the mri..... Anyway hope everyone had a good Christmas ! I'll get it worked out one way or another and will let you know what the mri says, whenever the f*#k that is ::). Hope everyone has a great holiday season and 2013 is your best year yet ! Talk to you later, Bill
Hoping for good results for you, Bill. Have a good new year.
Quote from: hernanu on December 28, 2012, 02:28:41 PM
Hoping for good results for you, Bill. Have a good new year.
Thanks. Happy new year to you too !! I'll get it figured out, one way or another
Sorry you are still having problems Bill, keep your head up.... things will get better.
BTW, where do I send the check for the T-Shirt?
Chuck
Quote from: obxpelican on December 28, 2012, 10:23:42 PM
Sorry you are still having problems Bill, keep your head up.... things will get better.
BTW, where do I send the check for the T-Shirt?
Chuck
Haha your money's no good from what I heard, check your pm's.
8)
Hope this new year brings you some answers. I pray everything turns out OK.
Bill
Quote from: fenceman on December 29, 2012, 10:52:56 AM
Hope this new year brings you some answers. I pray everything turns out OK.
Bill
Thanks ! Me too ;D Hope 2013 is your best year yet !
Agreed, hope things work out for you.
BTW - micrograms per liter or mcg/l, or ug/l are all the same as parts per billion (ppb). not ppm as I think you may have asked in the thread.
So I have a question - why can't you get a revision to another HR? I think each of the designs for the acetabular cup are designed to be revised.
Bill - you are hanging tough and that is what we would expect from you - no BS. Thanks for the updates - helps us all understand and discuss these isses - I am learning alot. - Phill
Hope your hip works out for you Bill.
First off thanks for the reply's 8) I've thrown in the towell and will just keep living and eating norcos like I was before surgery. The mri showed "no obvious signs of fluid build up or muscle necrosis" and the dcotor said "come back for another ion test in march, or if anything changes..." Heres the gripe, if I sit for any length of time it hurts in my butt cheek and down the back of my thigh, if I walk or stand for any length of time at all, same thing plus recently it feels like fluid is gathering around my foot by the end of the day. Doing nothing (ie sleeping or laying down) helps until I go to walk or sit and then the symptoms come back within 1-2 hours or less, working it out and stretching help to prolong the time before the symptoms start, but it's no where near where it was 2 years ago. I try to exercise it daily because that seems to help, but it hurts. I can clench my butt cheek and feel it clunk and knock and it makes it hurt. So I've been exercising/stretching then taking pain meds and sitting in the spa to try and sleep better. After a short time on my feet it clunks with every step, sometimes it hurts a little, sometimes it hurts a lot. Overall I feel kind of drained and tired all the time, and I have a hard time getting motivated to do things because it hurts. Going to someone else besides Kaiser isn't really an option financially (btw I pay $900+ a month for kaiser plus 25 bucks every time I walk in the door) so for now I'll keep plugging along and try to get a couple bucks ahead, but the economy sucks right now and saving money isn't really happening, pretty much just getting by month to month. Sorry to be all Debbie Downer on you guys ;D, thats why I haven't been posting about it too much, I don't have too many positive things to say other than it's still better than it was pre-surgery I guess. I get the feeling kaiser wishes I would just croak and leave them alone, or postpone it until Obummercare takes over maybe. My checkups went from 1 year, to 6 months, and now to 3 month increments, I guess I'll just keep going until the stupid thing completely falls apart ? I don't know what to do at this point. I keep telling myself what an idiot I must be if I just need to exercise more and get the muscles stronger, but I have been doing more exercises in the last 3 months than I have since the surgery. Resting doesn't help, and exercising doesn't help (unless I'm not doing enough ?), but the un-operated hip feels stronger than ever since I've stepped up my exercise program, my 2 hips don't feel similiar AT ALL. I have people tell me they can't tell the difference between their fake hip and their real hip, I can believe me. Anyway enough poor me talk. Meanwhile I may send the x-rays and blood test results out to some other doctors for more opinions, but it's not like I can close up shop, shell out who knows how many tens of thousands of dollars, and take 6 months off, pffffft hahaha that's not gonna happen. Anyway thanks for your concerns and one more time if your new and reading this go to resurface specialists guru or go get a thr, DO NOT TRUST SOMEONE NEW TO THIS. My plan is work as much as I can, ride and race as much as I can, and I'll let you know what happens after the test's in march. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a happy new year !
Bill - sorry you are in some pain - hang for a while and see what the next check up brings. Have a beer and ride hard - sorry I should have said - ride hard and then have a beer
Bizarre, Bill - you don't have high metal ions, but are having pain and clunking when moving, and the MRI seems good.
Maybe other surgeons will be able to spot something when they look the XRays and blood work over.
Quote from: hernanu on January 07, 2013, 10:03:05 AM
Bizarre, Bill - you don't have high metal ions, but are having pain and clunking when moving, and the MRI seems good.
Maybe other surgeons will be able to spot something when they look the XRays and blood work over.
Yeah I know I feel like the little boy who cried wolf, Me-"It doesn't feel right, it's bothering me" The doc- "There's nothing wrong it's fine" Me- "Ok I must be doing something wrong" Thing is when I get up in the morning it feels pretty good, 3-4 hours later, not so much. I haven't tried doing nothing for a more than a few days at a time, but 2 years ago it was a non-issue. I'd love for it to be something else, even though I'd feel kinda dumb about whining about it for the last year and a half. I'm stepping up the exercise and will see what they say in march. But being a poolman means I need to do this in winter, not april or may, so no matter what they say at this point, it's in there for close to another year at least. (I started pursuing this more aggressivly in oct when the cobalt came back at 24 ppb) Here we are 3 months later playing the lets wait and see game still, oh well right ? I'll make the best of it and keep you informed of any changes. (I was hoping he'd say oh it's bursitus or tendonitus or something that can be worked out with no surgery, so far I've gotten basicly no news other than wait some more) Have a good day, Bill 8)
Bill,
I am so sorry to hear you are still having problems, I was hoping for you that backing down your work would help that hip.
I would definately send your x-rays elsewhere, at least at that point you will know what you are dealing with.
One question, would it be possible for you to change who you have as a health care provider? One of the good things coming from Obamacare is they cannot use pre-existing conditions coming next year I think. Just a thought and you might end up being able to go to whoever you want.
You're going to get through this buddy.
Chuck
Sorry to hear this. I agree with Hern and Chuck, can you get some other opinions?
Bill,
Has anyone suggested back issues? I get butt cheek pain and shooting down the back of my leg from SI and lower back problems. Then that will affect how I walk and then the muscles around the hip hurt.
My pain doc and PT says the hips and lower back are so very connected that it can be trouble figuring out the real cause of pain.
In the middle of trying to figure out the cause of my pain, I discovered I had degenerative disc, and spondilolisthesis. after I got epidural injections, I still was not walking well and finally learned my hips were bad all along.
Now that I have 2 new hips, I hope to keep the back pain at bay, but I will need to work hard on my core. Dr. Gross said that if the shooting pain down the back of the leg starts up again to get another injection because a spinal fusion is my only fix if the symptoms persist.
Maybe your back is causing the pain. Just a thought.
Dee
Quote from: Dee Dee on January 10, 2013, 09:11:48 PM
Bill,
Has anyone suggested back issues? I get butt cheek pain and shooting down the back of my leg from SI and lower back problems. Then that will affect how I walk and then the muscles around the hip hurt.
My pain doc and PT says the hips and lower back are so very connected that it can be trouble figuring out the real cause of pain.
In the middle of trying to figure out the cause of my pain, I discovered I had degenerative disc, and spondilolisthesis. after I got epidural injections, I still was not walking well and finally learned my hips were bad all along.
Now that I have 2 new hips, I hope to keep the back pain at bay, but I will need to work hard on my core. Dr. Gross said that if the shooting pain down the back of the leg starts up again to get another injection because a spinal fusion is my only fix if the symptoms persist.
Maybe your back is causing the pain. Just a thought.
Dee
Thanks Dee, 99% sure it's not my back, by the end of the day my hip feels like there's a rock between the ball and socket, it knocks and ratchets worse than the first few weeks, butt and thigh get puffy and swolen, the muscles all around the hip are tight and sore, it clicks with every step. I see Dr. # 4 next thursday, I'll ask but I highly doubt it, I've had back/disc/sciatic issues before, and this isn't anything like that. I heard back from my doctor who ordered the mri, he said get another opinion, hence Dr # 4 next thursday. In the process of getting the mri, blood tests and x-rays to Dr Klug, who is the resurface go to guy for Kaiser.
I hope you get answers. I can't imagine what you are going through. Keep us informed.
Dee
Quote from: Dee Dee on January 11, 2013, 08:26:05 AM
I hope you get answers. I can't imagine what you are going through. Keep us informed.
Dee
Thanks Dee. Yeah I'm ready for a course of action. Left, right, backwards, sideways, whatever. Just no more limbo. Whatever I need to do I'm ready to do, yesterday.
I'll let you guys know when I know.
Update as of 1-17-13
New doc says x-rays and mri, look good, call for an appt today and start physical therapy. He thinks it may be it band related ? Then another blood test in april, if the numbers don't go down and or the symptoms don't improve, -revise to thr. He wants to make sure the lab results were accurate, (btw, last time they said to stop taking vitamins/minerals etc for 10 days prior to the blood test, he wants me to stop for 30 days to make sure no false reading)
Not sure if the it band issue can cause knocking, clunking, swelling and pain, but I hope he's right. At least this guy gave me a direction and an end game plan, still in limbo but at least I have a direction and a course of action. "Nope, looks fine, must be in your head" was getting tiring. I'l let you know where I stand in april... fingers crossed
(By the way, this guy said he doesn't do bhr's because HE DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE doing that surgery, but believes the bhr is a better way to go, especially for younger patients. He has done 1 revision due to lose componets, so if it needs to be revised, he won't be doing it, but his honesty was much appreciated)
That's good that you got some info and a little direction. I still think the revision could be an HR. If you are still looking at a revision. You should look into that, maybe check with Gross or Pritchett or other really experienced docs. Also, I like your doc's honesty. I don't think we see that much.