Problems with 8 year old hip resurfacing

[KayakDeb]

I know this is an older thread - but I *might* be in those same shoes??  I'm 8+ years out from a left resurf with Dr Mont - life has been SOOOOO wonderful.   I'm 57, and wish ALL my joints worked as well as my hip (or so I thought).  I went gleefully from a walking with a cane, to chasing my grandkids and learning to kitesurf and riding horses again.....

But over the course of the last year, when I'd lay on my left side, it felt like there was a lump of blankets under my leg??  And last night - THAT pain reoccurred until I got up and took some  Tylenol.  The dull throb that doesn't stop no matter what position you lay in - the ache that made me seek resurfacing in the first place.... in my case, I doubt it's tendonitis or bursitis - the main physical activity I've been  enjoying is my namesake: kayaking

So now I'm just back to researching; and trying to decide if I want to go back to Mont (I now own my own business and don't have the time for a 10 hour drive anymore) or try a local Ortho now that there are some who have been doing BHRs for a few years.  So far, my research tells me I fit all the "usual" criteria for pseudotumors :-(

I'll keep posting as I learn more... and start pondering what life with a THR will be like :-(  THAT'S going to take some time to "get my head around" after all this resurf freedom.

[Pat Walter]

Hi

I gave you your own topic.  I am sorry to hear about your hip problems.  After reading your post I questions a few things you have assumed.

Why are you sure you don't have bursitis?  You need to get an expeirnced hip resurfacing surgeon to check you out.   Have you had that before?

Unless you get a blood test to learn your metal ion count - you can't just assume you have pseudotumors.  Some people have high metal ions and don't have pseudotumors.

My thoughts are that you can't assume what your problem is at this point.  You need to work with a really expiernced hip resurfaicng surgeon to get the answer.  Using the less expiernced HR surgeons usually won't give you an answer.  They simply are not use to reading the x-rays and doing the metal ion blood testing.  It is not done at most labs.

I would suggest you think about contacting several of the really top surgeons to get input.  Who you use is up to you.  Dr. Gross is SC is very expiernced, Dr. Su of NY is very expeirnced as are others.  Look at my list  http://www.surfacehippy.info/listofdoctors.php

You will need x-rays to find out what is happening.  Once you get them Dr. De Smet of Belgium, Dr. Bose of India, Dr. Gross, etc will give you a free consultation. Email them with a copy of your x-rays.  Ask them their opinions.

Make sure you get good input before having anything done.  Please remember that getting a THR requires a really experinced surgoen too.  A lot is going to depend on what is wrong.

Most large ball THRs are not a bad solution and you will remain active, but a second surgery is not fun.  I hope you can find out what the problem is. 

Pat

[Lopsided]

I now own my own business and don't have the time for a 10 hour drive anymore

For your own health, take a day off work!

[KayakDeb]

Thanks!

A little more info:

I'm quite familiar with bursitis...once my hip was fixed, I remembered that my knees are miserable beasts with bursitis....LOL!!  And some rest/ibuprofen usually makes that go away until the next time I aggravate it.  And lately, due to the heat and humidity - I haven't been doing all that much except some kayaking and sailing.  I can't think of anything that should have triggered bursitis?

I fit the criteria for "reacting to metal debris" (I guess I shouldn't say pseudotumor until I've been examined):  female with hip dysplasia and many years out from the surgery.  With a pretty darn active hip - in hindsight, maybe volunteering to lead horses for a  Handicapped Riding Program wasn't such a great idea (we'd walk MILES each session) and the time spent on the treadmill.....

And my hip has been SO good.  SUCH a blessing!!  The surgery was a piece of cake, recovery and rehab was a breeze.  The ONLY time I experienced any "pain" was usually after carrying something stupidly heavy for a distance - for about 12 hours, my hip bones felt "bruised" (as I'm sure they were - not like there's any padding in a MoM hip) and of course my knees would be swollen.... duh.  But now there's just a hard-to-describe sensation of something "dense" wrapped around the top of my femur.  It first began about a year a go, and has increased - and now I have the "hip pain" to go along with it.

I talked to a kitesurfing friend who happens to be an Ortho Surgeon (hand specialist) about a Dr in Grand Rapids who has been doing BHRs for 3-4 years, and my friend said to go to him, and if I wasn't satisfied with the answers I get - then go back to Dr Mont.  If I start the process now - I can probably stall going to Baltimore until after September, when  my business isn't so busy?

I realize a large-ball THR should let me continue to kayak/sail (Lord knows those sports break the 90-degree rule) - but any limitations on being able to lift weight will adversely affect my business since I'm always lifting kayaks and boats.....

[catexd2002]

It's been awhile since I posted or even checked on the surfacehippy site.  I got a Cormet 2000 from Dr. Gross in Oct. 2001.  All has been great up until about 2 months ago.  I now experience a rather persistent ache/pain in my groin.  More specifically, it's located on the front inner corner of my sitzbone, and along the front inner area of my groin.  I can sit, stand, and walk without too much ado, but when I am still it becomes more pronounced.  I plan to have an x-ray, and will send it to Dr. Gross, but the mention of metal debris is new to me.  Could anyone out there refer me to more information on that?  I'd also like to know if there is a place where symptoms of implant failure are described.  Finally, I have developed osteopenia in the last 2 years, and wonder if that will have implications for implant failure; any thoughts?  My thanks in advance for what ever information you can send my way.  FYI, I am a 58 year old female, former dancer, who has been practicing Iyengar yoga for about 10 years. 

[KayakDeb]

On Monday, I'll be calling my new Dr to see if they've received my medical info from Dr Mont - and then I will post the results of my visit.

Yesterday, I was encouraged a bit - I've read that "wear debris" can be higher with a higher-angled cup - and I finally found a picture I took of my hip X-ray - and to my not-trained eyes, it looks like a perfect fit?  The line of the bottom of the femoral piece is parallel to the bottom of the acetabular piece, meaning the wear and tear is distributed pretty evenly.

And what you describe sounds exactly what I experience: no pain on movement at all - just nagging  discomfort when sitting or laying still.