3 year old BHR continuous pain getting worse, may need revison

[CyborgHips]

Hello,

I had bilateral BHRs (R) August 2010 and (L) November 2010.  I have had pain the entire time since the operation.  I tried several rounds of PT already.  Last time I saw doctor was Sept. 2012.  Xrays were done and there was a strange curl of bone laying beside my leg bone.  It looked like a carrot peel.  I told him that when I make certain movements, like sideways and slightly back to the left, sharp pain shoots through my left hip.  He said everything was fine and I just needed more PT.  I realized he was just not listening to me and I decided I would go to a different doctor if things got worse.  I started walking more and exercising more thinking I needed to gain strength.  For about 6 months things did seem to be better, but still not pain free.  Then in the last three-four months things have gotten worse.  After doing any extended walking or standing, I am barely able to walk.

Now my left leg is in considerable pain.  It actually feels like a painful bump when I lay on my left side.  I try not to, but sometimes my right side gets too painful to lay on it, and I can not sleep on my back.  It is a burning pain that is shooting down my leg.  Both sides hurt, but the left is worse.

I am almost positive I need revision surgery.  I am thinking I should go with Ceramic on Ceramic.  I don't know where to go, who to trust, what to do.  Should I contact a lawyer first?  I really can not afford a surgery right now.  I used to have better insurance, now it is pretty dismal.  I am feeling really depressed about this and very insecure.  Could someone give me advice on a good doctor in San Francisco area, preferably East Bay area Oakland, Walnut Creek, Berkeley.  I don't trust my original doctor.  Dr. Knight in Walnut Creek.  He may be good, this could be something out of his control, but I just think I should get someone else.

Also, does anyone know of any lawsuits for Birmingham Hip Resurfacing?  I have read that lawyers won't pursue BHR.

Thank you so much!

[hernanu]

Hi,

Welcome to the site, sorry about the pain you're experiencing.

It sounds to me (just my opinion, uneducated medically as it is) that you haven't gotten the right support from your surgeon, so finding another is the right thing to do.

Pat has a list of doctors in California who are experienced and practiced in HR. the link is:

http://www.surfacehippy.info/listofdoctors.php#California_

You'll notice one doctor in San Francisco listed. He has a good number of HRs, so should be a good resource for you.

There are some doctors on the site who are very experienced and will look at you X-Rays for free. They will let you know if they see issues that would require a revision, and what your options are. You can deal with them through email, they have proven to be very helpful for anyone, pre or post HR, who needs information.

I think that's what you need right now. You don't have enough information or learned advice on your issues. The best thing you can do is to find out exactly what is the problem.

Right now, you don't know, so thinking about revisions is premature until you know exactly what the deal is.