Hip replacement

[lyndac40]

Hi
Sorry in advance but this is a wee bit long winded.

I went to my GP in January 2008 with back pain. I was referred for physio, after 6 week my back pain had gone but I had started to get a niggling pain in my right hip. The pain was on and off for the next couple of months. By November 2008 the pain was constant. I went back to my GP who then referred me to an orthopaedic DR.

I had to wait till January 2009 to see this DR. I was sent for a X-ray. I then had to wait until March 2009 to go back and see this DR. He then sent me for an local Anaesthetic and walking test. I had to wait again to go back and see this DR in May 2009. He told me I needed a hip replacement operation. I received a letter from the hospital saying I would have this operation done within 12 weeks and to keep waiting times down would I mind travelling to have the surgery done. I phoned them and said this was fine.

I got a letter to go for a pre op assessment at a private hospital. I was given free Accommodation in a four star hotel the night before as the hosital was 60
miles away from my home and my appointment was at 9.00am. When I went for the pre op assessment I was given another X-ray. I went into see the DR and he told me he would not do the surgery because of my age, (I am 42 by the way). as I would need to have this operation done again when I was 60 and it is harder to do second time around. He would therefore refer to another DR for keyhole surgery. ( no explanation as to what would be done only keyhole surgery).

By this time I was miffed at the way I had been treated by the NHS and I phoned my MSP. Who then put in a formal complaint on mybehalf.

By the end of end of July the pain was so severe I had to stop working. At the moment myself, my hubby and our son are living off SSP as my company sick pay has run out. I am looking into getting help from the DWP but that is another story.

I then had to wait again until August 2009 to go and see a third DR. When I walked into his room he was full of apologies for the way I had been treated he had heard of my case although we had not met. He assured me then and there he would get to the bottom of my hip problem. After an examination and a talk I was sent for another X-ray. This took about 20 minutes. When I went back in he said he had looked closely at all my X-rays and there was something there that should not be there. He then referred me for an emergancy MRI scan. This was done a week later. After 2 weeks I had not heard anything so I phoned his secretary, she told me there was a letter on its way out to me and I should get it by the weekend. I didn't get the letter until the following Tuesday. Thank god there was nothing on the MRI a red herring as the DR put it.

Low and behold he never got to the bottom of my hip problem and has now referred me back to the DR who told me in the first place that I needed a hip replacement.

As you can imagine I am now furious. I have been back intouch with my MSP. I am now waiting for yet another appointment to go and see the 1st of 3 DR's.

I am now wondering if they are trying to put me off so they can wait till I am 60 and therefore would only need the 1 operation.

Thankyou for taking the time to read this and any advice would be greatfully received.
x :(

[lyndac40]

Hi

A wee update.

I got a phone call from my MSP this afternoon he had received a letter from the 1st DR he said a copy had been fowarded to me. Due to the postal dispute my mail did not arrive until 3.30 this afternoon.

My MSP read the letter to me to much for me to remember and also not very clear as to what was to happen next.

Alas the letter was not there.

Hopefully I will get it 2morrow and I will let you know what it say's. :(

[lyndac40]

Hi

Just to let you know the letter has still not arrived. My MSP is forwarding a copy on to me. I will more than likely get his letter before the one from the DR arrives. x:(

[lyndac40]

Hi, Just to let you know I have an appointment to go and see the surgeon on the 15th October so fingers crossed. x:mad:

[KitFox]

Forget getting anywhere with the NHS if you are under 60 and have any kind of hip problems. They would rather you live in absolute agony and be unable to do anything rather than do the very little things that are needed to provide a fix/cure for the problem.

Best thing to do is to do the research yourself, find as many medical textbooks and online medical resources as you can about hips and look for anything that even remotely looks/sounds like what you might have. In fact a great resource is the NHS library site http://www.library.nhs.uk/Default.aspx there you can find current research papers and other information that is usually omitted in consults.

good luck getting anywhere & let us know what happens, i'm currently 26 and been told i need a replacement but they wont do one till i'm older ( and that i've probably needed one for the last few years already :( )

[lyndac40]

Hi
Just to let you know who I got on at the hospital last week.

The surgeon I went to see said in his opinion I need a THR but the evidance and the opinion of 2 other surgeon's has his hands tied. I have to go in six weeks for another hip injection and walking test then back to see the surgeon in 8 weeks time. While I was there I asked him about another hip condition called hip Bursitis he said it could be and gave me an injection of local aneastetic and steroid in my right hip. I was pain free for about 24 hours then the pain came back with a vengance.

I am now not sure if I even need a THR now as this might not be what is wrong with me. :(

[lyndac40]

Hi everyone.

Another update for you.
I went today to see a rhuemetoligist this afternoon. About pains I have been having in the knuckles of my fingers.
I came across a web site totally by accident last Saturday night about FAI (Femoroaccetbular Impingment) the more I read about FAI the more I was convinced that this is what I have wrong with my hip. I took some notes along with me to the Rhumetoligist just to ask her some questions about it. She asked me if I had ever had a MRI done I said yes I had one done last year and she was able to have a look at the notes about the MRI. The report said that I had FAI. Obviously this has not been picked up by the Orthopedic Surgeon I have seen many times since the MRI was done. He has been treating me for osteoathritis. This means I will not need a Total Hip Replacement at this time but I may still need one later on in my life. I will still need to have surgery but this can be done by keyhole. I now remember when I was sent to the private hospital the surgeon there mentioned something about keyhole surgery. I cant understand why the Orthopedic Surgeon has not picked this up. I have been in unnecessery pain for months this could have been treated months ago. I am going to see him again on the 25th I will wait to see what he has to say.
My employer now feel he is unable to keep my job open for me because of the amount of time I have been off sick and the amount of time I will need off after I have surgery. So there is every chance I am going to lose my job through a misdiagnoses.

Lynda x

[KitFox]

It is good you have had progress in your case, but I would hold out on the champagne till you've had the keyhole stuff done as I was told such an operation might be a possibility for my hip only to be told by the surgeon at birmingham who dealt with such cases in young people that he didnt think it was worth the risk and he wasnt willing to take on that risk and would say that in his report. Effectively killing any hope I have of any other surgeon even considering it, nice arent they.

So i'm still looking forwards to a THR by the age of 30 (oh happy days)



Anywho point is, wait till its all done and dusted before getting your hope up too much