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From: gobrk1@aol.com
Date: 04 Mar 2002
Time: 12:33:56
Remote Name: 10.10.17.196
In March of 1999 I had my first(and thought last) THR. About a year later I experienced my first slipping of the hip. It was very painful and was due to a wrong bending incident. Hip went back on its own and after this happened two more times I returned to the orthopedic surgeon who stated that the muscles on the affected side had to be exercised in order to build up the muscles of the operative site. This I did religiously. In February of 2001 I began to have painful symtoms in the other hip(left). These symptoms increased in severity and the physician stated that surgury was needed for this hip. Unhappily, I submitted to this surgery in August of 2001. Now the real story begins. While still in the operating room I was dropped when being transfered from the operating room table to the stretcher which caused an immediate dislocation of the brand new hip. This was manipulated back to position (under anesthesia, again) and I began my post-op rehabilitation. After three days in the general hospital and five days at the rehabilitation hospital I was returned home. Two days later while standing, doing nothing, this hip dislocated. Obviously, by this time I had changed physicians and hospitals due to the incident in the operating room. By ambulance to hospital and attempted manual manipulation under anesthesia. I was informed that this manipulation would not hold as the prosthesis was the wrong size and too small to hold in the socket. Three days later another hip surgery to replace the prosthesis. Another trip to the rehabilitation hospital and a very difficult post surgery period due to the muscle trauma of dislocation twice and two surgeries. In January 2002 I was in Florida and was in the process of entering a pool when the original hip(the 1999 model) completly dislocated. There was no abnormal movement involved as I practice hip precautions as part of my life. Once again ambulance to an emergency room, manual manipulation under anesthesia and a two day stay in the hospital. The Florida physician stated that this hip would not hold as it also was the wrong size. My vacation was cut short and I am now scheduled for surgery this month. Needless to say my anger is overwhelming towards the original physician who obviously implanted two hips which were the wrong size. If I had medical problems or was frail I could gain some sense to this horror story but I am an active 66yr. old female, in good health. I am also a registered nurse and certainly researched this physician before I had any surgery. Hopefully, this will be the last time my body will see the inside of a hospital.