The doctors at my old HMO in NYC blew the diagnosis bigtime. They failed to catch the following;
1-My left femur was fuckin' FRACTURED 5 years ago, and because they missed that and didn't set it it healed up out of position, and it MAY have to be broken again to let it heal properly! That's why a part of the pelvic bone cracked a couple weeks ago.
2-The bone degeneration is not just from impact and prior osteoarthritis; there was a BONE INFECTION they didn't catch, which MAY still be active!
3-The whole business about needing an oversize hip joint custom made was bullshit; the extra large size I need is made regularly, and costs no more than any other artificial hip joint!
4-Living for so many years with no repairs to the hip has damaged my lower back as well; I may still be disabled if they replace the hip, but it looks like they will anyway, just so I won't be in constant pain anymore.
The good news is that once they determine exactly what is wrong with my back, they may be able to fix it. We'll see. I'm having an MRI of the left hip and lumbar spine next tuesday, and a blood test to see if the bone infection is still active or is gone, and then I'll talk to the Orthopaedic Surgeon again on July 5 to figure out what we'll do about it all.
I am SO freakin' pissed off at those doctors at the HIP HMO back in NYC; they fudged the diagnosis just to avoid an expensive operation. They wouldn't pay for a second opinion from a doctor outside their network, and I couldn't afford to pay for one myself.
Bottom line, they will almost certainly replace the hip. That will mean that they will not have to refracture and reheal the femur (thighbone) head because they'll just be cutting the whole fractured part off.
Then there'll be physical therapy for a few weeks or a couple of months.
THEN, there'll be one or more procedures to fix my lower back, each followed by more physical therapy.
That's what will probably happen. Take a while, but I have to do it. I have to get mobile again and get back in training. As Iwant2Btickled said, I have people to do and things to see.
Thanks to all of you for your concern and good wishes. I really appreciate it.
Mitch
aka
Mitch
aka