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Same spacer for 14, years... WOW. I am a candidate for another replacement. I'm 65 but I'm very active, at least as active as I can be under the circumstances. I'm not ready to surrender to being wheelchair bound and crutches are bad enough. I'm using a walker now that's temporary stopgap before a cane. Other than my hip I'm in fairly good health. I'm following a vigorous physical therapy regimen. I exercise several times a day concentrating on my hip muscles that has atrophied in the past few years. What held me back the last couple of years was the MRSA infection which gave me enothing but severe and chronic pain. Pain gone I exercise harder.
Replies to "Same spacer for 14, years... WOW. I am a candidate for another replacement. I'm 65 but..."
Sounds like my history. 3 hips and the last one done 2005. 15 years later MRSA sets into the hip. Had a stage one done last year. In hospital 30 days p.o. with picc and antibiotics. Continued on oral antibiotics to no avail. Had a stage 2 Dec 3 and currently in rehab getting antibiotics via picc. Doctor wants me to consider not having another implant even though I'm a candidate for one. I'm doing alot of research so I can make an informed decision. Not sure what I will do but looking at all the angles.
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I had 4 replacements over the space of 38 years. (Beginning at age 26). The first three I simply wore out. The 4th was in December 2006. Seven years later in 2013 I went septic and nearly died. The hip was infected as well as all around the femur. After 6 months of picc lines and daily IV antibiotics the prosthesis was removed. I remained on IV antibiotics another 6 months when it was discovered the MRSA had mutated into a rare form called VISA. Yes, I've heard all the jokes. New drugs were tried and I finally had good blood markers in 2017. The surgeon who had promised replacement number 5 reneiged on the promise. A second opinion was that the infection could never be claimed 100% gone and any surgery is highly dangerous. I now have a third surgeon who also refuses to do another replacement, but is working with me on walking on the leg with assistance. I applaud your determination and I wish you luck.