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Has surgical hardware made you sick?

Posted by eddiestella1 @eddiestella1, Aug 26, 2023

I am having surgery to have surgical hardware removed. It is causing me debilitating pain. It is a constant dull & sharp pain. I am always tired, feeling like throwing up all the time and just don’t feel well. Have any of you had the same symptoms and did you feel better after you the hardware was removed? Also If I move wrong, I will get a burst of sudden sharp dull pain. The doctor felt the nail head. Does anyone know if there is a test to see if the hardware is making me not feel well? I know it’s causing me pain and that’s why they are removing them. But I’m wondering if my other symptoms is from the hardware too.

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Profile picture for jtcannon1976
jtcannon1976 | @jtcannon1976 | Jun 7 5:35pm
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@jtcannon1976 Have you brought this to your surgeon's attention? A risk of any surgery is infection,..." + (show)
Profile picture for Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor @jenniferhunter

@jtcannon1976 Have you brought this to your surgeon's attention? A risk of any surgery is infection, and a fever and vomiting are a significant symptoms that should not be ignored. I would call your doctor ASAP, and not wait for responses here. Unfortunately, I only saw this now, 2 days after you posted this question. With my hardware reactions, my symptoms were pain at the hardware site and chronic hives. I did not have a fever or vomiting. FYI, my reaction to hardware was to titanium plates on my ankle after a fracture and I did have those removed a year and a half after the injury. I had a cervical fusion done without hardware, so that has been fine since the fusion surgery. I did have a respiratory infection right after spine fusion surgery because of retained phlegm that wasn't properly expelled after anesthesia.

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@jenniferhunter absolutely I have been fighting with them since the day after surgery it just amazes me that two days not even two days after I had a surgery I had an infection and fevers so to me those types of infections and fevers usually take a lot longer to Feaster or grow, but I'm not a doctor so I don't really know, but in my experience, it takes much longer for an infection to to grow. I've been telling him that something is not right since I came out of surgery like I don't understand to this day I can still feel the hardness of the hardware in my back if that's the way I'm gonna feel the rest of my life when I'm sitting down I don't wanna feel like that with metal poking me in the back how comfortable is that? The funny thing is the surgeon told me prior to having surgery that I really didn't need to have the surgery that he was just gonna do it because I was having a lot of pain. He thought that it would probably heal on his own but convinced me to have the surgery because I was having all the pain so I'm not really just sure what to do. I'm in a lot of pain and obviously most of you know pain medication is like trying to find water in a desert, so the doctors want you to suffer even though they think that everyone everyone is gonna get addicted to them, but nevertheless, they're made for a reason and the reason is to help with pain. A crazy other thing is I was in the hospital for a month. I finally got discharged. I was gone for two days came home and I had cold chills, sweats, fever, nausea, vomiting just feeling like I was gonna die to be honest and I get back to the hospital and they don't say they don't seem to think anything's wrong. I'm not making up these symptoms of these symptoms just coming from the air or my brain or what and that's the thing with doctors. They don't care they don't investigate and they don't empathize enough. They just wanna get people in and out of the ER so in the end, this was not this past time but the second time I went to the ER I was admitted by a hospitalist who was amazing. He controlled my pain. He had the same surgery that I've had. You know exactly what I was going through and he made sure that I was taken care of while he was there. He only worked nights and the bad thing is I never saw him again because of course they're very busy and he may have checked my chart you know as doing rounds and things, but I just wasn't having any issues so there was no reason to come see me so I haven't seen him since but I've been trying to get in touch with him, but do you know how hard it is to get in touch with a hospitalist? It's like they disappear it's like they come to work and then they disappear. There's no way to get in touch with him and I don't think that's fair to us as patience to not be able to get in touch with a person who admits you who writes orders for you who takes care of you and they say oh well we pass you off to your primary care. Well, my primary care might not have the same opinion as you do so it's it's really really just killing me right now. I'm very frustrated. I'm I don't understand. I don't understand how healthcare can be like this and I don't understand how people can make it like this I mean, I'm almost 50. I'm not dead yet but I can promise you. I feel like I'm dead. I can't move. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I hurt all over and nobody will do anything. I just wish someone would do something. That's all God bless.

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Mentor
Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Jun 7 7:26pm
In reply to @gardeningjunkie "Metal allergies cause inflation and lack of healing. Get a blood test which tests all the..." + (show)
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Metal allergies cause inflation and lack of healing.
Get a blood test which tests all the components of the appliance, hardware, implant and bone cement.
Speaking from personal experience I have accepted my knee disabilites rather suffer with allergies to the implant.
I do have multiple contact allergies, not counting all my environmental allergies so I am always aware of my contacts.
My knee surgery was scheduled and I requested a test for all the elements before the surgery date, yet even with my orthopedist writing up my allergic medical history Medicare wouldn't pay for this test. I paid $600.00, blood was taken and sent to lab in Chicago which tested for various metals and also the bone cement.
I learned I am allegic to 5 metals, however titanium the main metal used in the implant did not test positive. However the othopedist explained there is no such thing as pure titanium. It contains traces of other metals, including the ones I was allergic to. In time the implant erodes from wear and not only the titanium is released into your body and bloodstream but these trace metals are too. Not only would the locatized area react but also these trace metals could be release thoughout your body and stored as heavy metals are. He did explain a ceramic coated implant could be used, but in time the ceramic coating thins and metals are exposed.
If eddiestella1 is still following this post I hope blood testing is considered and if positive removal of the implant/applicance is considered.
Your orthopedist should be aware of a lab that provides this test but if not I have the address of the lab in Chicago, Il that does this testing and I will get out my records and post it.
This will sound cynical, but I personally believe doctors, just like the orthopedist group I went to, don't suggest allergy testing of the components, not because of the personal expense to the patient which Medicare will not pay for, but because at least 5 % of their sugeries would be cancelled. You may be part of the 5% like me.

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@gardeningjunkie The lab in Chicago that tests for reactions to implant materials is https://www.orthopedicanalysis.com/
I did the blood test for reactions to metals too. Even if you test as not reactive, being exposed to metals can later trigger a reaction, so it's not foolproof. I developed a reaction 6 months after getting titanium plates to fix a broken ankle. I had them removed later. I did not retest my blood, but I had chronic hives that convinced me. All of that stopped after hardware removal.

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granddilulsion | @granddilulsion | Jun 7 9:08pm
In reply to @bug3 "@granddilulsion Could you share the surgeon's name please. I have been suffering for nearly 2 years..." + (show)
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@granddilulsion
Could you share the surgeon's name please. I have been suffering for nearly 2 years after a hip replacement where metal was used including metal screws. I can't find a surgeon who does revisions here where I live (in KY) I keep getting worse and can't walk but a couple of steps and can't raise the leg without pain. TY

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@bug3 It was quite a few years ago, but mom had the metal removed by Dr Michael Krnacik in Roseburg, OR. He's done multiple surgeries for many people I've known and all were happy. However, I heard several months ago that he was going to be leaving his practice there. We live in Arizona now, so I'm not sure how true that rumor was since he's still listed on the website. https://www.umpquaorthopedics.com/our-providers/ I hope you find some relief.

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bug3 | @bug3 | Jun 8 8:15am
In reply to @granddilulsion "@bug3 It was quite a few years ago, but mom had the metal removed by Dr..." + (show)
Profile picture for granddilulsion @granddilulsion

@bug3 It was quite a few years ago, but mom had the metal removed by Dr Michael Krnacik in Roseburg, OR. He's done multiple surgeries for many people I've known and all were happy. However, I heard several months ago that he was going to be leaving his practice there. We live in Arizona now, so I'm not sure how true that rumor was since he's still listed on the website. https://www.umpquaorthopedics.com/our-providers/ I hope you find some relief.

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@granddilulsion
Thank you so much I will check it out. 😊

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