Symptoms of cobalt poisoning?

I have no recollection of the metal levels - it was 12 years ago, and began happening within one year of surgery, although my surgeon as well kept saying it was not an issue. Revision was done at 5 years, that was 11 years ago. As of this May the ortho says everything looks great, and I have never a problem with the new, titanium, ceramic & poly version.
Sue

My husband had bilateral hip replacements 25+ years ago. He had a revision in the right hip 16 years ago. He had a knee replacement Jan 2024. He now has cobalt levels rising. He's now at 6.8. He's got cognitive changes, physically weak, muscle atrophy, salt taste in his mouth non stop, and is getting worse daily. We've been to every doctor with no real answers. He's lost a lot of weight, and developed pancreatic insufficiency, which led to malnitrition. In Jan, he was hospitalized, and they began pancreatic enzymes, d, bs, and zinc supplements. He has no thyroid, and has always has it balance, suddenly. It's skyrocketed, and the fatigue is brutal.. He hasn't been able to work since January. I insisted they check his nutrients, which is how they found the deficiencies. I insisted they check cobalt/chromium, which is the only reason we know the numbers are rising. They just dismiss it, since he has no serious pain.

He feels like he's dying, and there isn't anyone that will take us seriously with the cobalt. Help. Please direct me somewhere.

@bamajules Do you know which implants your husband has? If so, you can look them up to see if they have been problematic.
Is the original orthopedic surgeon or his clinic still in practice?
Those are the first pieces you need. Next, imaging of the problem joint will show whether there is tissue deterioration- it may require more than an x-ray.

We're trying to find the info on the oldest joint. Xrays have been done, and there is wear, but no damage. The issue is the massive other symptoms. All align with cobalt, but they won't address it.

Hello,
First, I am so glad to find you and your postings. I had my THR in 2002 when I was 30. I’ve been exercising and keep up the good habits. However, the linger dull aches, numbness and just minor issues have become more noticeable in past 3 years. I gone through neurology route first to test on nerve damages and there are some. Then to rehabilitate Orthopedic including pelvic floor PT which helped. Last year I lost sense of taste and my tongue became very sensitive. And found three hématoses in my liver. Still have Unshakable fatigue, weight loss and gain. I always feel like sitting on a brick of ice and soreness is just not going away. Finally got CT scans and went to see a surgeon today. Today was first time I learned that I have metal on metal implants. I thought it was plastic!
Surgeon ordered the blood test so I am waiting on that. He was not helpful during 15 minutes meeting today. I thought I was going through perimenopause and hip is just getting old! What’s likely for me to develop cobalt poisoning after 24 years? How come i wasn’t notified? How did your doctor help you? Thank you.

@hyeyeon72 Welcome to Mayo Connect, I am glad you found us, and hope our collective experiences can be of some help to you.
Let's start with "...What’s likely for me to develop cobalt poisoning after 24 years?.." Medicine is a constant learning adventure, not just for us, but for the medical community as well. It has not been very many years since it was found that aging, wearing implants can begin causing symptoms as well as new ones. After 20 years, it would not have crossed my mind that they could be the problem, especially if I thought mine were plastic.
Next, you ask "...How come i wasn’t notified? .." Here we can only guess. I believe the first letters to Metal-on-metal (MOM) hip recipients were issued around 2010. By that time, you were 8 years on, and probably not seeing the surgeon for yearly hip checks? My surgeon handed me the letter during an office visit when I was complaining (again) about issues with my four year old bilateral implants. I truly don't know if his practice would have mailed it to me, and do not know if such notifications were mandatory.

Finally, "...How did your doctor help you?.." He did the metal testing, and arranged for revision surgery. At that time (2011) the manufacturer was paying for this, so he worked with them to cover it. Other than that, he was FAR less than helpful - dismissive actually, of all the other medical issues the metalossis caused. It was my primary who got me to the right docs to manage those. He was so ugly about my side issues that I fired him after the first surgery and found an new ortho, who I still see to this day.

IF it turns out you now have metalossis, you should fine a surgeon who specializes in revisions, and who will listen to and work with you to see if there is coverage for these surgeries. I'm not sure how it would work with implants over 20 years old.
Good luck in your journey, you may need to be the squeaky wheel to get this handled.