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Heavy metals blood test results for Metal on Metal hip joint
Joint Replacements | Last Active: Oct 6, 2023 | Replies (97)Comment receiving replies
Sue,
Thank you for your reply.
Original (and only) surgery was a full hip replacement using DuPuy (J&J) Pinnacle and S-ROM metal on metal device. It was a cement-less installation. That was in 2005. No problems till last year (2021) when several symptoms appeared including:
Pain in that hip joint
Burning feeling in hip
Clicking sounds from hip
Squeaking sounds from hip
Movement of hip in joint
Spasms in that leg at night
Trouble swallowing (suspected thyroid problem)
"Foggy" brain
Vision difficulties
Itching and rashes in various locations
Depression
Anxiety
After repeated X-rays showing that all looked normal and then a month of physical therapy with strong results we introduced our local rural western US doctor to information about heavy metal poisoning that we learned of on the web...including from this excellent group. The Dr. had not heard of MoM joints with the impact of their wear releasing ions into the body...but went ahead and ordered the tests at our prompting.
The actual analysis of the blood was not done here; it was shipped across country to a renowned laboratory...you guessed it, Mayo Lab in Rochester. Results arrived yesterday providing us the feeling that at least now we know what the problem is.
I have an appointment with a local orthopedic Dr. in three days and a thyroid biopsy in five.
Our objective is to get the MoM parts removed first then move forward on removing the remaining heavy metals (if that is even possible) and manage health issues onward from there.chelation
I agree with your comment about chelation therapy. There seems to be no currently acceptable combination of chemicals to remove cobalt or cadmium (if it were lead than that would be different. Saving children from lead poisoning using chelation therapy has been very effective. If only I had gotten a pewter prosthesis. 🙂
Thank you.
Replies to "Sue, Thank you for your reply. Original (and only) surgery was a full hip replacement using..."
I had a total hip replacement using the DuPuy. I got a call from the surgeon 3 or 4 years later telling me the hip was recalled due to heavy metals getting into the blood. For three years blood was monitored and the cobalt and chromium levels kept increasing. Then in the 6th year post op they doubled.
I consulted with three surgeons. Two said they would do revisions when they thought necessary and that they would have to go in through the long scar on the side of my hip.
The original surgeon, who is in our small rural town but was trained at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, said he could do it right away and he could do it from the front with minimal incision.
All went great, and 6 weeks after surgery my cobalt and chromium levels were back to almost zero. The numbers were never very high but my concern was that they were going up quickly.
I hope you are able to get a revision soon and get it out of your body. It was worth it for the peace of mind.
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Good morning Tim - Wow, that was the same hip I got, only I was the lucky recipient of two - and mine failed after only 5 years.
There is good news here in your post - now you know the issue! And -
You don't need to worry about chelation after surgery - over a few months, you liver will process the remaining metal and it will go away as your blood cells are naturally replaced. Mine metal levels were normal 6-7 months after surgery.
If your thyroid is giving you problems, again metal removal and patience are the keys. We were just about to schedule removal of mine after my hips healed, and blood tests showed the levels of thyroid hormones normalizing. We decided to watch & wait and everything calmed down after one year - no surgery required. I still (11 years later) have normal blood tests and just a few nodules that are monitored by ultrasound each year and have not changed.
I also had brain fog, fatigue, headaches, itches & rashes, hair loss and depression - all were resolved within a year after surgery.
Next - I see you are in a rural area, so this may be difficult - you NEED to find a orthopedic surgeon experienced in hip revision, and if possible MoM revision. They are going to find damage that needs repair. And ugly tissue that needs to be excised. I suggest you find a local ortho and ask where they send their "tough" cases. If you are in/near Washington, Seattle has some excellent surgeons who do this work, not sure about other areas. Mayo is possibly an option, if your insurance covers it.
Good luck - will you let me know what you learn from the ortho next week? Finding this issue and dealing with it will put on the road back to good health!
Sue