@michelle64 Hello and welcome to our May Clinic support community. Revisions and dislocations are such a bummer! Bad enough we need to have replacement joints, then to have complications besides - yuk.
May I ask when you had your hip replacement and revision? And whether you know which hip implant was used originally? And if you are asking for a surgeon recommendation, it is helpful to know a little about your location, and whether you are able to travel for care.
Sue
@michelle64 Hello and welcome to our May Clinic support community. Revisions and dislocations are such a bummer! Bad enough we need to have replacement joints, then to have complications besides - yuk.
May I ask when you had your hip replacement and revision? And whether you know which hip implant was used originally? And if you are asking for a surgeon recommendation, it is helpful to know a little about your location, and whether you are able to travel for care.
Sue
Hip replacement was2015revision was jan2023 just dislocated had 2 dislocation with first hip,was told looks like I have metalossiss,don't know what implant was used surgery done in Lima Ohio,this is pretty scary
Hip replacement was2015revision was jan2023 just dislocated had 2 dislocation with first hip,was told looks like I have metalossiss,don't know what implant was used surgery done in Lima Ohio,this is pretty scary
Chances are you did not have metal on metal hip replacement done in 2015 - they fell out of favor before that due to the metallosis risk. To find out for sure, contact the original hospital and surgeon. They will have a record of exactly which hip implant was used. Every component has a serial number and is registered. They can tell you manufacturer, make & model for each component.
Next question - why did they do the revision this year? Was because you had a dislocation? Or they thought or knew you had metallosis? (confirmed by a blood test showing elevated metal levels in your blood?) If no test was done, the surgeon who did the revision this year should have been clearly able to see if metallosis was present - it shows up as damage in the tissue and/bone.
Now for the VERY good news! If you had metallosis from the old hip implant, replacing it took care of the problem. Now that the bad parts are no longer in there shedding metal into your blood, your body can cure itself! Over a period of several months, the blood carries the stray metal ions into your liver, where the "detox" takes place - it breaks down and is carried away as urine.
Chances are you did not have metal on metal hip replacement done in 2015 - they fell out of favor before that due to the metallosis risk. To find out for sure, contact the original hospital and surgeon. They will have a record of exactly which hip implant was used. Every component has a serial number and is registered. They can tell you manufacturer, make & model for each component.
Next question - why did they do the revision this year? Was because you had a dislocation? Or they thought or knew you had metallosis? (confirmed by a blood test showing elevated metal levels in your blood?) If no test was done, the surgeon who did the revision this year should have been clearly able to see if metallosis was present - it shows up as damage in the tissue and/bone.
Now for the VERY good news! If you had metallosis from the old hip implant, replacing it took care of the problem. Now that the bad parts are no longer in there shedding metal into your blood, your body can cure itself! Over a period of several months, the blood carries the stray metal ions into your liver, where the "detox" takes place - it breaks down and is carried away as urine.
The hospital where first surgery was done ,changed hands twice doesn't keep records past 7 yrs I was told I did have blood work did have high levels of metal, I did have the fluid and metal shavings in tissue ,new hip just dislocated x-ray shows something, around new joint I could see that waiting for precert for MRI to see what is going on was told another possible surgery among other things only been 6 mos!!!
The hospital where first surgery was done ,changed hands twice doesn't keep records past 7 yrs I was told I did have blood work did have high levels of metal, I did have the fluid and metal shavings in tissue ,new hip just dislocated x-ray shows something, around new joint I could see that waiting for precert for MRI to see what is going on was told another possible surgery among other things only been 6 mos!!!
I never heard the word metalossiss until yesterday they just said old implant was metal on metal and they they cleaned me all up post op and now it's back possibly, I am not understanding any of this now
I never heard the word metalossiss until yesterday they just said old implant was metal on metal and they they cleaned me all up post op and now it's back possibly, I am not understanding any of this now
This sounds like an (bad) instant replay of my story in 2012. I had metallosis, 2 revisions (both sides), massive cleanup of bad tissue, and then a dislocation. The surgeon explained that in the revision, they leave the cup in the acetabulum (pelvis) and put in a new non-metal liner. Then remove the metal head and replace it with either ceramic or titanium. Sometimes, if the original implants weren't perfectly aligned, they can't get a really good fit and have to go back in and use different parts or position them differently. After they did that for me, I have been fine.
It is possible that if your metallosis was severe, that your body is still dealing with getting rid of the metal ions in your blood. If there is still microscopic metal in your tissues, it will eventually be absorbed. If there are visible shavings, there will be more cleaning up to do during the revision. As far as I know, removal and time are the treatments for metallosis - there is no pill or therapy to do it.
You need to be your own advocate here and ask some hard questions. When you go in for your followup appointment after the MRI, do you have a friend or family member who can go with you and take thorough notes?
First, how familiar is your surgeon with complex revisions and metallosis? Not all are, and a good one will admit that.
Second, what is the exact revision plan? Not just "in general" but what do they see, and what do they plan as a remedy?
Third, if this is not their area of expertise, can they refer you to someone local who has more experience? Or a teaching hospital or university with a great ortho surgery department?
I'll be waiting to hear how things go for you. For now, you may need to focus on writing down all the questions that you want answered.
Sue
This sounds like an (bad) instant replay of my story in 2012. I had metallosis, 2 revisions (both sides), massive cleanup of bad tissue, and then a dislocation. The surgeon explained that in the revision, they leave the cup in the acetabulum (pelvis) and put in a new non-metal liner. Then remove the metal head and replace it with either ceramic or titanium. Sometimes, if the original implants weren't perfectly aligned, they can't get a really good fit and have to go back in and use different parts or position them differently. After they did that for me, I have been fine.
It is possible that if your metallosis was severe, that your body is still dealing with getting rid of the metal ions in your blood. If there is still microscopic metal in your tissues, it will eventually be absorbed. If there are visible shavings, there will be more cleaning up to do during the revision. As far as I know, removal and time are the treatments for metallosis - there is no pill or therapy to do it.
You need to be your own advocate here and ask some hard questions. When you go in for your followup appointment after the MRI, do you have a friend or family member who can go with you and take thorough notes?
First, how familiar is your surgeon with complex revisions and metallosis? Not all are, and a good one will admit that.
Second, what is the exact revision plan? Not just "in general" but what do they see, and what do they plan as a remedy?
Third, if this is not their area of expertise, can they refer you to someone local who has more experience? Or a teaching hospital or university with a great ortho surgery department?
I'll be waiting to hear how things go for you. For now, you may need to focus on writing down all the questions that you want answered.
Sue
Thank you for helping me right now it's the waiting on ok for MRI I will go from there and I will definitely be asking those questions yours sounds like a horror story,glad you're doing good! Will keep you posted
Hello, it is good that you had a revision to remove the metal on metal hip. How are you doing now? We're you able to get a new hip implanted?
I will repeat, the good news is that once the bad parts are gone, your body slowly excreted the metal. 13 months after my second division (I had two metal on metal hips) my serum chromium and cobalt levels fell below dangerous levels.
On the other hand, you will need to do your own detective work. Find out what implant you had (brand and serial # of each part) from the original surgeon or hospital, or from the doc who removed them. Do some searching for your components on Google to see if you are entitled to any compensation for the revision.If the parts were subject to a recall, were you notified? How did you find out about the metallosis?
Sue
I have recently been diagnosed with trunnionosis, that is causes by metal on metal femoral head/neck interface on my 11 year old THA. My metal ions are also very high and MRI confirmed particle disease. I also have had a draining sinus tract from the hip for 7 months that is communicating with the joint. In addition to metallosis, they have diagnosed me with a prosthetic joint infection. The plan is to do a two stage revision, by removing the implant, cleaning out joint, antibiotic spacer 3 months, IV antibiotics then hopefully getting a new implant. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I’m really concerned about the length of treatment, months of non weight bearing, 2 surgeries and all of the risks associated with it all. Looking for encouragement and success stories. Surgery scheduled for early August.
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@michelle64 Hello and welcome to our May Clinic support community. Revisions and dislocations are such a bummer! Bad enough we need to have replacement joints, then to have complications besides - yuk.
May I ask when you had your hip replacement and revision? And whether you know which hip implant was used originally? And if you are asking for a surgeon recommendation, it is helpful to know a little about your location, and whether you are able to travel for care.
Sue
-
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Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHip replacement was2015revision was jan2023 just dislocated had 2 dislocation with first hip,was told looks like I have metalossiss,don't know what implant was used surgery done in Lima Ohio,this is pretty scary
Chances are you did not have metal on metal hip replacement done in 2015 - they fell out of favor before that due to the metallosis risk. To find out for sure, contact the original hospital and surgeon. They will have a record of exactly which hip implant was used. Every component has a serial number and is registered. They can tell you manufacturer, make & model for each component.
Next question - why did they do the revision this year? Was because you had a dislocation? Or they thought or knew you had metallosis? (confirmed by a blood test showing elevated metal levels in your blood?) If no test was done, the surgeon who did the revision this year should have been clearly able to see if metallosis was present - it shows up as damage in the tissue and/bone.
Now for the VERY good news! If you had metallosis from the old hip implant, replacing it took care of the problem. Now that the bad parts are no longer in there shedding metal into your blood, your body can cure itself! Over a period of several months, the blood carries the stray metal ions into your liver, where the "detox" takes place - it breaks down and is carried away as urine.
How is the new hip doing?
Sue
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1 ReactionThe hospital where first surgery was done ,changed hands twice doesn't keep records past 7 yrs I was told I did have blood work did have high levels of metal, I did have the fluid and metal shavings in tissue ,new hip just dislocated x-ray shows something, around new joint I could see that waiting for precert for MRI to see what is going on was told another possible surgery among other things only been 6 mos!!!
I never heard the word metalossiss until yesterday they just said old implant was metal on metal and they they cleaned me all up post op and now it's back possibly, I am not understanding any of this now
This sounds like an (bad) instant replay of my story in 2012. I had metallosis, 2 revisions (both sides), massive cleanup of bad tissue, and then a dislocation. The surgeon explained that in the revision, they leave the cup in the acetabulum (pelvis) and put in a new non-metal liner. Then remove the metal head and replace it with either ceramic or titanium. Sometimes, if the original implants weren't perfectly aligned, they can't get a really good fit and have to go back in and use different parts or position them differently. After they did that for me, I have been fine.
It is possible that if your metallosis was severe, that your body is still dealing with getting rid of the metal ions in your blood. If there is still microscopic metal in your tissues, it will eventually be absorbed. If there are visible shavings, there will be more cleaning up to do during the revision. As far as I know, removal and time are the treatments for metallosis - there is no pill or therapy to do it.
You need to be your own advocate here and ask some hard questions. When you go in for your followup appointment after the MRI, do you have a friend or family member who can go with you and take thorough notes?
First, how familiar is your surgeon with complex revisions and metallosis? Not all are, and a good one will admit that.
Second, what is the exact revision plan? Not just "in general" but what do they see, and what do they plan as a remedy?
Third, if this is not their area of expertise, can they refer you to someone local who has more experience? Or a teaching hospital or university with a great ortho surgery department?
I'll be waiting to hear how things go for you. For now, you may need to focus on writing down all the questions that you want answered.
Sue
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsThank you for helping me right now it's the waiting on ok for MRI I will go from there and I will definitely be asking those questions yours sounds like a horror story,glad you're doing good! Will keep you posted
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1 ReactionI've had a complex hip revision and metalossis. I don't know what the level is in my body, but am going to see if my someone will investigate.
Hello, it is good that you had a revision to remove the metal on metal hip. How are you doing now? We're you able to get a new hip implanted?
I will repeat, the good news is that once the bad parts are gone, your body slowly excreted the metal. 13 months after my second division (I had two metal on metal hips) my serum chromium and cobalt levels fell below dangerous levels.
On the other hand, you will need to do your own detective work. Find out what implant you had (brand and serial # of each part) from the original surgeon or hospital, or from the doc who removed them. Do some searching for your components on Google to see if you are entitled to any compensation for the revision.If the parts were subject to a recall, were you notified? How did you find out about the metallosis?
Sue
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsI have recently been diagnosed with trunnionosis, that is causes by metal on metal femoral head/neck interface on my 11 year old THA. My metal ions are also very high and MRI confirmed particle disease. I also have had a draining sinus tract from the hip for 7 months that is communicating with the joint. In addition to metallosis, they have diagnosed me with a prosthetic joint infection. The plan is to do a two stage revision, by removing the implant, cleaning out joint, antibiotic spacer 3 months, IV antibiotics then hopefully getting a new implant. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I’m really concerned about the length of treatment, months of non weight bearing, 2 surgeries and all of the risks associated with it all. Looking for encouragement and success stories. Surgery scheduled for early August.