Hello,
I am 53, have had PD for almost 20 years, and had total hip replacement
surgery this past year--it was the pit of my life. My PD has been well
managed all these years. I do almost everything I want, and have recovered
many things that I couldn't do for awhile. I'm on low doses of meds: 2
25/100 Sinemet
8 to 10 Permax
1 Eldepryl
2 Amantadine per day.
About two years ago a galloping inflamatory process started up in my right
hip (my PD is on the rt. side only). There had been some arthritic changes
and pain for several years prior. Within two years I could no longer walk or
sleep at night for the pain. I had a series of cortizone injections that
helped only slightly at first, and I think then precipitated a rapid decline,
although no one else will admit to this. I think my joint became necrotic
because of a combination of incoordination, PD changes, and cortizone. No
one confirms this among my "caregivers."
Sept. 14 a year ago, I had hip relplacement surgery--no cement. Two months
later I began to dislocate--four times total. Each time the muscles lost
strength, tone, and were damaged. December 14 I had a second surgery. This
time a captured cup joint with screws, and I presume cement was inserted. My
spasmy pyrformis muscles was also loosened. I spent four months in a body
brace with crutches to get the joint stable. In April when I quit the
crutches my abductors were all atrophied as well as the hip flexors, and the
muscles of my trunk were very weak. I have always exercised and been in good
shape. This was horrible for me. Despite my doctors advice I have been
doing nautilus, and with his advice I have been swimming. My strength is
returning, and I'm finally feeling better than I have in two or three years,
although there is still weakness in those muscles and I will be working on
this for some time to come. I also think that the intubation from the second
surgery damaged my vocal chords, so I'm working on that too.
I have posted on the Internet and the PD Bulletin Board for other peoples"
experiences with this--there was no answer from a YPD with this problem..
The medline have very little on it as well.
I am glad I did it. I probably would have become bedridden and be dead by
now from pneumonia and other complications. However, I would suggest the
most secure joint possible. One can regain muscle strength and tone from
lack of movement. The vissitudes of rigidity, dystonia, etc. make the
muscles surrounding the joint an unstable source of strength for a new joint.
I hope this helps, and I wish my doctors and I had known about this before I
went through those horrible dislocations that really undid me emotionally for
a couple or three months.
One finaly bit of advice is that you make sure your doctors are talking to
each other. They don't like to take the time to do that, despite all the
business about "team approach" etc. They don't talk and they don't know
everything there is to know. Orthopedists don't know about neurological
disorders, and neurologists don't knwo about mechanical matters. They
protect themselves and each other--even the best of them, and I like my
doctors very much. They also tend to get tunnel vision about people with a
diagnosable phenomenon - PD - and attribute everything to that no matter what
it wrong. Get second opinions.
Good luck. Feel free to write or call me if you
want to talk about it more. Claudia Elliott
1915 N. Wolcott
Chicago, Ill. 60622
312-489-3607
