probons hip replacement surgery for my sister

[robbie48]

My sister who is 52 had a hip replacement 6+ yrs  ago a. a few mos ago her dr told her the hip is bad ( but not recalled), and he does not do rplacement, she is in constant and can barely walk, mostly bed ridden. This is effecting her mental and emotional state, she is almost completed bed ridden at 52. She has no insurance, once they had a thriving business. now barely makimg ends meet. She needs help, I hope you can or point me in the direction of someone eho can

[geminigirl1963]

I'm sorry to hear about your sister's troubles.  Was it the surgeon who did the original surgery that told her her hip was bad?  If not, who did (what type of doc)?  She does need to be seen by another ortho doc for evaluation and to determine if she does, in fact, need a revision or if there is some other cause for her pain other than failure of the implant.

As far as financially, I would suggest that she contact her local Social Service Department to see if she would qualify for any type of state medical assistance.  Even if she doesn't, and the surgery is a must, she could also talk to the hospital and ask them about any type of "charity" or "reduced rate" program they may have - many hospitals have them and they can either provide a discount on her hospital bill, or it may be completely covered.  This type of coverage, however, typically does NOT cover the doctor bills (bills directly from the surgeon), so she would need to make other arrangements with that doc.

I wish you all the bst of luck and hope she gets some relief soon.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without an evaluation it would be difficult to point out the cause of her symptoms. Possibilities that may need to be considered are infections, inflammation, neurovascular damage, peri-prosthetic fracture, wearing of the bearings, loosening of the prosthesis, ligamental/ tendon injuries/ inflammation, osteolysis, synovitis etc. She would need to be seen and evaluated by an orthopedician for appropriate management. She may start with her primary care physician who could possible refer her to one.
Hope this was useful.

Take care!