Metal on Metal THR

greenspun.com : LUSENET : About Joints : One Thread

Hey ya'll. My name is Rebekah, im 19 years old and in about a month I will be having a metal on metal THR. I was wondering if anyone out there has had it done before and what do ya'll think about it? Please write me back. Im very interested on all your thoughts!! Thanks

-- Rebekah (hefferbug3@Hotmail.com), August 21, 2003

Answers

Rebekah:

Good luck with your THR! I found a specialist in my area (Plano) and talked for awhile today with the office manager there. She said they don't do fusions much anymore, so it's hard to find a specialist with a lot of experience taking them down. She explained there's a procedure called Osteotomy has replaced it in most cases in young people. From what I could understand, Osteotomy does something that causes your body to create a hip joint. I don't know if that's an option for you. I talked to her about metal on metal which is what she thinks would be recommended in my case, too. I asked what the cons are to the metal/metal THR and she said that the chromium level in your blood increases, but they haven't seen that cause harm so far. I'm going to do more research about that. I can't get an appointment with this doctor until October, but I'm anxious to talk to him.

Best of luck! ~Carole Arlington, TX

-- Carole Raymond (caroler@yahoo.com), August 22, 2003.


Rebekah, I just got a ceramic hip on 8/14 and all is going well, no jogging yet but OK. I looked into mtal on metal but chose ceramic instead. I believe your choice is excellent but I was a little concerned about the chromium that might be introduced into your system even though it would probably be microscopic. I found a website www.activejoints.com that goes into all of the hip options for younger people and is very informative. There is even an article about a protocol for getting excess metals out of your system. I have heard that in the newer metal on metal devices the greatest wear of the hip is in the first couple of years or the break in period of the device. After that its probably not even an issue. Good luck and have fun with the new hip. Mike

-- mike (mchalefam@aol.com), September 16, 2003.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ