u/Easytigerlily77

Did it help feel more secure, physically and/or emotionally? What was your experience with the brace?

I’m (48F, THR recipient, anterior approach) 3 weeks post-op today, and dislocated a week ago, and I’m curious how my experience compares to that of others, especially regarding response time and follow up.

My surgeon’s practice advertises 24-hr access to experts, and his coordinator gave us her direct line and promised to get back quickly. They also use an app for PT assignments, messaging and data collection, and have an AI assistant chat bot and “on call physician.”

I had a few questions the week leading up to the surgery, a Friday. I figured I’d ask the surgeon in person but he came through so quickly I didn’t have the chance. But we were home early that day so my husband called the coordinator. She never got back. Also, no one from his office followed up the day of or called that weekend at all. I’d never had surgery and not heard from anyone, and it raised a red flag for me.

Saturday, my incision started bleeding, so my husband called and left multiple messages with the coordinator, a few pretty strongly worded. Nobody got back to us until Monday, when the coordinator called my husband and apologized, citing a family emergency, and advised that we should try the app to message the office. They got me in and she was rude - she raced down the hall ahead of us, with me on crutches - but the dr looked and changed the dressing. Annoying but relieved he didn’t seem to think anything was wrong.

At day 12, I met with the PA for my post-op. He said I could do PT or not (I’d been doing the exercises on the app, unsupervised) and use stairs and walk without mobility aids. I would have rather seen the surgeon, but was scheduled for another check up in 4 wks. I request an rx for PT and one week extension of pain meds.

Two days later, standing - or possibly taking a small step to the side - my hip dislocated. It was a Friday night and a very painful, scary ordeal, involving a lot of screaming (by me as well as others with other issues in the ER), going under again unexpectedly 2 wks post op, and being sent home with barely any information, super scared (having read so many horror stories here about repeat dislocations) of doing it again.

My husband called the office as I was loaded into the ambulance. After hours, it was not surprising not to hear back immediately or even that night. The ER called and left a message too. We left messages on the app while I waited to get it reduced. The next day we still hadn’t heard back and the pharmacy had not called about my rx. My husband called the pharmacy and learned it was never submitted. It was a Saturday and I was almost out of meds, so we started trying the chat bot, the on call dr and the urgent care facility affiliated with the group. It took hours - at the end of which we learned that the on call physician wasn’t calling back because he was working their urgent care - but we got the rx through just in time to get the meds before they closed.

Sunday night the surgeon finally called, but I missed it. He left a VM and a message on the app expressing concern and letting me know he would be on vacation and that he wanted me to see his PA. I wanted a surgeon’s advice and called the coordinator Monday morning and insisted on seeing another surgeon in his practice, one who specializes in complications. He couldn’t see me until Wednesday, five days after my dislocation, and when I arrived, he didn’t have access to my surgical records, and couldn’t tell me anything, gave me no real guidance except to rest and see my surgeon when he’s back, next Wednesday, 12 days after the dislocation.

The lack of info combined with the (I think?) very low touch has really tanked my trust in this doctor, but I know the trauma of dislocation has messed with my head. I know the US medical system is a disaster, but this doesn’t track with other procedures I’ve had, all less serious. Curious how this level of responsiveness compares to others’ experiences.

I (49F) tore my labrum and had arthroscopic to repair Dec 2019, which took over a year to rehab (it took 2 years to diagnose so I had a lot of lower back, compensation and nerve issues), tore it again in 2023 and again took time to realize. The MRI showed more deterioration and the surgeon kept talking about “cleaning it up” but after six months of PT and steroids, he recommended THR, which I had with an anterior approach 5/1.

Everything seemed good, though my leg felt longer at first and at times I had wondered if I was stepping away from mobility devices too soon - the doctor said to do what felt good, so I’d been moving around a good deal, feeling better each day. Then last night after brushing my teeth, I stepped to the side (I was probably leaning on the counter so may have taken a tiny step back too) and heard a pop and instantly was in excruciating pain, unable to stand on my good leg. I screamed and my husband ran and helped me to the floor and called 911. I was upstairs so the EMTs had to carry me down on a reeves (?) apparatus, basically a tarp with boards and straps. Every move was wildly painful, and it all seemed to take forever.

I live in a small town with one ER, luckily was relatively slow but it was still over an hour before I received any pain relief. The PA told me the X-ray showed my femur way up in my glute area, and proposed a manual “reduction” to pop it back in. He introduced me to the first female osteo I’ve encountered and after a little propofol, they conducted (what I later learned through my report is called) a Captain Morgan procedure, woke up feeling much better, though definitely sore, about 20 min later.

They put me in a full leg brace to help keep it quiet but I’m really worried about doing it again - there are so many horror stories on here. Would love any advice or hopeful stories people might have to share.