Dropped Foot after full Hip Replacement

[Littledevil]

Hello Everyone,

sorry I haved been away for awhile. My mother has a full left knee replacement and a full right hip replacement and I have been helping her as much as I can. The knee was done first and went perfectly. However the Hip has been a struggle. After her surgery of the hip, we discovered she had dropped foot. Which for anyone who doesn't know what that is, it is when you have no control of your foot. It sort of flops about and you can't flex it. Usually it is because of damage to the Peroneal nerve that runs down your leg and controls the movement and flexion. She can't flex her foot upward at all and with a lot of pain in her leg. The Dr. who did both surgeries says there is nothing she can do but wait and see if the foot comes back. I have read that it can take up to 2yrs to come back, if it doesn't come back by then it probably wont. I don't believe in the sit and wait approach and always take a more proactive approach to a problem. That kind of response tells me he doesn't know what could be done and doesn't feel talking to a neuralogist is worth the money. He actually told her not to wast the money on a neurologist and just to wait & see. It has been a month and she is in the same amount of pain she was in right after the surgery if not more before the surgery was done.

My problem is I don't know any good neurologists. I am trying to locate one in the Tampa, fl area. I found a website that has a list with ratings on the Drs. but it is based on survey results, so you can't see what they chose and why. Just don't know who I should find who is going to actually care enough to figure out what can be done.

I am concerned, frustrated, and hate seeing my mother in so much pain. Has anyone delt with this or if you know any Drs. in my area. I know of one in Texas, but it doesn't seem like Mom wants to go all the way to TX and leave her 87 year old mother at home either.

[Coolwater]

Call your doctor in Texas and ask if he/she can help with a Tampa referral. And you might consider the likelihood that the doctor that did the surgery is concerned about you suing for malpractice and would really rather you didn't get a second opinion.

[appeace]

Amen to that, Cool!

Good luck to you, Little Devil. I will be praying that God bring you the right dr and for your moms health:)
My aunt developed that due an illness, and as I remember it did take her quite a while to get the correct movement back.

[brilliant!MacLeod]

I´m sorry to hear your mother is suffering so much,LD.
Good luck to you both!!
BTW,how are you? It must be hard for you to worry so much when there should be only happy thoughts in your mind.
Thumbs up for you!!:)

[EvanStar4506]

Sorry to hear about your mom. Hip replacements are tricky! My grandmother had one and it didn't take. It kept popping out and was very painful to set back in place, she had to be sedated. Finally they removed it and she remained wheelchair bound.

Drop foot is serious too and just wanted to ask, does your mother have diabetes? It could be a contributor to the problem. If she doesn't then the nerve could heal enough to allow her some control.

[Littledevil]

Thanks everyone. She doesn't have diabetes, but I just found out that another patient who had a knee or hip replacement (that part wasn't clear) by the same Dr. that did my mom's hip, now has dropped foot too. From what I gather from my Mom it happened either the same week or within a week or two from her surgery, but both inside of a month. The only reason we know about the other patient is because both my parents work at the same hospital as the Dr. that did Mom's hip and knee. The knee went perfectly though. I really believe that someone either the Dr. or someone assisting caused the nerve to be stretched or damaged and no one wants to admit it. It could have been something as simple as holding the leg in the wrong position or too tightly especaially when the disloacate the hip from the joint. I am pushing to get my mom to go to a neoro as soon as possible. She is taking the attitude now that this may be a permanent thing but it's only been a month since her surgery. I have emailed the Dr. in Texas and hope to get an answer. She has to be back to work in a month but I know it will take longer than that to heal, if it does at all.

[Sam]

:( Sorry to hear about your Mom LD. I think you are right though. She probably should get a second opinion. There are some very good doctors in the Gainesville area. Maybe you could find one there.;)

[Littledevil]

That would be Great. it is fruatrating because she has gotten depressed and thinks that it will be permanent and nothing can be done, but then is refusing to do anything. Stressing about having to go back to work at the end of the month and will she be able to do her job now or will she loose her job. I keep working on her and trying to get her to get a second opinion, but it is like she is just giving up and feeling sorry for herself. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I want to say " Stop feeling sorry for yourself, get up and work with what you have. There is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion."
Now granted I don't have a medical degree, but I disagree with the wait and see, plus the fact that the other patient that has dropped foot. I understand that it can be a complication of surgery and it is supposed to be rare occurance, however, when you have two patients go in for surgery in the same week 2 days apart from each other. One with a right knee, and the other (mom) with right hip surgery and both come out with dropped foot that is an issue in my book. Not to mention, the Doc went on vacation at the end of the week. Don't know what to do and I can't make her stop with the poor pity me. Venting and Frustrated. :confused::(

[ootleg]

That is rough. :eek:
Life as it seem has a way of throwing hurdles at people. Even decent folks end up with short end of the stick. More so than others.
Life as it seems can be a cruel mistress.
All we can do is make a few comfortable best way we can.

I sure hope your mother is all right even though she's in much discomfort.

I knew a kid once who accidentally shot himself with a shotgun. That was while annual goose break hunt. I am not going into details in how he met his unfortunate demise.


A friend of mine, whom I met and became friends with, mailed me 4 homemade jam.
Apple, pear, blue berry and peach.
She's in a bad shape, considering that she has no tailbone, she usually get shots in the back twice a week and cabinet full of meds. other than that she found time to make homemade jewelry, knitting, needlework and bake some homemade goodies.

[Coolwater]

Life is rough and then you die?

Not without a fight! I'm only accepting what I can't change, and I ain't accepting that until I've tried every reasonable trick.

LD, sometimes what a person needs to hear is that they need to stop feeling so sorry for themselves. Go and tell your mother you're making the appointments for her, and she's got be a good example for you.

What is the worst that could happen?

[Coolwater]

Oot, I think you and I have the same friend. That or we should introduce the two of them. My friend lives in Florida.

[Littledevil]

ok it has been awhile on this so here is the update. My moms doc kept telling her to wait and see and told her the affected area was in her hip. I finally got her to go to a neurologist and get a 2nd opinion. Result... The damage done during the surgery of her hip was done at her knee. The nerve running down her leg was was compressed at the knee and that is what caused the dropped foot on her right side. Basically someone during her hip surgery held her leg wrong or too tightly that caused the damage and not at the hip as the doctor who performed the surgery had said. She is now going to an Attorney and proceed with sueing the Doc, hosp, etc. if she can. She is worried she might loose her job since she works at the hospital that the surgery was performed. I have said all along that there was something wrong and fishy. She wouldn't really have any recourse if the damage was at the hip but since it is at the knee makes it a different situation. Plus she now has to wear a special brace for the rest of her life called an AFO. Definitely puts limits now on what she can do now and quality of life is affected as a result. :mad:

[appeace]

Perhaps if she and the lawyer can get enough in compensation (future income since its doubtful she will be able to work with this problem) Invested wisely, she may never have to work again and even if she does would she want to continue to work for a hospital that did not take "extra special care" of one of its own?

Good luck to her!

[Coolwater]

Wow, that's awful. Does your mother's job involve a lot of standing?

[Littledevil]

we have to wait and talk to the attorney and see. She does home health care stuff for the hospital. Yes he job does require a great deal of standing. What er job entails is pushing a cart with a computer around the hospital and visiting patients to access their charts entering the orders into the system and scheduling home health care stuff. Lots of paperwork stuff. They have been working with her so she doesn't have to stand that much right now...but at some point she still has to be able to do her job. They don't allow them to use stools or chairs because of narrow hallways, etc for transporting patients and stuff. I think it's rediculous. I just hope things work out in her favor for job and componsation. All this has been a lot of stress on her...not to mention all the other family drama that as occured this summer, which I can't even talk about. The only good thing she has been looking forward to his her new grand baby.