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Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 15 Jun 1999 17:45:36 EDT
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I wanted to update everyone at once, so please excuse the use of Lactnet for
this announcement.
At 7:30 p.m. Sunday evening, I experienced a major dislocation of my "non
dis-locatable" hip.  Remember back in April, one of the screws fell out and
is still somewhere in my hip joint?  The Xray Monday spoke volumes--there
smack dab in the center was a SECOND screw and who knows how long it's been
there (last xray was in May)!

Skip if you are the least bit squeamish
 ========
What happened Sunday could have been worse. Picture half of a hollow plastic
ball with fingers on one end with a locking ring, gripping the rounded head
of a long rod. That hollow plastic liner sits inside another slightly larger
titanium shell that is connected to my pelvis. The bone growth around the
titanium is good but not much thicker in its thickest spot than 20 sheets of
paper, and at it's thinnest point, paper thin. The screws that have fallen
out hold both the plastic and titanium. There are 2 screws left, both near
the 3 o'clock position, one that holds just the titanium and is one of two
that went into the sciatic nerve. The two that fell out hold the liner to the
titanium. What happened Sunday is that the liner rotated out of the titanium
on the remaining screw taking the rod with it--dislocation of a non
dislocatable hip. [Very odd in and of itself] Thank God we got it back in.
I have been left with several options, none of which promise pain relief:
1.  Do nothing and run the constant risk of it doing that or worse again.
That last screw will eventually come out. [Wearing a brace might help but not
guarantee that it won't dislocate again] If it comes out, it is a surgical
emergency.
2.  Cement* the screws in, but that means when the liner wears out in 5 or so
years (the most one has ever lasted is 5 years) they would have to destroy
all the bone around the titanium. I would be worse off than now.
3.  Cement* the liner into the titanium. If it needs to be replaced, the
cement would have to be reamed out of the titanium which again risks bone
loss.
*The use of bone cement also has a high infection risk which is doubled
because I had and infection in the hip after surgery in 1997. Something as
simple as an infected hang nail could cause a potentially life threatening
infection in the hip.
4. Pull the whole thing out. Smooth off the edges and let the leg hang where
it may. In the mean time the muscle and bone shrivel up.  I would never walk
again, even if technology improves and it can be repaired either through bone
grafts (stem cell research looks promising) or some other means--the muscle
would be gone.
None of these are easy or obvious choices.
===============
I think we have to say that my days as a practicing LC are over. The
movements and odd positioning that we LC's need to get into to help moms are
no longer possible for me.
Now before you get all sad for me, remember that I have come to terms with
that part of my life.  Who knew it would be a little kid at work that "pulled
me" over the top? [Probably the only on the job disability injury for an LC
ever]
We may have to make some major changes. (Like a single story house) Money may
be our only hurdle. We can't sell this house for what we owe. I doubt that
Worker's Compensation will settle for much. I am expecting a big fight. I
been told that permanent disability is difficult to get.
My only short term goal still is to make it to ILCA in Scottsdale in July.

Keep your eyes and ears open for reports of bone research. I need to be able
to get a huge hunk of bone that can be carved for transplant and a doctor
that can do that kind of surgery.
Marie Davis, RN, IBCLC

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