Tom's Right Hip The $80,137.52 Man

3/29/2010

2010-03-29: I saw Jessica and Dr. Petrera. I have been discharged. They'll send me a letter in about a year to come in for a checkup.

2010-03-11: Both Jodi, my RN, and Amy Jo, my PT, made their last visit and discharged me from Home Health Care. Both did a wonderful job of caring for me and for putting up with my quirks. Jodi, RN Amy Jo, PT

2010-03-08: Jodi and Amy Jo came, as scheduled. It was the first time they were here at the same time. Jodi took blood and Amy expanded the exercises to include both legs.

2010-03-04: Jodi and Amy Jo both came for the treatment of my hip surgery.

2010-03-02: Amy Jo came and we adjusted my exercises.

2010-03-01: Jodi came and took vitals and blood. We had the first post-op visit with Dr. Petrera. He gave more Percocet and said the pictures looked good. The Coumadin will continue for two more weeks. I must use the walker for 4 more weeks though I can drive when I want to. POA called to say the Coumadin dosage remains the same.

2010-02-25: Jodi pulled the staples and took vitals. BP was 110/62. Amy Jo supervised my PT. POA called and kept the Coumadin levels the same.

2010-02-22: Amy Jo and Jodi both visited. Amy Jo added four additional exercises and Jodi said the incision was drainage-free. She plans to remove the staples on Thursday. The Coumadin dose remains unchanged.

2010-02-19: POA called to change the Coumadin to alternate 5mg with 7.5mg. Amy Jo, the Home Health Care PT came and set up my exercise program.

2010-02-18: Jodi, the Peninsula Home Care RN, visited, changed the dressing and took blood samples. The level of drainage was higher than usual, but his is a day earlier than usual. Jodi will be visiting Mondays and Thursdays for 4 weeks. Later, Peninsula Orthopaedics called to verify the current Coumadin dosage. They confirmed the same dosage. Jodi has ordered more dressing supplies which will be delivered.

2010-02-17: One day ahead of schedule, I was sent home.

2010-02-16: Physical Therapy went off very well and the PT staff is recommending "Fast Track" which would send me home Wednesday rather than Thursday. My blood pressure is rather low, but that is being attributed to the combination of meds.

2010-02-15: In a 2-hour procedure, Dr. Petrera replaced the right hip. By 1400, I was in room 5402 at PRMC with no pain. The kitchen provided a really good burger and some vegetable soup for dinner. Dr. Mehta visited.

2010-01-28: An appointment with Dr. Mehta for a pre-op clearance. An EKG was not required, but meds were prescribed.

2010-01-19: Lab work of blood and urine was completed as required for pre-op.

2010-01-06: A phone call from Melody, the surgical scheduler, sets the surgery for the right hip for February 15th.

2010-01-04: An office visit with Dr. Petrera went well. X-rays were taken which showed the implants in the right place and working well in the left hip. In response to my request, he turned the scheduling of the right hip over to Melody, his surgical scheduler.

2009-11-24: Dr. Petrera replaced the left hip.

From 2006 to the present, walking has been difficult, at times, and quite painful, at other times. I'm still climbing the stairs, nightly, to go to bed, but without real freedom of mobility. I brought this up to Dr. Mehta, our PCP and he ordered another MRI.

In April of 1996, I accompanied Kate and her best friend Lindsey to New England to look at colleges. During the course of this extended weekend, walking became very painful. In August, an MRI was completed (a terrifying experience) and it was determined that the right hip suffered from avascular necrosis, a condition that indicates there is no blood flow to the hip area and the hip is dead. I saw Dr. Hugh Switzer, an orthopedic surgeon in Jacksonville, and he told me that there was little I could do to make it better or worse. When I felt my discomfort sufficiently impacted my lifestyle, he would replace the hip. Well, by this time, the pain was, essentially, gone and did not re-appear until around 2006.

In the Fall of 1967, while teaching at Nova High School, in Ft. Lauderdale, the Selective Service system ordered me for a draft physical. With several dozen other potential draftees, we took a bus from Ft. Lauderdale to the Induction Center in Coral Gables. In the course of the physical, I handed over a half sheet of paper from Leroy stating he had treated me for a double scoliosis tension curve of the spine. The two air force doctors consulted, and I failed the draft physical.

In the late 50's, when I was an early teen, we were visiting a family friend of my parents. Leroy Spilatore, DO, lived in Mt. Dora, Florida and had his office in his home. He notice my hip line and put me on his X-Ray table. The pictures showed a left femur shorter than the right, and a left hip lower than the right. Leroy thought I may have had a mild and undiagnosed case of polio. He predicted severe back pain before age 18 if I didn't have surgery.