Posted on 06/20/2010 7:23:02 PM PDT by STARWISE
IT was a long, fruitful medical marriage that is fast becoming an angry public divorce, one that offers a rare look at a clash between a top-shelf consultant and his corporate patron over patient safety.
*snip*
In return, Zimmer, an orthopedic implant maker, helped enrich Dr. Berger, portraying him as a master surgeon and paying him more than $8 million over a decade.
Those days are gone. Dr. Berger started complaining to Zimmer a while back that one of its artificial-knee models was failing prematurely, and he went public recently with a study that he says proves it.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
~~Ping!
Not even close to Frontpage..
My first knee replacement, an Oxford unicompartmental, failed after 9 months. Now I have a total revision replacement in its place. Its been 15 months since I received it and it’s still giving me problems.
A brand of artificial knees and hips,
which procedures are not uncommon in
the FReeper population ... failing ?
Interesting.
Interesting article. I had my cartilage removed in my right knee 40 yrs ago. I am now 62 and beginning to feel pain. I have spoken to numerous people who advised me to have the knee replaced. I will be speaking to my orthopedic surgeon when he sees me and show him this article for his opinion. Will let you all know later what he says.
Yes, do. I had a replacement just over 2
yrs ago .. I’m calling my surgeon tomorrow
to find out the brand. Since he was trained
by Berger, I’m a bit uneasy.
I had both knees replaced last March 17th. Wow! What a recovery!
At three months it is still very painful to get out of a chair or go up or down the stairs. By evening, I feel like elephants are crushing my thighs. Yet...The physical therapist, the surgeon, and his physician’s assistant tell me that I am ahead of the curve in healing and rehabilitation. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be behind the curve.
If I had to have this procedure redone, I think I would go completely NUTZ!
One thing the doctor was not exactly truthful about was pain management. They want the patients off all narcotics by 3 months, Except for a lortab just before bed, I am off the narcotics, but honestly Tylenol and Advil just aren’t up to the job in the day time.
Also...The doctor failed to inform me about how uncomfortable it is to get off the narcotics. Fast or gradual, it stinks. I did it fast ( about 6 weeks ago) and the process took about a week. I thought my eyeballs would melt and drip down my face. The experience was everything anyone might have seen in a movie about heroine withdraw. Now its tylenol and Advil during the day and one lortab at night, and believe me, it isn’t enough to control the discomfort.
WOW .. getting both done at the same time
is tough. I could not have handled that ..
as it is, I’m lucky to be alive. Got a
blood clot in my lung the next day .. thank
God I was awake and felt so breathless I
knew something was wrong and yelled for
help.
My D-I-L’s colleague had the same surgery
the same week. She just never woke up ..
died from the clot.
Prayers that you find relief soon .. I surely
empathize with you. I sure would be on that
doc’s doorsteps frequently to push him til he
thoroughly checks what’s happening with the
healing process and pain level after this amount
of time.
Have you tried Aleve? You may have to eat three (or four) every 6 - 8 hours for a day. Then one every twelve hours thereafter.
Aleve is OTC naprosyn (naproxin sodium). They came in horse pill sizes (up to 1g ea.) equivalent to 4 Aleve tablets).
Make sure to take ‘em on a full stomach though. Iboprufin doesn’t have stomach irritation like aspirin, but naproxin sodium can cause gastrointestinal disturbance in large doses. Acetaminephen is extremely hard on the liver. If you drink any alcohol whatsoever, you’re damaging your liver. Its as simple as that. How serious is the damage, perhaps minimal and the organ can repair itself over time.
My advice: stop taking the acetaminephen.
Ask your pharmacist what they’d recommend concerning dosage of ibuprofin & naproxin sodium combined. That may take the edge off.
Also, during the day you may want to consider taking a No-Doze with your pills. Caffeine has a synergistic affect on analgesics. That’s the whole point of caffeine in Excedrin.
My wife had one done last summer. The first few months were pretty bad, but it took 3 1/2 months before she could sleep through the night, and after 4 or 5 months she finally started to feel better off than before the surgery.
They never give you enough narcotics. Knee replacements are painful!
*sigh*
Great.
I will have to have my knee replaced in the near future..
Thanks for posting this, I’ll do some homewok!
My husband is having his knee scoped again in 9 days. This will be his 9th. The doctor told him he was a good candidate for knee replacement.
He’s not yet 50 and refuses to even consider it. He deals with constant pain and does not use narcotics.
I am sending this atricle to him tomorrow. Thank you for posting it.
O.K., I know why they’ve got you on the aceteminaphen. It works synergistically with the hydrocodone you’re taking (akin to caffeine and NSAIDs).
Talk to your pharmacist concerning his recommendation as to a suitable alternative to the hydrocodone so you don’t have to take the aceteminaphin as an adjunct. Perhaps propoxyphene or tramadol? Whatever the pharmacist suggests, go back to your surgeon and ask for a prescription for that.
Maybe the’ll entertain the idea of subsituting Feldene, Mobic or Lornoxi for the ibuprofin? Perhaps that, or Aleve / (Motrin or Advil) combo will work better in conjunction with either propoxyphene or tramadol at night.
Oh .. I’m so sorry, Ms B. By all means,
do your homework .. make that doc give
it all up .. the company, the model .. all
of it. We have to be our own research
and analysis team these days. And God knows
what obamacare will be like in the future.
Prayers sure sent up for a skilled medical
team and best choices for great relief and
healing. God bless you.
____________________________________________________________
Ob-Gyn Practice Closes, 5K Left Stranded
Practice Will Remain Open While Staff Notifies Patients
UPDATED: 7:53 pm EDT June 18, 2010
###
More than 5,000 patients are looking for a new ob-gyn practice after one suddenly closes its doors in Norwich.
The sudden decision to close Norwich Ob-Gyn on Otrobondo Avenue was a personal one and financial reality for Dr. John Bowdin. On Friday, his staff was busy notifying all the patients of the decision.
“I’m nervous. It’s scary being 16 weeks pregnant and not having an ob-gyn,” said Nicole Rechney.
The reason for the closure, according to Bowdin, was that the numbers weren’t adding up. The insurance payments from the state patients, and the lack of insured patients didn’t add up.
Bowdin said, “We had to shut down until we find out from the state health department and ethics what we should do.”
In practice for 40 years, Bowdin said some of his employees have already found jobs and his patients are connecting with other ob-gyns in the area.
Worried patients like Megan Carlson don’t know what to do. “I’m just so upset,” said Carlson. “I can’t believe they didn’t call. I came to get medical records. It’s awful.”
As the phone calls go out with the unsettling news, patients with critical care needs were being advised to head to the nearest emergency room.
Norwich Ob-Gyn will remain open for the next several weeks while the staff makes sure patients are aware of the closure and able to find proper care.
http://www.wfsb.com/health/23958416/detail.html
________________________________________________
Medicare changes hit close to home
Dr. Gary Berliner
May 25, 2010
###
Some patients forced to find different doctors
by Sudie Crouch
###
Bill McClellan of Dawsonville went to his doctor last week for a follow up about some cancerous cells he had previously had removed. What he saw posted in the window shocked him more than any diagnosis ever could. A note was hanging, advising the patients of Dr. Gary Berliner that, due to current changes in Medicare, Berliner’s Chestatee Emergent Medical Care center would no longer see Medicare patients effective June 1.
The notice read: “As of June 1, 2010, Medicare reimbursement will be cut by another 21.5 percent, which will necessitate our office no longer accepting this program coverage.
If Medicaid and Tricare follow these proposed Medicare cuts in reimbursement, then we will be forced to discontinue their coverage as well. However, we will continue to see all patients on a self-pay basis.”
The decision to no longer accept Medicare has been one wrought with emotion for both patient and doctor.
http://www.dawsonadvertiser.com/articles/2010/05/27/news/news05.txt
____________________________________________________
Friday, June 9, 2000
Frustrated doctors are leaving medicine behind
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2000/06/12/story8.html
Bump
He’s brave ... sure hope a good
option awaits him, and you’re
welcome.
My gosh .. what a shame. What’s your
doc’s solution.
I wound up with a meniscus allograft - a cadaver transplant - on my 4th scope. They find a complete meniscus that is a close match for size and geometry, and its anchored in with bone plugs (so it’s like having to heal up a broken leg as well as deal with a scope). Blood-type match, so very little chance of rejection.
Took about 16 months to get back to pre-injury level of pain, but it was worth it.
Check out this website. It shows you in graphic terms what knee replacement surgery is all about.
http://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/index.htm
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