Bionic body parts

[bykfixer]

The artificial body parts thread.

Against suggestion of a couple of ortho doctors I'm still all original parts. Can I run 2 miles anymore? Nope. I don't want to even if I could.

Anyway if you've got 'em share your story here. If you're in the market, this is a thread to discuss the virtues or pitfalls.

 

[aznsx]

The artificial body parts thread.

Against suggestion of a couple of ortho doctors I'm still all original parts. Can I run 2 miles anymore? Nope. I don't want to even if I could.

Anyway if you've got 'em share your story here. If you're in the market, this is a thread to discuss the virtues or pitfalls.

There's a phrase you'll often hear used in 'collector car' circles that you're probably familiar with and that comes to my mind first:

"They're only original once."

That aside, I "pity the fool" who has more titanium alloy in them than I do (and I know of a few who probably do). With 2 hips and an arm / wrist thing, it's more than I'd like to have...but my engine still has me beat by a hair (6 conn rods

 

[bykfixer]

I have a coworker who was near an IED blast in Iraq and has a cochlear implant to hear and artificial tendon keeping his shoulder from dislocating.
The closest thing I've come to that, was the time I wore a catheder bag for 2 weeks. It was pretty nice at times to not have to walk to the bathroom just to pee when the movie got good. But when it was gone I did not shed a single tear.

 

[jtr1962]

Do teeth (posts/crowns/implants) count? Almost everyone has a few of those.

 

[bykfixer]

Yeah, I suppose they would. Dentures too I reckon.
Good point

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

The surgeon was robot-assisted. In addition to the robot, the other tools utilized were a saw to remove the femoral head, a long scoop to remove the material where the new shaft will be pounded into the leg bone, and a hammer to pound the new insert into the leg bone, and a grinder to prepare the hip for the new socket.

I forgot to add - The first step is to dislocate, think POP, the leg bone from the socket. How'd ya like that job?

 

[knucklegary]

Surgeons use an appropriate reamer to size the femur. Reamer matches the Ti implant for that patient.
It's all "duck soup" meaning DM perform these hip replacements simple as dentists do root canals.
@Poppy has nothing to worry about. He will be back kicking butt soon after his operation.

 

[chip100t]

Here in the uk if you get a hip replacement on the national health you get a plastic one cemented in to an oversized hole and it is this bond that normally fails with time.

Go private you get a Ti one that fits like a glove that will out live you.

 

[kerneldrop]

I watch root canal videos on YouTube.
My wife leaves surgery pics all over the house. Stuff looks weird when it's highly magnified

Shoulder surgeries make you wonder how they do anything shoulder with precision. They just thread that stuff wherever they can.

 

[bykfixer]

I remember in the 80's Readers Digest did a story predicting how video games would be a great benefit to surgeons. I had an orthoscopic knee surgery in 84 that was a fairly new technology at the time. Three little holes about the size of a pencil eraser were all that was required versus open cut just 3 years before.

Can't even see the orthoscopic scars anymore.
The open cut had me laying around for months. Then months of rehab.
The orthoscopic recovery was 1 week. The rehab was an ankle weight excersize a few times a day for a month.
The doctor said it took minutes to fix the issue and an hour to clean up behind the last guy. lol

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Motor vehicle accident, one month in rehabilitation. Rod in left femur.

 

[Stefano]

I have four stents in my heart, they told me they are titanium.
Two titanium screws in my mouth, I should put more but at the moment I don't feel like it, I'm putting off.

 

[bykfixer]

My mom (rip) was one of the reasons everybody who has the angioplasty done gets them. It was a new, but standard procedure with a 95% success rate in 1989. 95% had no issues at all. Of the 5% who did 97% of those died. She was one of the 5%.

Sometimes the vein would collapse. In her case plaque broke free and got stuck in her brain leading to a stroke. My brother has some in his heart. My dad (rip) had some in his leg. My oldest brother (rip) was scheduled to have his leg artery done like my dad did but covid hit and he died before they could do it.

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

Surgeons use an appropriate reamer to size the femur. Reamer matches the Ti implant for that patient.
It's all "duck soup" meaning DM perform these hip replacements simple as dentists do root canals.
@Poppy has nothing to worry about. He will be back kicking butt soon after his operation.

We all hope Poppy will be fine n dandy.

Don't kid yourself though. Anytime they anesthetize someone to the point of being able to cut bones and remove them .... well sir, there's a possibility of complications.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Yes it was no walk in the park for my implant. Right at Thanksgiving, one of the 'screws' came loose and the head of the screw was abrading connective tissue, ouch. Of course the holiday delayed needed attention. Then at Christmas time another screw backed out, and another holiday delay.

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

Yes it was no walk in the park for my implant. Right at Thanksgiving, one of the 'screws' came loose and the head of the screw was abrading connective tissue, ouch. Of course the holiday delayed needed attention. Then at Christmas time another screw backed out, and another holiday delay.

Yikes! That's rough. A loose screw inside ya is bad enough, why that gotta happen during the holidays? Life. Am I right?

 

[fulee9999]

Yes it was no walk in the park for my implant. Right at Thanksgiving, one of the 'screws' came loose and the head of the screw was abrading connective tissue, ouch. Of course the holiday delayed needed attention. Then at Christmas time another screw backed out, and another holiday delay.

how does that even happen...? doesn't these implants have very strict guidelines as to how to do them? like torque down bolt #x to y N and such..? I know they can't just red loctite that stuff, but c'mon this seems like something you could sue for

 

[bykfixer]

My niece had screws holding her wrist bones together and after a while began to back out. You could see little protrusions on the inner side of her wrist. The ortho doc said it just happens sometimes.

 

[fulee9999]

that sounds absolutely terrifying

 

[aznsx]

My niece had screws holding her wrist bones together and after a while began to back out. You could see little protrusions on the inner side of her wrist. The ortho doc said it just happens sometimes.

Sounds a bit like me - Ti plate and 9 screws holding together one arm bone and wrist bones that I tried to destroy a few years ago. It bothers me some, and I think I could have it removed now if I chose to, but I'm just not in the mood to be cut on anymore (can't imagine why). I've had enough. It'll remain with me unless it becomes really problematic. EDIT: My carcass should have 'scrap value' when I die.

Almost anything installed in bone can loosen - screws, femoral implants, etc. This is one of the (primary) ongoing risk factors. With hip work, the Ti bearing cup (my term) is also typically screwed into the acetabulum, which can also loosen. Risks just come with the territory. Loosening, infection, and dislocation are sort of the 'big 3'. EDIT: I believe the last 2 tend to decrease over time, whereas the first tends to increase.

Such things are really what was behind my earlier 'only original once' comment.