Concerned 6 months out of work coming up due to ops

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Felstmiester

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 17, 2013
Messages
1,150
Car
Range rover sport
All my working life I've been a self employed builder. Up until around 4 years ago I was I would say an over average active male who enjoyed work and play. I was never into sport much but could jog a fair few miles, very fit and always larking around on motorbikes.

This brings me to what could of caused the problem. Around 9 years ago I had a serious moto x accident. I smashed my right shoulder to oblivion. So bad that I had to have the top of my arm bolted to my rib cage while the bone calcified around the surgical mesh they had formed my new shoulder socket with. As well as that I'd emploaded internally and my plourer ( chest muscles I think ) had diss attached from my chest. There's more!!! I also fractured both my hips and broke my left ankle in two places. I was transferred to stanmore hospital from my local one and that's where I stayed for 15 weeks having numerous operations blah blah.

I got pretty much back to normal after a year and apart from a little pain now and then from my shoulder I was fine.

Then 4 years ago I started getting pains in both hips. Main thing that stuck out to me is getting in and out of a car. It was painfull and found I had to start twisting both feet out to make it easier. I went to the docs who refered me to hospital for x rays and it turned out I had vascular narcosis disease in my hips. This deseas is only hip related. I was told to take it easy and due to my age 38 at the time, they wouldn't even consider giving me hip replacements until they was totally shot to pieces.

Now I've read up on what I have and it's deffinately not caused by any kind of injury to the hips but I can't help thinking it seems bizzar that years on from fracturing both hips I have this.

The past year or so they've been getting worse and worse. With my job it's hard to take it easy if you know what I mean. But it's now got to the stage that it's destroying my lower back because it's compensating for what my hips should but can't do. It's agony more when I get home and put my feet up so I've been told I've got to have hip replacements ASAP.

I am now in different circumstances than I was when I had the accident with family and bigger house more to pay out for and I'm ****ting myself how the family is going to cope with me not bringing money in.

Please don't think I'm after sympathy on this. Just a worrying time that's all.
 
If you don't have savings you may need some form of loan - maybe a 2nd mortgage with a payment holiday to cover the period you are not working. Now is the time to speak to your lender - don't leave it till it's too late.

Are you in a position to employ people to do the physically demanding work and move to a more admin / management / supervisory role?
 
If you don't have savings you may need some form of loan - maybe a 2nd mortgage with a payment holiday to cover the period you are not working. Now is the time to speak to your lender - don't leave it till it's too late.

Are you in a position to employ people to do the physically demanding work and move to a more admin / management / supervisory role?
i do have savings but at 3 months recovery time per hip it's a long time. I've been paying an insurance for years but I spoke to them and surprise surprise I'm not covered because it's not caused by an accident.
 
Have been in the similar situation to you. I had my first hip re surface 8 yrs ago when I was 35. At that time I took out a loan to cover my time off. 3yrs ago I had my other hip done. This time I spoke to my mortgage company and explained my situation and was put on interest only for 6 months or so.. I also spoke to creditors who agreed to put my payments down to minimum payment.. I was also able to claim ESA (employment support allowance)
This however depends on your household income(whether your partner works etc)

Good luck
 
I spoke to them and surprise surprise I'm not covered because it's not caused by an accident.

No insurance will cover for degenerative issues.
 
I just read an article on AVN (avascular necrosis). I think this is what you mean(as I couldn't find anything on vascular narcosis )

And it says 20% of people who dislocate their hip will probably get AVN later in life
 
i do have savings but at 3 months recovery time per hip it's a long time. I've been paying an insurance for years but I spoke to them and surprise surprise I'm not covered because it's not caused by an accident.

After hearing of the nature of your Moto x accident and a brief perusal of the medical literature I would say its possible your vascular necrosis is related to your accident.
Take a look at this link and see what you think ? Crucial factor might be the nature of your hip fractures?
e.g.

Discussion:
- when femoral neck frx occurs, intraosseous cervical vessels are disrupted;
- incidence of AVN in undisplaced fractures is 11%;
- only 1/3 of patients with AVN will require additional surgery where as 3/4 patients with non union will require reoperation;
- risk of AVN generally corresponds to degree of displacement of the fracture of the femoral neck on the initial radiographs;
- minimally displaced femoral-neck frx:
- is at low risk (< 10%) for osteonecrosis if displacement of the fracture remains unchanged;
- displaced frx:
- incidence of AVN following hip frx is may be > 80% in displaced frx;

- most of retinacular vessels are disrupted;
- femoral head nutrition is then dependent on remaining retinacular vessels and those functioning vessels in the ligamentum teres;


AVN following Femoral Neck Fracture - Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics

Problem is that the passage of time between the accident and developing the symptoms may make proving it /claiming difficult. This is where it might be worth seeking expert medical /legal opinion but you would have to do a careful cost benefit analysis before proceeding.:dk:
 
No insurance will cover for degenerative issues.

Not true....Permanent Health Insurance will cover you for being unable to work no matter what the cause (unless it was an undisclosed) illness you knew you had.

Trouble is there is an excess period of 3-12 month before it pays out. Also its now tax free. If in doubt consult an IFA. l
 
Felstmiester, I think you are incredibly brave for posting this. It's exactly the type of thing I'd do and from my experience, sharing problems is of immense help.

I've not been through exactly the same type of issue as you, although my teenage son has been ill these past three years, first with suspected cancer in 2011, and then the real thing, blood cancer, in 2012.

When he was diagnosed, it was the worst day of my life. All other problems melted into the distance and my only consideration was how to help save his life. Briefly, following misdiagnosis, incompetent oncologists and misread scans, he was eventually 'saved' by a wonder female doctor in Oxford University Children's Hospital, as part of a teenage cancer trial run from Germany.

His illness damaged me more than I could have imagined. Not only did it knock the stuffing out of me, his mum, and his sister, plus of course him, it also caused incredible shock waves financially. I travelled to Oxford daily for months, for his treatment, spending 4-10 hours a day watching up to 6 litres of chemo being poured into his arm. Whilst this was happening, my business and my finances went, almost, to rot.

And during this time, I was kept sane, by talking about my problems. And the more I talked about them, I realised that I wasn't alone and that many other people were suffering similar problems. Few, it's true had a child with cancer, but we shared worry and pain, just as you are now.

Every time I met a kindred spirit I felt better. They felt better. And for both of us, our problems eased just a little - including the lady in Oxford children's hospital who had sold her house to pay for a cancer treatment drug that the NHS wouldn't provide for her 4 year old daughter. I couldn't solve her problem, but during that rainy morning in Oxford, we both felt a little better.

My advice to you is to continue to talk about how you feel. And, in addition, listen to the practical advice being offered to you, for example, by the members here. Talk to your lenders, buy some time. Talk to independents too.

Separately, take advice on the prospects of challenging the insurance company's position. Who knows, maybe they decline everybody at first, or at least, cases like yours with no obvious position either way.

Best of luck. Life can be tough sometimes and it's how we deal with it that defines us.

Chris
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've private messaged you. Might be something you're interested in or your wife might be. X
 
I ripped all if the tendons in both forearms once. All the conventional doctors said a year to get back to 25% strength. Got v depressed. Wife went to the local health food shop, who sell 'alternative' medicines, including, but not limited to homeopathy. Spent about fifty quid on goo and pills. Some pills were homeopathic, but most were natural ingredients made from roots and stuff.

Three weeks and I was back to 80% strength. Go and talk to them, and try to ignore the flowery dresses! Might speed up your recovery time.

We did a back to back experiment, with carpal tunnel on the wifes wrists. One we did nothing, the other she applied hippy goo. About a third of the time to full recovery and much less bruising and pain.
 
Torn muscles and ligaments, i use glucosamine joint complex gel. Made by Optima. Contains aloe vera, devils claw and msm. Msm available in pill form. Optimanaturals.net.

About 5 - 10 quid a tube.
 
Swedish-Chris said:
That's very good of you Blondee - hope it's all working out. chris

I help build residual second income streams from home so it's always beneficial to people out of work through injury or for single parents etc. Its a network marketing product based company.

guydewdney said:
Wife went to the local health food shop, who sell 'alternative' medicines, Might speed up your recovery time.

Natural products are the way forward. I promote and sell Aloe Vera products as part of my business... Aloe as many know is a natural healer. Worth a try over doctors suggestions. X
 
guydewdney said:
Torn muscles and ligaments, i use glucosamine joint complex gel. Made by Optima. Contains aloe vera, devils claw and msm. Msm available in pill form. Optimanaturals.net. About 5 - 10 quid a tube.

This is what I sell... It's 97% Aloe Vera though and you can either drink it or apply it. One of our drinks contains MSM, Glucosamine & Chondroitin for muscles, repairs, joint issues etc and because it gets into your system, it heals from the inside out. X
 
I use a Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplement.

I've taken it for a few years but had to stop it for a while.

After being off it for 18 months, I noticed whenever doing anything like kneeling down and getting up again, whilst I am easily able to do this, I'd sometimes feel pain in my knees (I am quite heavy even without much fat - maybe 17st lean and late 18st with the fat I do have!).

With the supplement, and also now fish oil, no problems...
 
That magic goo is weird, if you rub it on torn muscles in your arm, only the torn bits feel hot, the rest, eg your wrist, dont get hot, unlike deep heat type things. Anyway, from an engineers point of view, it works, and many (not all) seem to have significant benefits ovet conventional medicine. Speaking as a fairly major shareholder of gsk etc.....
 
Thanks for all your support. Me and the wife have thought and thought and we do have a few ideas. Due to the fact I'm the main bread winner and we have a 8 month old it's not viable for the wife to go out to work. Plus the fact I look after the children on the odd Sunday morning and I'll swerve the stay at home dad/house husband thing thanks lol.

It's just handy to voice this on here because i know a lot of you are pretty clued up people and although I could build your house from scratch that's about the only gift I have. Paperwork and anything that involves using your brain I'm useless. Fingers crossed and I'll keep you all posted.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom