THE VERDICT IN THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON'S PROSTHESIS CASE IS HERE

As I wrote in my last post, metal on metal prosthesis cause numerous problems: they fail more rapidly and they release particles of metals into the bloodstream, causing numerous side effects. The most frequent a depression-like state with lack of energy, and are also cancerogens.

But how did I knew about this prosthesis?, I am not an ortho after all.

Well, one day I gave a seminar in a group I belong to, Costa Women, about patient empowerment. After the seminar, I started talking with a lady called carol, and she started telling me a chilling story. She was a Bowen-technique specialist (she treats lymphoedema). But some years before she was operated on and a metal on metal hip prosthesis was put. she felt fine for some time, but in 2010 the other hip had to be replaced also.  From then on things started to change for the worse every day, with pain in her leg, hip & groin area, and later the depression-like syndrome, lack of energy and general malaise. Why? because the chromium and cobalt were going up, reaching 153 times the normal levels!, yes, 153 you read right.

She had TWO metal on metal recalled prosthesis, and guess what? in 2010 the deleterious effect of these kinds of prosthesis were widely known, she should have never received this prosthesis. She trusted her doctor, and he failed her.

Carol could not work anymore, she emptied her savings, and if it not were for her boss and friend, David Donaldson from the Nursing Agency Medicare, she really doesn't know where she would be now.

Even more chilling is that when it was decided that the prosthesis should come out, in another private hospital, and be sealed for proof in the trial, it allegedly got LOST never to appear again.


What happened to other people with this replacements? a lady called Mrs Adcock was a fully functional person before the operation, after that she had the same symptoms that Carol, with the added problem that she lives in a hill, isolated. How would she do the grocery shopping?, who would bathe her, cook for her?
Well, you say, as I did, surely the company, wouldn't them? NO, it would not. She had to pay for the:
*removal operation of the prosthesis: her daughter re-mortgaged her house to pay, and she still owes money to the private hospital.
*care for her in her house: much of it done on credit by Medicare (I am still amazed by that, I was amazed when I heard that they worked for free and I'm still amazed)

Even more, she is alone, in the house, sometimes she got 2 visits a week, the rest of the days, alone. She ended almost suicidal, as I would have.

In my humble opinion, the company should have paid for the surgery to take the prosthesis out, and for the after care (including lost wages), but I'm not a lawyer.

The Judge thought the same and awarded compensation for hospital bills, after care and lost wages/damages. this has been only the Mrs Adcock, there other coming, and we hope they will gain the same compensation and get on with their life, as they have lost many years in this mess.

About 300 units have been used in Spain, and I wonder, where are they?.

And not only the recalled ones, but the metal on metal still done and used, are people following the correct procedures of testing blood for metal levels? I know of one case that it is not happening, and her gp refuses to send her to the traumatologist... let's hope he reads "el mundo"!.

If you know somebody with one of the recalled prosthesis, contact me to get in touch with the group that are supporting the people that had those prosthesis

Also, if you know anybody with a prosthesis, tell them to check what type of material the implant was. It is on the Medical notes (discharge report) from the hospital where they had the procedure.