In 2021, Ute Rupp-Schäfer (79) broke her hip. She receives a hip prosthesis at the local hospital, but this soon causes complaints. A second opinion at the Sint Maartenskliniek offers a solution. “Within a few days I was back on my feet, without pain.”
The winter of 2021 was cold and slippery. Ute was especially aware of the latter. “I walked very carefully on the sidewalk outside, but I still fell.” A layer of ice appeared to be hidden beneath the snow. Crack! she heard. “This was followed by a sharp burst of pain. I knew immediately: this was wrong.”
Groin pain
It turns out that Ute broke her femoral head. The same day she gets a new hip at the local hospital. “The operation went well and I was on my feet quickly. All’s well that ends well, you might think. But after six months I suddenly had enormous pain in my groin. Whether I moved or sat still, it was always there.”
Back at the hospital, Ute hears from the doctor that nothing can be seen in the photos. “He didn’t know what was going on.” A few weeks later, fluid was removed from her groin and cultured just to be sure. “It would show that I had a bacterial infection. Surgery was required: my hip would be removed and I would be given antibiotics for the infection. Then my hip could be replaced again.”
Second opinion
Ute sees little point in it. “It didn’t feel good; the doctor still didn’t know what was wrong with my hip.” Her GP advises Ute to go to the Sint Maarten Clinic for a second opinion, because they specialize in that complex hip complaints. “I didn’t hesitate for a moment and I was able to go within two weeks!”
Ute meets orthopedist Goosen in the Sint Maartenskliniek. At the clinic they find out that Ute does not have an infection. “The photo clearly showed that my hip socket was not properly secured. That bowl was replaced with surgery.” Two days after the operation, Ute is allowed to go home, but that same evening she suffers bleeding in her leg and is admitted to the local hospital.
“Doctor Goosen wanted me to come to the Sint Maartenskliniek as quickly as possible, so I was taken by ambulance. I was happy to be back in Nijmegen, because I had – and still have – rock-solid confidence in Doctor Goosen.”
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Big dreams
After a week in the hospital, Ute can really start recuperating, together with the physiotherapist. She is making rapid progress. “I was no longer in pain and was finally able to walk with our dog again. I was so happy about that! We have had dogs in our house for fifty years, so those walks are part of my daily routine.
Ute is almost eighty years old and has big plans. “My husband and I are going to travel. A cruise to the Norwegian fjords, a train journey through Switzerland; enough dreams. Fortunately, thanks to my new hip, all of this is possible.” Sitting behind the geraniums is not for Ute: “They are on the windowsill, but only to look at and water.”
Do the self-test
Do you have similar complaints or do you know someone in your area who has been dealing with them for a long time? Then it is worth seeing what the Sint Maartenskliniek can do. Sometimes your own doctor cannot solve the problem, but there is still a way out.
Take the self-test for complaints knee prosthesis or a hip prosthesis to see what you can do in your situation. Your GP can help you with a referral. The clinic has locations in Boxmeer, Nijmegen and Woerden and is therefore easily accessible from every corner of the country. You can read more about this on the website of the Sint Maartenskliniek everything about prosthetic complaints and what the possibilities are.