Utah Orthopaedic Specialists LLC

Her progress could not have been worse. After two weeks, my mother returned for a follow-up visit with a diagnosis of "severe pain" by the nursing facility physicians.  A routine xray was done during the visit.  I took the surgeon aside and told him that my mother's pain had only gotten worse and she had not eaten anything since the surgery.  Surgeon's response:  "Well, you can't force her to eat."  When he came into the exam room, he did not address my mother who is blind, only spoke to me and my sister.  He did not look at her hip or have her stand up. just told us that the Xray looked perfect and she shouldn't be in that much pain and as an nurse, I should know that.  He said one has pain for 3 or 4 days, then he/she is fine.  All my mother had to do was walk, walk, walk & use that hip.  He also wrote notes to the facility physicians to decrease her pain meds.  The physicians who cared for my mother disagreed and felt that they could not decrease her meds, that her increasing pain was indeed real.  We all noted that my mother's leg was rotated inward and she was unable to do physical therapy because of the pain.  

Two weeks later with unbearable pain and still not eating, my mother went back to the surgeon's office where the PA saw on Xray that the implant had moved down into her femur and cracked it open, therefore the cause of her suffering.  The walking that the surgeon prescribed for her only worsened the condition.   The surgeon performed another hip implant, this time a total, and also wrapped wire around the femur to keep the implant from doing the same thing.  In an elderly patient with osteoporosis, I wonder why this wasn't done in the first place.  The doctor did not hear our initial concerns and relied solely on an Xray.  If he felt that my mother's amount of pain was not normal. then he should have delved further into the problem.  

During this 2nd hospitalization, my mother continued to be in severe pain.  By now, she had at times become delusionary

Dr. Groebs is excellent. He scheduled and worked with my knee Dr. and they did both knee and wrist surgery during the same anesthesia. This saved me from going under twice and two operating rooms. He is a skilled surgeon and fixed a frayed and worn wrist. I am recuperating quickly and very happy with his work. He is extremely well thought of by all of the Avenues Surgical Center staff.