Revision TKR _My Saga of a Hopeful Happy Ending - Nerve Burning??

[LaPaz]

Change out tibia? I am getting confused! Of course that is a normal state for me! LOL I would like for Josephine to come in and explain what is meant by changing out the tibia. Mine is still my tibia, so that is where the confusion sets in.

Sorry for the incompleteness. The implant that goes into the tibia.

 

[LaPaz]

Hi Kelly, Thank you so much for your concern and advise. Yeah, it is partly feeling sorry for myself but also not wanting to wait any longer to move on with my life. Then of course, the pain and discomfort. My surgery is in La Jolla, California so no family there just the OS. I am not sure what I need to plan for after the surgery, it will be 4 days in the hospital then when I get out I suppose I will return home to La Paz.

So the knee cap was your problem, also. I would like to send you a private mail so we can talk more about that since I will have to deal with that, too. Yeah, pretty painful and every time it bends I have to go through it. Not much fun with the right knee having all the problems.

Yes, if any one has an idea how to put it out on the net about that doctor I would.

Sonja, what you have gone through is pretty amazing and it is looking like a happy ending for you but as you know with these knees only time can tell.

 

[RestAssured]

Well, you know Nancy, it will always be different than the hardware that God gave me. But I have to say, I am very impressed with this new knee. Yes, time will tell down the road, but to be as active as I am now and shedding 130 pounds already, has made me proud!

The road hasn't always been easy, but I am not one to accept defeat either! I will keep up with your posts, and hope to hear of a successful surgery soon. Don't think about mine as an infection, I am way past that and living the life I have wanted to! Things just keep getting better!

I know you don't have the weight problem to contend with and that is helpful. I only wish they could do something about the awful pain you are in!

Take care,

 

[Josephine]

I thought I had just a plastic one now but apparently not it is part plastic.

There is no such thing as a 'total patellar replacement"! Just a resurfacing button on the back of it like this (the white disk near the thumb)

Has anyone heard of putting notches on the implant?

No I haven't but this is obviously something he's figured out for himself.

Honey, Jamie is right - you're trying to over think things too much. At the end of the day, you just have to trust your surgeon and allow him to do what he thinks is best for you. As for the pain you have now, I am very much afraid you're just going to have to struggle through because there is no alternative. There's no pain med yet made that will adequately deal with this pain and doing exercises because you are worried about the fitness of muscles is also out of the question. Be kinder to yourself.

 

[Josephine]

he feels he does not have to change out my tibia

Meaning they will leave the tibial implant alone or not change it.

 

[Poppet]

skigirl hi there, are you referring to posting something on the www about the OS?

I would by recommend it.

 

[skigirl]

Poppet, but where do you post so that it pops up when his name is googled? Should I go to a md referral site? Or is there some way to post a review of a doc?

 

[LaPaz]

Well, you know Nancy, it will always be different than the hardware that God gave me. But I have to say, I am very impressed with this new knee.

Meaning they will leave the tibial implant alone or not change it.

The doctor feels that the tibia implant was fine after the last surgery so for now no plans to change the insert. I also asked him the difference for the legend hinged and the stem that I was having. He said the hinged is for a knee that needs more reconstruction. Not his exact words but talked about there was more of a degree of damage.

 

[LaPaz]

I just spent the past two days in San Diego going from Doctor to Doctor. I am now cleared for surgery and my doctor has now gave me a earlier date for surgery so I can do my good knee the left, that has been locking. Now my plans have changed my surgery date is March 12th.

Looks like this surgery will be easy compared to the one scheduled April 2nd. It is at a Surgery Center not a Hospital. I go in at 5:30 AM and I am out the door by 9:30 AM. The surgery will be Arthroscopic and is only 45 min. My doctor feels he will be able to clean the knee up without opening it up. YEAH! That makes me happy. He also says no heavy drugs afterwards maybe just at night and I can drive in 2 days.

This is real positive for me as now my attention is focused on my left knee getting done and that is helping to relieve most of the stress I was feeling about waiting so long for the right knee to have surgery. Maybe April 2nd will come faster. Another positive is that my left will no longer be an issue to worry about while I am trying to recover from my right knee revision.

 

[skigirl]

Nancy, this is good news. I had an open surgery for the removal of my adhesions, so yours will be easier. I know that maryo52 had arthroscopic surgery. I think @Dhare63's surgery was also open. But Mary speaks very positively of her surgery.

As things fall into place, I think you will have less stress and anxiety. Having your left knee lock is not a good sign, so it will be good to have that out of the way prior to the bigger surgery on your right knee. This time next year you will be dancing again. Kelly

 

[LaPaz]

Nancy, this is good news. I had an open surgery for the removal of my adhesions, so yours will be easier. I know that maryo52 had arthroscopic surgery. I think @Dhare63's surgery was also open. But Mary speaks very positively of her surgery.

Thanks Kelly I have sent a message to Mary. Let me know if you hear anything about posting on the web for the doctor review as I see you are trying to look into it.

 

[LaPaz]

There is no such thing as a 'total patellar replacement"! Just a resurfacing button on the back of it like this (the white disk near the thumb)

.

This is very interesting Josephine. You sure do have a lot of great information and I appreciate your efforts to help clear my situation. Nancy

 

[1ELISEA]

Sounds like a great plan to get the good left knee taken care of first.
All the best to you on the upcoming surgery next week!

 

[1ELISEA]

Nancy
If you want to post a review, one suggestion is on RateMDs.
He already has one negative review there already.

Ratemds here.

 

[LaPaz]

Nancy
If you want to post a review, one suggestion is on RateMDs.
He already has one negative review there already.

Ratemds here.

Thanks for this information I will write one.

 

[LaPaz]

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I just had my surgery Wednesday morning. The surgery went well only lasted 30 min and the DR thinks that he removed what was locking up the knee and causing pain. He said it was the synovial joint he had to clean out. He feels that I should not need to go back in for a revision to that knee. Yeah! Wednesday I had no pain but late Wed night and today I had to start taking pain pills. The doctor seems to think that I should be able to get by with pain meds just at night but so far this morning no I need them. Icing, elevating and pain meds is my program. It is fine to walk on but of course my right knee is the big problem and that one does not like to be walked on. He says I can drive tomorrow so I will go to Physical Therapy one day so they can line me up for when I return Saturday to Mexico then back to the states for the right knee surgery on April 2nd.​

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At least now I will have a good left knee to walk on with it not locking. I am feeling less stressed, also.​

 

[LaPaz]

Had my first PT today 2 days after surgery. It went well as the PT lined me up with exercises to do between surgeries to help with both knees. The best thing I got from it was to take it easy with the left knee and try not to use it as the crutch of the right one. The PT feels it is probably what cause the problem with it as I went through my saga of the right knee. It would make sense as I defiantly overused the left due to all the problems I have had on the right. He said if I find myself using the left as my weight bearing crutch I may have problems again.

 

[1ELISEA]

Hope you are continuing to improve from the surgery and that you are moving in the right direction for the surgery in April on the other.

 

[LaPaz]

Hope you are continuing to improve from the surgery and that you are moving in the right direction for the surgery in April on the other.

Thank you Elisea. I guess time will tell on the healing and hopefully no more problems. I am a little concerned as there seems to be fluid developing where it was before. I will have to ask the doctor when I have my April 2 surgery what he thinks. I have tried very hard not to irritate the knee and read as much as I could about this last surgery to understand it and hope to prevent it from returning.

Someone asked me if I was nervous about anesthesiology putting me under. I laughed and said I think my body is so use to it now it does not know the difference. Well, I seem to come out of it without any problems each time. I am nervous about this April 2 surgery. Scared about the trama my knee will be going though and how it will recover. I watch my muscles slowly shrink and become jello then wonder if I will ever get my tone and muscling back. I know as you age it does get harder and with this trama it is not going to help. It's been almost 4 months now that I have not been able to do any type of physical exercise. Before all this that was my life! I also think of what an impact this has made to my life in the past 3 years. When I originally decided to do bi lateral TKR so I could get on with my life. The past 3 years has been a roller coaster for me in and out of surgery. Anyone that tells me about there knees bothering them my only words of advise is to avoid TKR at all cost until it is your last and only option. Really, hoping for the happy ending to come soon!

 

[RestAssured]

Nancy,

I'm sorry it has been a rough road for you. I am still fighting the VMO muscle to avoid more surgery, and I am doing everything I can to win! A fourth surgery on that knee is not what I had in mind!