Another Newbie- Hi There

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kiddthekatt

new member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
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15
Age
69
Location
United States
Hi;
I guess I'll start out by introducing myself. My name is Angel, I'm 53 years old, mother to 3 grown children and Granny to 9 grandbabies. My husand and I are raising the oldest grandson, he turned 13 in Jan.
I had a PKR in March 07, and due to the surgeon cutting my tibia too short, I had to have a revision in May 07 and then another revision to a TKR in Oct. 07. My knee is as good as it's going to get.
The first OS did the PKR and the first revision, OS number 2 did the TKR and both are among the best in the Houston area. But both made serious mistakes that left me with 75 flex and bones that are literally unstable. The TKR unit is stable, but it did slide a little before the cement set and that left my knee turned out a bit. I finally went to Baylor College of Orthopedic Surgery and found a wonderful OS, but it was too late to save my right knee.
I can not have another revison on my knee due to the bone instability, and if the TKR unit ever fails, I'm looking at fusion to the right knee. I went from working 9 hours a day to using crutches for the rest of my life in less than a year. I really thought that the arthritis pain was making my life misrable, but that pain is nothing like what I have now.
I had to find a pain management doctor after the TKR because the 2nd surgeon didn't do pain control. This started two weeks post op, and I was taking way too many pain pills to suit me, I could feel my system begin to get all out of whack and I tossed the pain pills 11 days ago, I never thought that I would have to cold turkey from opiates ever, and hope never to have to do it ever again.
Today, I feel wonderful inside and out, a little tired, but so much better than before. I have very little pain in my knee, unless I over-do, and then I slap ice to my knee. I have had to learn to live my days with some pain, and I've made peace with myself knowing that I have a long road ahead of me. I go back to the OS in Oct. for a check-up, and I think he'll be happy to know that I do my exercises every morning to keep the 75 flex that I do have.
I haven't found the place where most people say that they are happy that they decided to have the surgery done. If I had it to do over, I would take the arthritis pain any day.
Thank you for reading such a long drawn out intro and listening to me vent.

Angel
 
Angel, what a difficult time you have had! I'm so sorry to hear that your surgeries were not successful! You can always use us here at this forum to vent if you have a bad day or two - or more! We can understand a little more than someone who has not been through this type of surgery. I'm thankful you finally hooked up with an excellent surgeon. It sounds as if you are a very strong person and working hard to get the maximum amount of movement possible from your TKR. Keep that up because you never know what the years ahead will bring in terms of new surgical techniques and possibilities for you. You'll be in my prayers with the hopes that the folks at Baylor can continue to monitor your situation and some day offer another alternative treatment. I'm sending you a big ((((((HUG)))))))!!!!! .....Jamie
 
Hi Angel and welcome. So sorry to hear of your trials. I hope you can find some support, ideas and a few laughs while you are here. Do you have any other surgeries or just follow ups? Keep us posted so we can be there with you. Maybe Josephine our moderator with real medical knowledge will have some better words. She'll at least have a good hug. Jen
 
Hi again;
Thank you ladies, it's really nice to find a place where everyone know the pain and trials of knee replacement surgery. My family has been wonderful, my children are like a bunch of little mother hens constantly keeping an eye on me. I finally told them all that I was going t be just fine, and that I wanted them to concentrate on their own lives and families.
Thank you again for such a warm welcome.

Angel
 
Hi Angel-- What an awful experience but I can see that you will not allow your circumstances to get the best of you.. I have a friend who had hip replacement got an infection had to be removed she was wheelchair bound for a number of weeks.. got that fixed... had a knee replacement last august... developed and infection.. in December they pulled her knee.. she was in the hospital for 3 weeks and finally the end of march got a new knee.. and all seems to be going well.. I told you all of this, because I thought it would help your feelings to know that these battles come for many.
You are quite a lady.. much to be admired !!!!

Blessings Linda
 
Hello there, Angel. What a lovely name! Welcome to BoneSmart.

You know, I often say about asking surgeons what is their rate of short/long term failures and this is just the kind of thing I am referring to. I also say that 0.1% is 'okay' but even while I am saying that, I am thinking "yeah - but what if you are one of the 0.1%? Life's not so rosy then."

It pains me awfully to hear reports like yours. This operation is supposed to relieve pain and improve the quality of life but for that 0.1% it does just the opposite.

I know that I was the scrub nurse for the very first knee replacement ever done anywhere and that man's was a ghastly failure but he was so bright and philosophical about it saying things like "That's alright, doctor. Someone had to be first." I doubt if many remember that man now but I shall never forget him or his courage for accepting the consequences of his decision to have the op. My surgeon said to me "Remember, once you've had it done there's no going back"! There sure isn't. It's not like having a new pair of shoes you can take back because they don't fit so well!

I really hope and pray that somehow, somewhere, you will find a miracle worker surgeon who will have a little something he's worked on to correct the mistake the first surgeon made. I am not trying to defend him over much but I know and have seen how easy it is to make that error. Like joiners say "measure twice and cut once" but even so, they make mistakes. Much different when you are working on a human leg rather than a 2x4!

Nevertheless, perhaps we can help your low times with some friendly banter and a nice warm hug!

Here's one to start with
[Bonesmart.org] Another Newbie- Hi There
 
Angel, welcome to the forum. How very sad to hear what you have gone and are going through, I am so very sorry. Perhaps one day in the future there will be something to improve your situation, there are so many wonderful advances happening all the time., I certainly hope so for your sake.

You are a very brave person and it sounds as if your family are very supportive, what a treasure they must be to you. Vent here as often as you like, we all do it, and it helps, it really does, just to tell someone how you feel and the people here are really kind and understanding. Check out the funnies too, it will really cheer you up no end to listen to the friendly banter going on.

Take care and keep us up to date. (((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))).......Sue
 
Good morning everyone;
I wanted to say thank you again for such a warm welcome. It really is nice to find a site where the people are as nice as they are here. I was a member on a different site and the people there were really not nice. I did meet several wonderful women there who had undergone replacement surgery and have become fast friends with.
A lot of the members there, felt that I needed to keep my knee situation to my self, and not talk about the failures, they only wanted to hear about the successes. And I did not agree. Not all of us have success stories, I wish we did, but we don't.
I am so happy for the people who do go through this and it turns out right, I would never wish this on anyone. Life is much too hard to have to learn how to live with a handicap left by surgery. But it happens, and people do need to know that it can happen.
My family as been wonderful throughout this last year. When one goes through a truamatic surgery, it sure helps to have family that do understand how hard this is on the person going through it. I have been blessed.
Take care and I hope you all have a wonderful, safe week.

XXX
Hugs to you all;
Angel
 
Angel, with your wonderful outlook and supportive family and friends, I believe no matter what happens you have a satisfying and full life ahead. Please post here often and let us know how things are going with you. Maybe you can get a laugh or two from some of the more crazy members of your new BoneSmart family. Even hearing all the problems you've faced so far and thinking about challenges for you in the future, your introduction post made me feel wonderful ... to see such hope and strength displayed. You are a remarkable woman and it will be a pleasure to get to know more about you. Sending you an extra virtual (((((HUG))))). .....Jamie
 
Good morning everyone;
Or should I say good early morning? What a horrible night. The weather has been pretty chilly for the last couple of nights, yep even in Houston the weather acts up :) Even after going through all of the disappointments of a failed replacement, I still have to put up with the ache of arthritis, now that doesn't seem quite fair, but I was never promised a fair deal.
I hope this finds you all in good health and in as little pain as possible. Have a good and safe day all.

XX
Angel
 
Afternoon Angel. Hope your day is better than your night. At least chilly doesn't equal ice. Hate ice. That's the way i look at it! Take care. Jen
 
Hello all;
Whew, finally feel some comfort. I was beginning to think it was time to climb under the covers and hide today. Since I tossed all of my pain pills 12 days ago, I can actually feel how bad my other knee hurts. My left knee is bone on bone, but until I can get the failed TKR taken care of, and see what is to become of the knee, I can not even think about having anymore surgery.
I've had all of the shots, cortizone, syn, etc..... and nothing lasted long enough to get any relief, so I know that surgery is on the books sometime in the future. But not before Oct. After having so many problems with the right knee and then having the TKR fail, my new OS knows how afraid I am to go back into surgery for the other knee.
He is a wonderful surgeon, and I really grieve everyday that I wasn't able to find him first. He has a wonderful bedside manner, Dr. H. is head of his department at Baylor, he is in a teaching position, and does over 400 replacements a year. he has compassion, more than any doctor that I have ever seen, and I know that he will be the one to do any more surgery when the time comes.
But it scares the heck out of me to think that the left knee could also fail. He was very honest with me about the pros and cons of replacement surgery. The first 2 surgeons that I used never brought up failure. I asked them outright and both told me the same, I have never had a replacement fail, until you. Exactly, it can happen!
It might have been a lot easier for me to except that I was going to be handicapped had either one of these OSs sat down and talked to me one on one. But both were pressed for time, the second letting me know that he was a busy man and had other patients.( this coming after the TKR and him wanting to do a MUA. I told him no, that I knew that something was wrong and couldn't take the chance of a broken bone. My new OS told me that I had made a good call. I had been cut on too many times in 7 months to the day and that my leg was not healed enough to take the chance of having the MUA.
He told me that I had probably a 95% chance of having a broken bone during the MUA because my bones were so bad. He also told me that if he ever had to try and revise the TKR for the 4th time, it would also fail because the posts on the units would be so long and my leg bones are too short. I'm only 5 feet on the dot, and my bones are too unstable to take the chance.
So, I prayed and made peace with myself. I have accepted that I will never be able to do all the things that I used to do. Don't get me wrong, I still work in my yard, and I do go to the mall with my grandson, I take my wheelchair and people are usually pretty good about moving out of the way. Those that don't usually get a "huuruummp" and I slowly move past them.
I do drive, and I don't have any problems while ding so. I bought one of the light weight sports wheel chairs and it's so light I can pick it up and slide in into the back of my Cruiser. I use forearm crutches because of the freedom they give my hands.
One must do what one has to do to survive. Maybe one day with our technology, they will come up with something to help people in my position, but heck, I am not going to sit around and wait, I have things to do and places to go. And I never lose faith.
Ooops. seems that I am doing it again. I do apologise for these long drawn out posts, but sometimes that it is the only way for people to understand about TKR failures. My surgery failed, but I am a very determined lady.
Take care and have a wonderful, restful night.

XX
Angel
 
Angel, you are just like your name. And a woman to be admired! Your positive attitude and strength come through so clear in your posts. I'm certain you are an inspiration to people on this forum who come seeking help and support. Thanks so much for sharing a perspective that most of us don't have to face and doing it with such grace and beauty. Your family has quite a treasure in you. I will continue to pray that medical science soon has a remedy for your failed surgeries. In the meantime, I'm very thankful you are in the hands of a compassionate doctor. A big (((HUG)))) to you!!!
 
The first 2 surgeons that I used never brought up failure. I asked them outright and both told me the same, I have never had a replacement fail, until you. Exactly, it can happen!

Eeeeh! Who's telling porkies! NEVER had a failure? No such thing!

Consider this - a GOOD surgeon does a MINIMUM of 500 knees a year. His failure rate is unlikely to be less than 1%. That is 5 failures per year. Minimum. If his throughput is less, his failure rate will be higher because he has less experience. If he does more, his percentage will be less but the actual number will be more - like 1% of 500 is 5, of 1500 is 15 and so on. These are inescapable facts and apply to hips as well as knees. Any surgeon who tells you different is one whose office I would exit very, very quickly.


He also told me that if he ever had to try and revise the TKR for the 4th time, it would also fail because the posts on the units would be so long and my leg bones are too short. I'm only 5 feet on the dot, and my bones are too unstable to take the chance.

Whilst I would not wish to diminish your trust in this good man, that also is not entirely true. It is possible to get custom made prostheses for special patients. Hospital where I worked (Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London) made them all the time, especially for patients with special needs like your situation. Their business is a world-wide franchise. The only limiting factor would be one of cost as they are (unsurprisingly) not cheap!
 
Hi again;
Yes, we spoke of a special made unit, but after thinking about the risks involved, I decided not to look into it. I could go into surgery and have my OS try to revise the mess that I was left with, but then if this surgery failed also, I would have less bone on both ends to work with in case fusion was my last option to try and save the leg. For myself, I would much rather look at fusion rather than amputation.
As long as this unit that I have now stays stable, I can live with what I have. The 1st surgeon I had that did the PKR did over 500 a year, a well qualified surgeon, with a good name in the Houston area. He screwed up and then tried to convince me that what I was feeling was healing pain, nothing more. The revision for the PKR broke lose 5 days post op. After getting all of my hospital reports and the reports from his office is when we found that he had made a bad cut.
I filed negligence against him, and he settled out of court. It won't bring back my knee, but hopefully it will open his eyes to the hazards of being in a hurry and then trying to lie his way out of it. He had 5 more replacements to do after mine on that day.
It's difficult to find an OS who wants to try and clean up a mess another surgeon has left. My second OS had a mess to clean up, and I do thank him for at least trying. My new OS won me over when he sat me down and talked to me about my knee and what could or could not be done. He didn't try to convince me that this procedure or that procedure had to be done. He laid it on the table and let me decide, and then answered every question I asked him. If and when I decide to have my left knee replaced, this will be the man to do it.
I don't like that I have to live with what I have to live with, but I'll do it. My choices are limited unless I want to be a guinea pig, and that is out of the question. Next time around, I'll go into surgery without the blinders I had on the first go around, knowing that anything can happen, but wishing for the best results.

XX
Angel
 
Oh how I wish I could get you over to Stamore (RNOH). The Department of Joint Reconstruction deals with things like this all the time as they are sent, not only from all over the UK but from Europe as well! They would NEVER remove more bone where the problem is overcutting and the prosthesis is designed to accommodate that issue. I do so hope your guy is in this class.
 
Hello;
I have a dear friend who just had his 4th revision at the Royal National Othopedic Hospital . Right now he is waiting to go back in for a 5th surgery. During his 4th revision the doctors had to put in a TKR component that has 10 inch post in the femur and the tibia. He's having a really difficult time with the muscles in his leg right now, the doctors there are talking about doing a procedure where they remove the knee joint halfway up the femur and half way down the tibia and replace it with a prosthetic bones & joints.
They did tell him that it would be a touch and go procedure because of the trauma and damage to his leg. So, he is taking a few weeks to talk with family before deciding what to do. Josephine, I have never doubted that one day some doctor; some place; could maybe help me, but I have to ask myself if I want to continue being cut on, having revisions that might or might not work, and be in and out of the hospital for no one knows how many times.
As I stand right now, the unit in my leg is stable, I do have a 75 degree flex, I pretty well do anything I want to do. I told my family that I did not want to go back into surgery again on this knee unless something drastic happens. I am finally past the extreme pain portion of this surgery and the thought of going back through that again on the same knee, well, let's just say that is an option that doesn't sit well with me right now.
Life right now is pretty darn good, I have my health, my family and a gimpy leg. My husband has asked me several times if I wanted to go out of the country for medical attention, but I always tell him the same thing. We live in Houston, we have some of the best doctors and hospitals in the world here.
I made a bad choice for the first OS. Even after months of searching, and speaking to all the doctors involved, checking up on their medical practices and so forth. He made a mistake, and I have to live with it. But then, he knows he made that mistake and he has to live with it also. I put my trust, my life and my limb into his care, and he abused that trust. And we all deserve more than a fast trip through OR like a herd of cattle.
I went through a horrible experience, and I would never wish it off on anyone. But the truth is, it does happen. If not to me, then to someone else. It's not fair, but in this surgery, there are no guarantees.

XX
Angel
 
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