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TKR Brownie's Good, Bad, & Uglies

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I hope you're having a better day. Maybe you should just keep records and focus on your recovery. You can worry about a lawsuit later. Take my word for it, thinking about a malpractice suit/complaint keeps you all riled up which is probably not good for your healing. There will be plenty of time for reporting doctors. Just my humble opinion, been there. :hairpulling:
 
Ooh, my gosh Marianne, I am just speechless..you are in a medical nightmare..thank goodness for your son! Is it possible for you to get copies of your medical tests to date and send them to your son? Maybe with his connections to other physicians, he can have an orthopedic Dr in his hospital take a look as a professional courtesy to him.

There is something wrong with the whole system when you can't find another Dr to look at your case when you are having true issues caused by another and shameful, shabby level of care. This Dr Reff has NOT met a satisfactory level of care in your case!!

Please, take notes of everything dearheart. And if it were me, I would ALWAYS take someone with me when I have an appointment. Have your advocate take notes of everything.

I know this sounds like maybe over cautious, or overkill so to speak, but better inconvenient and safe, than sorry.

I'm praying for you Marianne..this is just soooo not right and I wish I could do something for you. I am truely angry!! NO ONE should be treated like this.
 
Hi Marianne,
Just, saying hello and sending a hug for you,
Toothfairy x :console2: :flwrysmile:
 
Thank you all!
My WBC nuclear scan for Monday was cancelled. They said the isotopes did not pass the quality test! So they will call me Monday to set it up again. I have an appt with Reff for Wednesday for results and x-ray. I will go in for xray anyway and see if a fracture is showing up by now. I will feel alot better when I have a diagnosis. The WBC scan will only tell me whether this is infection or not. The pain in the tibia has not decreased. It is really tender in the whole area around the tibial incision and down towards my medial ankle area. The tiniest weight put on my left foot is still excruciating. I hope this is going to let up soon. I will be 4 weeks post op on Tuesday. I have had to take 2 norcos at a time sometimes but trying to stick with just one. What's crazy is that my knee pain is sure nothing compared to the right leg post op. What a huge difference in pain and recovery between the minimally invasive (quad sparing) procedure and the old open procedure I had in October. Unfortunately I have this tibal thing to mess up my recovery. I wish I had a way of knowing how big the "pin holes" were supposed to be. My distal pinhole went more than half way through my tibia.
I have not doing too much as far as bending because I don't have the kind of pain control required. It simply hurts too much to push my knee to bend as much as it was before the complication. It's still at least 90 degrees so I am not going to get stressed out about it. The incision still has an opening that is very slow in filling in. My primary doctor says it is going to take a while to fill in since it's over such a thin skinned area over the tibia.
I hope everyone is having a nice Sunday. I have a friend who is coming over for lunch. Sure helps!
 
kneeper what company did your doctor use? Mine was Zimmer. I was sure shocked that the antennae required a one inch incision and 2 large screws/pins! I would have thought it would be more like yours. But I actually wasn't even aware that he would go through the skin on the tibia. But they wag your leg around in air when they do this so I suppose it has to be fastened on there good. But sure seems like mine was over kill.
 
Brownie, I'm so sorry you are still dealing with this merry-go-round situation. I think you are wise to be taking a friend with you for all appointments. You need two sets of ears and eyes and a witness to what has been said and done. The folks who say to document, document, document are right on target. You may never need the documentation, but it has always been my experience that, when a problem is formally addressed from a a legal perspective like you may decide to do, having organized detailed documentation ALWAYS saves the day.

Josephine and I have talked about your situation and I thought she had a point of contact with Zimmer in Great Britain that she could ask about the process. I'm tagging her to see if she is actually able to learn more about how that part of their procedure works.

Hang in there, hon, and keep pushing. This doctor owes you some answers!!
 
Good grief Marianne!!! I am just catching up now - I'm only on p. 26 and am so furious with this guy. (Sorry - my projects got huge and without the email reminders of Bonesmart postings (which I seem to never get anymore), I forget to log on.) I hope by the time I get up to date things will have resolved. CALL ME!! You have my number. I wish you had when you started having touble. I would have come right down.

You need to start a list of everything that has happened. In order. Dates and times. Non-emotional. "Just the facts, ma'am." Who said what to whom and when (or who did not call back, etc.), what you were prescribed and what/when you took meds, what you observed and pain responses, how you were feeling immediately post-op and when things startyed to flare up. The good thing is you have a bit of a record of what has happened through your Bonesmart postings and you made most of your calls, etc. on a cell, I suspect. I don't do med mal. But if you choose to seek legal assistance with "Dr." Reff, that will be essential. I can get you a good referral. I don't know about good orthos in Long Beach pr the South Bay, but if you want to come up to the Marina, I have a great group that we (everyone in my family) use. Own surgical theater for everything but replacements - never a MRSA.
 
Brownie51 said:
see if a fracture is showing up by now
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I doubt it is.
Brownie51 said:
minimally invasive (quad sparing)
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MIS is nothing to do with 'quad sparing'.
Brownie51 said:
I wish I had a way of knowing how big the "pin holes" were supposed to be. My distal pinhole went more than half way through my tibia.
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There's no point in them being used if they are not at least ¾ the way though the bone. Remember, the middle of the bone is hollow.
 
Brownie, I did some looking at the web site for your surgeon's clinic. There appears to be one doctor there who's specialty is arthritic hips and knees in adults.....Dr. Hanna (broken link removed: https://www.theorthocentermd.com/dr-hanna). It might be worthwhile to see if you could talk with him directly about your problems and concerns. From what I saw, it appeared he might have more experience with an adult knee replacement.
 
Oh, Marianne, I am so sorry that this is happening to you! Hadn't realized that both your TKRs had been rolled into one thread, so hadn't followed the saga of your ordeal. NightQuilter is right on about the need to document all your conversations, and contemporaneously at that. (Bonesmart sure helps establish that). What you need even more than a good med-mal attorney right now is to have a second opinion from an OS who performs the procedure you had and who has performed it properly and without incident. One thing in your favor is the sheer size of the L.A. area--it can't possibly be that all the TKR surgeons in the Southland are closing ranks behind one bad apple. You will get through this, you will be vindicated. And you have put us all on notice about how vital it is to be our own advocates and have as many people in our corner as possible. For now, all I can offer are hugs and hope.
 
Oh for pete's sake---this is so silly, I cannot believe it. Thank goodness for your primary doc who helped you with pain meds to make this situation tolerable. Being non weight bearing is horrible---I can remember hauling my body around on crutches- Ugh. What an butt your doc is---so unsympathetic. He seems scared---that makes me wonder too. I am so sorry that you are going through all of this---your friend sounds wonderful.
 
Jamie that's not my area. I live in California! My guy has a solo practice. Dulcimer Diva I agree. A second opinion with someone who does this same procedure with Zimmer. I can check the Zimmer website and see if I can find someone. I was going to give it another week to see what's going on. Josephine so my pain started on post op day 11 and I will be 4 weeks post op Tuesday so that's 2 1/2 weeks of the pain but you don't think a stress fracture would show up yet? AAARghhh! I just want an answer and to know I am doing everything I can to get better! Thank you all for your support! It helps!
 
Perhaps Yun in Marina del Rey. Not certain he uses Zimmer, he does not use computers, but he is the new westside wonder. No bedside manner, but several friends have used him in the last couple of months and have been very pleased with the results - one is actually golfing at 7 weeks! His partner did my daughter's ankle.

Is your friend going with you Wednesday? Let me know if I can help in any way. We still need to meet!!
 
skigirl thank you! It is SUCH a pain crutching or rolling even to the bathroom! My living room is step down and even that is a pain. You can't carry anything. The simplest chores such as getting ice and a dish towel! I will so glad when this is over. Now when is it over?
 
Yun doesn't take my insurance. I had made an appointment with him when I was finding a new dr. He did a bilateral on a friend of a friend. I am not sure if a friend is going with me yet. I was thinking maybe I would be feeling better by then, not so tired. I'd love to meet!
 
Brownie51 said:
Josephine, so my pain started on post op day 11 and I will be 4 weeks post op Tuesday so that's 2½ weeks of the pain but you don't think a stress fracture would show up yet?
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What they would be looking for is growth of immature bone called callus which usually shows up within about 2/3 weeks. So I was wrong! :sorry: I thought it had been longer than that.

[Bonesmart.org] Brownie's Good, Bad, & Uglies
 
Brownie51 said:
kneeper what company did your doctor use?
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Mine was a Smith and Nephew. I had a small spot on the tibia--I think with a staple or two and as it healed I'd say it felt kind of like it was bruised but healed up normally. I'm so sorry this happened to you.
 
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