Hello everyone.
It is getting on for a year since I had anything to report about my "failed" RTKR in November 2018 and my total inability to walk, even with a Walker, without pain, since then.
This due to countless delays in getting an NHS appointment with my consultant Mr Zahn who I first saw privately on October 1st. 2021 (and who then put me on his NHS panel as I did not have medical insurance) and also for necessary investigations by the NHS - Blood tests, CT scan and bone scan.
By far the majority of the delay was that the referral from my GP was sent to Mr Zahn's NHS secretary, but she had left and been replaced.
The referral email was not accessible to his new secretary, so nothing happened.
You can imagine my frustration since I only had information to contact his previous NHS secretary which, of course was impossible. I lost count of the times I emailed and phoned with no response. Eventually I was able to contact his new NHS secretary who could not have been more helpful. Once I knew what was happening, I arranged for the referral to be resent from my GP. That was in March this year, six months after the first referral attempt!
I had the CT scan in May and saw Mr Zahn in July still waiting for Blood test and the Bone Scan. He arranged for me to have blood for testing taken at my local GP. That left the Bone Scan - this where I was to be injected with a radioactive compound which after several hours concentrates at sites of inflammation or irritation. It was hoped that this would show up problems with the kneecap.
Not hearing anything for weeks about the Bone scan, in September I contacted the NHS appointments people only to be told that they were working through last November's list! It then occurred to me that maybe I could have this done privately! This proved to be true and I had a very thorough Bone Scan at The Trinity Medical Imaging Centre on September 21 (£850!)
I saw Mr Zahn yesterday and as I suspected and hoped, the results definitively show that the kneecap is in a poor state and requires resurfacing. Mr Zahn says that there is an 85% chance of success in this procedure.
It is now approaching four years since I had the RTKR, before which I was promised I would have no pain after the replacement. The surgeon who carried out the replacement, on seeing me 12 weeks after the procedure, said "I have done my bit" and to my mind washed his hands of me and sent me on a wild goose chase by suggesting that my hips were causing the problem! This and two other referrals, together with Covid, allowed time to slip by. This, as I have reported here following advice from Jaycey, led me to contacting the consultant, Mr Helmut Zahn
Now knowing what needs to be done and being so fed up with all the time that has been wasted, I have asked for a quotation for the procedure to be carried out under Mr Zahn at The One Hospital, Ashford Kent. Unless the cost is astronomical, I will have it done in the next six to eight weeks!
I must admit the phrase "Compensation and closure" has crossed my mind!
Fingers crossed!
Kind Regards, Jim