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Fusion Long ride to a successful Fusion

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Ashley:
You are an incredibly impressive person. As young as you are to have so much happen to you and you are an uplifting joy. Childrens is AWESOME! Brigham ain't too shabby either.
I am so buoyed by your posts, and what you are doing for Audrey is a miracle (we have both been around awhile on this forum)
You also make me feel kind of guilty when I get all whiny and pity-party-ish. My troubles are nothing compared to what you have been through and what Audrey is living through.
I aspire to get your attitude!
You have really inspired me to continue push through this annoyingly slow recovery.
Sandy
 
Audrey;
I'm too lazy to look back in your posts- remind me again who you are seeing at the end of the month? Are you seeing Dr. Kelly soon as well or is he just counting on the other surgeon to help you out?
 
Just so everyone knows, *I* have only been around my own knee, nobody elses...
 
Thank you, knee fusion folks, for sharing your stories. You are heroes. And you bring such light here after all you've been through.

You've taught us much...and I pray for your continued healing.
 
Coachie: I am seeing Dr. Magory, a colleague of Dr. Kelly's at OA. Dr. Kelly wants me to see him as a second opinion for the knee fusion. Dr. Kelly doesn't want to do it (and I don't blame him) based solely on his own opinion. If we ALL agree that a knee fusion is the best solution, then Dr. KELLY will do the surgery. I trust him and really don't want anybody else doing the surgery...unless he feels that Dr. Magory has more experience in doing fusions. I do believe if he felt that, he (Dr. Kelly) would be the second surgeon in the OR at that time. We are still going to talk about the "thicker spacer", but the more time I spend on the couch, and have pain with bending my knee, the more I just want this to be over with. Even the outcome will be a straight leg, at this point (2 years into this nightmare) I'm ready both physically and mentally for having the fusion.
I'm getting to the point where I have to ask myself "what purpose do I serve on a daily basis"? Sure...I can clean the house, feed the dogs and ponies and make dinner. That's pretty much my life, besides visiting my Mom once a week. I have almost no energy and doing a simple walk feels like I've run a marathon. I really need to get physical again. You know...be able to go to the gym and get my strength back up. Can't go swimming, because the pools and lake are too cold, and the minute my leg gets cold, the RSD flares up. So...no summer fun on the lake for me. I have to sit on the beach and watch everybody....and wish and hope that next year, I'll be back into "life" again!
 
Dont think of it that way Audrey! every step you take and the fact that you CAN do it, no matter how little, should be inspiring. You must understand how many people in this world would just lay back and go "welp, this is hard, so Ill just sit here and mourn the loss of my active life". The fact that you get up everyday and face the pain to try and attempt at a normalcy and to be productive should make you proud. No, its not perfect, and its okay to be sad sometimes. I understand that feeling. I remember when I would visit my friends and we would all be sitting around watching TV and chatting, and then they would decide to go do something else...i used to get SO angry and jealous that they could just get up and walk away while it took me so much energy and time to get up and go. the key is, though, to keep those things you do close to heart. No matter the pain or conditions, you are still you.

i definitely DONT miss my "roger". haha. I gave it a name because trying to explain what it was really called was not easy. It was fairly easy to keep clean, as long as I used ointment and clean the sites with q-tips. I also was taking an antibiotic as a preventative measure. I did leave school for a week when they had a MRSA outbreak though, no thank you! I also liked to scare little kids with it ;)

Its funny because my doctor even told me he was going to do a procedure he hasnt done "since his days in Vietnam"! haha! I had that on for about 3 months. no pants for 3 months! haha i *THINK* the knee cap is still there? They gave a reason but I dont remember what. In all it was a 7 hours surgery to put it on, less to take it off (and no, I was not awake for ANY of it). I think I was in the hospital for 4 days after the surgery. They DO NOT usually do that kind of procedure anymore, its normally done with the rod inside the leg.

I have fallen many of times, grace is not my middle name. It doesnt really hurt. In fact, my doctors told me the knee is very stable and if I were to ever break my leg, it would be above or below the fusion. I mean, you shouldnt fall, but in general a regular fall (like tripping) wouldnt be a huge issue. The winter on crutches was awwwwwful. I do think that winter can be a bit trickier to get around. I also live in New England and understand the perils of their winters. haha. You just have to learn to walk a bit slower and should buy some grips for the bottom of your shoes.

And, if I may ask, what is RSD?
 
Audrey:
I concur with the lake water here in New England.
By the time it gets warm enough to not freeze when you get in the water, it is fall!!!!
AND I don't have RSD.
 
Thanks Ashley and Sandy! RSD is "reflex sympathetic dystrophy", more commonly known now as CRPS..."complex regional pain syndrome". I got it during my first TKR....if you go to my other "topic" that I started in 2009 right after my TKR...might have been early 2010....you can read all about my struggles with being diagnosed with it and how this whole knee thing started. It's basically nerve damage and/or pain that cannot be or is difficult to be diagnosed, but has specific symptoms.
Coachie: I see Dr. Kelly at the end of August to make a decision.
 
Audrey, for sure they put you out to remove the frame. We're not that cruel! :wink1:
 
(chuckling at Jo's post) :th_heehee: Jo...here's a good question for you. Whereas I have RSD/CRPS and my leg is sensitive to cold, would having the rod in my leg pose a problem with the RSD issues? hhmmmm....I know when I had the screws in the tibia below my knee, the cold would make my lower leg ache like nobody's business! I wonder if having the rod in there would cause the same issues and thus aggravate the RSD? That would NOT be a good thing! What do you think? Anybody else got any thoughts?
 
You've finally asked me a question that's got me stumped! Can't say I've ever heard anyone comment on this before. So I'm sure I couldn't say. It does seem logical but ... never heard anyone say anything like that so couldn't say for sure.
 
Audrey:
I don't know about the external metal but I would tend to say the cold will affect it.
I had my ankle reconstructed a few years ago and it is basically held together by screws and wires.
When I go ice climbing, I wear metal crampons, and I think the cold radiates through them right to my ankle as my ankle and right foot get very cold to the point that I need several foot warmers to keep my toes from frostbite.

Maybe a leg warmer over the brace and then fleece on top of that?
OR, spend your recovery in the Caribbean????:thumb::thumb:

sandy
 
Yup! The intramedullary rod/nail is what I meant.....but I sure would consider a few weeks (or MONTHS!) in the Caribbean!!!! Negril, Jamaica....HERE I COME!!!! :happy dance:
 
It is a beautiful summer day here in Maine, and I'm taking "Peg" to the ocean beach! There is a beautiful place called Schoodic Point, which is part of Acadia State Park. We usually take the motorcycle there, but that would be a bit difficult this year! Sure would make for some raising of eyebrows with "Peg" along for the ride! ...had a busy week...more movement than I'm used to, but that's ok....'cause I can relax today! :yahoo: Schoodic....here I come!!!!
 
WanttoRide,

You can always come to TX and spend time! I guarntee you that you will not have problems with cold lakes or water or anything!

My home is an open invitation and I promise this west TX weather will keep you nice and toasty!:wink1:
 
Hey Sonja! My son is stationed in Port Arthur, TX at the Coast Guard Station. He's been there for about a year now, and is coming "home" to Maine for a visit this week for 10 days. He's not a fan of the Texas heat, for sure! Hit 96 here today. Had to abandon "Peg" (my cast) for the afternoon....she was sweating bullets!!!! :loll:ha ha ha!
I had to find some way to cool off, so hubby and I decided to give one of the Shetland ponies a hose bath around 4:00. (That's the pony in my profile pic...his name is "Diamond") He's such a good boy...stands right there and doesn't push me around...and he's only 3 years old! I'm still missing my riding horses (one I had to put down right after my first knee surgery, and the other I gave to a good friend) and hoping on bareback and taking a stroll down the road and into the field. The sound of "clip clop" on the road.....oh, I so miss that! But....you never know. There may be a time when I'll have to add another stall for a riding horse someday. You never know what a knee fusion will bring! :wink1:
Only two more weeks till my second opinion! This "opinion" is basically to confirm that a knee fusion is possible for me, and most likely the best solution. I'm glad that Dr. K wants this second opinion, as some would just go ahead and do the surgery. I'm sure there's some legal stuff going on there as well...as in "CYA", but that's fine with me.

Still working with the attorney as to proceeding with the law suit. It sure takes a lot of time gathering ALL the information, but the surgeon in NH hasn't flat out stated that there is not a case...he just has to be 100% sure of his opinion before we can use him in our favor. No sense in going before a board without having 100% backing. He (the surgeon in NH reviewing my case) finally has all the xrays, notes, CT scans, MRIs and PT evals to un-biasly see if he agrees that there was no choice but to remove the first TKR non-cemented implants AND that they were rotated. Just in case anybody didn't know, we had to look for an orthopedic surgeon/revisionist outside of Maine, due to the fact that most of these docs belong to the same "club" and they watch out for one another. We were VERY lucky to find a doc outside the state that would take the time to review my entire case and give his opinion. It's VERY hard to win a case like this in Maine, but I would kick myself in the butt for not trying. It will be a long road, but I don't ever want to say "I wish I had tried". You only have 3 years from the date of injury to file officially within this state, and it pretty much takes that long to gather all the information AND find an un-bias opinion...even before you can legally file.

Hubby and I are hoping for the best, but not holding out a lot of hope that this will become a full-blown lawsuit. Boy, have I learned a lot about this kind of stuff the past year! Any money that my insurance company paid out will have to be paid back IF the law suit is won. Let's see...that totals about $55,000 at this point! Then lawyer fees, etc. I always wondered how they came up with a base number to sue for....guess I know now! ...then there's money lost from work, stress, time lost from my husband being out of work to take care of me....the list just goes on, and on, and on. It's amazing what you find out when you start to detail everything. Kinda scary, too!

Well...I think I'm gonna go make myself a nice cold drink and toast to all of us who are hoping for good outcomes! :cheers_wine:
 
I dont know about in ME, but have you looked into disability to help with the medical bills? I had a lot of bills from all the medical **** I went though, it was awful. Everytime I had a spinal tap, it was 250$. Sometimes I had 2 a week! Since I was unable to work, I went onto Social Security Disability. This allowed me to pick up the state insurance (MassHealth) to supplement the insurance I had. It picked up copays, prescriptions, medical equipment, ect. that my insurance did not cover or required payments on. The burden of the medical process can sometimes be worse than the actual medical issue. :(

and whhhhhere in NH, where abouts? I live in NH for about 3 more weeks, haha! great place, but I sometimes miss the city. haha
 
In order to get SS to pick up any medical bills, you have to be on Social Security Disability for 2 years. After that, you are eligible for Medicare and other benefits as well as a disability check. If I am unable to return to work before April 2012, I will then be eligible. Luckily, hubby has good insurance through his work, so we have to pay a maximum "out of pocket" per year of around $3,000, after which, everything is paid at 100%. It just stinks having to come up with that amount, which we have had to do for 2 years running. It could be worse....could have no insurance and have to pay ALL the bills. Thankfully, not! Phew! ....I don't live in N.H. I live in Maine. The doctor that is reviewing my case is in N.H. :)
 
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