Just wanted to share with you my experience--I hope you find it encouraging.
My life has been getting smaller and sadder for a long time because of immobility, and I've gained a ton of weight. I had a ortho-PA that I know and trust tell me that it wasn't going to get better without a new knee. She works for the pre-eminent orthopedic surgeon in this town, and recommended I go see a doc in another city, 3-400 miles away. Our hometown hospital has a horrible track record for infections with joint replacements, which is partly why I flew to a different city for it. I flew down there, checked in at the clinic, and she couldn't find my appointment--turns out I'd come on the wrong day!
They still wriggled me in, and the doctor took all the time I needed with him. Very patient and encouraging. He was in that not-old not-young range, very fit, and yet when I asked him if I thought I should lose weight before I had the surgery, instead of saying, "Yes, you're fat and disgusting and clearly have a moral failing and personality defects," he floored me by saying, "You're not that big." What? (Maybe he's blind? Do I want a blind surgeon?") and then he added, "You should see some of my patients, and you'd realize what I mean. My experience has been that it's hard to lose weight if you can't move around."
And then he started telling me all the things I could do again if I had a new knee: walk, hike, climb, bike, swim. That was like telling an amputee that he could grow new limbs, come back in two weeks and they'd be ready. Because those things had just faded into the long-ago far-away memory of a past life, something that other people get to do, but I don't. I asked, "Cross-country ski?" Which was like asking, "Can I be a rock-and-roll star and fly to the moon and have a pet unicorn?" That would be a dream, to ski again. And he calmly said, "Oh, yeah, sure. That's a great exercise." And I was in, simple as that.
He also said that they say hip patients love their surgeon as soon as they come out of anesthesia, but knee patients hate their surgeon for the first six months, and then they love them. It's the only point of disagreement we have. I have been rising up and calling him blessed since day one. If he was in Florida, I would fly down there to have the operation from him. He also told me that he has done thousands of these, and he's never had an infection. Ever. He was humble about it--he said, "That's not to say you wouldn't be the first, but . . . " But. I'm not his first. Healed up without a glitch. Textbook perfect. Seven weeks out, and I'm able to straighten my knee for the first time in forever.
I had a friend that terrified me by saying I would need to have someone take care of me for about ten days, and I'd have to use a commode, and the pain would be excruciating. From day one, I was able to get to the bathroom. They insisted I had to have help moving at the hospital (an escort due to my risk of falling), and from the first time someone helped me, I got inside the door and said, "Okay, thank you." She looked a little surprised, and said, "You've got it." Yep. And I shut the door in her face. And that elevated toilet seat they offer you? Not necessary. I mean, you might like it, but you may not need it. My left leg has essentially been doing the work of two for a long time, and it's pretty strong.
Something else I appreciate about the doc is that he didn't look at my body and think, "Ah, it's already a train wreck. Doesn't matter if I make it any uglier." I have a scar that's about seven-eight inches long, which I think is kind of longer than most. (He also told me after the surgery that my knee was among the worst he'd ever seen--very inflamed, raw. That might be why they had to make the cut so long.) But it's very straight, and just a long, thin line--looks like a cat scratch. It's healed up beautifully. Skin is still kind of discolored around it, but I anticipate that in 3-6 months the scar is going to be almost invisible. Parts of it already are just a fine white line
I also shared my concerns pre-surgery about metal sensitivities, and got the Oxinium knee. It's made by Smith & Nephew, the Legion system. I was afraid of it feeling like I had a foreign body in there, but it feels so natural and normal. I love-love-love my new knee, and I NEVER expected to feel that way about it. I wish I could go back and allay my fears about this surgery. None of the things I dreaded came to pass.
I'm so excited for you that you get to have your life back!
United States
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