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PKR My Drama Queen Patellofemoral Knee

I'm sorry you still have such a lot of pain @Jockette and I honestly think that you shouldn't have it. Any damage caused by the stay with your friend and her low toilets should be long gone by now. :console2:

If it was my knee, I think I would be considering getting a second opinion at the one-year mark, from a surgeon who specialises in problem knees and who has no connection (either social or professional) with your current surgeon. You need a completely independent opinion.
 
Oh my, I dread having to find another surgeon. Delaware is a very small state. I guess I would have to go to the Baltimore MD or Philadelphia PA areas, to find someone who has no association with my current one. How does insurance work if you go out of state?

I am still hopeful that it will sort itself out in time.

What if at my one year check up my current surgeon finds a problem and wants to do a total. Should I let him? I don’t know how many Patellofemorals he does, or how many convertions from that to totals he does. It never occurred to me to ask those questions before this surgery. I trusted his diagnosis that I needed the Patellofemoral.

When I told my friends I needed only a partial, two of them scoffed at the idea and didn’t agree. In my innocence and ignorance I defended my surgeon and was confident he knew best.

I’m afraid I could get a different surgeon and hospital who can do a better job but might be more into aggressive rehab than the surgeon I have now. And the hospital I had my surgery in gave me an excellent experience with them, the PT’s that I had in the hospital were gentle, they never bent my leg at all. They even stopped a walk and took me back to bed because they were concerned about my blood pressure being low at the time. We’ve all read some bad hospital experiences.

Thank you so much @Celle for your caring support and info. I will think carefully about options.

And I’m so afraid that any future conversations with medical professionals that they will tell me, “well, you didn’t do your exercises.” Rebel that I am! :no-fin:
 
If you decide to look for a second opinion, I will ask Jamie to help you. I haven't heard of anyone whose insurance refuses to cover that, but Jamie will know more than I do, as I don't live in the US.
Jockette said:
I’m afraid I could get a different surgeon and hospital who can do a better job but might be more into aggressive rehab than the surgeon I have now.
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Jockette said:
And I’m so afraid that any future conversations with medical professionals that they will tell me, “well, you didn’t do your exercises.”
Click to expand...
Don't forget that the amount of exercise you do is your decision alone. Others, such as a surgeon or PT, can recommend, but you have the right to choose whether or not to accept that recommendation.

I'd avoid being specific about whether or not you do exercises - just say something non-committal, like " I do exercise my knee." After all, the activities of your daily living are all exercise for your knee. And walking is the best exercise of all for your knee - you walk every day.
 
Jockette said:
I’m afraid I could get a different surgeon and hospital who can do a better job but might be more into aggressive rehab than the surgeon I have now
Click to expand...
I'm going to second what Celle said. Only you have the say so to what pt or exercises that you do.

My OS never asked if I did the exercises, just wanted to see what I could do. He gave me a prescription for PT and I took it and said OK. But, never went. I had one come to the house before I could cancel it and she tried to put her hands on my knee to push it. I never scheduled another one. It's your knee and nobody can tell you, you have to do PT. Just say you are doing the exercises, cause you are!
 
I have had very good luck with calling my insurance company, they have always been happy to give me accurate coverage information. I'm sorry your knee isn't working right. I wish you the best.
 
Either my surgeon or his staff always asked if I was doing my home exercises and/or what exercises I was doing. I tried to be vaguely honest. After I found Bonesmart I stopped the exercises but would occasionally do 2 or 3 reps of a half leg lift or a minor heel slide once a week or so, so I could feel “honest” when I said yes I was doing them.

I have always feared the discussion with my surgeon about exercise. I know it’s my choice, and I choose Bonesmart, but I don’t like to go against “authority “ and I don’t like confrontation and I don’t like feeling like I’m lying about it. We all know what they are asking and I’m not doing it. They are not talking about ADL’s, even though you and I know they are exercise.

What a mess this rehab is. I always felt I had to prove my progress however I went about it, and that was more stressful than dealing with the post op pain.

I so hope I don’t have to have more surgery. :bolt:
Time will tell.
 
My insurance company has been great. I just wonder how it will work if I have to go out of state and possibly out of network.
 
Hi jockette
I know what you mean about authority and going against it. I also do not like confrontation. I do some heel slides so I am not lying.

Since deciding I was not going to PT anymore, I have had bad dreams about what she will say when I tell her. She is a bit scary !!

So I thought I know I will ring and discharge myself. Then I fear she will ring me up !!

So the next plan was to go to the next PT then discharge myself by saying I have purchased a bike (I haven't !)

Honestly this is daft isn't it ! I bet I have another dream tonight with a new plan !!

Good luck with a second opinion if you go for one.

X
 
Thank you for the smile! But it isn’t really funny. The stress of this recovery comes mostly from other people’s expectations for us.

I did cancel some of my PT appointments towards the end and their office didn’t give me any hassles. I hung in there, said no to things I was opposed to, and did get an “honorable discharge” so everyone was “happy”. But that was after almost 2 months of PT, and not all of it was gentle. I won’t do it again next time. I will figure out how to deal with the surgeon.
 
Just remember when you talk to the surgeon and the PT that, although they seem to be authority figures, in reality you are paying their wages. Whether it's directly or through insurance, your money is buying their services - just like paying a car mechanic to fix your car. That puts you in the position of being the boss. You don't have to please them - or their egos - they have to please you.

My brother-in-law is a consultant surgeon. He puts on his trousers one leg at a time, just like everyone else. He's a normal human being, not a god.
 
I did that @sistersinhim. I was using the new app. It just puts it there. I always just type down the bottom as I’m on my iPhone. I’m back on the old one now. It’s easier to use.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
Oh, Jockette, I too think you should look into a revision at this point. You’re so determined and are hanging in there so hard, you’re doing everything a person can be asked to do. If your knee is not getting better, you need to consider a long term solution.

Nothing happens overnight, and you have time, of course. You can research your surgeon: does he do revisions? What is his record and reputation. Research other surgeons. Call your insurance and find out the answers to your questions. They’ve gotten these questions before.

You’re so supportive of everyone else. Wonderfully so. Supporting ourselves can be harder. What advice would you offer to someone else about your issues?
 
@SusieShoes Who is your surgeon and what hospital were you in? You were happy with him, right? And he didn’t push aggressive rehab. You’re not that far from me.

How would I get answers about how many procedures my surgeon does, just call the office and ask? How would I know the information is accurate?

And, the amount of PKR to TKR would depend on how many PKRs he does.

If in the future he finds a problem and wants to correct it, that’s a good sign, right? That he’s looking out for me? As opposed to not seeing anything wrong and I continue to not improve. I don’t totally trust his recovery care, but if he’s qualified to redo my knee, if it comes to that, then I think I’d like to stay with him. He and the hospital are minutes from where I live, and I had an excellent experience with the hospital in all aspects. I’m sure he’s an excellent surgeon, for the routine TKR.

On the other hand it’s better to go to someone else since I’ve read that it takes a different skill to take out an implant than to put one in, so I wouldn’t want close locality to be more important than the skill my knee would need.

Heavy things to think about.
 
My OS is Robert P. Good. He’s associated with the Rothman Institute here in the Philadelphia area, but he practices in Delaware County, which is south and west of the city, in the suburbs. He did my surgery at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Dr. Good is listed as a revision surgeon as well as doing primary TKR. That said, I don’t know anyone personally who has had a revision using him. I know a great many people who’ve had a TKR with him, though, and all are satisfied. I’m very happy with him, too. We can discuss him further if you want to know more after reading up on him online. I think it’s a good idea to schedule a consultation visit with any OS you find interesting.

Your surgeon may be very good. Talking with him about your knee is a good place to start. It still would be a good idea to get a second opinion about going to a TKR. The more information/opinions you have from sources other than your original surgeon, the more informed any decision you make will be.
 
Thanks, @SusieShoes

I looked at the map and the hospital is not far off 476, a road we’re very familiar with.

I will keep it in mind.
 
I still have 2 months before my 1 year check up. I am hoping for improvement as I continue to heal. Even with this recent increase in discomfort I can feel other areas of healing/improvement.
 
And Hallelujah, it’s going to be close to 60 degrees here tomorrow! I can wear shorts to bowling!!! :wowspring:
 
@Suzette this was the iPhone version but I don’t like it either. I can’t edit and it repeats every paragraph when replying and I have trouble finding any threads lol


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
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