My Knee Guide - iPhone App To Help with Your Surgery Planning

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Jamie

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We would like to introduce to you a new free iPhone app called My Knee Guide!

This app (which can be accessed on the iPhone, iPad or iPod) is designed to assist patients who are considering or currently undergoing knee replacement surgery. The app can be downloaded from iTunes from this link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-knee-guide/id614808450?mt=8

One of the key benefits of using My Knee Guide is that all of the information pertaining to your surgery and recovery are available in one place on your smartphone. It becomes your own personal support tool for the entire process.

We see My Knee Guide as a wonderful compliment to the information and support you'll find here on BoneSmart. We encourage you to download and take a good look at the app. We also welcome input on how it functions and helps you.

Here is a brief overview of the features of the My Knee Guideapp:

Learning Center: This module provides extensive teaching about the most important aspects of knee replacement surgery that a patient would encounter. You can view four custom videos created for My Knee Guide. There is an x-ray vision center featuring interactive animations with x-rays (the before and after images are very cool). Additionally, you'll find an extensive and fully interactive checklist section to help you prepare for surgery. This checklist section is integrated to your personal surgery timeline (see the next section). Notes can be taken on every section of the learning center so you can record information that is important for you and have it easily available.

My Surgery Timeline: When you enter your day of surgery, a customized calendar timeline is created. This timeline will teach you about all the aspects of your surgery at the time that is most appropriate. It can inform you about each timeline item on the specific day with a push notification (alarm). The time line delivers safety notifications, links to the learning center and much more. The timeline can be customized with your pre-op and post-op visits to your surgeon. Custom events can be added. All of the events can be synced with your iPhone's internal calendar.

Contacts: You can easily search for a local surgeon, hospital, home health care agency, rehab facility, pharmacy and medical equipment supplier. The app uses GPS technology to target only those resources in close proximity to you, making it easy to get the specific help you need. Most of the sections have extensive ratings, safety information and surveys attached to them to help you make more informed decisions. If you've been on the BoneSmart forum for any length of time, you'll remember seeing a lot of posts from members trying to find a good home health care agency, home PT, etc... Now you have easy access to the most important Medicare ratings for these facilities (filtered to provide the most important data for knee replacement patients). You can add any of these facilities to your custom address book. All the entries in the address book can be imported or exported to your iPhone contacts.

Stories: Much like we have on the BoneSmart forum, there are two topics where My Knee Guide users can post their experiences: 1)“I decided to have my knee replaced when” and 2)“How my life changed after knee replacement”. This section is not designed or intended to function as a forum such as BoneSmart. Rather, the Stories section is more of an area to inspire and empower others going through this process.

There are many other details of the app you can explore. One example of a unique feature is found in the checklist section: “Pre-op questions to ask your OS”. If you tell the app that an assistant to the surgeon (resident, PA, ARNP) will be seeing you after surgery instead of your surgeon, the app automatically displays this name in the custom timeline to the user after the surgery instead of the surgeon.

My Knee Guide is in the process of creating a web site that will mimic all of the functionality of the app. Once completed, all information entered into the app or website (notes, timeline, contacts, etc..) will be live and accessible regardless of how you access My Knee Guide.

You can follow this link to an article that BoneSmart has coordinated with My Knee Guide titled: “Will my knee be straightened with surgery?”

Here is a list of some of the other contact pages for My Knee Guide (for your reference):

www.mykneeguide.com (this is in the construction phase and is serving as a landing page currently)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KneeGuide

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/MyKneeGuide

Twitter: @mykneeguide: twitter.com/mykneeguide
 
To everyone who can take advantage of this app, DO IT. Some may be too far along in the process to go back and fill in info, but I'm having my first OS appointment in two weeks and this is going to be invaluable for keeping track of all the moving pieces involved in TKR.
 
Any plans for an Android app for this? Sounds like a great app!!
 
Any plans for an Android app for this? Sounds like a great app!!

I was about to refer your question to My Knee Guide's Facebook page but I see that you've already posted there. The app's owner (via Facebook) is the best resource for information about future plans for the app.
 
I'm waiting for the Android version too but as I understand it, it's one of the 'don't hold your breath' things!
So - don't hold your breath! But it will come eventually.
 
Sure hope we have android version soon..my second TKR is scheduled for jan ..... :sigh: :sigh:
 
Last evening I explored through the entire app. I found it to be very insightful and full of knowledge. Even though I've already gone through TKR I still learned from it. Most importantly my pre surgery visit is November 20 and I will use the app for asking questions at that pre op visit. The first go around they always say, "do you have any questions?" Quite honesty people or me anyway just didn't know what to ask. Questions come afterwards when you are experiencing things that you did not realize would happen to you. I think this app does help to prepare well in a very easy to understand way. After the first TKR I wrote a list of questions as I thought of them until my post op visit arrived. Sadly my OS was backing out of the room, trying to move on to the next patient before I could ask all the questions on my list (I only had about 7 questions), but I am done with him now. Ironically I found that doctor and my new revisionist on the app although a good 50 miles apart north and south!
 
I totally I agree. I wish I had found all these resources much sooner...but maybe it was the best time per the universe?

Have you been sharing Bonesmart.org ( and now the app) with people?




Happy healing!
Kathy

Left TKR Oct 15, 2013
Right TKR Scheduled for Jan 2014 ?

Background:
Diagnosed bilateral bone on bone and OA knees Oct, 2012
Implanted intrathecal pain pump. 2008
4-6 additional herniated disks (lumbar and thoracic), 2004-now
Replacement damaged neck disks (c3-c5) 2004
 
What a great app. Thank you Jamie for telling of it, now duly downloaded and in use. I'm 4 months post op, but still wanting to hear others' experiences. Interesting app, and helpful.


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®
 
Great!!! So glad this is helpful for you.
 
@Jamie thank you for sharing! I wish I had known about this resource before my TKR but it is still full of good post-op information!


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
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I've just had my 2nd (other knee) TKR op booked. I had my first one in May this year, still recovering, but getting there.
Looking forward to using this new app. There was so much I didn't know before my first TKR, hopefully I'm going to discover things in advance this time! You do some great work on this site, thanks so much!


Lynn
 
@mcklynn ,
Welcome to Bonesmart!
Why don't you start your own pre op thread in the pre op forum and tell us a little more about yourself. You will be more likely to get answers to any questions you may have.
Here is how to start a new thread, Starting a new thread and posting
 
Had my right knee done in July and I am scheduled for my left on Oct 14th.
I agree, this site is a great thing. Even though I read a lot and they had a class before my surgery, nothing can really prepare you for the experience.
It is different for everyone. There seems to be such a huge range of how people progress and their pain experiences. Although for most, recovery is a slow hard process. It takes a lot of patience and perseverance.
I have found this site to be very helpful and comforting hearing all the people's stories and experiences. Especially when I'm having a rough time with pain, or insecurities about my progress.
There really is no way to prepare yourself for the emotional experience of it all.
I'm nervous about getting my second knee done. It has been hard getting through the first knee while knowing I have to do it all again.
I have learned a lot though.. Hopefully the second surgery will go smoother.
Good luck with your continued progress with your new knees [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
@Nanny2 Welcome to Bonesmart. You can start a thread in the knee replacement pre-op if you would like and then you can asked questions that you might have and would like answers for.

Some of this information may help you to prepare:

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:

Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?


Regardless of where you are in the process, the website and appMy Knee Guide can help you stay organized and informed. The free service keeps all the information pertaining to your surgery and recovery in one place on your smartphone. It is intended to be a personal support tool for the entire process.

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced knee, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:

Stories of amazing knee recoveries
 
GREAT!! We think this is a wonderful tool for knee replacement patients and hope it helps you.
 
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