Oh Bonnie, what to do, what to do. I am nearly at the one year stage and I don't
As you have had such a wonderful experience from the revision, I imagine you would say go get the second opinion. But what if I did have a revision and it was WORSE than it is now - no two people are the same. I guess I have nothing to lose by just TALKING to another surgeon???????? Carol
Oh Carol @
patient 99 , I do feel your pain and frustration. You are right, no two people are the same. I started going back to my OS at about 11 months post op, I started my backward spiral. He would always say "everything is just fine" he'd take an X-Ray and tell me my knee was perfect. I kept believing in him because I needed too. But I kept going back for a year and a half, less ROM, more pain. He always dismissed me as everything was fine, go have more Physical Therapy.
So at 2 1/2 years I finally listened to my husband who all along kept telling me, "something is not right, you need to see someone else." In my heart I knew he was right all along, so I did go to see another OS. When the doc said my knee needed to be redone, that 80% guarantee he could make me better than I was. But said that is was my decision and did not pressure me at all. Our appointment was done, he left the room saying think about it, no rush and if I decide to go ahead, just call the office to schedule.
I was scared to death, I turned to my husband who said "80% is pretty good odds." He said, come on...you can think about it, let's go home and you can always call back." I didn't get up, I sat there with my eyes welled up with tears and told him, "My TKR was the most horrible thing in my life, I never want to go through that pain again...but I have to do it. I can't live the rest of my life the way I am now." I couldn't go up and down stairs, could not walk on grass, could not pedal a bike. I could not walk for any reasonable length of time (like grocery shopping) with out pain and the limp getting worse. My ROM was getting so bad, I was finding it difficult to put on my socks and shoes, I could hardly reach my foot. When I'd stand from a sitting position the initial weight bearing was incredibly painful until I got moving, but even moving, not pain free. So before we left the doctors office, I scheduled my surgery.
I didn't know if it would work, I worried I'd be like this forever but I knew I could not stay like I was forever either. It was a quality of life that I wanted back so I had to take the chance. So 2 years 8 months after my original TKR, I had my revision. You know the rest of the story...it was a night and day difference from the first TKR, I kept waiting for the horrific pain but it never came. ROM leaving the hospital with the first knee was 52 degrees, ROM leaving the hospital with the revision was 90 degrees. I've never looked back, it was the best choice I ever could have made for myself. I could now say..."So this is how it was supposed to be!"
Only you can make that choice, maybe you need more time. I was in denial for a long, long time, thinking it was me, not trying hard enough. You just have to ask yourself, "Can I live the rest of my life the way I am now, do I want to live the rest of my life the way I am now?"
United States
for reading my thread!
