PKR My Drama Queen Patellofemoral Knee

Our mental attitude has so much to do with everything in our life.
It sure does! Mine’s in a good place today. It certainly isn’t always.

How many times have we read on here not to compare because we didn’t have someone else’s surgery and they didn’t have ours.

For months I couldn’t help comparing, I am one of the youngest in the 55+ community I live in, so there have been a lot of knee replacements. And I kept thinking, I only had a partial, while they’ve all had totals, and I wasn’t doing near as well as they were. I thought I was just being a baby.

Then after my one year check up I got my surgical report and learned I also had a lateral release done, and just in the last week I’ve learned that can be very tough to recover from. So, I DID have a different surgery than they did, and not just n the partial vs total department. And I personally believe a Patellofemoral is harder to recover from than the other types of partials, which is how it’s going for me.

So, for today at least, I’m good! :flwrysmile:
 
It's nice on Bonesmart because we are free to keep each other in check. I also have bad days and get sick and tired of being sick and tired! But I am practicing being content in my circumstance.
At a world glance, I am so much better off than a huge percentage of the worlds population, despite my leg issues, and am thankful. :wink:
 
I also had lateral releases on both
My partial was done 3-13-17 and I had a lateral release done, too. I still have a lot of discomfort on the lower, lateral side of my knee.

Have you had any issues from your lateral release?
 
I’m sorry to hear of your ongoing problems would they do an MRI as it can look at so much more than an X-ray?
 
Hi, @Niftyknee They would have to have a reason to order some other tests for me but so far 2 surgeons don’t see a reason to do that. I guess they think I am making much ado about nothing. They don’t see anything wrong with my X-ray-so in their mind, nothing is wrong. I wonder what tests they would order if it was their knee that felt like mine!
 
Did you ask them to order a MRI? It's no money out of their pockets, so maybe they would. Did you ever heard back from #2? Maybe you could call them back and ask for a MRI order. Just a thought.
 
No, I’m not going to ask for anything. If one of the best surgeons doesn’t think there’s anything to look into then it must be something that is just going to need more time.

Time to either improve or get worse enough to look into.

I emailed the second opinion Dr a week ago today to let him know the results of gabapentin and my decision to stop taking it and I have not heard back. I guess he does not have a Plan B and is not interested in communicating with me. My case is not worth his time.
 
I’m so sorry @Jockette that you are being treated this way. Your knee is a challenging case for any surgeon, but they should at least have the decency to reply to an email! Unfortunately, a lot of us more challenging patients are treated this way by the medical community. Don’t give up. I haven’t, even though some days I feel like it. I’ll keep praying for a great surgeon with a solution for you! [emoji847]


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I do believe he’s a excellent surgeon but I sure would like to be able to talk to him. I’m not asking for half a day. And I hardly got to talk to him when I was paying for the appointment.

I am feeling pretty angry at the moment. Not just for my situation but for all the others who are suffering in pain because of someone else’s opinion on how this recovery should go. :hairpulling::gaah:
 
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Do you have a PCP? They usually function as “ gatekeepers” ordering test, scans, labs, etc,,,,.
I don’t know about your area you live, but PCP offices are being consolidated with hospital groups. That is how it is where I live. If you don’t have a PCP, a good one can help you navigate the health care system. Possible get what you need.
 
By PCP do you mean a general practitioner? No, I don’t. I hardly ever need one, I rarely get sick. The one I did have during the course of this surgery closed her office because she was new and couldn’t afford to keep it open. (She had been part of a group previously. )

I really don’t want to involve a non Orthopaedic doctor in anything to do with my knee.

I would just like to be treated with respect by the orthopedic community.
 
Yes, either a family practice or internists. I rarely seen My PCP as well, only once a year.
 
RE post #1223 - I don't think my issues are just from my lateral releases. I just still have that achy-stiffness all around the knee area. I'm thinking as muscles get stronger and I walk more, it will get better. My orthopedic actually said up to 2 years recovery. And my PCP has been wonderful handling my medicine since 3 weeks post op.
 
@Jockette, I assume you have been having some increased pain for days, for you to feel like this and to be angry and very discouraged.
I say, give things a break for a while and just try to do some normal daily things to distract you. Give this some time so you can think differently and allow more healing time too.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if things just started improving in a month or two? That's what I am praying for her since I deal with the same old problems 24 seven.:bored:
I am just trying to believe that time will heal more things, and working on my impatience. We don't know what our future holds in this knee realm, and it could be wonderful and positive. :) :-) (:
 
@Jockette, I noticed you mentioned you emailed your 2nd opinion doctor about your decision to stop taking gabapentin. You are not the first one I’ve read who have indicated using email as their means of communicating issues or questions with their doctor. I’m curious as to why? You say you never heard back from him so you assume he doesn’t want to be bothered with you anymore. Why don’t you just schedule an appointment directly with him. If the office tries to schedule you with his PA, tell them no, you want to speak directly with the doctor. You are their customer! If the doctor is unwilling to meet directly with his customers, then he’s not worth having as a doctor! I couldn’t imagine trying to communicate via email with my doctor. You have no way of actually knowing that he’s the one reading and responding to your email. Go talk directly with him. Be direct and assertive that you want him to sit and listen to your concerns and not be dismissive. Tell him if he doesn’t believe there is a valid issue, you want a clear explanation as to why he believes such. Don’t accept him simply stating he just does. He has to have a logical and clearly medical reason why. If doctors tend to intimidate you, go in with a prepared list of issues with descriptions of what you are experiencing and bring along your husband or other family / friends who are not afraid of speaking up on your behalf! This is your life and health, not theirs!
 
@NavyGunns There are a lot of factors involved with this second opinion surgeon.

He is 1 hour and 40 minutes away in good traffic. The day of my appointment with him traffic was bad, it took 2.5 hours to get there, and 3 hours to get home.

I had my X-rays with me, my surgical report, my pre surgery MRI report and a list of my concerns. He took my list away from me, and my folder, and set it aside and said, just tell me. Well your mind goes kind of blank at that point. The first concern I told him was the pain I have going down steps. He went on to tell me not everyone gets a good outcome, sometimes doing it over makes it worse, and some people’s body just doesn’t like the implant. I didn’t know how to respond to that.

All of a sudden he’s putting a needle in my knee which was very painful, and takes me to the building’s stairwell and has me go up and down, foot over foot, and he wants a percentage number of how it feels. It all happened so fast, my knee is feeling all kinds of weird from the needle and I’m struggling to do the stairs and I couldn’t think.

We went back to the exam room, he prescribed gabapentin and left shorty after. The appointment lasted maybe 15 minutes, though I didn’t time it, so it could have been longer.

I was supposed to call the office a few days later to report on how the shot in my knee and the gabapentin worked. The shot was a local anesthetic.

I did call and left the information and his assistant called me back. I asked for a copy of my office visit summary, she said she’d email it. It took 2 more phone calls and a week to get that email summary.

So, when I stopped the gabapentin I emailed the same assistant that I saw in the office and spoke to on the phone, who emailed me the summary.

You can’t get past the person who answers the phone, you have to leave a message and wait for a return call, so it was easier to just email her.

I’m not driving all that way again and paying for an appointment for a few brief moments of his time again. He obviously doesn’t need my business nor does he feel the need to do anything, judging by his examination of my X-ray.

My husband was with me at this appointment. The dr was in and out so fast we didn’t know what hit us.

I do agree with all you said, and I appreciate your suggestions and support, but we can’t always control the situation at an appointment.

And, this dr came extremely highly recommended, I have no doubt of his surgical abilities. But I will only see him again if I have an emergency before I find another surgeon for a third opinion.

My faith in finding help at this point is dwindling. My X-ray looks fine so they won’t look any further. I fear something will have to go really bad before any surgeon will look further.
 
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@Jockette, I agree your visit didn't go well, but the fault is with the surgeon, not you. From what you've described, you did everything I would have done. Regardless of the surgeon's expertise, he may not have much of a "bedside manner" regarding how he relates to his patients. Knowing my own personality, I would have probably told the surgeon to give me my list and other items back so I could reference them rather than try to go from memory. I don't tolerate being manipulated like that.

So it seems that you have a decision to make. Do you continue to give your knee a bit more time to see if things improve or, do you look for another surgeon who will take your interest in your health and personal well-being and actually listen to you rather than simply passing judgment after only 15 minutes. It's a tough decision to make and you really are the only one who can make it. Everyone else (including me) can only offer opinions and suggestions.

I'll keep you in my prayers and hope you get the guidance and insight you need to make the decision that is right for you. God Bless.
 

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