Revision of 3½ year old TKR**

Does anyone think I'll be better off with a brace of some kind? Just wondering.
 
A brace might relieve some pain while you're waiting for surgery, but I wouldn't consider one as an alternative to surgery.
 
I'm so sorry to hear your going through all this!! I will definitely keep you in my thoughts!
 
@Josephine. At first I was going to say that if your pain was mostly upon resting, a brace would not work that well. Usually bracing is to support you in activities. But, since you started having trouble getting up and climbing stairs and if you have to wait a few months for help, a brace might help you. I had a custom one for off-loading since I am knocked kneed and that's what wore my cartilage down it one place and put a terrible strain on my knees and ankles. But it was cumbersome although did feel good on the joint. I think you can get over the counter braces to help you before you get your tests and possible revision. They also have straps that fit around the knee just below the knee cap and if that's where the pain is, it might keep things tracking correctly.
 
Oh no! Have just caught up with this..... hope you get this all sorted sooner rather than later. Maybe we should all write to your OS and wave our sticks at him... You have been so helpful to us moaning hippies here, me included xxx
 
I laughed at the thought of hundreds of us waving our sticks at Josephine's OS. What a sight that would be!

Sending good wishes and prayers, Josephine. We'll all probably learn a lot from your journey, but I'm sorry you're having to make this journey.
 
Nooo! Not my Shaun! He's a lovely chap. Easy to scrub for and a very good knee surgeon. I love him to bits!

Shaun O'Brien.JPG
 
He looks a lot more cheerful than my OS does! btw, I did send my OS a postcard from my recent holiday and to the Ward too thanking them for getting me on the road to a pain-free life. Hope he appreciated it :)
 
Is he single? :eyebrows:
Asking for you, not me :wink:

He best treat you with kid gloves....you have a posse that will be after him :fasthorse::fasthorse::fasthorse::fasthorse::fasthorse::fasthorse:

Wishing you loads of comfort as you patiently wait, Jo. :console2:
 
I should read the pre op forum more often!
Just read about your troubles, Josephine. So sorry you have to go through this pain years later.
Keeping you in prayer!
 
It's very strange and I really wouldn't have believed it but since my last post, I've had many more pain free days than otherwise. But when it was painful, my goodness, it was painful ! So last Monday I phoned the ortho sec to ask how much longer I'd have to wait. She asked me to wait a few secs and then came back with some stunning news - apparently that very morning they'd had a cancellation .... for tomorrow! She said hopefully "I expect it's a bit too short notice for you to take it". No fear! I'd have taken it if it had been that afternoon!

Co-incidentally, I had an appointment with my cardiologist that day too which I'd been looking forward to as my pacemaker had been giving me problems. But I figured the aspiration was more of a priority than the cardiology appointment so accepted it then rang the other hospital to cancel the cardiology appointment. Yesterday I got a new appointment for that in the post already and not far away either!

So I made my way to the hospital on Tuesday for a 2pm list. At our local hospital we have an admissions ward where patients are put into a small room where they can change into the obligatory op gown and be interviewed by a few members of staff who all ask exactly the same questions as their colleagues. This is a safety thing as it means we've been checked at least five time by staff from various points of our surgical journey through the theatre. The usual things like name, address, date of birth, allergies, what other conditions we have, what medications we're on, what we are having done, which side - all that stuff.

So then I got taken through into the theatre in my op gown and dressing gown and the bouffant hat I always wore when I was working there! En route, I met around 6 individuals I'd worked with who all greeted me warmly which I found surprising since it was 13 years since I left!

A trolley awaited me in the theatre which I had to clamber up on and then the registrar (doctor in training) came in to do the job. I knew he would be doing it and was doing my best to be (literally) laid back about it but I was very reassured when the consultant came in to see how he was doing. Well he wasn't doing very well because he'd been probing around in my knee for several minutes and not succeeded in extracting even a ml of fluid! At which point, the boss patted me on the shoulder and quietly announced he was going to scrub up! I relaxed hugely!

Not that it was painful, you understand. As usual (and just like at the dentist) the worst part was having the local anaesthetic but I was just anxious about whether he was going to do the job! So Boss took over and within minutes, two 10ml syringes of straw coloured fluid were being waved in the are for me to see! Straw coloured means the likelihood of there being any infection where pretty much zero. Phew!

They also had the films up of the bone scan I had done a few weeks ago and even from across the theatre I could see the clear evidence of the loose tibial implant! MUST get copies of them so I can post them for you.

So I went to get off the trolley to return to the pre-op ward and someone said "where y'going?" It seems I was being chauffeured back to the ward on the trolley and into a recovery ward I had no idea was there. Quite honestly, I had expected to get dresses, ring for my taxi and go home! Oh no! I had to have two sets of obs done (BP, temp and sats) and a blood sugar test before I would be allowed out. I asked why and was told it was 'in case I had a faint or became unwell'! In vain I protested that I'd only had a local injection but no. And they put the cot sides up on the trolley to make sure I couldn't escape!

So after the second set of obs I was allowed to get dressed and then they phoned for a taxi and I was allowed to go through to the waiting room where a large notice on the wall pronounced that

PATIENT INFORMATION
ON NO ACCOUNT ARE PATIENTS ALLOWED
TO DEPART THIS WARD
UNLESS
ACCOMPANIED BY A MEMBER OF STAFF!
Well that put ME in my place!

However, I was able to walk freely after the procedure and had no issues after at all. I fancy that the relief in knowing I definitely DON'T have any infection and Boss also told me the bloods I had done were clear too. Fantastic!

So the next step is waiting for the date for the revision.
 
Great news about no infection! Now onward to get that needed revision! :yes!:
 
How are your knees feeling today @Josephine ? I am sure members contemplating this procedure would like to know if there are any "after effects" after aspiration.

Hope you get your surgery date soon!
 
Uh-oh! I never said, did I? And that was the primary reason for the post!

My knees were absolutely great and normal from the get-go. In fact, I was about ready to walk back to the admissions ward but they wouldn't let me! Once I complied with their protocols, I was able to walk downstairs to where the taxi was and get about my business indoors! Not a whisper of discomfort even.
 
I can't believe I've missed all this. I am sorry to hear of your problems. That's so unfair after all you do for everyone. Good to know you've got the first part out the way and it looks infection free. Hopefully that will be confirmed and you can move onto the next stage before long. Take care and I hope you don't have too many painful episodes in the interim.
 
Can't say I'm posting regularly but I do when there is something to report!

Today it was about my call to the ortho sec, asking her if she could give me an idea how long I'd have to wait for this revision. Her reply shocked the heck out of me - 7-10 months! I put on my best 'poor little old lady' act and said 'but I've got a loose implant and I'm in pain!' She replied that she understood but she had a several scores of other patients in that situation too and the lists were full. I did understand her position and I wouldn't have her job for all the tea in China. How awful to have to be telling people who were in pain over and over that they'd have to wait that long.

So, nothing daunted, I sent an email to the surgeon saying
Will I really have to wait 7-10 months for my revision? I’m truly not expecting special treatment or an early admission, but I was a bit shocked when your sec told me this.
Bless him, the reply came back within the hour saying
Hi Jo the good news is that the aspiration was normal and I have just dictated a letter to you. Stacey is quite rightly just quoting the party line at the moment as my waiting list has gone up to about 6 months. I am however getting extra operating lists so I hope nobody will have to actually wait that long.

Explanation:
"Lists" are operating lists that UK surgeon have. They might have a morning or afternoon or an all day list and they book patients into that list for surgery. It seems the extra so-called 'waiting list' lists that had been done on weekends had been stopped some months ago, hence the build-up of his patients waiting.

NHS is a rare and wonderful thing though not always hugely efficient - organisation!
 
@Josephine

So glad the aspiration was normal and fingers crossed that you get a much earlier surgery date!

I must admit that I smiled a bit when you described your little old lady act :)
 

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