Revision TKR Would like advice please, I think knee has moved

[busylizzie]

Update

Just as I arrived at the hospital I got a mobile phone call telling me I have an appointment to see Mr Kay's registrar on Wednesday morning at 9:45.

The pain specialist was running late. When I got in he went through my medical history and I told him the reason why I was referred to him changed on Christmas day. He pulled up the CAT Scan report and said he couldn't understand it as it was full of jargon and measurements. He let me see it on screen and it said that my tibia was externally mis aligned with respect to my femur. Just as I had figured. It was quite lengthy. 15 and 30 degrees were mentioned but I can't be certain what they referred to. I asked if I could have a copy but he didn't have printing facilities in the room he was in. He said ask for a print out on Wednesday. He spent a very long time going through pain relief options with me and what I'd already tried.

Suggestions were

Another tunneled epidural for future surgeries
A genicular nerve block
A lidocaine infusion
To "fry" some of the nerves in my knee, if it can't be fixed. They would probably regenerate in about 3 years ( I have already had this done on my colon nerves and it didn't work -called denervation )

He agreed oral meds were not a good choice for me. He has referred me on to one of his colleagues to discuss these options. I will reserve judgement until I have seen him. He also said that I was doing the right thing limiting further damage by using the brace and wheelchair.

There was a lot of knowledge to sink in.

 

[Pumpkin]

You have a lot to think about after your visit today. Sounds like your leg is off quite a bit, I will be interested in what the registrar says.

 

[Josephine]

Wow. Quite an indictment. And did Peter do this knee for you?

His private practice is part of the same hospital.

trivia, I know but it's not part of the hospital. The hospital is NHS and has a private wing, that's all.

 

[busylizzie]

Yes Peter Kay did this surgery along with Giles Foley as the Fellow. There was an incident in theatre and my new knee had to be re-sterilised before fitting. It had already been delayed in traffic coming up the M6 that morning. I believe that these incidents do happen from time to time and that usually a new implant is taken from storage. In my case it was a custom implant, so had to be used. I was fully awake during surgery so was aware of this. Have you seen many cases of this @Josephine?

 

[busylizzie]

I couldn't work out as a lay person the angles mentioned and others. It was a lengthy report and lots and lots of images. I vaguely recollect there being in the 90s. I hope that I get a better look and a copy on Wednesday morning. I just want it sorting now. Both my legs from the ankles to the hips were scanned. The leg difference was to be measured.

 

[Josephine]

Yes Peter Kay did this surgery along with Giles Foley as the Fellow. There was an incident in theatre and my new knee had to be re-sterilised before fitting. I believe that these incidents do happen from time to time and that usually a new implant is taken from storage. In my case it was a custom implant, so had to be used. Have you seen many cases of this, Josephine?

To be honest, very few. In my lifetime, about three times only. So I guess someone dropped it, eh? tut tut! and resterilizing it would have taken at least 40 minutes.

 

[busylizzie]

Yes, it slid down a scrub nurse's leg, but was stopped from reaching the floor. She was mortified apparently. I know an elderly gentleman, a prof, whilst not a surgeon, he was involved in joint replacements. He has told me some of the tales of things that happened in theatre. He has been retired a long time now.

 

[busylizzie]

They used a big bath of chlorohex to sterilise it, twice ( 20 minutes a time if I remember correctly ) and dried it off using a big blower. Whilst I was very aware what was happening, Mr Kay did visit me later and explain what had happened.

 

[busylizzie]

Knee has just set off with horrible spiky nerve pain, I wish it would stop. I am laying still not moving.

 

[busylizzie]

It is 4 am now, still no sleep!

 

[busylizzie]

I just feel so mentally and physically shattered today, no energy at all.

 

[Ellejay]

I'm so sorry you are going through this, I can't do anything other than say I'm thinking of you and wishing you well.xx

 

[busylizzie]

I NEEDED to go out today. I needed some normality in my life. I needed to forget about my leg for a few hours. So mid afternoon after much discussion I doctored one of my braces by bending the stays at the back so that my leg was just short of the maximum flexion I could comfortably get and strapped it firmly on. I padded my foot and braced by ankle. By doing this I had enough bend to use my scooter comfortably with my foot overhanging the end and could manage to sit in the front passenger seat of the car. Of we went for a little retail therapy. I had Christmas and Birthday money to spend. We went to a large department store off the motorway with plenty of space and disabled parking. I browsed loads and bought a little. Went to the cafe. It has done me good. I am ready now to face tomorrow.

OK I may be in more pain, but I did very little weight bearing on my left leg. I am hoping that I will sleep better tonight.

 

[Pumpkin]

Happy to hear you got out for some Retail therapy, sounds like you protected you knee as best you can.
Hoping for a good nights sleep so you are ready for tomorrows appointment.
I always feels good to get out when you have been cooped up at home.

 

[busylizzie]

Setting off shortly for the hospital. In a lot of pain this morning.

 

[Legin]

Goooood.luck everything crossed oooooooer I got six dogs now

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Ellejay]

Best wishes @busylizzie, do tell us how you get on.

 

[busylizzie]

Not a lot to report on. I saw the same registrar that I saw in the autumn . Xray done. Shows nothing altered. I don't think he understood the CT Scan results, he just said that there was a lot of measurements. I will wait until tomorrow when I see the foot/ankle consultant who ordered it. Today while he acknowledged there was a problem he had no idea what had happened, the only thing he could come up was possibly the patella had moved and wasn't tracking right. I am not at all convinced that has caused the problem, it could be the result of what has happened. I need to see my knee consultant. He is either in meetings or abroad until February......His secretary is going to see if they can squeeze me in on a private clinic, but that is likely to be in 3 weeks time . Oh, I had to have a blood test as well. I said I couldn't go on like I was. He wanted me to go to physio. I said no, any movement really hurts. He also wanted me to keep bending my knee, it obviously hadn't sunk in that any movement gets me to screaming pitch, hence the brace.Came away demoralised again!

I also had a phone call bumping up my gallbladder appointment to this Friday, due to a cancellation. It has knocked 7 weeks off the waiting time .

 

[referee54]

I also had a phone call bumping up my gallbladder appointment to this Friday, due to a cancellation. It has knocked 7 weeks off the waiting time .

That is great---waiting can be a big issue---and I hate waiting, too!

 

[busylizzie]

@referee54, I think my gallbladder will be coming out, I get daily pain from it now. It is distended and has a calcified large stone attached to the wall of it.

I am pinning some hope now on tomorrow's consultant coming up with some answers. My foot now faces forward and I can stand with my weight evenly distributed. My ankle pain has gone. Something must have moved over Christmas. My knee now bends in the correct plane. The only trouble now is the knee pain, bend and pain and swelling down my leg where the large 14 cm stem is.