 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Arthritis / September 2006Knee Doc Showdown Monday - crossed fingers needed
Well, I did my research this weekend about TKR (except for the few hours after I fell outta bed Saturday--I was turning the air a nice cobalt color). Sshhheeeeeiiitttt! The indignity. Still getting over a Fibro flare, THEN get a big purple butt bruise, jam up the already-bad knee, plus pull a buncha muscles from the sudden stop at floor level. ~~ouch~~ouch~~%$@&~~$%(^ %$ @*& #@!&%$^$!!! Anyhoo, I'm going to beard the lion in his den, and make him talk turkey about my knee replacement. I read up on all the indications FOR knee replacement, and answered yes to all of them. As y'all have said, I won't accept my age as a too-young excuse. Indications said -- be only 25% above normal weight for best longevity of the TKR. No problem -- it'll take up several months to fix a nasty bunion on that same leg that has to be fixed first. So during those surgery/recovery months, I can lose weight AND improve my osteoporosis scores, too. Add in my range-of-motion, amount of pain, limitations, and poor quality of life, and as you guys suggested, the greater loss of weight I could do with a GOOD knee, and all those indications fit me like a glove. So I will take no sh.t from this esteemed surgeon. And if the caca hits the ventilator anyway, I've got second-opinion surgeons' names from Janer's links, plus I have MD-level 'sources' at both major hospital groups to ask about other surgeons. All I hope is that I don't Fog up with Fibro/CFS fog and lose track of what I'm asking about tomorrow. Please cross your fingers or anything else you can comfortably cross that tomorrow's visit goes well. Ginnie >^..^< (Clooney just said 'take my own advice tomorrow'!(below) You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. __________________________________ The surgeon's job is to seek new business, your job is to prove that you are an appropriate customer. Sounds like you're ready to take your best shot. Good luck preparing yourself this morning, including a good start with breakfast, and writing reminder notes to take with you. A set of crossed fingers here for you, that you get what you need, and it would be nice if it is also what you want. > Well, I did my research this weekend about TKR (except for > the few [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. > __________________________________ Thanks for the send-off! But as fate would have it, I never made it out of the driveway. Dang car. Dang map lights that are so dim as to be almost useless, and I left them in for the first time ever. So the battery - and I - were dead in the water. Never got there. But... He has a cancellation on Wednesday, that I got, so we'll start this thing over on Wednesday afternoon. Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. __________________________________ > The surgeon's job is to seek new business, your job is to > prove that you are an appropriate customer. [quoted text clipped - 59 lines] >> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >> __________________________________ > Thanks for the send-off! But as fate would have it, I never > made it [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > But... He has a cancellation on Wednesday, that I got, so we'll > start this thing over on Wednesday afternoon. time for a new battery, if the map light killed it off (unless it was sitting for like a week or two that way without running). Now you have plenty of time to make specific notes before confronting the doc so fibro-fog is less of an issue. The poor fool won't know what hit him! LOL We'll be cheering you on from here. It's great to take such control of your own health!  SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare boy, nann, you're good at saying what's on my mind and what i'm thinking!LOL soooo, what she said, ginnie. good luck, with your appointment. and please let us know how it went. kate On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 22:30:46 -0400, Ginnie wrote (in message <qFNIg.14970$xp2.9913@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>): > Thanks for the send-off! But as fate would have it, I never > made it [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > But... He has a cancellation on Wednesday, that I got, so we'll > start this thing over on Wednesday afternoon. time for a new battery, if the map light killed it off (unless it was sitting for like a week or two that way without running). Now you have plenty of time to make specific notes before confronting the doc so fibro-fog is less of an issue. The poor fool won't know what hit him! LOL We'll be cheering you on from here. It's great to take such control of your own health! SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare Omigod, I can hardly sit still and type! He heard me out - and saw some really ugly xrays - and when I described two specific things - the buckling of my knee and a near-concussion, AND pointed to the exact spot in my hip joint that gets the hot poker/ground glass hurts, he stopped saying anything iffy, and changed the subject immediately to "Let's talk about knee replacements"!!!!!!!! And get this... I won a two-fer!!! He's also going to replace my "nasty-looking" hip!!!! It didn't hurt one bit to tell him I knew of a 6'6", 300 lb. man that his PARTNER put two new knees into, and that just stopped the 'lose-weight-first' discussion. He realized with the true nastiness of my hip, and the acute issues with my knee that I can't hope to exercise any weight off. When I told him the last steroid/lidocaine injection didn't work until a month later (if at all), he didn't even suggest injecting it again. Whewwwww-w-w-w-w-w-w..... I am SO relieved. Now I've got 4 surgeries ahead of me... my eye muscle imbalance this Friday morning, then as soon as possible after that, repair the 90º bunion on my bad-knee leg, to get those possible complications out of the way. Then the knee replacement, and at last the hip replacement. Guess where I'll be spending a lot of time?!? (howdy, Mr. Anesthesia Man...) Thanks to everyone who offered advice and links and opinions -- it all helped, and I owe you guys BIG TIME. Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. (And yup, I followed my own advice today!) __________________________________ > Well, I did my research this weekend about TKR (except for the few > hours after I fell outta bed Saturday--I was turning the air a nice cobalt [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. > __________________________________ {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Ginnie}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} WoooooooooHooooooooo! Happy Chair Dance for Ginnie! DeeTee > Omigod, I can hardly sit still and type! He heard me out - and saw > some really ugly xrays - and when I described two specific things - [quoted text clipped - 73 lines] >> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >> __________________________________ Ginnie, you've got a lot ahead of you for sure! I'm going to try re-sending my TKR journal to you again. It's been almost 6 years after my knee replacement, and so far the other knee is "holding well". Nanny > Omigod, I can hardly sit still and type! He heard me out - and saw > some really ugly xrays - and when I described two specific things - [quoted text clipped - 73 lines] >> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >> __________________________________ Nanny- ThankYouThankYouThankYouThankYouThankYou!!! Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. ___________________________________ > Ginnie, you've got a lot ahead of you for sure! I'm going to try re-sending > my TKR journal to you again. It's been almost 6 years after my knee > replacement, and so far the other knee is "holding well". Nanny Hi Ginnie,,,, What you live with in your day to day life just makes me shake my head. The truth of it is that you make me feel like a whiner with what I live with each day. I just love your positive outlook and the way you look forward to positive help. We all can learn from that. Wellll,,,, got to go,,,, the wife wants her computer back for something. Harv > Omigod, I can hardly sit still and type! He heard me out - and saw > some really ugly xrays - and when I described two specific things - [quoted text clipped - 73 lines] >> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >> __________________________________ Thanks very kindly, Harvey, I don't recall you whining about anything! but you know who cured me of whining? Bookbabe, and the way she kept marshaling her inner strength to put one foot in front of the other, all the while she was steadily losing her battle with cancer. It blew my mind the way she looked forward to a ghastly surgery that would keep what was in her bowel from ending up where it didn't belong, and her acceptance of the inevitable. BTW, tell the wife how much good you're doing for all of us by using her computer to post. That oughta hold her for a while, until your own 'puter is resurrected. ;-) Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. __________________________________ > Hi Ginnie,,,, What you live with in your day to day life just makes me shake > my head. The truth of it is that you make me feel like a whiner with what [quoted text clipped - 81 lines] >>> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >>> __________________________________ Oh Ginny, I am so glad for you and happy you will be getting the replacements. That is great. I hope all the surgeries go well and do what you expect them to do for you. Sending healing vibes to you for all the surgies and your suffering. SignatureLove and hugs Jo (\__/) .~ ~. )) /O O ./ .' {O__, \ { / . . ) \ |-| '-' \ } )) Warning: squirrels. .( _( )_.' '---.~_ _ _& > Omigod, I can hardly sit still and type! He heard me out - and saw > some really ugly xrays - and when I described two specific things - [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. > (And yup, I followed my own advice today!) Thankee, kind Squirrely. The way I look at it is -- the daily non-stop pain is worse for me than the post-surgery pain and rehab grind, so even though there's going to be some fairly uncomfortable weeks and months ahead, I've already seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and it ain't a train!! ;-) Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. __________________________________ > Oh Ginny, > I am so glad for you and happy you will be getting the replacements. That is > great. I hope all the surgeries go well and do what you expect them to do > for you. Sending healing vibes to you for all the surgies and your > suffering. congratulations on winning your battle with the orthopod, Ginnie! You have a really busy year ahead of you though, getting through all these procedures. May you have great results from all of them! SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare Thanks, Nann! I hate to say it, but I've gotten used to 'living' in the hospital. After maybe 16 - 18 surgeries, and two one-month-long and one two-week- long 'visits', I can pretty much handle the hospital frustrations and lack of control over one's life. Here's a foolproof tip to keep the nurses dropping in on you frequently, even when you don't need them there... Red Licorice! When I'm in for any length of time, I keep a glass/little vase/hell-even-a-tin-can-full of Red Licorice sticks, like flowers stems in a vase. Those nurses LOVE that stuff, and it cuts the number of times I have to ring and ring and ring and... in half! Plus I'm retired and don't have kids, so being incapacitated isn't as bad a stressor as it might be for someone supporting a family. Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. __________________________________ > congratulations on winning your battle with the orthopod, Ginnie! You have a > really busy year ahead of you though, getting through all these procedures. > May you have great results from all of them! So glad you didn't have to stomp and scream in the office to get him to see what needed to be done (although many ASA'ers have done the same over the years and the sight of gimps and gibbles stomping and screaming is a horrible sight. Doctor's curse us for giving people empowerment!) Maybe next time he won't even suggest age and replacement in the same appointment. Good for you! Remind us of dates coming up in the future and we will keep those good thoughts coming your way. Kelly > Omigod, I can hardly sit still and type! He heard me out - and saw > some really ugly xrays - and when I described two specific things - [quoted text clipped - 73 lines] >> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >> __________________________________ Thanks, Kelly, And the first date is Sept. First!! (heeheehee) The Countdown has begun! I'm halfway thru throwing things into a bag, and I have yet to get my CPAP disconnected and stowed in its case, so I can haul that with me. Silly that I have to bring it, I'm only in for one night. And I hope you're right about what he says to the next patient. And we were both smiling at the end of the appointment, so I got my way without ticking him off... IhopeIhopeIhopeIhopeIhope..... Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. __________________________________ > So glad you didn't have to stomp and scream in the office to get him to see > what needed to be done (although many ASA'ers have done the same over the [quoted text clipped - 84 lines] >>> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >>> __________________________________ it goes to show you that some full plates are delicious.<smile> you're gonna be very busy healing for awhile, but oh, how nice it must feel to you to know you will be healing and no longer suffering. good for you, for the way you handled the situation! kate Omigod, I can hardly sit still and type! He heard me out - and saw some really ugly xrays - and when I described two specific things - the buckling of my knee and a near-concussion, AND pointed to the exact spot in my hip joint that gets the hot poker/ground glass hurts, he stopped saying anything iffy, and changed the subject immediately to "Let's talk about knee replacements"!!!!!!!! And get this... I won a two-fer!!! He's also going to replace my "nasty-looking" hip!!!! It didn't hurt one bit to tell him I knew of a 6'6", 300 lb. man that his PARTNER put two new knees into, and that just stopped the 'lose-weight-first' discussion. He realized with the true nastiness of my hip, and the acute issues with my knee that I can't hope to exercise any weight off. When I told him the last steroid/lidocaine injection didn't work until a month later (if at all), he didn't even suggest injecting it again. Whewwwww-w-w-w-w-w-w..... I am SO relieved. Now I've got 4 surgeries ahead of me... my eye muscle imbalance this Friday morning, then as soon as possible after that, repair the 90º bunion on my bad-knee leg, to get those possible complications out of the way. Then the knee replacement, and at last the hip replacement. Guess where I'll be spending a lot of time?!? (howdy, Mr. Anesthesia Man...) Thanks to everyone who offered advice and links and opinions -- it all helped, and I owe you guys BIG TIME. Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. (And yup, I followed my own advice today!) __________________________________ > Well, I did my research this weekend about TKR (except for the few > hours after I fell outta bed Saturday--I was turning the air a nice cobalt [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. > __________________________________ Thank, Kate, and yeah, it'll be a grind some of the time, but something (can't say what yet) will be improving the pain control issues, so maybe I won't have to be as uncomfortable as I ordinarily would be. Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. __________________________________ > it goes to show you that some full plates are delicious.<smile> you're > gonna be very busy healing for awhile, but oh, how nice it must feel to you [quoted text clipped - 89 lines] >> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >> __________________________________ Ginne, what very good news. Don't envy all your surgeries, but when they are over, you should feel like a new person. You did good! Gwen > Omigod, I can hardly sit still and type! He heard me out - and saw > some really ugly xrays - and when I described two specific things - [quoted text clipped - 73 lines] >> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >> __________________________________ Thanks, Gwen, That's exactly how I look at it, too. And it just may turn out that the reduction in the knee and hip pain may make my other painful conditions less easily riled up and/or more easily treated. As a Fibromite and a PWCFS, stress is my worst enemy, so getting rid of the knee and hip stress should make life more tolerable. Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. __________________________________ > Ginne, what very good news. Don't envy all your surgeries, but when they > are over, you should feel like a new person. You did good! [quoted text clipped - 77 lines] >>> You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. >>> __________________________________ I'm really happy for ya, woman! Way to go! Hope you read Nanny's Journal tonite 'cuz you might not be able to 2morrow....I'll be with ya in spirit on this one and the ones to come. Woo HOO Ginnie Hugs from Rosie Signature"If you wanna get it done, you gotta fight for yourself." -- Meat Loaf, Bat Outta Hell II > Omigod, I can hardly sit still and type! He heard me out - > and saw [quoted text clipped - 81 lines] > > You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. > > __________________________________ Same to ya, Demented One! Actually, I won't be reading anything tomorrow 'cause I'm not taking my 'puter to the hospital. So I'll be AWOL until Sat. nite or Sunday. Woo HOO to YOO too! Ginnie >^..^< You can catch more flies with funny than vinegar. __________________________________ > I'm really happy for ya, woman! Way to go! Hope you read Nanny's Journal > tonite 'cuz you might not be able to 2morrow....I'll be with ya in spirit on > this one and the ones to come. > > Woo HOO Ginnie Hugs from Rosie |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.