Knee replacement surgery

[wtg]

Mr wtg had TKR on his right knee on Monday. Surgery seems to have gone well but communication issues were rampant among the participating parties, namely the surgeon, the surgical center, the pharmacy, the home health care nurse, and the patient. If I weren't a bit medically savvy, we would have had some real problems on our hands. I let the surgeon know what happened, and he reached out to the surgical center, and their director of nursing called me the day after surgery. I related what happened and told her that as ex-systems people who had a sub-optimal experience, we wanted to help them improve their patient experience by detailing what happened from the patient's experience. I'll be following up with all parties in writing, including diagrams.

Mr wtg had a really bad day on Tuesday but we're finally figuring out what works and how to manage pain and other postoperative issues. It is a much more challenging surgery than the hip replacements were; those were a piece of cake.

Anyway, if anyone is going to have TKR, I have all sorts of practical tips I've collected, things like getting those damn compression stockings on. Are we the only people in the world who haven't heard them referred to as TEDs?

[DougG]

I wish Mr. WTG a speedy recovery. I’ve managed to avoid this one so far, but I’ve had three very close friends go through the procedure and seen it secondhand. All of them had a very tough first week and wondered whether it was worth it, then were gloriously happy with the results there after. I hope your husband gets to the “happy with the results” part soon!

[CHAS]

OUCH! Hope he is better soon. Sounds like an ordeal.
I expect to have knee work done not too far in the future. I am currently doing full flat footed squats which seems to move the remaining cartilage into a good place. It is my own private therapy and I don't recommend it for everyone.

[ShiroKuro]

@wtg said in Knee replacement surgery:

Mr wtg had TKR on his right knee on Monday. Surgery seems to have gone well

Very relieved to hear this!

but communication issues were rampant among the participating parties

But very, very sorry to hear this!!

It's really frustrating when you have to be super vigilant because someone else somewhere isn't doing their job right. I'm glad you were able to make a positive difference for Mr WTG and hopefully the surgical center will take your feedback to heart!

[Mik]

God love ya for trying to help them. Hope Mr. WTG heals well and quickly.

[wtg]

@Mik You probably have seen a ton of disasters in your line of work. I think I remember you saying that you encountered some real problems when you yourself were hospitalized some years back.

It amazes me how many holes are in the system.

[Rontuner]

Hoping his recovery goes well and he takes time to heal before pushing too much...

[Steve Miller]

How is Mr. WTG feeling today?

[wtg]

The PT said days 2 through 5 are the toughest. Today is day 4.

The good news is that every day he seems to be better pain- and mobility-wise. The bad news is that it's still very very painful, despite a lot of pain meds, icing, and elevation.

Doing our best to get him past this initial phase. PT coming in a little while, second visit this week. Will see what he says. We really like him. A bit older guy (not a twenty-something) who seems to have a lot of good experience and excellent bedside manner.

Thanks for asking!

[ShiroKuro]

@wtg said in Knee replacement surgery:

The bad news is that it's still very very painful, despite a lot of pain meds, icing, and elevation.

Ugh, I'm so sorry!!! hang in the Mr. WTG!!!

[Big_Al]

I hope he continues to improve rapidly.

I won't elaborate on my experiences because I hope you avoid anything similar. I will say that my wife had a knee joint replacement done in January and had serious pain immediately thereafter. It took some time to subside and she was doubting whether she had made the right choice. She had been in PT in the prior months so she was as physically prepared as she could be. As soon as her orthopedic surgeon permitted it, she recommenced outpatient PT and began progressing in strength and range of motion. Ice was her friend to combat swelling and she used it, primarily in the evening for several months. She avoided any opioids because of the constipation issues they tend to aggravate and depended on Tynlenol for pain relief.

In early July, she had surgery to repair a hernia that had caused some problems, but was tolerable with pressure to prevent its eruption through the abdominal wall, an event that had sent her to the ER once. She is now continuing PT but has largely recovered from both surgeries and says she feels better than she has in years. My hope is that Mr. wtg also is able to achieve similar results.

Big Al

[Mik]

@wtg said in Knee replacement surgery:

@Mik You probably have seen a ton of disasters in your line of work. I think I remember you saying that you encountered some real problems when you yourself were hospitalized some years back.

It amazes me how many holes are in the system.

Yes. You have to have the backbone to be your own advocate.

[ShiroKuro]

@Mik said in Knee replacement surgery:

You have to have the backbone to be your own advocate.

And knowledge and know-how (not the same things), which not everyone has.

[CHAS]

Hope Mr WTG continues to improve.
I know people with knee replacements that ski. Some have both hip and knee replacements. They do not ski as hard as they did when younger.

[Mark]

I hope Mr. WTG heals quickly!

Sorry to hear about the issues you had with the process.

If anyone can set them straight, it's you. I wish you all the best in that endeavor!