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HI HO< HI HO< It's off to the operating room I go
Not sure if this is the right place for this post....but I am feeling sooo stressed about my upcoming surgery and how it will affect my abilities to be an EMT.
5wks from now I will be undergoing a cartilage transplant in my left knee. My ortho says I will be unable to walk on it for 6wks and will be facing months of physio and almost a full yr to recover and no gaurantee that it will work. I was told that if I was older I would be facing a total knee replament. But I am only 40, so a TKR is yrs away for me.
I am hoping maybe someone on this board can shed some light on this subject. Maybe some of you have it or a similar procedure done.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Laura G on
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Sorry to hear about your surgery Ingrid....hope all went well for you and you are feeling better.
Thank you for your thoughts -
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Thank you Phoenix...I have heard that PT after surgery is incredibly painful. Motivation is going to be a huge part of the recovery
There's really nothing about this that isn't going to be painful. I think the least painful period will be immediately following surgery and for approx 18 hrs after. He will be putting a nerve block in my knee so that will at least get me through the first night then on to the prescription pain meds. -
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What a great group of people on here. Everyone's thoughts advice and kinds words are really appreciated. As one poster said , the fear of the unknown is truely a horrible thing. Yes, I know whats going to be done, but don't know how well it will go and whether or not I will benefit from it or if it's just going to leave me worse off then I am now.
I absolutely love my job and would be so devastated if I wasn't able to do it anymore. My knee's suffer every day and by the end of my shift the pain almost brings me to tears. I always have tylenol with me and most days need 4-6 to get through the day. I take a prescription for them as well. There hasn't been 1 day in the last where I have been pain free with my knee's.
Climbing in and out of the ambulance causes pain, driving makes it ache....squatting to lift is excruciating .
I know I can't continue with my knee the way it is now, it is only going to get worse. But damn the thought of what is going to be done to my knee is really kinda scarey and as mentioned before...not knowing if it will be successful. I really do hope it is a success and it will give me back my life, because this knee pain is for the birds. -
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Permalink Reply by Jay Nicholson on
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The way it was explained to me is that the 2nd TKR is harder to do than the 1st. Then the 3rd is harder than the 2nd. By the time you get around to the 3rd, there may not be enough of whatever to work with. Your ex in-law may have to live with a non-replacable replacement and only be 55-60.
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I have already consulted with 3 different ortho's. None of them will do it. I was offered the options of doing nothing and continueing as I am now, having a micro fracture procedure done to stimulate the growth of pseudo cartilage, a patellaectomy and either the mosaicplasty or the Osteochondrol Allograft.
And the overall consensus was to go for the allograft and transplant some cartilage. It has a higher success rate then micro fracture.
So for the next 10 or 15 yrs the only thing we can do is try and salvage what is left of my knee and tolerate the pain. Injections, surgery and pain meds until I'm old enough for that TKR. Seems quite unfair actually....there is an option available that will give me back my life but no one will give it to me.
Makes more sense to put me through however many surgeries to prolong the inevitable and hope they work and provide me some relief then to just solve the problem now. -
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Ralph, this is a pic of the brace I wear daily. Thankfully it's light weight but harsh on pants. I may have to start wearing a kilt ;). -
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That looks less bulky the one I have. I have the Breg X2K Counterforce. I would imagine it fits under the pants better. Mine barely fits under my pants and I find my pants bunch up with it. I also find it slides down on my leg and I am constantly having to readjust it during my shift. I use a sleeve under it to improve the comfort level but the sleeve probably contributes to the sliding. The custom brace I had made moves very little, however does not fit well under my pants.
So, I've given up on both of them and just suffer through my shift. -
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The first sleeve I got was nothing more than a pantyhose cut at both end. It really slipped. I just got a neoprene one from the manufacturer. I really like this one.
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Sounds like the kind of sleeve I've been using. Tshirt material basically. I figured it was the way to go because it was thin , therefore more comfortable. Any of the neoprene ones I have come across are pretty thick and less comfortable.
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That's why they ordered mine from the brace manufacturer. I love this one. Keeps the knee warm on these cold days. Cold for me being in the 50's, not to rub it in.
When I was in the AF I ran with a VFD in Loudon Co. I know what cold is this time of year for you. My knee doesn't like the 40ish mornings let alone N. VA winters.
Good luck, Jay -
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