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hospital appointment

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grandmaDylan
grandmaDylan

ACouple of weeks ago I saw locum gp regarding some xray results of my knees. Although she agreed that there was moderate oa in one knee and severe oa in the other she refused to refer as I'm at least 10 years too young for them to even look at me. (I'm 56) she would only refer mme for physio, which I've already tried. I paid to see a consultant privately who said age isn't the issue, the pain is. He said that he'd operated regularly on people in their forties and fifties.He agreed to transfer me to his nhs list. The appointment came today for a week on thursday!!!!! Obviously I'm really pleased but also angry that I had to go privately initially because the gp didn't listen to me. I rang the practice manager and expressed my disappointment regarding her dismissal of my pain and that I should have to live in pain for several years. Apparently the gp's have to follow a "pathway" which starts with physio. The gp didn't tell me this, so I suggested that the practice manager should have a word with her.

1 like, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 grandmaDylan

    Posted

    I am a victim of the insurance DOG AND PONY SHOW, too!

    Even with no X-RAYS or CT or MRI I was told that "Most everybody is walking around with a torn meniscus." Then, insurance wouldn't even THINK of paying for OrthoDisc shots until I went for PT.

    After my course of PT was over, all three PTs agreed that I was actually in worse shape than I had been coming into PT.

    Next it was more PAIN and a cortisone shot in my right knee. My pain was gone for a whole FOUR DAYS.

    After all this nonsense I vowed I was DONE, DONE, DONE with doctors and stayed clear of all of them for four years.

    This past May I had seating pain in my OTHER KNEE. I could not put any weight on it! I was on crutches for a day and a half, after which I was OK and could once again put weight on it. Very strange!

    I decided this was a sign that I should get myself back to see doc.

    Had X-RAYS. Bone-on-bone, knee tilted and walking on about an inch of knee. Terrible pain in BOTH KNEES.

    Doc said I needed both knees replaced.

    I had five years of PAIN just because the insurance system has a protocol.

    It is a STUPID, STUPID protocol, and we all are victims of it.

    Rant over.😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬

  • grandmaDylan
    grandmaDylan

    Posted

    Hi Cheryl, I'm with you on the ranr! Sometimes you just need to! I hope you get your surgery soon and and are then out out of pain. I had the steroid injection, it made no difference at all.
    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 grandmaDylan

      Posted

      I DID have both surgeries (the first last June and the second last October).

      I'm doing great, but I think back to how I COULD have been doing great FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO if there weren't so many stupid protocols in place!

      Anybody out there know why a person is asked to jump through so many hoops BEFORE surgery is done?

      Why, if SURGERY can be SO successful and can eliminate pain, is there so much hassle to finally GET surgery?

      Why is there such an issue with the AGE of a person? So often we hear that a person is refused aTKR surgery because they are "only" in their forties or fifties. To me that makes as much sense as refusing to set the broken bone of a person...because they are too young!!!

      Years and years of PAIN begins to cause other problems (stomach issues due to medication for pain is one that I ran into). Your life is limited because you are in so much pain. You feel very old even if you are "only" in your fifties or sixties.

      I hate to think it, but MAYBE it all boils down to MONEY. Yes, I bet it DOES all boil down to MONEY.

      Sad.

  • alpine
    alpine grandmaDylan

    Posted

    Hello Deborah

    I was told by an orthopedic surgeon to advocat for my self. He said to operate on my knee & spinal stenosis was the last resort. A friend recommended a pain clinic so I'm having shots weekly & I can feel the improvement. The doctor told me that if

    I continue to improve I may not need surgery. Fortunately we have private insurance, not everyone can afford it I know.  

    Alpine

     

  • grandmaDylan
    grandmaDylan

    Posted

    I have suffered with really bad pain in my right knee for years at least 20. I have been told that it was a torn ligament, pain from my fibromyalgia and arthritis. I have had physio and steroid injections without any success. The orthopaedic surgeon said it could be due to my kneecap and is doing the appropriate xrays to check. I just want thè pain to go away as it's making my life miserable! The other night I caught a few minutes of a program about Benidorm and there were groups of young men zooming about on electric scooters. It made me really annoyed, I'm refusing to use one when sometimes I should. I'm turning into a grumpy old woman!
  • grandmaDylan
    grandmaDylan

    Posted

    Had the xrays, three on each knee and two on each hip. I went back to the consultant who showed me the films. I could see that the left looked much worse than the right, so no nearer to knowing why the right hurts so much more. The left knee seems to be getting more painful and it feels quite unstable. I have now been referred for an mri as apparently the steroids could have caused damage to the joint and as the surgeon said "we don't want to go in and find something we're not expecting" The wait for the scan is four to six weeks and I have asked to be put on the cancellation list so things seem to be moving along.
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