More surgery

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Good morning, next week on the 22nd I have a planned surgery to repair my torn quadricep tendon on my left leg, I've been struggling with this problem since 08/2014 when I had to have a revision on my left TKR. I was just 10 days post op when I tried to climb up into my son's semi truck to go along with him to pick up milk from farms. I felt a sharp pain in my knee as I tried pushing off the step to get into the truck, I made it to the seat of the truck but I knew I was in trouble as my knee started to burn and throb with pain after a couple of hours of sitting in the truck my knee was very swelled and hot to the touch. I called my surgeon but my complaint fell on deaf ears and I was reminded I was only 10 days post op and to use ice and the pain medication I was given. The pain was horrible and I could barely put any weight on my left leg this continued for week's I kept reporting my problems to my surgeon but I'd get the same answer, use ice and plan on a longer recovery period because revision surgery of a knee replacement is much more involved the second time around at this point in life this revision surgery was my 10th joint replacement and I knew from experience the revisions take longer to heal. As time went on I had to have my left hip replacement redone making it my 3rd new hip on the left the surgery went ok and I went back to driving my semi truck even through the pain I was having in my left knee, I would have to use my hand to pull up my leg to put my foot on the clutch to I could shift gears in my truck it was very painful to keep working but money doesn't grow on trees so I kept working. About 3 weeks into the hip revision I started having a fever and swelling in my left hip and down my leg, I went to the emergency room and I was told to not worry about it and use ice and again reminded revisions take longer to heal, well my fever got worse so another trip to the emergency room but I was told the something, now my fever was steady at 102.5 and I could hardly walk I called my surgeon and went to see him he didn't even look at my hip or leg, I went home and went to bed I woke up shaking with fever 103.5 so back to the E.R. and sent home told I probably had a bad virus my wife who is a nurse of 30 years couldn't believe the lack of concern from the hospital or my surgeon, I woke up with a 104.5 fever I never in my life felt as sick as I now did. My wife helped me to the car and she took me to a very small local hospital and when I got there the nurse practitioner running the emergency room ordered fluid's and blood test within the hour I learned I was septic and near death with MRSA infection in my left hip, I was taken back to the first hospital by ambulance when I got there things were different and lot's of Dr's started putting their heads together to figure out what to do the nurse practitioner had started me on IV antibiotics which probably saved my life, the orthopedic surgeon on call ordered a ultrasound of my hip and they found a huge pocket of fluid halfway down my femur, they got me ready for the O.R. it was 1am they took out my hip and did a washout in the operative report the surgeon noted the plastic cup of my hip socket was gone the infection ate it the infection also destroyed a lot of the tissue in my leg this was my 4th hip on the left side. To speed things up I recovered from MRSA in my left hip but still had severe pain in my left knee, time went on and my Dr's figured the pain in my leg and knee was coming from my back which I had surgery twice before to remove disk that was pushing on nerves in my spine, the neurosurgeon decided I needed spinal fusion and spacer's put in place of the damaged disc. I had this surgery this past December it did help the nerve pain in my lower leg and foot but NO help for my left leg. So now with nothing else to blame my knee swelling and pain on my surgeon ordered a MRI on my left knee which shows my left quadricep tendon very tore and in need of repair. Oh I forgot to mention I had to have my 5th hip replacement on the left as it was loose I've now had my 12th joint replacement surgery 3 shoulders 3 total knee replacements and 6 hip replacements I only have my left shoulder that is mine, I've had to have both knee's both hips and my right shoulder which is now a reverse shoulder replacement. All that to tell you what my life has been like up to now, so now on the 22nd of March next week I'm having my quadricep tendon repaired, has anyone here or anyone known of anyone having their quadricep tendon repaired this late of having it damaged? On reading about quadricep tears most surgeries are done within the first month of tearing it, I hope it's not to late and I'm not putting myself through this extensive surgery when it might not help, my main problem with my left leg is pain and I can't straighten out my leg and I fall down and my knee gives out. Than you... Mark in Minnesota oh and I'm 55 years old

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5 Replies

  • Posted

    Can we call you the Bionic Man ;-)

    ​You certainly have been in the wars, but to be brutal, some of the blme has to fall on your shoulders.  You should t have been climbing in and out of cabs so soon after surgery,you should not have even been getting in and out of a car.  You should not have been driving.  There are a lot of "you should not haves"  going on here.  Perhaps you do need to work, but your health and ability to move is a heavy penalty to pay.  Please, whenever possible, work on strengthening your muscles, ok you can't with the torn one, but let it heal, the work it.  To help with your back, tr strengthening you stomach muscles, weird I know, but you will find that your posture will change for the better. 

    ​Driving on flat plain tarmacadam is enough to set of vibrations in your joints.  Add to that farmland and you are on a hiding next to none.

    ​I do wish you well, I am not insensitive to your plight, In fact it sounds like you have been through hell, but you also come across as a very independent person.  You are still a young person, give your joints time to heal. Good luck with the next round of anaesthesia

    • Posted

      Hi sue thank you for your comments yeah I've been to hard on my body and time takes its toll... Again thank you. Mark
    • Posted

      Hey Mark, I know where you are coming from.  Sometimes it takes someone removed from your situation to see more of the picture.  I am sure there are people on the forum who would totally disagree with me.  If you have to go haring around, put some comfort and extra padding in place, but most importantly work on those muscles.  I wish you well

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