No sign of the surgeon following knee replacement!
Posted , 8 users are following.
Just wondering if anyone else has an elusive surgeon? I am 6 weeks post patellofemoral knee replacement and I haven't seen my surgeon since before the op. I was due to see him at the 10 week mark but they have canceled the appointment and have replaced it with one to see his senior physiotherapist instead. I called the hospital today but got nowhere frankly. How can it be acceptable that a surgeon performs a major op then doesn't see his patient afterwards???? Maybe I'm naive and its standard practice but it doesn't feel acceptable. I'm a teacher and it's like me teaching a module but never bothering to see or interact with my students, never giving them opportunities to ask questions and give feedback and never really finding out whether they are making progress !!! In my field that would be unthinkable!!!
0 likes, 13 replies
purplerlover Caitibean
Posted
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! That's over 2 months. A lot can change in 2 months. It is so early in your recovery. You must have lots of questions. Were you left with any exercises, Have you started PT yet? Are you in a lot of pain? I was lucky my surgeon has an incredible nurse office manager. I could call and talk to her and she would pass on my concerns and get back to me. They are like car salesmen. They are all over you till they make the sale and then they don't know you. PATHETIC!!!
I am in my 7th month and have seen him 4 times. And 2 times I insisted I needed to see him.
I see him tomorrow and if he doesn't have answers I will be looking for a 2nd opinion. Thing is who would take me on after another surgeon has already operated on me? His standard answer is "it's
normal".
lynda49844 purplerlover
Posted
I'm sorry you're having so many problems. I have heard that it's unlikely anyone will give a second opinion until a year has passed because it takes that long to recover, but you may prove that wrong,. Good luck tomorrow though, I hope you get some answers.
lynda49844 Caitibean
Posted
An orthopaedic nurse I've been in touch with says (on another forum) it's normal in the UK not to see the Consultant after surgery. Intensivists looked after us in hospital post surgery and I saw his registrar at 8 weeks, but I was given a number and email for a discharge team to contact if I had any problems. I did contact them once shortly before my staples came out and they were very helpful. Were you not given a contact number?
I do think it unreasonable that you won't see a doctor, although I imagine the physio will refer you if they think you need to be seen by one. I think I mentioned in a previous post that the registrar said the post op check was really just to check the wound was healing and the range of movement and I assume the physio is able to check that. Our local musculo-skeketal clinic operates a triage system where you see a specialist physio first and they assess whether you need x-rays, physio or to see the Consultant.
The registrar also said to expect all sorts of pain and swelling for at least 6 months if not longer and they don't tend to look at anything until the x-ray and check up at the twelve month mark. If I was concerned that all was not right I'd ask my GP to refer me back.
I think many of us aren't given enough advice prior to surgery on what to expect during recovery. There was a lot of information on my hospital's website and we had a pre-op class taken by a nurse who gave us advice and information, although it didn't answer all my questions post op when I got there. It is frustrating when we don't know whether what we are experiencing is normal and have to rely on forums for answers. One thing I have learnt is that no 2 knees are the same even on the same person!
Caitibean lynda49844
Posted
Thanks. At least this makes it seem a bit less unusual as the handful of friends / family / neighbours I have spoken to who have had knee replacements have said they saw their surgeon between 8-10 weeks post op, and before discharge.
I think it's the lack of knowledge that makes it all so frightening. As you said, we seem to have to rely on forums to help us decide what is 'normal', but making comparisons with others' recovery isn't always helpful either.
I'll keep plugging away at the exercise and thank God I don't have to go back to work until September!
ron56673 lynda49844
Posted
When I had my left knee replaced last year, my surgeon sent me to bone camp the week before my surgery, lol. Bone camp is basically a 1 hour class given to groups of people who are scheduled for joint replacement surgeries and is covered by most insurance companies. They cover everything from what to expect following surgery to how to prepare for the upcoming surgery, what supplies you'll need in the home, what you will need help doing following surgery, what the pain will be like and ways to deal with it. Also, before I was discharged from the hospital, my surgeon visited with me and went over a lot of things to expect, and made sure all of my questions were answered before he left. He also scheduled my post surgery follow up appointment for 9 days post surgery. I was really glad I went to bone camp, the information I received, I found to be very useful during my recovery. Hope things get better for you.
larive Caitibean
Posted
hi my surgeon retired a few days after my bilateral TkR . i did see a registrar at clinic at 6/8 weeks post op but it was just a wound check and to see my range of movement - this could have been done b a nurse or a physio. since then is an extended scope physio that I saw at 6 mths and i'll seen her next month for my 1year check up .
Tkr although major for the patient is now pretty routine for surgeons . I'm the ohysio will be abke to answer all your concerns
take care
missmagwumps Caitibean
Posted
You must be in the UK....I didn't see the surgeon I thought was doing my op immediately prior to surgery either - I saw his registrar - despite I waited an extra 2 months to have this special man, I don't even know if he did my procedure! Nor did I see any surgeon / doctor on any hospital post-op follow-ups. I saw surgeons Nurse Specialist PT on each occasion too. The surgeons and registrars were around at these clinics in the event the specialist nurse thought it was necessary to see someone....((as I did see him called into the room with her (PT) to see a patient on one of my follow-ups) so wasn't a figment of my imagination)) I was surprised too ! I suppose it is a way to keep the waiting lists down and get through so many patients in a busy clinic.....mind you, is it any wonder they don't explain how much pain you will be in after or what a hellish recovery it's likely to be if they don't get info from patients first had...ha ha,
best wishes, Maggie
Caitibean missmagwumps
Posted
Yes, I agree no-one would have it done if they knew what recovery was really like! I found out last week when seeing my physio fir the first time (5 weeks post op) that I had a different op to the one I thought I was having. I thought I was just having the inside surfaces of the patella and femoral bone resurfaced as I had no cartilage left, but the physio showed my x-rays and I actually have a whole new patella! Maybe I just totally misinterpreted what the consultant said pre-op but it's quite funny I think. When the physio asked me what I'd had done but then brought up my x-rays, I think she thought I was mad! LOL!
lynda49844 Caitibean
Posted
Wow, that's interesting. I didn't think they replaced the patella. I was told (by the same orthopaedic nurse) that they scrape away the underside of the patella and put a plastic button underneath the patella, but maybe things have changed.
I must admit that my kneecap was the most painful area after surgery.
Caitibean lynda49844
Posted
That's exactly what I thought!! But when my physio brought up my x-ray we were surprised to see a new patella!?!
jenny61596 Caitibean
Posted
Thats bad , mine called by every day I was in hospital, saw him at 6 weeks and hes always said if any problems to make appointment to see him, had no problems so just had check up and xrays after a year . Where are you ?
Caitibean jenny61596
Posted
Bristol, UK
avie47 Caitibean
Posted
Maybe you should see the therapist. Are you in the UK? in my experience with two TKRs, I had the surgery, did 3 days of therapy in the hospital,went home, had 3 weekly physical therapies in my home. Went back to doctor in 4 and 10 weeks to get xrays of the replacement and make sure all was okay. My therapist was part of the knee team. He removed the original bandage and replaced bandages each week. he inspected the incision each time he came. if there was a problem he would call the surgeon. But each knee was $16,000 cuz I am in the states... but do the therapist thing to ease your mind.