Second op

That would be great wouldn't it? Not really that likely, but you never no😀

Well, it was her second knee , so who knows!. . but I have to say that even the physio said she had never seen anything like it before!  At that stage, I still couldn't move my leg!  My surgeon kept on about her, as if i was just being a coward . . . .but I just couldn't move it!

I had one of those on my ward. I swear she almost skipped out on day 3. I was more than half her age and was in for 9 days with complications. She was only taking paracetamol whilst the rest of us were on morphine. I swear she was planted there and hadn't had anything done 😂

Well may be I will be really lucky then, with the other one it was ages before I could even lift it, I was convinced it had been filled with led, not a nice feeling, all of it makes you feel so   Vulnerable , awfull way to feel.

 the lady I'm talking about was over eighty!  Maybe the older you get the easier it is????  No, I think it's just a matter of luck really . . . . and doesn't seem to be anything to do with the surgeon. As I said, this lady was in the theatre from 10 to about 12.30 and I went in from 2 in the afternoon . .same surgeon, same operating theatre. . . different knee!

Wow! That is so unfair! I feel over 80 some days .......

Sometimes it's a mystery. All of the other times the have gone in I woke up with that awful heavy leg feeling. This time I lifted my leg shortly after awakening, was sitting up on the edge of the bed by late evening and walking to the bathroom by the middle of the night. Unfortunately I was wrapped so couldn't start to bend and the next day they changed the bandage and put me in an immobilizer so I couldn't bend the leg. After 3 weeks and getting the immobilzer off and stitches out I still had a 65° bend and I'm at a 3 on straight. The only negative is the different level of shin/calf pain which can be blamed on the tie down. No explanation why all the difference. I just hope I never have another one to use as a comparison.

I do hope that this is the end of the saga for you, and that this revision is the definitive one!  At least it seems to be starting off well, now that you are out of the immobilizer . . You must be really tired of all the pain . . .

No your not to late, I don't have to go in untill eleven I'm on afternoon list so thankyou😀

Well I've had the second one done at last, I didn't go down untill 5pm yesterday, and had the most awful night, in a lot of pain, and still am, they don't seem to be able to get the pain relief right. I'm due to go home tomorrow ,but not sure if that will happen yet. Hopefully will get the drain out latter today, and the bulky dressing, only needed pkr again, so releved . But this one seems to be so much more painfull. I opted for the epidural, we'll fall me, never again. I thought I needed a wee, so told the nurse when I was in the HDU, 1hour latter she came back to stick me on the commode , by which time I was shocked to find I'd wet myself, she very grumpily got me on to a commode, then stripped the bed, and left me to it, along with a bell, no sooner had she walked off, I heard the sound of trickling water, only to find there was a hole in the commode pan, so I rang my bell, I heard her huff, and back she came, when I pointed out the problem she calmed down a bit. I felt like a naughty child. I had this night nurse last time, on the 1st of May, and she obviously took an instant dislike to me, and here we were again. All that was between 11and12midnight. Then this morning at 6am after a night full of pain, and no sleep what so ever, I again felt I needed to pee, but I felt I needed to do a bit more than a wee, so asked if I could use the on sweet loo as I have only 20 min since been taken back to my room, she again huffed and said why can't I just go on a commode, I said sorry, but I didn't feel comfortable to do that ,so she huffed and puffed a bit more and said, well you'll have to hang on while I get another member of staff, 10 mins latter they came back in, and I said I'm sure I would be absolutely fine taking my self to the loo, I was doing it long before now , last time , and with that she said' I wish you'd get it in to your head, that were not aloud. How dare she, I said do you have to speak to me like I'm an idiot. She said, oh I was only joking. Well I spent the nest two hours booing, I was in agony, had just had major surgery , had had no sleep , and now I get treated and spoken to like that. Well I have complained after my family saying if I didn't then they would, and I've made it quite clear I don't want her any where near me during the rest of my stay, 2 members of my family are in the nursing profession, and both have said, if ever they spoke or treated a patient like that , it would be instant dismissal, but not at this hospital, which is private but treats NHS, I can't help wondering would she have treated me that way, if I was paying. ? What do you think, . I'm still in agony, am hoping I might feel better if I get the meds sorted and get a decent sleep. What a palarva.😏 so other than all that I'm fine, any body else had similar problems?i think I feel better now I've got that off my chest. 😖

Mandt it makes my blood boil to read your message.  Do not take second rate nursing ..ever..take their name and report it.  You are in pain and need help and support and you areentitled to receive it.  I had similar bad experience when I had my knee done. Dont be afraid to complain.  We do not need nurses like this in our hospitals.  Which hospital were you in?

I wish you a speedy recovery

Oh how awful for you!!!! I had avery similar experience with an Occupational therapist when I had my TKR . Fortunately the nurses got rid of her when I went into meltdown. It's totally unacceptable behaviour and I hope you've let them know. It's also very unkind as you've had major surgery and are very vulnerable. Gggrrrrrrrrrr gets me mad!!!!!!! Take no notice just try and be gentle with yourself. Take care

Oh Mandy that's awful, I really feel for you. I had a similar experience with a horrible nurse whilst in hospital. I complained to the ward manager. You did the right thing. I'm sure you wouldn't be treated like that if you were paying. 

Make sure you get them to increase your pain medication. If they don't, complain again. It's your right. I work for a holiday company and my staff can't speak to people the way some of us have been, we don't have to put up with it. I know that's easier said than done when you're at your lowest. I remember feeling like I wanted to walk out after my issues...I just couldn't walk though!!!

Google the complaints department email address for your hospital, if you're not getting anywhere send something to them. They have a legal requirement to respond. 

Im back in next week so hoping the nurse I had issues with has gone. I refuse to let her make me feel like a pathetic child interrupting her day this time. 

Hope you get some sleep tonight. If not though don't panic. You'll be much better once you're home xx

I don't think paying made much difference in my case!  As I said, most of the nurses were lovely, but I remember one of them . . they had disconnected the antibiotic drip when they moved me round to the other side of the bed, and forgot to put it back, so I rang the bell.  A nurse came in, hands on hips, and literally shouted at me 'NOW what is it!'  And believe me, I only ever rang the bell when I needed something like the bedpan . . not my fault that I had cistitis which was untreated for three days while I waited for the urologist and needed to go to the loo I don't know how many times.  Not allowed to walk because of suspected blood clot. . .and I was in a private hospital. so I think it has more to do with the mood of the staff than whether or not it is private or state funded.  . .Sorry to hear your tale of woe Mandy . .the first few nights are absolutely awful aren't they!  I do wish they would be a bit more generous with the pain medication . .I can't understand why it is necessary to suffer so much when there are real painkillers which would help. It's not as if we are going to become addicted in a couple of days in hospital . .and even if we were, we wouldn't be able to get hold of it and inject it intravenously anyway!   And surely there must be a sleeping tablet which would avoid spending all night awake?  Get well soon!

well it's goring hall hospital in West Sussex. Most of the staff I can't fault one bit, and alday to day they have been getting my pain med sorted, so hopefully I will have a better night. I just don't understand why someone like her is in. A careing  profession, she obviously find it to stressful, enough to take it out on a few patients. She needs to take early retirement I think, my daughters have picked up the relevant forms , then once I go home we will be taking it further, even if it's just to make an official complaint, you want to see the state of me , a case of what 2 hours of crying then sobbing, awfull pain and no sleep does to somebody, not pretty. Thank you for all your story's, this morning I did feel I was making a mountain out of a molehill, but as my family said, you just can't treat people that way. As they say, what goes around comes around, I hope it's three fold in her case. 

Mandy, the staff is there to serve, help Akeem you comfortable whether you are an insurance patient not. I don't know what NHS is but what ever it is SOMEBODY gets paid from somewhere! As far as that nurse is concerned......take her job ! Let her feel what NHS is like with or without the pain! She doesn't deserve to work with patients or probably even with people! Maybe she should work at a vetinarian....but then their animals can't talk...I don't know what worse!

I wouldn't inflict her on to helpless animals, . She wasn't on last night, thank goodness, and today I'm home, and really pleased to be, I didn't have a very good night again, I woke at 2 , needing a wee  again , and as I no longer like to disturb night staff , so got myself up, but forgot my drain, and promptly pulled it out , it hurt like hell, I was nearly sick, so had to sit on bed again , and proceeded to pee my self again, so I had to call somebody anyway, they weren't very pleased with me, . Oh fed up with it all, soooooo glad to be hope. Any way at least, I shouldn't need to have any thing else done for. A few years at least. And even if I do, I don't think I'll want to go back there.just have to work getting both new knees, up and running now 😁

Hi mandy im NHS staff and let me tell you that behaviour is not acceptable contact the hospital PALS they are exceptionally good and this need nipping in the bud we dont need staff like that its a disgrace. Hope your feeling better take care x x

So glad you're home Mandy. You just need to relax, don't worry if you can't sleep at night, you can doze in the day time. You can pee when you want and there's no need to worry about anyone getting huffy xx

Poor you . .what a way to start!  they took my drain out about twelve hours after the op thank heavens.  Well, you know the ropes. . rest, ice, rest . . bit of exercise rest!!!  Tea chocolate. . whatever floats your boat!

No , quite, so embarrassing, . And Andrea I will contact pals, in a couple of days when the pains settled a bit. , thank you for all of your rep lit whilst I was in there, I can't believe how much crying I've done what with my last surgery and this one , and all for the wrong reasons. Really isn't right, is it ?

Morning all, had a much better sleep, had to get up couple of times, and husband much kinder nurse , didn't huff once, even made sure I was comfortable when I got backin bed. My leg doesn't seem to like being flat on the bed, so put flat oblong ice pack under it, so it was flat but supported, hoping that would have been ok, I no they tell us no cushions, but it wasn't, just flat ice pack. My other knee is reeeeaaallllyyy not liking taking the strain, so need to get this new one weight bearing as fast as pos, any ideas on that one would be welcome. Thank you all so much for the kind words when I was in hospital, I can't believe I got that very not nice nurse again. Talk about unlucky. I really don't no how she can be like that, with some one who has literally just had major survey, even still on HDU , I can't understand why she thinks she should be a nurse, . So upsetting.

My daughter came over yesterday, and we sad and did a letter of complaint to PALS and a copy to go to the hospital concerned, and emailed them off, so wait and see what happens . In a lot of pain again, loads of bruises, slept on side a bit and has made other knee play up, never mind, at least they're both done.😓

That's great Mandy. Difficult to see now but you know it gets better. Rest, ice and pills oh and mustn't forget those exercises 😩. I'm back in on Weds for MUA and trimming of muscle. I have everything crossed it can be done by keyhole so I don't have to start the entire process again. My scar looks amazing now so he best keep his mucky paws off that 👊🏻. I hope the Pals office get back to you with a thorough explanation. I must say when I voiced concerns to those at my hospital they were absolutely amazing.

Treat yourself to a nice nap...I'm off for lunch, it's my birthday so might have a sneaky glass on wine xx

Oh happy birthday, have a great day.im actually feeling pretty rubbish today, off food, temp is down to 35.4. Feel wobbly a bit ick , not sure what going on, something else to worry about,😏

Oh no Mandy, I hope you feel better soon. If you're still not right get yourself back to hospital. It's really not worth the risk. I know private hospitals run a bit differently (even though you went on NHS) but I know mine has a clinic I can go to any day with any issues. I've made use of them a few times. Best to get checked out xx

hi mandy hang in there your doing great id say try to forget your experience in hospital it is not worth getting upset by it , hospital has probably had plenty complaints about her but done nothing because she is a GOOD nurse !!!!!!!!!!!!!! consentrate on getting yourself back on your feet good luck to you great to hear your at home and doing fine

I think it's in a Jane Austen book . .only remember from the past what brings you happiness' or something like that . . . Not always easy, but quite good advice!

 

Well , me again, I've just contacted the hospital, as I still don't feel right , I am right off food, e dry time I try, I just feel sick, I'm really cold, my head keeps feeling dizzy, my knee hurt, but then it would, it s swollen, but then it would be, it feels hot, it probably would do, I don't really no what's up with me, I just would like to sleep. I'm waiting for them to call back. Don't really want to go in, in case she's on, hoping they can just sort me out over phone, am now wondering if I should have just left it. Ohhh I really don't  no. 😢

Mandy you've done the right thing. If you have to go back in its what's best for you. If that nurse is there legally they have to keep her away from you as you've complained about her. I would point out that you'd rather she didn't come near you if she is just in case your complaint hasn't been read yet. Remember this is about you. Her job is to care for you, she has chosen that profession so if she isn't doing it right, she needs to be given feedback like we all do. Basically Screw Her! It's your health if they think you're better off back in hospital then you need to be there. Please try not to worry xx

I haven't heard yet but I'll let you no if I do

Probably you will find it just is normal .  You are right at the beginning of the recovery period.  . . cold. . I was freezing because of the blood thinning tablets, but not sure if you are taking those.  Eating?  Not for the first week . . sleeping. . still not sleeping properly (six months!)  Dizziness . . could be the painkillers . .it is a common side effect.  I actually passed out in the bathroom when i first started taking tramadol . . missed all the sharp bits with my head thank heavens!  took me a long time to get back up, though . . I was beginning to think life was going to continue with me lying on the bathroom floor!  Sleep whenever you can . .i know it's not easy to begin with.  these first couple of weeks are truly horrible!  

Well I have been along, and got checked out,basically what you just said martinarvelo. , wants me to keep close eye on bruises , quite a bit of blood building under skin, but he says that will go, he said I'm not taking enough pain relief, and need to drink more but I don't think he ment wine, lol, cold is because of pain, feeling sick is because of pain, oh joy. I'm sure the other one wasn't this bad. That was the other thing he said, because it hasn't been long since last knee, I'm having pain in both, which obviously makes everything worse. Thanks to all for listening, I honestly don't no what I'd do without this forum, it really helps pick us all up when we need it.😍

Sorry forgot to say , also on blood thinking tablets

At least that's put your mind at rest. Hope you feel a bit better tomorrow x

That is probably the reason for feeling cold!  My husband has to  take blood thinners and he is ALWAYS cold nowadays.. I was freezing at the beginning, and didn't realise wy for ages.  Brain goes walkabout after this oepration!

 

Well it's me again, thought I'd up date, . I haven't heard yet what's happening with the complaint my daughter and I sent in, but I suppose it takes quite a while, I've also had a urine infection, which is what was wrong with me, when I first came out, and then had to go back in to see them,. I wonder where I got that then? My knew knee is actually coming along very nicely so far, already got a pretty good bend on it, so the exercise I put in before this surgery seems to have paid off. At least something good happened. I go and get these blimin clip/staples out on Tuesday , and I'm dreading it, but at the same time can't wait. Thank you all for helping me through, .x

Having dealt with complaits against the NHS I am in a position to answer this one.  Your letter will have been received and you should have got an acknowledgement to this effect to say that it would be investigated.  This all takes time as reports from all involved have to be gathered.  It then gets looked at, questions are asked and answered and then a letter is sent out answering the complaint as soon as all investigations are complete.  If you didn't get an acknowledgement write again and demand one. 

Ah ok will do that, thank you. 

dont worry too much about the staples!  It really is not bad at all.  A couple of them may cause a twinge, but compared with what you have already been through, it really IS a walk in the park!  I suffered with urine infections for ages until I found cranberry tablets . .I take one every day, and rarely get them now.  It is very common after TKR because of the catheter they usually insert during the operation . . lots of water!

I didn't have catheter though, . Before I went in , the day before I had a urine test, as part of the pre op, because it was a cancelation app every thing was a bit rushed, the nurse said , there was a small amount of blood in my urine but nothing to worry about, might be an idea to get it checked out, after op, which I did , through my gp, when I felt so ill after coming home, as I thought that might explain it, again there was small amount of blood, so doc said might be good idea with my symptoms to go on 3 day cause of antibiotics, just in case, while they sent a sample off, and it would be back a couple days latter,. So I did all this, and started to feel a lot better, but when the results came back on Friday just gone, they were clear, so I don't really no what all that was about.😏