Terrible appt, MUA on horizon
Posted , 5 users are following.
I had an appt with ortho surgeon this week and it went horribly! Back story is - live in a small town where three different ortho surgeons come to town from city once a month and do assembly line TKR for the many people in need in the area. I’ve only had Tele conference with my actual surgeon, Dr P, at 6 weeks after surgery. I only had 75 degree bend but he wasn’t worried as I had so much damage in my knee and so many prior surgeries. Said I’d get there slowly. He told me to keep working and said he would set up another Tele conference in December. Well he didn’t, and Ive made no progress no matter how hard I try. I’m at three months today.
I found out his associate was coming to town so I booked an appointment with him - Dr C. Well when he saw my knee he was furious - that I’d gotten TKR so young (HE was the original surgeon I saw who told me I needed it (!) and it was my best option if I wanted to continue working as knee was so bad, even tho I am only 47), that I hadn’t seen one of them earlier (talk to your colleague), that two times a week at physio is not acceptable (they put me to two as I’ve been going so long and nothing changing and there is only one qualified PT working right now), that I now have a “useless, terrible knee joint and wasted quads” (tho I’ve been doing exercises - there’s been issues since week 1), That now I need an MUA (and told me it could lead to accidental broken bone, severed quad tendon etc etc plus might not work) unless I can somehow turn it around and get to 90 degrees by February 12. He went on to list all the terrible things that could happen if MUA doesn’t work.....he was HORRIBLE and very mean and I was in tears when he left the room. The last thing he said before leaving was “I’m sending you for blood work to rule out infection. There’s got to be a reason for such a terrible stiff knee like yours!”
It was awful. His assistant brought me Kleenex and told me not to take him to heart. That he was running three hours behind (sees office patients in btwn TKR surgeries throughout the day) and he just gets upset when things don’t go right. I understand that but.....and she told me that my original surgeon would do the MUA and she really didn’t think I’d be able to move it myself because she feels it’s bogged down with adhesions.
Sooo if you’re still with me....I’m trying very very hard to move this knee now and in pain from doing that......I don’t think it’s doing much either. Please comment if you have any advice or if you’ve had an MUA.....it’s not always a disaster is it??
I’m terrified and disheartened from my appointment with Dr Doom!! This whole thing is turning into a nightmare 😕
0 likes, 3 replies
Snoozy69 amy1447
Posted
Oh dear Amy it sounds like you're having an awful time. Unfortunately some surgeons bedside manner can be undesirable. One day they can be nice kind and supportive and then the next time you see them their character has changed completely. At the end of the day it's YOUR knee not theirs. I managed to escape an MUA when I saw my consultant I could hardly get it to 90 degrees but I did point out that my knee was really swollen as I had been sat waiting for over an hour and I told him that I had a feeling it would improve without MUA and he agreed. That was a couple of weeks ago and things have got better already. I can comfortably get knee bent to 100 degrees and after stretches 110+. I'm walking 10,000 steps per day with minimal swelling now. I just need to build my quad and hamstring and hopefully improve my flexion even more. I've heard about people having MUAs and the majority have had positive results it really is a last resort though to improve the mobility of the joint. If there is a build up of scar tissue in there it's just going to stiff and painful so you might as well get it sorted now. Good luck with it Amy have a good cry it doesn't matter it's good to cry if you need to but there is always someone on here to talk to and get support X
laurel65763 amy1447
Posted
Amy, my LTKR was in May 2017 with complications that had my knee bent at 45 degrees for 5 months. I had built up a lot of scar tissue and advised to have more surgery to remove adhesions. Instead I started working with a physical therapist who used a Gua Sha tool to break up scar tissue with massage 3X week and using a JAS brace for gradual extension and flexion stretching 30 minutes 3X daily for 4 months. In between I did Epsom salt baths and stretched and flexed a little more each week. I wear leg warmers 24/7 to keep my leg muscles warm and therefore more flexible. Now almost 9 months post op, my extension improved from -45 to -4 (I will get to zero) and flexion from 90 to 115 (I also expect this to improve) When my leg was severely bent/locked I had to use a wheelchair to get around. Now I am walking with crutches. I am working on rebuilding my leg muscles and stamina after sitting for so long. Some of us take longer to recover, especially when there are complications. You are still early on your recovery and have room for improvement. I live in the remote mountains and traveled two hours for surgery and follow up appointments. Can you get another opinion in the city? There are exercises online. Read Chico Marx posts here, he hasn't a lot of good advice. Best wishes. (I'm 67- but it seems younger, older- we all heal at our own pace.)
jenny80029 amy1447
Posted
Sorry to hear this.... not a good experience...
Sounds a bit like bad mood being dumped in an appointment situation when it should have been contained... something you could have done without!
People do have good experiences of manipulations, so try not to be anxious as much as you are able.
There are past posts on it, might be worth having a look round.
You can choose older posts by picking through the page numbers shown on the KNEE PROBLEMS main page. Look to the right of the page subtitle "All discussions in this group" and you will see page 1 but flick on the arrow to see other previous pages also.
How is the swelling? Is it still very swollen?
Hope you feel better soon...it is still early days.