Advice needed: Should I say/write something to my (previous) surgeon and his PA?

I think your surgeon was exactly right with what he said about your right knee and that cause of it bothering you. In the "sports world" these are called "secondary injuries", and many times they turn out to be much worse than the primary injury.

Like runners, if they have an issue with their left leg/knee/hip or ankle? The unconsciously run in such a manner that it puts much more stress on the right side of their body. Sometimes it will effect the neck/the back/the hip/the knee or even all the way down to the Plantar Fascia.

Post procedure PT is probably one of the most important things when it comes to knee replacement. One of my hockey players is and Orthopedic Surgeon that specializes in repair and replacement of Hips and Knees. I cannot tell you how many of my hockey players have had their knees repaired by him and 2 of them had a total knee replacement. Both of them returned to playing hockey after their replacement surgeries. Once after a season and the other a season and a half.

He is a Certified Sports Medicine Orthopedist and the Physical Therapist he sends his patients too post surgery, is also Certified in Sports Medicine. What exercise are done and when they are done is crucial according to both of these men. The PT is also a friend of mine, though is is not a hockey player, as he has treated my wife and myself many times over the years.

I could type endlessly on these topics but your best bet is to "get another doctor", preferably one that is Certified in Sports Medicine. These doctors are usually more well equipped and familiar with knee injuries and replacements, and most importantly, the post operation follow through with the right things at the right time.

My doctor would not make any serious diagnosis of a knee without first doing and MRI. You said X-rays were taken and he gave you the information about your left knee being inflamed and your right knee issue and what he perceived to be the cause of your "secondary injury". As far as "inflammation of the left knee" that can be caused by numerous things including under or overuse. I presume he told you to take anti-inflammatory meds to help with that inflammation.

Without an MRI my friend would never tell a patient they needed surgery, much less a total knee replacement. I would certainly see another doctor and one that specializes in the knee.

John - you are wrong about a surgeon needing an MRI to tell if a knee replacement is needed. It is very easy to tell from simple x rays if a joint is bone on bone and needs replaced.

As for the Ops story - i would definitely file a complaint with my insurance co about him. He seems to be incompetent.Best of luck with your next surgery. I want to add - i had bilateral makoplasty (partial knee replacements) and this is a fairly new procedure. I do , on occasion, still have pain in those knees but they are normal strength so I take an Advil when I have to and just put up with the pain. i am happy I can walk normally.

John, I did EVERYTHING I was told/supposed to do. The PT's in the hospital loved me, lol and couldn't get over how much I was doing on a therapeutic level. Likewise, the nurses told me that I was one of the most motivated patients they had ever seen. I went into both surgeries with that mindset, as I knew this type of surgery is no joke. My problem was and is with the doctor and his PA and their lack of care, especially after I had worked my butt off. My new surgeon is very patient oriented and, like I said, was recommended by my PT as well as a nurse who works with ortho patients. He also works with members of a pro hockey team in my city so I do trust him.

Happy, Thanks for the advice to file a complaint with the insurance company, I hadn't thought of that. Thanks also for your well wishes. My right knee is still in the healing process but seems to be coming along, I hope the surgery on my left knee fixes the problem, whatever it is.

Jasmine I had trouble with both of mine - the first one (L) on my shin where they had attached the robot I had terrible pain about 3 days out - really bad pain - called the doctor and went in for x rays - here they had chipped the bone when they did the surgery so I ended up with it in a cast boot and no post op PT. The second one hemorrhaged in the OR - multiple units of blood but they still made me walk on it that night and still gave me the anti blood clot shot that night. It bled through the massive dressing and when the doctor came in and removed the dressing it was spurting out through a hole in the wound. He still sent me home with another big dressing and ordered a home care nurse. It bled through several more dressings that night which I changed myself ( i am a nurse) and just kept putting tons of ice on it. by the time the nurse came the next day it had stopped bleeding. However, it drained out old blood for about 3 weeks and now I have a huge scar because of that. I tell everyone NOT to go to that surgeon.

Happy, wow, I'm sorry to hear about all of that. I'm glad that things are going ok with you now though.

I hear you when you say that you tell everyone not to go to that doctor, I do the same thing! In addition to what I already mentioned, the PA had me on incompatible meds that made me sick for weeks. I finally went to my GP who figured it out in five minutes, thank God.

On 7/30/2014 happy housewife said:

John - you are wrong about a surgeon needing an MRI to tell if a knee replacement is needed. It is very easy to tell from simple x rays if a joint is bone on bone and needs replaced.

As for the Ops story - i would definitely file a complaint with my insurance co about him. He seems to be incompetent.Best of luck with your next surgery. I want to add - i had bilateral makoplasty (partial knee replacements) and this is a fairly new procedure. I do , on occasion, still have pain in those knees but they are normal strength so I take an Advil when I have to and just put up with the pain. i am happy I can walk normally.

I think I will take the word of my friend that is a Doctor of Orthopedics and Certified in Sports Medicine. There is more to deciding on knee surgery than "bone on bone" visualization.

Stated simply to the OP that no way would my doctor friend suggest any replacement surgery without doing his own MRI. What the OP does or what you do? That is your business and am telling you what my doctor friends says and also what I would do should I ever have a serious knee issue other the Patella Tendonitis I suffered years ago.

On 7/30/2014 JasmineK said:

John, I did EVERYTHING I was told/supposed to do. The PT's in the hospital loved me, lol and couldn't get over how much I was doing on a therapeutic level. Likewise, the nurses told me that I was one of the most motivated patients they had ever seen. I went into both surgeries with that mindset, as I knew this type of surgery is no joke. My problem was and is with the doctor and his PA and their lack of care, especially after I had worked my butt off. My new surgeon is very patient oriented and, like I said, was recommended by my PT as well as a nurse who works with ortho patients. He also works with members of a pro hockey team in my city so I do trust him.

Hi JasmineK

Sounds like you gave it your all with your first surgery and probably your 2nd one also. Secondary injuries many times cannot be prevented as it is human nature to try to avoid pain.

While saying the post surgery therapy is necessary, most athletes need to be cautioned on "overdoing therapy" as opposed to many that think "if it hurts I don't want to do it". It is certainly possible you fall into the same category as myself when it comes to rehabilitation be it from my heart attacks or my lung blood clots. I set a time for each workout and I did not overdue any of them. I gradually increased my workload while monitoring myself with a "chest placed monitor and a receiver either on my wrist or on my exercise equipment" to make sure I did not over extend my heart rate. I also used an Oximeter to make sure of my Oxygen Saturation levels, which are also very important in any kind of Pulmonary or Coronary Rehabilitation.

I hope all works out well for you and that you decide what is the best thing for to do about your situation with the doctor and/or hospital.

On 7/30/2014 hckynut said:

On 7/30/2014 JasmineK said:

John, I did EVERYTHING I was told/supposed to do. The PT's in the hospital loved me, lol and couldn't get over how much I was doing on a therapeutic level. Likewise, the nurses told me that I was one of the most motivated patients they had ever seen. I went into both surgeries with that mindset, as I knew this type of surgery is no joke. My problem was and is with the doctor and his PA and their lack of care, especially after I had worked my butt off. My new surgeon is very patient oriented and, like I said, was recommended by my PT as well as a nurse who works with ortho patients. He also works with members of a pro hockey team in my city so I do trust him.

Hi JasmineK

Sounds like you gave it your all with your first surgery and probably your 2nd one also. Secondary injuries many times cannot be prevented as it is human nature to try to avoid pain.

While saying the post surgery therapy is necessary, most athletes need to be cautioned on "overdoing therapy" as opposed to many that think "if it hurts I don't want to do it". It is certainly possible you fall into the same category as myself when it comes to rehabilitation be it from my heart attacks or my lung blood clots. I set a time for each workout and I did not overdue any of them. I gradually increased my workload while monitoring myself with a "chest placed monitor and a receiver either on my wrist or on my exercise equipment" to make sure I did not over extend my heart rate. I also used an Oximeter to make sure of my Oxygen Saturation levels, which are also very important in any kind of Pulmonary or Coronary Rehabilitation.

I hope all works out well for you and that you decide what is the best thing for to do about your situation with the doctor and/or hospital.

Thanks John. I try to fall in the middle of what you stated above with my rehab, as overdoing can be just as damaging as not doing enough. I've also been preparing for the surgery by eating a nutritionally sound diet and exercising as much as I can. I told my husband that by next spring he better have some new walking shoes because I intend to make up for lost time!

Mom had such bad knees that her surgeon refused to do total knee replacement on just one, because he knew she's mess up the GOOD replaced knee hobbling around with one still-bad knee, so he said both or none. She did both. WONDERFUL outcome.

Most all of her friends who had just one done at a time had the OP's result ..... major problems, more surgeries on the first-done knee, etc.