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Petie the OTR is Back with a New Knee .... ouch!
Sun, 02/27/2011 - 9:03am
I have been an avid skier all of my life. My skiing days ended when I took a bad fall on our stairs and broke the left fibula in 2003. I ended up having surgery that consisted of a plate and 5 screws. I am sure that I also twisted my knee and added to the damage with the lower leg/ankle's lacking it's usual mobility during the recovery process. Skiing injuries added to my weakened knee.
I joined the gym and exacerbated my weak knee by over-using the treadmill. This past summer, my husband Bob, Tom, my son I've written here about before, and I went "hiking" on July 5th (2010) for two hours at Cottonwood Canyon Park. The "hike" was on a level cement path which had some steep hills. I did have trouble keeping up with the fast pace but I perservered.
The next day I couldn't walk and my knee was extremely swollen. After several days passed in this condition, I visited my family Dr. She recommended that I go home, elevate and ice the knee. This did not have any results. She then sent me in for a MRI. The results were shocking: horizontal cleavage tear of the entire body and posterior horn of the medial meniscus, severe medial compartment chondromalacia, subcortical marrow edema and cystic change in the medial femoral condyle and medial tibial plateau and knee joint effusion with a Baker's cyst.......hence diagnosis of Degenerative Joint Disease.
The orthopedic surgeon recommended a partial knee replacement on the medial (inside) of the knee. After my last day of duties as a docent (teacher) at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on 8-15-2010, I was convinced that this surgery was necessary. I had difficulty climbing the hills at the zoo due to severe pain.
The surgery was performed on 8-24-2010. I was given a spinal and anesthetized. In recovery I woke up paralyzed from the waist down - a terrifying experience. I had O2, IV, foley, leg pumps, Ted hoses, air breath meter and a suction tube in my knee. I was getting morphine injections for pain.
The hospital stay was a story of its own, "Nurse Ratchet" and all. Being in the medical profession (occupational therapy), I knew hospital protocols. I was not enjoying this experience which ended up with me reporting it to the the hospital authorities. It's amazing how well that works.
When I got home 3 days later I had severe bruising and I was put on Lovenox for 2 weeks - self administered shots in the abdomen to prevent clotting.
I am writing this article on February 26, 2011. I am still going to physical therapy 2 to 3 times a week as my insurance company allows. It has been a lot of pain and perseverance. I am finally done with the narcotic prescription pain reliever which I was only taking one at night, once or twice a week. I kept a log of every pill I took. I have a fabulous P.T. and that is the most important message I have to offer. Naturally having a skilled and competent surgeon is important, but I think the final results rest in the hands of a P.T. They play such an important part in the exercise instructions, problem solving and keeping up the patient's morale.
I only wish that I had read an article like this so I could have been better prepared. I have not recovered as fast as I had expected and maybe my age (74) is a factor. It wasn't until I had the surgery that I began hearing "expect to recover in 6 mos. to a year." Oh? I thought it was going to literally be a CAKE WALK! If you have this kind of surgery, be prepared to WORK HARD at exercising and following the P.T.s written home exercise program........along with hours of icing which is critical. Have LOADS of patience.
My hats go off to my family Dr., my surgeon, my P.T.s, my family and friends. They have had to put up with a lot, especially my loving husband. Thanks also to you Mardy, for your loving support and understanding since I DISAPPEARED into the P.T. gym, and dealt with a bit of depression which I had difficulty recognizing, and then admitting there was a problem. I had to get out from under the depression before I could talk about it.
I also learned that whining doesn't help, only a positive attitude and perseverence.
:) Petie....the OTR
__________________
Those who read Petie's pieces at Lumigrate.com (found regularly in the forum related to therapies/functional and occupational -- link: http://www.lumigrate.com/forums/integrative-medicine-parts-m...) learn she grew up in California with "Bobby" Redford and has had an interesting life from beginning to today. She graduated from USC in technical illustrating and drafting and was the first female draftsman for The Wall Street Journal in South Brunswick, New Jersey. She returned to USC to become an occupational therapist and enjoyed the 'heyday' of therapy in prestigious programs in California, and was an entrepreneur for many years. She had a daughter then adopted a son, Thomas, who she writes about regularly; they have been each others' greatest teachers, as it turns out he had developmental disabilities. Remarrying in middle age, she and her husband Bob moved to Colorado and now enjoy 'active retirement'. Petie appreciates the opportunities to continue teaching through sharing at Lumigrate and hopes those who read find as much enjoyment in reading as she does in writing.
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Hey Petie -- It's good to see you back here! GRATE as a matter of fact! It was interesting timing as the same day you called to let me know you'd gotten this written out to type up and post, I had just seen on facebook a book advertised which educates medical consumers what to do when they're going to have surgery. I wish I'd thought to recommend something like that to you beforehand. I'm sorry you went through all you did. As I say frequently, I'm sorry I went through everything I've been through and then again I'm not because it gave me so much learning and now I have Lumigrate as a result, essentially.
My surgery in 2006 didn't go so well either with no harm done in the end except I do remember lying there for TWO DAYS when I should have been out the next day, nauseous and knowing something was going wrong and trying to figure it out with the hospital nursing staff at that point in time not having the expertise they needed to be helping patients who were having surgery, in my opinion. I also complained loudly with less satisfactory results that you got, so I'm sure glad you gave them feedback.
I appreciated it when the doctor saw me for my follow up a few weeks later and the first thing he did was apologize and say he didn't think about how many unfamiliar faces he saw at the nurses station as he is so used to that hospital being really effortless. And it was truly the 'one nurse' issue (she knew the anti-nausea medication was expensive so she opted to give me a stomach motility stopper that was on the boilerplate orders the doctor set up for post hystererctomy I'm figuring). And yes, having worked in a hospital certainly helps to know what is going on and going awry! I knew that hospital had management changes going on perpetually and it was simply part of the cutbacks and changes that are causing everything to be a VERY slippery slope these days in the medical 'system' as we know it.
THANK YOU for your kind words my way, I'm glad what I could do from the other side of the state helped, and I hope that you and some of our other OTR friends will be able to help make this area of Lumigrate become a resource as we continue to develop it. Due to your surgery coinciding with when my father's life was drawing to an end, I wasn't able to come help you or even call and check as much as I'd wanted.
I know YOU know all about gadgets for the home to increase with safety an independence, as that is what OT is all about, but I had another Framily member fall and break a hip (then fall and rebreak) and couldn't get away so I took a few hours on a Sunday in December and built the start to some topics on Lumigrate about medical equipment I recommend the most for the home. I need to retitle the Forum and section, as I started it with donations from generous friends like YOU at the time of my father's passing, and chose 'end of life' but really it has to do with planning for a rainy day or dealing with a rainy day when medically impaired (or worse).
I hope you'll be able to participate in the 'threads' / streams on those topics as you now have more credibility than I do with that stuff since you've had to use it! I borrowed someone's shower chair for my surgery and once my dizzyness went away (which was from thing they put in your mouth during surgery throwing my jaw and neck out of whack), it went to the garage. AND 4 years later, I just donated it to Goodwill! But it was one of those typical ones most OTs recommend with aluminum legs (but not ME) and it was kinda tippy feeling and disconcerting and I did NOT like it at all. And Karen Richardson too! I hope the three of us can get together in the Springs sometime -- she's back there once a month now and increasingly, and I am now coming over more as well, to work on developing units about wheelchairs and mobility with her and your and my friend Jan Casserly of APA Wheelchairs.com (not yet up and running, to be launched in March).
I think I'm going to go eat some really good food and take my supplements and get some healthy exercise today and drink a lot of water because I know how well you've taken care of yourself in that regard and if this was this hard on you at 74, I'm in bad shape! You're like a 50 year old in a 74 year old body, Petie!
Looking forward to seeing you SOON and getting out for another walk at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. When I was there last year visiting with you I noticed a lot of things going on but didn't realize how much it had to do with the knee. I've made that same oversight before with a close friend (who I borrowed the shower chair from) who is only 55 but had a total knee at 53 -- he'd played collegiate baseball and basketball, then worked in the construction industry, and lives in Steamboat so skied a lot as well. He has said he wished he'd done his knee replacement 20 years ago, it was a 'new lease on life' and contributed to a lot of back issues, being fatigued, and contributing to lifestyle choices which were not overall helpful to his overall life plan. He'd already had 18 surgeries before that and, like with you, when out snowshoing or golfing I'd noticed the knee, but figured he had excellent insurance and went to the best surgeons in Colorado (also tops in the USA, Stedman-Hawkins in Vail). I have gone to Stedman-Hawkins for my neck in the past and they're having me wait for surgery which is FINE with me typically except when it goes out on me, LOL, then I just want to chop of my head and call it good).
As for YOU, I can tell from talking on the phone you are back to your old self! So good to hear! And thanks for mentioning the depression that comes from being overwhelmed in body, mind, spirit. I believe it also comes from inactivity, and when a person cannot walk and swing their arms there are exercises I used to teach people which came from MasterDrive so you know them since that's where we met over 10 years ago; the Lazy 8s and cross crawls (done in sitting). I felt if I suggested something like that to you when you were overwhelmed as you were even before the surgery, you'd go bananas! So maybe work those into your daily routine, Jan. With your boys, it's good for them too! So glad to hear they were so helpful to you, and I know you have gushed about how well Tom's done (and Bob as always).
Aloha, my friendly OT. As I say, Live and Learn -- Learn and Live Better! Thanks for helping people learn!
~~ Mardy
Links to the companies I referred to here, both out of the Colorado Springs area:
Affordable Positioning Alternatives (APA) wheelchairs: apawheelchairs.com/
MasterDrive: www.masterdrive.com
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!
Here is the link to the area of Lumigrate I referred to above that has a Forum on DME which so far only has bed, bath and ambulation. You'll see I stopped with a simple transport wheelchair and then say 'for more about wheelchairs, stay tuned' because I knew Jan Casserly at APA was getting a website made. I talked with her this past week and chuckled as two years ago I was antsy waiting to get Lumigrate up. These things come when they're supposed to, not when we want them to... sometimes soon, later or right when it's what our minds thought!
www.lumigrate.com/forums/be-prepared-thing-know-if-medically-impaired
... and this is what you'll find if you follow the link ....
Be Prepared: Thing to Know if "Medically Impaired"
by Mardy Ross
Dec 12 2010 - 1:35pm
by Cherie
Mar 6 2010 - 12:12am
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!