slo’s MONDAY 11/4 poll - Orthopedic Surgery

[slo]

After my DD21’s shoulder surgery on Wednesday, I started wondering how many of you have had an orthopedic surgery. There’s so many orthopedic surgeries, that I can’t possibly list them all, but I’ll narrow it down to the most common ones. So, tell us today……

Have you had any orthopedic surgeries?
Do you have any scheduled or should get scheduled?
If yes…..for what part of your body?
(multiple choice)


For Me…..I have not had any orthopedic surgeries yet, but I do need to get two scheduled - both of my knees need to be replaced. My orthopedic surgeon told me that whenever I want them to let him know and he’ll get me scheduled. I need to bite the bullet and get it done, but I just don’t want to. It’s not the pain that I’m afraid of, it’s the inconvenience. I keep being told how I’ll feel so much better after it’s done, and I believe everyone, I just don’t want to be laid up for that long. I keep saying next year next year and one year I need to say this year.

 

[TippyThomas]

Yes, I've had several spinal surgeries through my life. I've had other surgeries as well, but none of them would be considered orthopedic in nature. Lower back and upper neck depending on the surgery and when it was done. My spine probably looks like an erector set at this point.

 

[amcnj]

Nothing so far. I know lots of other people who have.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

No I have not had any myself thankfully. I definitely know a lot of other people who have.

 

[Meriweather]

Yes......I fell in Jan. 2023 and broke my hip and it was replaced.

Hope your DD is doing well after her surgery, slo.

 

[Owlpost23]

Hip replacement in April.So grateful to the surgeon and his team-they did an incredible job! Feels so good to be out of pain.

 

[Kitty 34]

Had neck surgery to fuse my spine after a car accident in '78.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Yes, left knee replaced 10 years ago. Like you, Sandy, and many others, I put it off and off. Afterall, who wants to get a major, essentially elective surgery? After about 11 years, finally got it done. Tough? Yes. Lots of PT? For sure. But, like everybody I talked to over those 11 years while I was waiting, said they were all so glad they had it done, and should have done it sooner. And I so very much agree now. Now I don't ever really think of my left knee. Now, the rest of the body, yeah, I think of it often, ha.

You'll do great, Sandy. And continue to wish good results for Katie.

 

[Christine]

I'm an "other." Reconstructive foot surgery.

 

[Southernmiss]

Broke knee cap in 3 places in a fall. Surgery to repair 2 years ago.

Bounced back fast, hasn't stopped me at all, but still know the knee is there. Compression sleeve helps.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Two spinal surgeries- neck - 4 disc fused front and back - repeated 15 years later - dud it fix the problem ? No just part of it - their suggested solution - fuse my whole back starting at disc 2 in my neck all the way down - I flat refused - a lot of arguing started after that but I adamant not gonna happen / I was informed I will be paralyzed eventually - I said well what kind of life will I have if you fuse my whole back ??? I said to surgery so far and you all haven’t fixed a problem yet I have zero faith in you I said I don’t believe you can fix this problem - I’m very limited on who I can go see on this because of the nature of the problem
Currently I’m being Scarlett O’Hara on my issue - I can’t think about that right now I’ll deal with that tomorrow!!!

 

[snappy]

I had surgery to remove torn meniscus 3 years ago, followed by knee replacement in July this year. Found a great new surgeon after we moved to another state. He is a good communicator, uses a minimally invasive technique, and ordered a quick connect pedaling device to use in my home for 3 weeks concurrently with 3X a week PT. I was fortunate in that we opted for a zero entry shower in our new house, that along with a shower chair greatly helped me in the first weeks after surgery. I have a great result, I transitioned to use of a recumbent bike in the gym of our development, along with a lot of walking and many water aerobics classes a week as soon as the incision healed. I can now do stairs so much easier not to mention walking in the sand at the beach without issues, although my other knee will need replacing at some point. Like your orthopedic, when to do the second knee is up to me. My current plan is to wait at least a year from the first surgery to obtain optimal healing on the first knee.

Good luck to your daughter, and to you for your future surgeries. My advice is to choose an ortho who does many knee surgeries each year, to take a pain pill prior to PT to get the maximum benefit from therapy, and invest in a ice therapy machine at home for the first weeks of therapy.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Due for a second opinion sometime this month regarding surgery on my hand. Not sure the first doctor’s assessment is correct; OK, actually, I think she’s full of it but yeah maybe my medical license has lapsed…total phobic here.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I was dog sitting in Philly for my nephew with my sister and I fell while walking the dog. You know where they say, 'don't throw your arms out when you fall because you'll break a bone?' Well I tried that advice, fell *onto* my arm, and broke my humerus bone (upper arm) clean in half. It was less than a centimeter from breaking through the skin. Luckily my sister was walking with me, got me up and got me to the ER where they set it (not fun.)

Two weeks later I had a titanium rod implanted from shoulder to elbow, and I still have it, and it still aches at some point every day even though it was done in 2019.

 

[hertamaniac]

Tibia plateau with metal pins. I was playing basketball and came down awkwardly.

 

[Micca]

No surgeries at all ('cept tonsils out when I was 6.)

 

[jo-jo]

No surgeries at all ('cept tonsils out when I was 6.)

Are you now 12?

Not many people go thru with life without some kind of surgery. How many times have you won the lottery?????

 

[RUDisney]

I was in a bad car accident in 2006. I have an Achilles tendon holding down my left triceps.

The bright note of this was that my Mom decided to become an organ donor because of it. She was always worried that a doctor would let her die to save someone else even though we told her time and again that isn't how it works. She saw that the donor tendon helped me so much, she signed up to be an organ donor.

Sadly, when she passed, she had lost too much oxygen during her issues that her organs weren't viable, but at least she had agreed and we had asked.

 

[ronandannette]

None for me yet, but it’s still early for knees or hips. Our DS was born with severe congenital defects to his ankles and had full reconstructions to both when he was less than a year old. The process was gruelling yet blessedly fully successful and he was able to walk by the age of 14 months.

Many older people we know have had joint replacements, most fully successful but not all. Timely access to surgery is also a terrible problem, with some waiting in pain and immobility for a year or more after they finally make it onto “the list”. Those with means often flee to the States or Mexico to have private procedures OPP. My best friend’s mother, who I love dearly, is on her way down to Colorado for a hip in two weeks. Including travel, it will cost about $40,000 CAD.

I could add another shocking and heartbreaking piece of inormation about our public health care system here, but that’s for other discussions, not Slo’s happy poll thread.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Yes! Both knees replaced (October 2021 and March 2022), then the second one was redone a month later because the physician suspected infection (although none of the cultures grew anything). He said that in 20 years, he learned just to replace it instead of trying to muck with antibiotics, etc., and eventually wind up replacing it again. With that, I had an IV catheter that I had to give myself daily intravenous antibiotics for several weeks. If I remember correctly, the home health aid came weekly for about six weeks or so. Total PITA.

Best thing I've ever done, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat -- I'd forgotten what it was like to be pain free. Only downfall is when I fly I can't go through the metal detector. I just use both hands to point and say, "Knees." Usually they can open the big x-ray machine for me, sometimes I get wanded.