Connect
← Return to Spacer replacement 4 years after TKR
Discussion
Spacer replacement 4 years after TKR
Joint Replacements | Last Active: May 9 4:47pm | Replies (145)Comment receiving replies
@wisco50
True I agree that you have to advocate for yourself
See my insistence for revision of TKR with higher number on the spacer. It’s 2 days and I am already relieved of my complaints
It happened once earlier with a dentist who kept giving me antibiotics for 6 months for shreds coming from my mouth
I got frustrated with her as I had a surgery coming up. I researched the internet and looked at the information given by the most reputed Medical schools and hospitals
And lo and behold it was just an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in the various reputed toothpastes that we all use
I did not use that toothpaste that night and by morning I was relieved of my symptoms
Imagine a dentist could not even suggest that I change my toothpaste and see
I could not even sue her for a malpractice as the attorneys told me that it could have been pursued if it had killed me
Unbelievable state of medical practices
So for any issue bothering one must research and get aware of the options and solutions
Replies to "@wisco50 True I agree that you have to advocate for yourself See my insistence for revision..."
I absolutely agree. Surgery is no different from any other professional activity. Some performers are great, most are in the middle and some are at the wrong end. It is essentially a bell curve.
If you can research for yourself you are then in a position to advocate for yourself. And if you do your research for both the process and surgeon, you can then advocate for the best possible result.
Surgeons are not mind readers. You need to tell him what you want and need and if she is good, she will respond and not blow you off.
Connect
@ggji
Whether one is needing a TKR or a revision, I believe that surgeon selection is critically important. A TKR is a very invasive procedure and I think one needs to understand it and the various options that a doctor may use (intentionally or not). Then the potential recipient can start trying to find a surgeon to do the surgery successfully in the manner you have selected.
So my criteria were choose the method (for me subvastus or mini midvastus), the type of implant and the accompanying process (for me a bicruciate retaining implant -- Journey II XR process), the type of alignment (not mechanical. Kinematic, inverse kinematic or Functional I wanted and got Functional).
Having chosen the method, I then search to see if there is a surgeon who can meet all of these requirements. These are Extensive successful experience doing that exact procedure, great hands and great mind.
Finding a surgeon who meets all of these is difficult because there is no database of surgeons who meet these criteria. I would do research such as surgeon descriptions, reviews, websites, publications, etc. Narrow it down to a few and one can then ask about any remaining questions. I was fortunate that I had gone through a similar process three years ago to find a hip replacement surgeon and it turns out that he is also a knee surgeon who met all of my criteria.
There is an element of luck but I was fortunate in that I had zero post surgery pain after my hip replacement and after my knee replacement 8 weeks ago. I attribute 5% of the credit to my research, 90% to Dr. Chow's skill, and the remaining 5% to good fortune.
It would be nice if all hip/knee surgeons were equally great. But that is not the case with joint replacements nor with most professional skills. Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were drafted one two. Leaf failed miserably and Manning went on to what will be a hall of fame career. The same is true of surgeons. I want the Peyton Manning of surgery, not the Ryan Leafs. Well, actually, I don't want the Peyton Manning of surgery either. I want the Tom Brady of surgery. I want the GOAT.