Out Of Town Surgeon?

I chose a surgeon that was 4.5 hours from our house. It was the best decision for me and my husband. The surgeon’s office required an overnight hotel stay on day 1. We took advantage of DoorDash for dinner and I chose a hotel that offered free breakfast so my husband could get me something for my stomach before I took the pain pills.
The surgeons office set up nurse and PT visits to the hotel on day 2, we drove home on day 2.
The ride home went well with stopping every hour for me to get out and walk a bit. I kept ice on my knee while sitting in the car. The real pain didn’t kick in until day 4.
On day 14 I took off the tape and gauze with the guidance of the surgeon’s nurse via video chat. It was very easy.
Go with your gut and use a surgeon that you trust and has great supportive office staff.

Mine was about 4.5 h away. They were set up for this as it was a major center for excellence.
Everything was perfect before, and the day after, rode home. Some follow-up per “MyChart”. This was where it fell apart though. Surveys sent out via text, where you can’t explain what you’re experiencing does not cover a proper post-op recovery.
Clarify beforehand how needs will be met. My surgeon did not work with my physical therapist. I didn’t realize that my ROM wasn’t where it should be, or that my joint wasn’t working up to par.
A second opinion convinced me that I needed to pursue an MUA. I’d still have a non functional joint otherwise as my surgeon was happy with a 90* bend and my ability not to straighten the knee.
The hospital was super smooth, the best healthcare ever, great pain control. Follow-up= poor. No follow-up since my MUA in August . Guess I ruined their statistics?

I am sorry to hear that your follow up was a horrible experience. I called the office twice with questions/concerns and the nurses were very patient and responsive. A TKR recovery is a year’s commitment.
What I have learned from reading notes on this site is to inquire what is the surgeon’s protocol for rapid scar syndrome and muas.

From all the stories on this forum I would not consider traveling more than I have to. I wouldn't let my confidence and likeability in a doctor be a deciding factor since it has absolutely no bearing on the outcome of your surgery. As stated in past stories it's a crapshoot. Some of the best surgeons have no bedside manners and vice versa. Also consider the pain in the first few weeks and the added discomfort of travel. All factors considered I would chose a closer doctor.

It all depends on where you live and what types of services available. The one orthopedic in our town does not have positive reviews and I listened to her post surgical patients, My physical therapist was amazing and really helped me through my recovery.

Thanks to all of you for taking the time and having the interest to respond. I appreciate the thoughtful wisdom on both sides.

I think it is hard to generalize about surgeons because they have as much variability in experience, personal manner, and innate skill as any other highly trained profession. Add to that the variability of patient's age, weight, physical condition, degree of bone and joint deterioration, individual body chemistry, and dedication to engage in post-op physical therapy and there are just too many factors to have a 100% guarantee of success for everyone.

The best you can do is research all you can before committing to surgery. If you can speak to people who your surgeon has worked on that would be great, but not always possible in a large clinic setting, though sometimes there are some published ratings. I am a skeptic, so I tend to take ratings online with a grain of salt since there is no easy way to know if they are real and honest. But it may be all there is to go by.

I consider myself lucky to live near a small town that has a fairly large regional medical facility which includes a couple of orthopedic surgeons. My chosen surgeon was a home town boy that came back to practice in the north woods where he grew up. Living in a smaller community, I was able to personally talk to three or four people that he did surgeries on, and every one gave him glowing reports, as did my family doctor. I felt confident that he would be successful in my surgeries. After I had a good recovery from my first TKR, I also enlisted him for the 2nd TKR and a few years later for my reverse TSR. All my surgeries went well, I healed quickly and am pain free with very good range of movement and strength. I feel lucky that I was able to have surgery without having to travel the 200-300 miles to specialty clinics.

How far are you from the Upper Peninsula? I am just beginning to look at knee#2 TKR options.

A thousand miles away.