Had my ortho doctor appointment yesterday

[DammitJanet]

I really like my ortho doctor. He just has such a good bedside manner and always treats his patients with such respect. He even has 17 inch flat screen TV's in every room and the waiting room has a 60". Those little TV's in the rooms have remotes so patients can watch whatever they want. Im sure that is a great thing for parents with kids in there.

Now on to me. I got a "lecture" because I was supposed to go back in May for another appointment but I missed it. I honestly thought it was only going to be to get the shots in my lower back but they informed me that at that point I would have also gotten the steroid shots in both knees to get the swelling down after doing the series of Synvisc shots.

I told him I was there now because of both my knees and my back. They did more xrays and my knees are just shot. Especially my right one now. Also my spinal stenosis has progressed some. They gave me the cortisone shots in my knees but didnt want to do all 4 of them at once...the back ones are two shots...so they have put me in a back brace type thing. Im to wear it when I am walking or standing but can take it off to sleep and sit. Boy did that thing hurt me yesterday! I had to put an ice pack on my lower back for a long time last night. I even went out and found one that can be used either hot or cold and has a little vibrator you put in this pocket. That feels really good!

We talked about my knees and he just point blank doesnt want to do a replacement until I am much closer to 60. So unless one of my knees just completely goes out to where I cant put any weight on it we will just keep up with the cortisone shots 3 times a year...maybe 4 if things are bad. He gives me every item such as the brace and cane I can use. I think next time I am going to talk about one of those wheeled walkers. My car is now big enough for it to fit in the back easily. After that we are going to have to deal with getting me a scooter. Its getting to the point I cant get around for far without some sort of help and a cane does nothing. He also wants me to go get another RA panel to see if anything is showing up because of the fact that my joints are progressing fairly fast. I go get that blood work today and will find out the results in two weeks when I go back.

*So that is the results. He doesnt put me on any NSAIDS because of my stomach.

Oh and the cutest thing is that he has made up Tee shirts for all his patients. He was smart enough to get them in all sizes...lol. I got the pink one and it says "XXX Orthopedics with a skull and crossbones right under it and then under that it says Broken Bone Society" I think that is just so nice. He also sends cards out to all new patients or those he hasnt seen for awhile and he actually writes the cards himself. That is a very nice touch considering most doctor's just delegate that stuff to staff. The cards are actually personal because they will start with our first names not just a scripted message.

 

[Hound dog]

I'm glad you have a really great ortho doctor. Sounds like a total keeper to me.

 

[DammitJanet]

He is and in fact he is going to be difficult child's ortho too. difficult child has an appointment on Tuesday and I am going to send him in to the appointment with a medical update sheet with the doctor's permission.

 

[susiestar]

This doctor is a TOTAL keeper! He seems to have some common sense.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Janet, there is a genetic degenerative knee issue that runs in my mom's family -- almost all of her siblings have had issues and surgeries. I do, up until very recent years, remember that doctors didn't want to do replacement until a patient was a little older because the replacement hardware did not have a long life. But, that has all changed now.

I know you love this doctor (and I understand that is 75% of the "battle"), but continued cortisone injections and pain would seem a huge surgery no-brainer to me......Did he give you a reason that he wanted to wait? There's also a chance that some portion of your back issues would lessen if you were able to walk in a more "normal" fashion due to knee replacement.

Sorry, don't mean to be a downer, just have a lot of family experience in the knee replacement arena.

Sharon

 

[DammitJanet]

One of the reasons in his decision is my weight. That and I have very long longevity in my family. No matter what the new products say they will last, my weight will most likely cut that in half and he doesnt want to put me through it twice.
I know that the cortisone injections are only a stopgap thing and that they can actually do more harm even though they do help the pain for a little while. Also I smoke and that doesnt help the matter. If I can stop smoking and possibly lose even a little weight he may think more about it. I would be extremely miserable in a hospital or rehab if I couldnt smoke. The only reason I wasnt back when I had the meningitis was that I didnt remember I did smoke until I was almost ready to leave the rehab. Thats when everyone in my family told me how thrilled they were that it had been so long since I had a cigarette. If they had removed all evidence of me ever smoking I might not have started back...lol.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Gottcha!

*Janet, last August when I had my emergency surgery I was in the hospital for a week. On day 4 I told easy child, who is a smoker, that I was going to quit. Three reasons - first they give you that incentive tube thing with the little blue ball to breath into to ensure you don't get fluid build-up, etc. after surgery. As a smoker, it was tough to do. I was so afraid that I would have to stay longer or develop pneumonia. Second, the other thing was also with a huge abdominal scar (from a couple inches above my navel to almost down to the pubic area), coughing was something that scared me to death. And finally, I figured I would experience the worst of the cravings while I was in the hospital so why pick back up when I got out....

And I stuck with it. I do have an electric cig I used at the beginning - but I have not wanted to pick up a cig since then. I felt so much better within 30 days that I will never pick one up again. No more mucous in the morning, no more colds that are intensified because of my lung condition, no more wheezing when the weather gets cold, etc.

When I went into surgery, one of the things that scared me death was that I was a smoker and I know that smoking would affect me when I was under. I have never been so happy to open my eyes!!!!!!!!!!!

I get it, but quitting smoking because you have to might be easier than you think. You and I have probably been smoking the same amount of time - although I never smoked in the house because I never wanted that smell or in the car with the kids for their health.

Hope this series of shots works better that the last!

Sharon

 

[DammitJanet]

LDM....since you have quit I am going to give you some experienced advice. Now that you quit never think you can have just one with the girls or something like that. I quit for 6 years back in the 90's. That first time wasnt all that hard because I had just been diagnosed with asthma and I was scared. Heck my dad had emphysema! He had smoked steadily most of his life and he quit too. I think we quit at the same time if Im not mistaken. It was 1990. Then in 1996 I picked up a cigarette because I was hanging around friends from work in the break room all the time. My office mate smoked. We ended up in a very stressful time at work plus something was going on with difficult child. I asked my coworker for ONE cigarette at work and I was back up to 2 packs a day within a month.

This time I have tried several times to quit and its so much more difficult. I have tried Chantix, Im on wellbutrin now and was back in 2000. That isnt helping a bit...lol. I dont even get any feeling like I dont need to smoke. Now I have tried those electronic cigarettes and that might be what does it for me. There is one I really like but Im so addicted to the who process of smoking that its hard. I like opening the pack, lighting the cigarette...the whole shebang.

I have never had an issue coming out from under because I smoke. I have trouble not smoking! When I was in the hospital in 2005, they allowed us smokers to go out to the smoking area while we were still in. I had just had a stress test and the moment I got out I grabbed a diet coke and a cigarette before I even went back to my room. I had both of them in a purse I took with me...lol.

Im hoping I will quit soon. The prices are getting so high that might be my incentive. I have moved down to the lowest cost generic ones I can find but they are now up to almost 30 bucks a carton. They started out under 20 bucks.

*Hopefully one day soon.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Yeah, I've quit a number of times myself but this one feels different - I think it was the surgery and the thoughts of my mortality - it's also the knowledge that I was doing something to perhaps hamper my chances of seeing my kids to adulthood, see them healthy and happy and perhaps hold a grand or two!!!! I started having my children much later in life - I was 30 when easy child was born....

I agree with the cost - totally outlandish - I think it's the local, state and national government trying to make everyone quit!

*Sharon

 

[DammitJanet]

One day I will get there. Im trying to find a stress free time...lmao!

 

[LittleDudesMom]

 

[DammitJanet]

LOL....yep. Thats me!

If I ever get a stress free time I will eat my hat.