Waiting, Waiting, Waiting!! an annoying part of the process of getting injuries sorted and a part that sometimes seems unnecessary in a world where everything is so at your fingertips electronically. Patience when you just want to get on with things can be very hard to muster.
Being a registered nurse i understand the process all to well and whilst i work along side Dr's i think it remains important to utilise your own GP.
However, Gp's can be difficult to get into so i attended an appointment with a GP that was not a regular GP but was easy to get into. All i was requesting was a referral to an orthopaedic specialist and MRI request form. I know this must be annoying to the GP ...a nurse arrives basically with her own diagnosis in her head and isnt interested in going down the path of 1. wait and see 2. physio 3. panadol and nurofen pain relief.
The wait and see approach i was already well past my post 'injury' time that it normally resolves in itself, physio completed as mentioned in previous post and i had no pain so didn't need pain relief which i explained.
It wasn't recommended I have an MRI by the GP as it was too expensive, i should wait until i see the specialist- you would think that would be my decision to make, if i have money and i'm willing to pay than i don't see an issue. Again that waiting thing if you see an orthopaedic specialist and you don't have appropriate scans than that is another appointment...more time. See the specialist yes that's a great idea...according to my not regular GP she was unsure as to what they could offer me so she really didn't see the point. OHHH i should have just asked one of the Dr's i worked with for a referral!! and did i mention i wanted to see someone who wasn't a local specialist, disappointing i know that i didn't want to stay local, my choice as a private patient and this was also the Dr who did my original arthroscopy many many years ago...continuity of care rings some bells.
A nurse always gets what she wants though, i left that GP office with a referral to my Orthopaedic Surgeon and and MRI request form!!
So my MRI results are in and a subluxation of the patella, a floating ossified foreign bodies MPFL injury and advanced degenerative arthropathy at patellofemoral joint, and a moderate joint effusion.
In a way i was glad that there was so much wrong with the knee. I know that sounds awful but it was kind of one of those childish moments of 'see i told you so'! Also it is difficult for people to see and understand why every now and again when your tired you limp and every now and again you wince in pain as the knee caught as you turned too suddenly. Its not an external injury that can be seen so it is difficult to explain and understand.
I rang to make an appointment with my OS and happened to get an appointment really quickly so a few weeks later saw him.
It all happened quite quickly from there and i was filling in paperwork to have a right knee arthroscopy, MPFL reconstruction with +/- tibial tubercle osteotomy +/- lateral release +/- foreign body removal.
I think trust is a big part of saying yes to any surgery and i knew that my surgery was necessary because it was explained in a way that totally made sense for the reasons for my symptoms,and that the outcome if i leave the joint to its own devices isnt in my best long term interest. It was an environment that i was free to ask questions and make contact at any time to confirm any information.
Yes... i said yes to surgery on the spot- i went there for his opinion and his option of surgical intervention seemed like my best chance at preserving my joint for long term and being able to get back to normal functioning in life without thinking about my knee every time i stepped.
There was a lot of pluses and minuses on the consent again this actually gave me the confidence knowing that only what needed to be done would be done. The TTO became my greatest concern as it involved bone being 'shuffled' to a better spot!
This led onto my research, i wont lie i had googled my MRI results and had already read a few things on the above procedures so i already had an idea of what he would say, but i knew researching after my signing of consent forms wouldnt have stopped me asking more questions. It didnt matter though all of the questioned had already been answered.
I was asked to have a CT scan as a TT-TG measurement couldn't be gained from the MRI, this was to determine if the TTO part of the operation was necessary. I think the measurement had to be less than 20 and mine was 25 so you guessed it the +/- TTO became a definate after a phonecall from the Dr.
So from my first symptoms 24/1/2016 to my surgical date 1/7/16... 5 months to get it sorted.
With kids, work, family, husband and farm.... things do take time, priorities!
Alot of things went through my head now,
* how will i use crutches- im so unco-ordinated
* NO driving - its never going to work
* 6 weeks off work- organising sick leave
* how will i go going back to work
* what if there is complications
plus so many more how will i look after kids, is it better to do it over school holidays, should i wait until kids have 6 weeks over xmas off, summer would be hot with a brace on so i should do it now in winter.....blah blah blah my head was full of the pre-surgery to do list!
Things all work out and there was a solution to every part of the list i was making!
Therefore SURGERY IS BOOKED AN CONFIRMED!!
Heres a copy of my MRI result
And a pretty picture !!
Its time to move that patella back to where it needs to be ....
Liss x
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