Knee surgery

[Helene2013]

We do all this...read on our issues (whether for us or my pets) ...sometimes it is scary though. It seems that no matter what we look for, we have all the symptoms and more for x issue. haha

I think the worst for me was reading before my eye laser correction surgery.... I have not read anything scarier than this...so much that I refused for years to get it done. Now that I did (in 2008), it is one of the best things I did for me and no major issues either. In fact, no issues at all but some discomfort after numbness went away post-surgery and it did not last.

So you cannot always compare yourself or try to foresee all that can happen or you won't breath for a while. haha

Good luck!

[OakLeaf]

I guess I'd take a somewhat contrary view and say we all have a responsibility to educate ourselves before undergoing any medical procedure, but "educating ourselves" is not the same thing as "listening only to everyone who's had a problem." It IS, however, understanding how often problems happen, and how severe they're likely to be, and weighing those risks realistically against the risk of what might happen without the treatment, or with a different treatment.

Like Helene, the problems with LASIK you read about - yes, those problems can be severe and life-altering for those who have them, but it makes a big difference whether those problems happen to 0.5%, 5% or 50% of people who undergo LASIK, and that's the kind of thing you can only find out by poring over medical journals and making sure your research isn't limited to industry-sponsored studies, which are even more misleading than limiting your research to support groups for people who have had severe complications. Understanding statistics helps weed out studies that were poorly designed, or that were designed to yield information other than what you're looking for. Checking a journal's history of retractions helps get a sense of how rigorous their peer review process is.

We can't trust doctors to tell us the whole truth about the likely consequences of treatment or the course of recovery - as Pax recently found out. The existence of people with severe complications doesn't tell us anything about the likelihood of those complications (though sometimes, those support groups offer links to research). We have to do our own homework.

[Catrin]

Yes, it is certainly important we do our homework on the proposed procedure. There was a far more complex procedure that we both considered but rejected with more information. The odds of a lateral release "working" isn't 100%, but it does seem appropriate in my case. I can still opt for "just" the scoping on the day, but I probably won't do that. More research and less reading of other's detailed bad experiences... My Ortho isn't painting a beautiful picture of how miraculous it might be and that actually increases my confidence in his work (neither is he focusing on how bad it will be). Some surgeries, like the scoping, have pretty predictable results, others are highly variable and the lateral release is one of those. So much depends on how our body is put together, our Q angle, just so much. Apparently just being female increases the complexities of dealing with an unstable/deranged patella.

*added: "deranged" patella...hmmm, it certainly does act like that from time to time.

[Crankin]

I wonder who thought up that term?
I do agree that getting information/doing HW is different than the random reading of the publics' experiences with specific procedures or diseases. But, it's really hard to get this information, when you are the average consumer. When I was sick a few years ago, it was very hard for me to stay off the web, so I did it cold turkey. I tend to err on the side of conservatism with medical stuff, but I haven't been faced with any decisions about surgery, etc. When my rheumo wrote me a scrip for Lyrica a few years ago, I tore it up in front of him. I really liked him and had a good relationship with him, but it was like he did it reflexively. He was kind, but didn't quite get me. I knew this when he told me to "ride 5 miles instead of 50." I got what he meant, but I had to take his advice and make it my own. I only knew Lyrica caused weight gain, and that was one side effect I wouldn't accept. The Prolia injections I took for osteoporosis for 4 years came with a host of bad possible things, but I decided to take the risk, given my lifestyle and family history. It worked, so I guess I'm lucky.

[WindingRoad]

Good luck Catrin!

[Catrin]

Thanks everyone, surgery on Friday. Dreading the procedure(s), looking forward to hopefully getting back to normal afterwards!

[Crankin]

Good luck, and keep us informed, Catrin.

[rebeccaC]

Lots of warm encouraging hugs/feelings for before and after your surgery Catrin!!!…..I’m keeping positive thoughts for a fully effective surgery, wonderful nurses and a recovery full of moments of unshakable equanimity!!!!!

[Aromig]

Thanks everyone, surgery on Friday. Dreading the procedure(s), looking forward to hopefully getting back to normal afterwards!

Good Luck Catrin! Having had knee surgery with your doctor, I know you're in excellent hands!

[salsabike]

Good Luck Catrin! Having had knee surgery with your doctor, I know you're in excellent hands!

I think that's one of the most comforting things you could hear before this surgery. Wishing you the best, Catrin, and that things will only get better again from here.

[Pax]

Sending you loads of warm healing thoughts!

[OakLeaf]

Hope everything goes spectacularly well!

[rebeccaC]

Catrin....saw this on my lunch walk as i was thinking of this thread

blessing and healing chants from venice beach

[Catrin]

Thanks for the encouraging thoughts and best wishes, I am just thankful that the time has finally arrived. It has been a LONG three weeks! I am much better dealing with things as they happen and really over-think things as I anticipate them. I know that comes as a surprise for those who have known me on this forum since 2010... or not

Rebecca, I love the shades of color on that wall, cool!

[OakLeaf]

Thinking of you. Hope everything went excellently!