Post-Op

First, a little back (and knee) story: When I met Andy, he'd already had a couple of surgeries to completely reconstruct the torn ACLs in his knees (sports injuries). He'd also had numerous arthroscopies and occasionally wore knee braces. Shortly after we got married (almost as soon he went on my health insurance), he blew out his knee again and had yet another reconstruction. He has scars up and down both legs from the incisions to remove strips of muscle to create a new ACL and then install them in place. As the years went on, he also developed a fair amount of arthritis and had various screws removed and replaced. A mess, really, but he was always a diligent gym-rat and took it to heart when his surgeon told him that the best "brace" for a bad knee is a set of strong leg muscles.

Fast forward a few decades. His left knee, which has seen more surgical action, is a constant source of pain. There's no longer anything in there to prevent the bone-on-bone contact, so every step is agony. But the surgeons all tell him that he's too young to get a total knee replacement. A typical new knee lasts 10 to 15 years, depending on the person's activity level, and if it needs to be re-done at that time, the procedure is a nightmare—and the product is not a good one. (I asked whether they might have developed a new technique by then, but he said no, there's nothing in the R&D pipeline that will be ready in our lifetime.) That's why most people get knee replacement surgery when they're in their 70s or so. Since orthopedic surgeons are notoriously scalpel-happy, we really listened when he was the one telling us to hold on. He said, "Wait until you really can't stand the pain one more minute." Well, that day came in the spring of 2010. We scheduled the knee replacement for the fall (why ruin the summer with rehab?) and started to get used to the idea.

Then, two weeks before the surgery, Andy ruptured a disc in his spine. You can read about that wonderful situation here. After the surgery to remove the rupture, the feeling in his leg still wouldn't come back. Subsequent MRIs showed a perfectly intact S1 nerve, so the neurologist said that it was just taking a long time for the nerve to "wake up." We were told that it would most likely wake up gradually, but that after 18 months, that would be as good as it would ever get. So we waited. And waited. And here we are, 13 months later, and still nothing. Well, I shouldn't say nothing. The physical therapist notices some improvement, but it's nothing Andy can feel. He still can't even flex his calf muscle. He has to wear a foot brace to keep his foot from flapping on the ground, in addition to his knee brace. The surgeon had recommended that we put off the knee replacement since the pain wasn't so bad anymore, but now, after a year of walking around on a useless leg, his back is a mess, his opposite foot is killing him, and his leg is even worse. He no longer gets the normal pain signals about how to limp properly, so his knee points out at a bizarre angle and the leg itself is bowed and shortened.

So, a few weeks ago, we decided that enough was enough and scheduled the knee replacement. The physical therapist and the neurologist both suggested that perhaps once he can exercise fully again, maybe that will jump-start the nerve. In any event, he won't be in constant pain and will be able to go for a walk (leaving the cane at home) or ride a bike.

And the surgery was today. It was anything but a straightforward knee replacement because his knee is such a mess. They had to go in through his old scars, use a different bionic joint than than usual (I spoke to the surgeon for only a minute, so I don't know the details yet), plus remove all the old hardware in there. Ewwww!

After what seemed like an eternity this morning, the surgeon finally called to tell me that it was over and that it went "great." I took the kids in to see Andy later, and we were all surprised that he was fairly alert, if slightly nauseous and dizzy, thoroughly exhausted, and drugged up.

He has a very long road ahead of him with the rehab. Even people who have no complicating factors say that it's extremely painful. In addition, there's no telling how Andy's will go because of the nerve problem. At this point we don't even know when he'll be coming home, but we do know that a physical therapist will be coming to the house at that point.

I'm just glad he woke up from the anesthesia. First things first.

[Update 1/10/12: For some reason, this post is attracting more spam comments than usual, so I'm closing off comments. If you have something non-spammy to share, feel free to email me!]

Comments

[Stephanie]

I hope he recovers quickly.

[Deborah]

I hope he has an amazingly fast recovery. My husband has had a shoulder replacement looming over him (8 1/2 years ago, the doctor said it would be necessary in 5-10 years - he's now 52), so I can't even imagine what y'all are dealing with.

Thinking positive thoughts for Andy!

[Tonya Watkins]

Wow. What a lot to endure. (I had a herniated disk several years ago and surgery fixed it, but I'll never ever forget the agony beforehand. Oh ugh). Hoping for a very speedy recovery from his knee replacement -- and relief!

[Rachel]

Yikes! Andy's been through a lot! Here's hoping for a speedy recovery! If there's ever anything I can do for you at Newton-Wellesley, just let me know!

[Sandy]

That is a lot to endure. My best wishes that the next steps go smoothly and bring relief.

[Sheila]

SO sorry to hear about this, Karen. Hope all goes well with Andy's recovery.

[Sue]

Hoping for a fast recovery. Luckily he has a wonderful supportive family.

[Janice]

Sending healing thoughts his way... Be sure to take care of yourself too throughout his recovery.

[Sue Hardy]

You are so right - he woke up. Now onto the other stuff. Let me know if we can do anything to help. I make a mean baked ziti with pesto, sausage and spinach if you'd eat that! Please send our best to Andy. Sue, Paul, Steven and Thomas

[Marta]

Wishing him all the best on the speedy road to recovery.

[scott]

Wow, best of luck for a fast recovery.

[Rachel]

Wishing Andy a fast recovery! So sorry for all the pain!

[Elena]

That is quite a story. I hope Andy is soon on the mend and pain-free.

[KellyW]

Just reading all of Andy's travails make my joints hurt! Hope he's doing well post-surgery. Wishing him (and you too!) a speedy and healthy recovery!