Communication Glitches

Several years ago I had both my knees replaced with mechanical ones. The left one is fine; the right one is still painful under some conditions.

At my first post-surgical appointment with my surgeon, I reported that pain. She said I was still healing. At the next appointment with her I again reported the pain but she still advised giving it time.

A year later she was gone so I was referred to a different orthopedic surgeon. I reported the pain to him and said I thought it was related to the malfunctioning CPM machine which pulled on my leg during rehab after the surgery causing excruciating pain. I thought that had torn some tendons. He said the x-rays showed nothing wrong with the replacement itself so it sounded like a soft tissue problem–which, of course, was what I said. Then he told me the way they look at soft tissue injuries is with an MRI but they can’t do an MRI on a metal knee because they only see static. The only way to look at that tissue is by opening the knee! NOT! Too soon!

So for about five years I continued living with this pain and letting let it restrict my activities to an unhealthy level.

I finally got tired of that and made an appointment to see the second orthopedic surgeon again. He read his notes from that previous visit which said my ligaments are fine–he never told me that. He said those notes indicate he suspected Regional Pain Syndrome–he never told me that. He does not operate for Regional Pain Syndrome–he never told me that.

So now he wants to refer me to a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist for consultation.  It’s hard to get those appointments but, in time, I should be able to get one. Why didn’t he tell me that when we still lived here?!!!

He said there are several different things the specialist could try–therapy, meds, and what is in effect rebooting my system by disconnecting a nerve and letting it heal again. It seems nerves can remember pain and express it inappropriately. This is what sometimes happen to amputees who can have an itch in a nonexistent foot. In that case it is a failure to stop communicating.

So, I can either try to get in to see someone someplace where we’ll be stopped long enough to do this or I can call about two months before we come back next summer to schedule an appointment then.

Oh, joy!

TTYL,

Linda