Report on my Knee implant problems.

[Pete Fallon]

Faithful,
Good and bad news. I spent the last week going to specialists at Mass General, Portsmouth Regional and Valley Medical Center in New Hampshire, The doctor at Mass General still thinks it is loose and wants to replace it with another implant of a different brand, Six to 8 months recovery if he doesn't break the bone trying to remove the lower part with the long stem and a lot of cement, 8 to 12 months if it breaks, two major plates, screws and pins have to be installed, do nothing for 5 months then start PT no work or even going out on the water for 6 months if it goes good, if it goes bad it's a year minuim. The other ortho doc in New Hampshire doesn't seem to think that it is all that loose and most of my pain is coming from two severely damaged nerves. One nerve( saphoness nerve, spelling?) on the inside of the knee is crushed from the original impact from getting hit by the slide pole in the fire station in 1978 and from all the surgeries that I have had, doctors cutting through the same area a dozen times, it never gets a chance to heal properly over the years. The other nerve on the outside( perinatal nerve) is getting trapped in the area where the nerve enters the tibia bone via a hole in the bone. Every time I step down I compress the nerve in the hole and it feels like someone is stabbing me with an ice pick. The ortho doc referred me to a nerve guy on the New Hampshire/ Vermont border, the nerve guy in Valley Regional doesn't do the surgery on the nerves. just testing/diagnosis and referred me to a nerve specialist surgeon MD/PHD in MacClean, Va, he just opened up his own practice after being at Georgetown University Medical School for 15 years. I hope to get an appointment in a few weeks with him, he's supposed to be the guy that other doctors go to if they need nerve surgery. So I am going to get the nerves taken care of first and if needed after that, I will deal with the implant replacement problem later. The nerve surgery recovery is only 4 to 6 weeks compared to 6 to12 months for the implant revision. So that's what is going on with my ongoing saga of the knee.
I talked to Tommy Oaks last week he is recovering from major right leg injury, that was broken in 6 places in the lower leg after a dive off a 31 side deck onto the pavement in his boat yard. He said he caught his foot on the spring cleat mid ship on a 31 Bertram that he was working on, landed on his feet and broke his right leg, that occurred in late June and he was just getting the full fiberglass cast off and a walking cast put on last week. He said that he was going crazy not being able to do anything around the boatyard because he's been on crutches for 3 months. I told him I knew how he felt, I've been on crutches since September of 2013 almost a year. Anyway I thought I would give the guys an up date on what is happening with my and Tommy's situation in New Jersey. Give him a call he likes to talk to the guy's from the sandbox. Pete Fallon

[Carl]

Wow...


While a huge amount of time is spent running around getting answers and finding out this is not going to be a hit the table, install new knee and onto something else...it sounds like you found a group of people/doctors that are giving you the real answers you need to move forward.

Nobody wants to here recovery may be a year out...but if it is the last time you ever have to deal wit this crap...better to do it right and get it over with...easy for me to say...I know.

Keep us informed...best of luck to you.

Carl

[CamB25]

That actually sounds like good news....let me know who the nerve doc is in McLean. I live in the area if you need a place to stay for a night or two. No boats up here right now, but I do have a nice hot tub!

Good Luck!
Cam

[Rawleigh]

Pete: Hope the nerve doc can get you relief. If the implant is loose I recommend that they bring in Capt Pat as the adhesive expert who can put it back together 31 Bertram style instead of the Bayliner style they have been giving you before!!

All joking aside though, I know you have been going through hell and my thoughts and prayers are with you for a speedy and pain free recovery.

[Marlin]

Peter, I have been in the med business most for the last 40 years, stick with the tertiary care givers, mass gen is an example, they use contemporary medicine to cure their patients, not just give them a bandaid, have u tried a pain management approach, generally they r anesthesiologist and know the neroli cal system, that's their business. I got bounced around in big seas in the Bahamas several years ago,couldn't move, chartered a plane to get home, slept ,kinda of ,in a chairs for 3weeks, ,could only hobble to the head, got a referral to a group ,was pessimistic as I thought this was voodo,had a minor procedure in an out patient OR setting, got fixed, your history is so sad with all the attempts to get u back to some normal life style , get the pain under control ,find someone that can figure out your chemistry and the rejection issues,need to see u in,puerto Rico surveying the new boat I'm negotiating

[Pete Fallon]

Marlin,
I went to a ortho doctor in Portsmouth NH on the14of August, he was at Mass General for many years he got sick of the rat race of Boston and moved over the boarder 15 miles. He did a through exam and was the first ortho guy to suggest that the nerves were the major problem and that the implant might or might not be loose. MRI and bone scan showed possible loosening, he referred me to the nerve specialist who did all kinds of testing and found the problem with two nerves. He's referring me to a nerve surgeon in Mclean, Viginia. Appointment in a couple of weeks.
I have been doing the pain clinic for over a year and a half, anesthesia group out of Stuart, basically they look at it and shake there heads and prescribe drugs for the pain had my last visit on Friday. I will let you know what is happening and please don't buy the boat until I have a chance to look at more pictures or get down there myself. With the nerve issue I'll have a couple of dead spots in my knee but anything is better than the constant pain on a scale of 8 everyday, plus if it makes it go away I'll see how it goes I would rather have a couple of weeks recuperation compared to 8 to 12 months if they have to replace it for the fourth time and the possibility of them breaking the tibia bone trying to remove the old joint. Hopefully I'll have answer shortly.
Thanks,
Pete Fallon

[spencer]

Pete , sounds like good news to me ,
Best of luck

Spencer

[IRGuy]

Pete...

Have read all your posts.. I have been dealing with a bum knee off and on for the past 42 years.. a rugby injury that comes and goes.. the past year has been the most painful of all. I finally bit the bullet and am scheduled for a full replacement on October 14. Wish me luck!

And... good luck to you! I am sending you all the good vibes I can muster.

[Pete Fallon]

IRGUY,
Carl,
Make sure they don't use a Depuy knee implant I have had 3 of them and they are terrible they all loosened or broke within 4 years . Go with a Striker or Bio Med joint. Good luck I have Dr Appointment with revision specialist at MGH on the 13 th
Pete Fallon