...LAID UP!

Skiing season is over I had my knee scoped on Thursday and even I couldn't believe what they found.

Three little slits (this is knee surgery #5 BTW):
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8 pea sized calcified bits of "me" Most attached under the patella tendon :
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Starting to walk on it again today but as you can see... still a little swollen.

Those look like teeth...

I just don't wanna know how you ended up with some guys teeth in your knee.....

And I bet he looks a whole lot worse than you.....

Ken

looks like you'll have to stick to the corduroy and blue squares.

k

Indeed... I'm a corduroy guy for sure. Still beats sitting at home.

Still trying to figure out the road map he drew on my knee.

Dr. was Eric Heiden, olympic speed skater.

It's not a road map, they were playing hangman during the surgery.

Eric,

So sorry to hear this, it may be time to hang it up on the ski slopes.

Get well soon & take care of your knee's.

Tom

Eeeoowwwiiichcchhhhoooowwwww......

Cool! Eric Heiden was also a professional cyclist, competed in the 1986 Tour de France, and was team physician to the US speedskating team, Motorola pro cycling team, and the Sacramento Kings. Hope you have a quick recovery Eric.

Thanks guys!

Eric Heiden is a great guy... I felt he was really in-tune with my needs. No surgery for surgery-sake. My knee was finally beginning to lock up with all the loose bodies. I had a meniscectomy back in the mid-70's. The bone-on-bone is probably creating these little things. Other doctors couldn't find them. He said he would buy me dinner if he couldn't find them which leads me to think he probably swept those off the OR floor to avoid having to pay-off his debt.

OK, with me you KNOW there has to be a funny "Stupid-Guy" story in here right? (shut up... you're supposed to say "nooo really?")

Surgery was Thursday around noon. Came home, everything was great. Got up Friday morning thinking "wow, this scope was easy... my kidneys hurt worse (anesthetics) than my knee does." I was hobbling around without crutches, fixed the gear shift lever on Laura's bike, brought in some boxes from UPS, general "stuff". Around noon (keep this 24 hour thing in mind) my knee starts to throb a bit. 1:00PM it's kinda "hurting". By Friday night I'm in P-A-I-N. Now remember, this is my 5th so I should know what's going on. I'm seriously hurting. The Percocet is doing JACK.

After a hellacious, sleepless night I call the number on the release forms and finally get to Dr. Heiden's assistant. I mention that I think I might have "over-done-it" and told him how great everything was until about noon on Friday... this is when he proceeded to tell me about this miracle substance called Lidocaine.

Turns out that after surgery, they fill the knee with lidocaine to aid in the comfort post surgery. It wears off in... about... say... roughly... 24 HOURS!!!

God I'm such a F&%$ing IDIOT

I stayed off it all day yesterday and it's much better today. Walked a bit without the crutches. Hopefully I didn't wank it too much.

Eric,
Hope things are getting better, "wank too much"? Scuse me, but how does wanking too much affect your knee? I can see it affecting the 5 o'clock shadow on your palms, but...? Besides, what is too much?
Pat

ps - get better buddy!

OOOHHHH!!!!!! Praying for a speedy recovery.

Looks like you decided to shave your whole leg

Mend well

Ferg

Mr. Garvey, I'm in my mid-40's therefore I wank a lot of things... often.

Mr. Ferguson, FYI; I am totally "man-scaped" Grrrrrrrrrrrrrowl

Psssssssssssssst... don't tell Vanessa but; Mother's Day is coming up, someone just might get a (knee) pearl necklace!

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You think they'd tell you that shit before you left, but nnoooooo...

On a serious note:

It kinda pissed me off they didn't mention the Lidocaine or the effects. I would have been much more cautious.

Yeah, I know. But I won't get started on that rant. Get better.

My wife had knee issues last Christmas, this was her badge of honor. Truly a remarkable surgery.

Replacement?

looks more like a shift pattern on your knee....I could be wrong?

Well, looks like he got the deposits out but left your sense of humor intact.. I'll send pics to your house of what I did this weekend. Heal away baby!!

Hmmmmmm you're RIGHT! A 901 with some sort of a modified 5th thing happning!

Actually, that would probably be Marcaine. It wears off in 24 hours. Lidocaine is closer to 4 hours.

As much as I would like to agree that you ARE an idiot, I cannot take that cheap shot while your down...

Take it easy buddy. I am not in a hurry for the M Calipers I sent you. Have the girls bring them in...

Hieden must have moved there for the skiing. He was here at UC DAVIS. He was a professor of surgery.

I saw a mutual friend of ours today. He shouted an insult from his GMC Yukon as he drove by. No running 914's I guess....

Marcaine it is... I know it wasn't that white powdery stuff

Maybe he moved here to do the olympics?? Both he and his wife have a practice at TOSH.

Probably Marcaine with epinephrine, makes it last even longer.

The markings up and down are probably outlining your patella tendon; your two incisions are just to either side of these lines. The bottom mark going sideways crossing those up and down lines is probably the top of your tibia; that's why the incisions are above that (otherwise you'd hit the bone).

Of course, all three lines could just be the world's biggest "H" for Heiden. Docs are supposed to "mark the site" so they don't do the wrong side...

The initials up top ending in "S" are the surgeons name. You sure the resident didn't do it? There's no "S" in Eric Heiden.

I mean with 8 of those suckers in there, they shoulda called in everyone right down to the medical student and scrub nurse. Just so EVERYBODY could have fun!

You could tell people they took out 8 joint mice if you're sensitive to having a "loose body."

Paul

I never knew that about signing the site... too many years on the gassy side of the drape I guess.

Yes the epinephrine keeps the vessels clamped down so the Marcaine stays in place and doesn't "go systemic" and migrate around the body, makes it last longer that way. Believe me, you don't want Marcaine to do that. The first sign of Marcaine toxicity is cardiac arrest and a prolonged CPR... 24 hour half life and all...

Eric! Follow Your Post Op instructions!!!

Yeah... make sure you follow the post op stuff. I am on three knee surgeries, and now feel much better. Just keep doing those damn rehab exercises that are annoying to do. They really do help. Good luck with recovery.

Oh, I had a micro fracture on my first surgery and I wasn't supposed to walk on it for 30 days.... but they forgot to tell me that part After a week of walking on it at my first PT appointment they freaked out that I was walking on it.

Sorry to hear... this ski season I over worked my left knee.. called it quits after 28 days on the Mt- wasted my season pass:(

Looks like the stuff they sell on street corners in the hood....

Here's mine, two ACLs, a trailer "faux paus" and a tune up scope later....

Whoa Eric!

We could be *rehab buddies*

I had shoulder surgery 2 weeks ago (arthroscopic too).........
removed a huge bone spur and my AC joint and bursa!

But I had a Marcaine pump in my shoulder for 48 hours (same thing 2 years
ago when I had my knee surgery)
It was awesome because it kept me pain free for all that time.........it was set
to inject 2cc's of marcaine every 5 minutes for 48 hours

Anyway.........I had to start my PT 2 days after surgery because they did
a manipulation of my posterior shoulder capsule during surgery and the quick
PT is to keep my shoulder from freezing up...........talk about PAIN!

Better every day now however!

Keep up the good work Eric, and call if you have any questions

Here is my lovely pic shortly after surgery.............

Ok - 4 knee surgeries; compound fracture of tibia and fibula (bones sticking outside the skin), shattered hip and second hip surgery to remove pins 18 months later. This in a span of about 20 years, so I've seen most of the pain therapies come and go. I likeum the pills!!! During my hip problems (shattered in a bicycle training ride, I was only 36, long story...) I was on crutches 18 months (they were barely able to save the hip). The pin removal surgery put me back on crutches for another 9 months. During this time they prescribed pain pills by the hundreds. Fun for about the first six months, then just a drag (you can't immobilize a hip).

Anyway, PT is not fun but the only way to rehab your damaged (fill in the blank).

Two things to remember;
1. PT does not stand for "Physical Therapy", it really stands for "Pain and Torture".
2. Be a good patient, otherwise you risk the dreaded (PIA) designation in your medical file (Pain in Ass).

And just remember, "It could be worse..."

How, you ask, could it be worse? It could be me...

2cc / 5min for 48 hrs. What % was the solution? It must have been a whole lot less than I have in the office.

The "S" looks like the last letter of "yes". I had to write "yes" on my right shoulder when they did the rotator cuff just to make sure they didn't work on the wrong side!
It's hard to know how much to push it after the surgery. I pushed a little more than recommended. Eventually both my physical therapist and surgeon independantly said I was the "poster boy" for rotator cuff. Now I'm back to 100%! Good luck with your recovery!

I think they stop giving instructions after 3...........

Christine had knee surgery last year.
Somehow she still found a way to go shopping the day after surgery.........
She couldn't carry our 1 year old, but god forbid she couldn't carry a Nordstroms bag

What post OP instructions?

I am walking and at work today. Probably pull a 1/2 day.

I'm way into the PT stuff so no worries there, plus, I have a home gym for follow up stuff. This thing will be better than it has been since 1976. Guaranteed!

No percocet today... feels fine. I have a very high pain threshold but I tell ya... Friday night was hell on earth.

Oh... those post OP instructions. I still think they should have mentioned they filled my knee with cocaine (or whatever the hell it was!)

Piggot! I need some Pork Chops!

P.S. The "S" is the last of "Yes". I wrote one in red on the top and the Dr. wrote one in Blue. We both had to sign off on the carnage.



Marcaine... does wonders for the shopping impulses!