"Osteoarthritis leading to bilateral knee replacements"

I have had a succession of surgical procedures to allow me to have a fairly normal range of movement and to lead an independent life. Early last year I saw Dr David at The Prince of Wales Hospital to discuss options regarding my knees. He commented after looking at my x-rays that I needed bilateral knee replacements as soon as the New South Wales public health system would allow. I successfully pushed to have my operation several weeks before Christmas (as the anniversary date was early March this year) due to my legs becoming increasingly restricted in movement and exhaustion becoming a growing impediment. 

As I was checking into admission the second surgeon Dr George turned up and measured me, as in bilateral surgery two orthopods are involved to halve the time the patient is under light anaesthesia. David uses a "twilight" anaesthetic in conjunction with a spinal block to keep sedation at a level that's safer than a general anaesthetic and to get me up sooner the next day to start moving, I went in at 12 30 and was out of recovery going to the ward by 21 00. The operation went fine but as I have a problem coping with Morphine I was on anti-nausea medications for several hours. 

Next morning at 10 am I was up on a metallic contraption taking my first steps with a Physiotherapist. Over the next three days of hospitalisation I progressed from using this tall stand then onto a Zimmer frame. I was having a problem sleeping throughout my stay as when I closed my eyes I was soaring across hypnotic landscapes. This state of affairs lasted over three weeks, but I agreed to the use of morphine on the advise of Cameron the anaesthetist. A senior nurse explained to me that a Spinal Block works so effectively when the fatty sheaths surrounding the nerve cords are bathed in fat loving opiates.

The first three weeks were exceedingly difficult as even with a pillow between my legs sleeping on my back is always punishing. Being summer I was also drinking a lot of water meaning several trips per night to the bathroom! I was on pain medication Targin and Endone and Paracetamol. I kept off the Endone and my pain management was good. I also lost 2 kilo's of weight which was done with such ease. I couldn't  eat large amounts of food but alas I've gained it since.

The PACT team were so good to me. The Physio's encouraged me to continue doing my regular exercises to get some movement out of my very inflexible knees. Day 6 found me walking on crutches dressed only in my boxers going down my narrow, but busy city street with Patricia for encouragement. The nurses would come in and check my vital stats and Karen from Occupational Therapy came out checking potential problems. 

The scars cleaned up in the first month allowing me to access the Hydrotherapy Pool. I started using buses around Sydney to get to appointments when my wife was too busy to pick me up in the car. My first lower limb and exercise class in the pool was a real tonic physiologically and a start physically to bend my legs. I have been using a mix of hospital and public pools every second day over the past six weeks. I saw Dr David two weeks ago and he said I've still to find an additional two-thirds of the prospective movement to discover from my new limbs! 

Living in the twenty first century has some considerable advantages and the level of health care is one. Thanks to all those professionals who have guided me back to health. Yes I still get exhausted but I know that I'm on the way to having functioning knees again.