A NEW KNEE GAVE ME BACK MY LIFE SURGERY THAT GOT ONE READER BACK ON HER FEET

DESPITE AGONISING PAIN, TERRY TAVNER FEARED KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY, BUT A YEAR LATER SHE CAN FINALLY CELEBRATE... ON THE DANCE FLOOR!

THE IRONY IS NOT WASTED ON ME

AS I SIGN THE CONSENT FORM AND WAVE GOODBYE TO MY RIGHT KNEE. WHEN I WAKE UP, IT WILL HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY A COMPLICATED COBALT/CHROME CONTRAPTION THAT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY TRIGGER AIRPORT SECURITY ALARMS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. WHY

AM I HERE? SPORT. I’VE DONE A LOT OF IT THROUGH THE YEARS – TENNIS, CYCLING, A FEW CHARITY RUNS AND SKIING.

I SHOULD BE OOZING HEALTH AND FITNESS BUT NO, THE UPSHOT OF BEING SO ACTIVE IS A SERIOUSLY DEFORMED KNEE AND A GREAT DEAL OF PAIN.

ADULTS OF ANY AGE CAN BE CONSIDERED FOR A KNEE REPLACEMENT, BUT MOST ARE CARRIED OUT BETWEEN THE AGES OF 60 AND 80. THROUGH THE YEARS, I’D ALREADY HAD TWO ARTHROSCOPIES, A TYPE OF KEYHOLE SURGERY, BUT AS

THE CARTILAGE ON MY KNEE GRADUALLY ERODED, SO THE PAIN WORSENED AND MY LEG STARTED TO DEFORM AS A RESULT OF WALKING ON BONE AGAINST BONE.

ENTER PROFESSOR TIM BRIGGS, CONSULTANT ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEON AT THE ROYAL NATIONAL ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL IN STANMORE, NORTH LONDON – A BEAR

OF A MAN, CONFIDENT, DECISIVE, FUNNY AND RECENTLY APPOINTED NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (SEE BOX OPPOSITE). I FIRST SAW HIM IN JULY 2014, WHEN HE TOLD ME THAT SURGERY WAS INEVITABLE. HOPING FOR A MIRACLE CURE TO AVOID SURGERY ALTOGETHER, I DEFERRED IT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE AND TIM AGREED, ASSURING ME THAT I WOULD “KNOW WHEN THE TIME COMES”. HE WASN’T WRONG. I LIMPED ON UNTIL THE END OF 2015, WHEN STANDING UP FROM MY DESK, MY KNEE BUCKLED AND A SEARING PAIN RIPPED THROUGH ME. THE TIME HAD COME.

UNDER THE NHS CHOICES SCHEME, I WAS BOOKED INTO THE SPIRE BUSHEY, A PRIVATE HOSPITAL, AND GIVEN EXERCISES TO STRENGTHEN MY THIGH MUSCLES PRIOR TO SURGERY – I WAS DETERMINED TO GO IN “MATCH FIT”. TIM HAD WARNED ME THAT

THIS IS EXTREMELY INVASIVE SURGERY INVOLVING CUTTING THROUGH THE FEMUR (THIGH BONE), TIBIA (SHIN BONE), PLUS LIGAMENTS, NERVES AND MUSCLE. MY KNEE HAD AN ADDED COMPLICATION IN THAT IT HAD ANGLED OUTWARDS RATHER THAN MORE COMMONLY INWARDS.

APART FROM THE PRE-OP EXERCISES, I’D TAKEN VERY LITTLE NOTICE OF TIM’S WARNINGS – I HAVE A VERY HIGH PAIN TOLERANCE – SO WAS TOTALLY SHELLSHOCKED WHEN I WOKE UP AFTER MY 90 MINUTES IN THEATRE WITH THE KIND OF PAIN I DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE THE WORDS TO DESCRIBE. LET’S CALL IT AGONY. I’D BEEN GIVEN A PAIN BLOCK DURING SURGERY,

WHICH MEANT THERE WAS NO FURTHER

RELIEF COMING MY WAY UNTIL MORNING. IF ANYONE HAD SUGGESTED AMPUTATION THAT NIGHT, I THINK I’D HAVE JUMPED

AT IT (IF YOU’LL FORGIVE THE EXPRESSION).

TIM APPEARED FIRST THING AND BROUGHT GOOD NEWS: ONE, I CAN HAVE MORPHINE AND TWO, MY KNEE IS NOW STRAIGHT. THE OLD ONE WAS ROTTEN, HE TOLD ME, AND BADLY ARTHRITIC DUE TO

LOSS OF CARTILAGE. HE REITERATED THAT

THE HARD WORK LEARNING TO WALK ON IT PROPERLY WOULD BE DOWN TO ME – IT HAS BEEN SO DEFORMED FOR SO LONG, IT WOULD TAKE REAL DEDICATION TO CORRECT IT. BUT

IF I TRIED HARD ENOUGH, I COULD DO IT.

HE’D BARELY LEFT MY BEDSIDE BEFORE THE PHYSIO ARRIVED AND WORK BEGAN IN EARNEST. TIP – TIME YOUR MEDICATION AHEAD OF THE EXERCISE, IT REALLY HELPS! LESS THAN 24 HOURS AFTER THE OPERATION I WAS UPRIGHT AND SHUFFLING DOWN THE CORRIDOR ON A ZIMMER, THE DAY AFTER

THAT I WAS IN THE HYDRO POOL WHERE THE RELIEF FROM PAIN WAS BLISSFUL.

AND ON DAY THREE, I WAS DISCHARGED. APART FROM CRUTCHES, I WAS KITTED OUT WITH PRESSURE SOCKS TO PREVENT BLOOD CLOTS, A SEVEN-DAY SUPPLY OF SYRINGES FOR DAILY BLOOD-THINNING INJECTIONS, ANTI-NAUSEA MEDICATION, SLEEPING PILLS AND PAINKILLERS. PLUS GENTLE EXERCISES TO DO AT HOME UNTIL THE CLIPS (34 OF THEM!) WERE REMOVED 13 DAYS AFTER SURGERY. NOW I COULD START MY SIX-WEEK OUT-PATIENT PHYSIO COURSE. LOOKING BACK, I UNDERESTIMATED

JUST WHAT AN IMPACT THIS WAS GOING

TO HAVE ON MY LIFE AND I DON’T THINK I MANAGED MY EXPECTATIONS TERRIBLY

WELL. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO STOP USING CRUTCHES OR A WALKING FRAME AND RESUME NORMAL LEISURE ACTIVITIES SIX WEEKS AFTER SURGERY. HOWEVER, IT MAY TAKE UP TO THREE MONTHS FOR PAIN AND SWELLING TO SETTLE DOWN AND UP TO A YEAR FOR ANY LEG SWELLING TO DISAPPEAR. A NEW KNEE WILL CONTINUE TO RECOVER UP TO TWO YEARS

AFTER YOUR OPERATION. DURING THIS TIME, SCAR TISSUE WILL HEAL AND MUSCLES WILL BE RESTORED BY EXERCISE. THE MISTAKE I MADE WAS EXPECTING TOO MUCH TOO SOON. AND I GOT QUITE DOWN BY NOT BEING ABLE TO DO AS MUCH AS I’D HOPED. HOWEVER, TIME REALLY WAS A GREAT HEALER.

AS I WRITE, IT IS 18 MONTHS SINCE MY SURGERY AND I CONTINUE TO PUSH. I AM STILL NOT ENTIRELY PAIN-FREE BUT I AM CERTAINLY SUFFERING A LOT LESS THAN BEFORE SURGERY. I RARELY TAKE MEDICATION AND I RECOGNISE THAT I LITERALLY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO RUN BEFORE I COULD WALK. BUT I AM ALMOST THERE. AND MY ADVICE TO ANYONE IN LINE FOR A TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT IS, DON’T PUT OFF THE INEVITABLE. GET IT DONE AND REGAIN YOUR LIFE.

I’VE BEEN SKIING TWICE THIS YEAR, I’VE DANCED UNTIL 4AM AT MY SON’S WEDDING, I RIDE MY BIKE ALMOST EVERY DAY

AND I WALK AT LEAST 5K EVERY MORNING. I GENUINELY THOUGHT MY DANCING AND SKIING DAYS WERE BEHIND ME BUT NOW I FEEL THAT, APART FROM RUNNING (A BIG NO!), MY BIONIC KNEE AND I CAN GO ON TO EVEN GREATER THINGS. ANYONE FOR TENNIS?