Heather's L knee scope, TTT, and PFJR on 1/26/09

[ghost]

No pre-op testing for me either.  Not even a basic CBC.  Definitely no pregnancy test.  The one good thing of having my thyroid take a trip south in the early 1990's was that it sent me into early menapause.  I made it into and out of it within a year when I was 40.  I guess that's the price of a nutty metabolism.

Dig, you'll appreciate this - when they figured out that my thyroid had taken a hike my resting heart rate was 172 bpm.  With massive doses of beta blockers we got it down to 130 bpm, but never lower.  I think I scared the daylights out of my doc.  He made me call him 4 times a day for 2 weeks until I took the radioactive Iodine.  He wanted to hospitalize me as I was on the edge of heart attack city, but at that point my mom had days to live (she passed away 3 days after the diagnosis and I got to spend her final days with her) I had other priorities so the 4 x day calls were my attempt at a compromise.  I did like the eating 6 full meals a day and dropping 40 pounds at the same time, but wasn't as impressed with the feeling that I was crawling out of my skin and sleeping a max of 1/2 hour per day.  I remember being so overwhelmed with the skin issues one day that as soon as a put the girls on the school bus I raced to the local supermarket, grabbed a bottle of benedryl and drank 1/2 of it before heading for the checkout, drove to work and promptly fell asleep at my desk.

Heather, the hutch is beautiful. My style of furniture and wonderfully decorated.

For the first two surgeries I was in the op room chatting with the anesthesiologist and the surgeon before I went under.  For the last surgery I remember being in the prep area, speaking to doc and his assistant.  Hubby was getting the low down on settings for the cpm machine. They wrote out a couple of scripts, one was for Ectotrin that I already had on hand.  Told hubby not to fill that one and then I remember waking up in recovery an hour and a half later thinking that my leg was on fire.  The moral of the story is that what you don't know can be painful!!  lol.

Sue

[Caroline109]

Okay-I guess maybe it's me and my chronic 26 year and counting low platelet count, but if I hadn't had pre-operative blood work done at the hospital prior to an emergency csection (I was scheduled for a csection but went into labor 2 days before it), I would've been in trouble and would've bled too much because of a previously undiagnosed low platelet count. I would think this would be a concern prior to any surgery, even arthroscopies which are considered relatively bloodless surgeries. But you're also having other stuff done where it might be a concern.
End of ramblings!

[Heathers new knee]

Hi guys:

Well, after pondering this a bit, I think it's in my best interest to e-mail sawbones about those pre-op labs anyhow. I've had some funky things at a very young age (in my early 20's). From a revved up thyoid during pregnancy (it was ok and simmered back down) to low blood sugars (56 on a non-fasting once). Things can be off without knowing it. I think I'd better get carded too, aye Marjan? That clock should be ticking for a while yet.

You guys have had some wierd stuff, too. Wow Caroline...did you have symptoms prior to finding out about the platelets? That was a close one!! I hemorrhaged after I delivered my daughter and had to have some more of that nasty Pitocin crud. It was pretty scary.

Sue, that resting heart rate would've scared the living daylights out of me, too. I had absolutely 0 symptoms other than the thyroid being slighly enlarged and abnormal bloodwork. My OB watched me closely and I managed to gain the minimum of 25 lbs with her..he would've liked more but I did my best. I hope you're ok now. Well, if you ever get the itchies like that again, an Aveno bath might be safer than konking yourself out with benadryl. Yikes!

Ewww, I'll betcha that girl's mother was just livid with her teenage pregnant daughter. I hope her knee issues were somehow able to be managed. I can't imagine going into delivery with a banged up knee, either. OUCH!!

Hey Rotten, thanks for reminding me about the polar pack. I am definitely asking for that along with maybe a TENS unit. Just too banged up to think about that stuff last time. Planning is good! 

So, I figured I should probly post a pic of the beginning of this dilemma to compare the "all better" one with soon. I hope my knee never, ever looks like that again. This is my reminder of progress made and sometimes you need to just look back and count your blessings!  Take care and hope everyone has a Happy New Year. Resolution? Work, work and more work for me and hope sawbones does a good job gettin' her ready! 

Heather 

[Caroline109]

Heather, you look just as I pictured you-although I missed the bangs!
I had no symptoms whatsoever when I was diagnosed-only the low count. My 1st prenatal CBC was completely normal. It was when I was getting ready to have the csection at the hospital where the low platelet count showed up. My OB GYN (and I was REALLY luck because it was a SUnday afternoon and the one who was on call was the high risk specialist) thought the lab had made an error in the count so he ordered another test, and then another when the results got lower and lower. He ordered platelets so that I was transfused during the surgery (platelet transfusions only offer a very very temporary solution to the problem) and didn;t have any bleeding problems, thank goodness. ITP sometimes shows up with pregnancy but most people have symptoms (bleeding, bruising). I was lucky as I had none of the above. I still have a relatively mild case of it but it's enough to have an impact on just about every medical aspect of my life (from surgery to medications).
I'm glad you're asking about the pre-op labs. It makes me feel better (if not you, lol)!

[rottenkid]

hey all just stop to say Happy New Year

RoTTeN

[Marjan]

I'm following Rotten around the forum.........

Happy New Years!

marjan

[Caroline109]

Happy New Year!

[digginit]

Heck, Heather, you're knockin' 'em dead with that big 'ol brace on.  Wait until you have a pair of matching legs again!  Watch Out!

Speaking of a brace...I sent a 13 y/o boy over to Sawbones with a ruptured ACL.  Didn't get an MRI or anything because it was so apparent.  He saw the boy today, and the kid got a brace that he gets to wear until he's 16, when he can have the ACL fixed.  Sawbones says he expects he also has a big bucket-handle meniscus tear that he's gonna fix when he does his scope (which will be soon to assess all the damage). 

~dig

[Caroline109]

Poor kid! Why does he have to wait until he's 16 to have the ACL fixed? Growing issues-his ACL might be more adult size then?? My nephew tore his ACL when he was about that age while skiing and had surgery almost immediately. A year later, when his knee was still bothering him, he was found to have a torn meniscus too so he then had that fixed.

[digginit]

Hey Caroline, fixing the meniscus isn't an issue.  But fixing the ACL means drilling through the bones.  A child his age still has open growth plates.  Drilling through them puts the child at risk for premature closure of the growth plates...i.e. the bone would stop growing. 

So he'll stabilize everything he can -- the meniscus and allow the MCL time to heal.  Then when his growth plates are more mature, he can fix the ACL without risking the child's growth -- or at least his leg's growth.

~dig

[Caroline109]

I also had in mind the growth plates but didn't mention it (must be the Bailey's) and I also implied that my nephew had ACL surgery at the same age as the boy, but he was 16! Ayayayayaya. Now you see why I rarely have alcohol:)

[digginit]

Caroline, you're a FUN drunk!    I hope you'll continue to hang out here since you, like I, have nothing better to do this New Year's Eve.  We could drunk post together...though I'll have to catch up with you.

~dig

[Caroline109]

I probably had literally 2 teaspoons of Bailey's in the hot chocolate but that is enough for me. Not feeling quite old fogey-ish as my 24y year old son, who said earlier today he might be going out this evening, is in his room with the lights out (I can see it from where I'm sitting) and the TV on, probably on his way to sleep soon:)

Modifed: I just heard him yawn so he;s still awake-but barely!

[digginit]

Well Caroline, you're the only one awake at your house on New Year's Eve.  P A R T Y!!!
I think I remember someone requesting a party at Heather's thread.  I think this is Heather's thread...lol. 

~dig

[Caroline109]

I guess you and I are the party. EVen my cat is sleeping.
The Bailey's is definietly wearing off as the pain in my shoulders (from schlepping dresses around yesterday) has returned after a short respite (and no Mobic!).