Recovering From Denovo NT surgery!!!!!

[markld]

Hi all,

I had Denovo NT done on April 6 and on the road to recovery. My Doc said the ACI was very thin thus not giving me relief of pain. He removed the entire ACI graft then installed the Denovo.....

I just started the CPM today and the knee is very swollen to say the least.

I will post again in a few days.....

Mark

[markld]

It is now day 5 post op and the cpm is feeling better and better with less discomfort..... all good stuff...

The only pain I have is due to the swelling, however thet will only subside with time.

[markld]

10 days post op and so far so good. The swelling is starting to come down and knee feels great in cpm unlike the discomfort I was having post op ACI at this same point in time almost 2 years ago, which led me to the conclusion the ACI had failed very early on.....

This time I am realistically optomistic based on all the positive signs that are currently present.....

Things definitely seem to be healing/coming along at an expedited rate compared to the successfull ACI on my right knee.

The key to success now lies with me, as I must be patient and not overdue things with rehab.

[skierboy]

Mark--

You are where I want to be.  I had DeNovo NT surgery scheduled for about the same date as yours, but it had to be postponed for awhile due to another procedure that put me on blood thinners for six weeks.  I'm off those now and am looking to reschedule the DeNovo work.  I've heard nothing but good things about this product, even though it is expensive.

Another issue is whether one's health insurance will cover it or instead treat it as "investigational" and thus not covered.  I've tracked down the medical policy documents from several Blue Cross affiliates around the country and find quite a range of views on the subject of DeNovo NT.  And some affiliates are silent on the matter, which really puts the performing physician and the surgical center at risk of not getting paid by insurance once the procedure has been performed.

I've got colleagues and friends around me who are getting (or who have recently received) full or partial knee replacements.  It's like an epidemic.  But I'm one of the few insisting on sticking to "the road less taken"--even though it appears likely that cartilage repair and regeneration will be making major inroads into the "knee replacement" business within the next 5 years.

Please keep up your posts on your post-op progress.

[markld]

I am just over 3 weeks post and things are going very well.

I will start full weight bearing and spinning on a stationary bike in just over 2 weeks.

I can tell that there is good fill thus far as there is no longer a catching sensation as the patella glides over the trochlea.

I will post again in a week.

[markld]

Here i am one month post op today. Can't believe it's been that long.

I have put some weight on it and to my surprise no sharp pain was present, which is a great sign.
I suppose i will slowly increase the loading over the next two weeks then ditch the crutches.

I can say without any doubt at this point in time, i am much farther along with relief of symptoms that were present prior to surgery than i was at the same point in time post op aci and mfx.

[markld]

I am 5 weeks post op now and have gone from 2 crutches down to 1 today. To my surprise there is no pain with the extra weight being put on the knee. Besides the leg being extremely weak, there is no other issues at this point in time that concern me......
In 1 week I will start spinning on stationary bike....

[markld]

Hi All,

I am now 8 weeks post op Denovo Nt and still going strong. Just started the stationary bike yesterday and it was no problem......
My leg remains very weak, however only with time will I regain the muscle....

I am now concetrated on regaining range and strength.

Cheers

[jbob]

I am so glad to hear about your sugery and how your recovery is going. I found out in december that I have a defect the size of a quarter in the cartilage of my left knee. My doc took cells out to do the ACI surgery using Genzyme. My insurance didn't want to pay for it so it took until May until I had a sugery date. I then ran into the problem where my cells won't grow after tring twice. My doc wants to go in for a second biopsy to obtain more cells to try growing them again. I have decided to hold off for now, due to a lot of pain and not being able to staighten my leg to walk normally since the scope in december and wanting to check out the Denovo option. I found out about the DeNovo but my doc said I can't go that route due to insurance not paying and it is to newand not FDA approved. I am tring to meet up with a different doc in my area because he is on the zimmer site. So just wondering if your doc mentioned going the aci route and did you have any issues with insurance with the DeNovo implant. Please keep your updates coming!!

[markld]

Yeah if u read all my posts u will see that i had a failed aci on the knee that i just had denovo with. However i did have a successfull aci on the other knee.

If i was u i would skip the whole aci process and go directly with denovo. Your doctor is not entirely right. It is fda approved however considered an off label product. Insurance will sometimes cover it and sometimes not. U can always pay out of pocket for the denovo cells and insurance will cover the surgical costs. Denovo has a much faster recovery than aci. U should start doing research including reading all my posts and others. U will learn a lot a lot.

Who are the dr's you are seeing and where do u live? I may know of a dr in your area.

If u have any more questions just email me directly my email is listed under my profile.


Mark

[markld]

Got good news today. I had a mri with cartilage mapping at 3 months post and it showed almost complete fill according to my doc whom called me with the good news today. He said i have more fill at 3. Months than i did at one year post aci.

[Rennschnecke]

What wonderful news!  Just a shame this doesn't seem to be available in the UK.

[markld]

I am now about 3.5 months post op and seem to turning the corner. I had what seemed to be a small setback a couple weeks ago, however I believe I over it. I feel as though I am on the right course recovery wise for a cartilage defect, however I thought it was gonna be a little quicker after hearing many folks on here speak of running at 4 months post op. To be honest I think they are full of crap. After reading their posts, I developed a unrealistic expectation and am reminded that even though Denovo is the best thing out there, it's still cartilage repair, and cartilage repairs just take time, no matter how good they are......
I am now just taking things one day at a time and hoping that things turn out great......

[corrina11]

I am 4.5 weeks post op from the denovo nt procedure. i have 1.5 weeks left non weight bearing. my doctor and physical therapist have said that knee looks good as far as swelling and incision healing. just started non weight bearing physical therapy last week (quad sets, leg lifts). i am not experienced a lot of pain.
mostly experiencing boredom! i am such an active person being on crutches for so long is making me crazy.
just trying to think about the big picture and be optimistic about this seeing as i was told last year to completely quit playing sports!
 

[jasperry]

I am 2 weeks out from the Denovo NT surgery.  I am excited about the hopeful outcomes, but a little nervous about not doing anything to hinder attachment and growth of the cells.  The cpm machine is driving me crazy.  I am a very active person, so being off my feet and on crutches has definitely been a change of pace for me.  How long did any of you feel the need to have to take the pain medication?  I'm not crazy about taking it for so long, but i am a bit of a sissy when it comes to pain.