KNEE ARTHRITIS - Cartilage plug transfer :

Osteochondral Allograft Surgery - Update - - Posted by JG (JG), 9 April 2003

All,

I thought I would give everybody a quick update.  Overall this has been much easier than expected.  Pain level very low and generally I feel great.  

Here are the pre-surgery details.  Grade IV arthritis in 3 compartments.  I waited 6.5 weeks for my graft (yes I am lucky).  Required two hemichondyles (first time MTF has had this request for 1 knee).  Normally it only requires one.   Asked my surgeon to scope my right knee since I have had a few episodes with it.  Surgery on April 2, 2003

Surgery took 3 hours, 18 plugs were used, 13 for the trochela and lateral chondyle (one continuous graft mosaic) and 5 used for the medical femoral condyle.  Spent 23 hours in surgery center.  Pain was minimal, but Pain Buster inserted into knee feeding marcaine at a rate of 2 ml/hour.  Have been relatively pain free taking minimal number of drugs.  I am able to drive and am fairly mobile.  

My biggest problem so far is that I have been fighting a bit of a fever, high 99s and low 100s since Saturday and did have a small fever prior to surgery (99.4).  I went to see my family physician yesterday to discuss another issue and mentioned the fever (it was 100.7 when she took it).  She immediately called my OS who promptly had me come to his office.  His PA got 100.5.  They drew blood for CBC and aspirated the knee (very bid needle!).  I am waiting for results of CBC today and aspirate cultures in the next few days.

Overall, I am very please with the decision to have this done.  I know that the success rate is lower due to the extensive nature of the problem, but I am very hopeful.   I am praying that I do not have an infection.

Janice
Posted by JessToni (JessToni), 10 April 2003

Congrats on getting throught the surgery!!! i am glad to hear that you are doing well, and hopefully the elevated fever will turn out to be nothing.  
so i am impressed to hear that you are so mobile already! Are you allowed to be weight bearing?  everyone says the recovery is so tough, i guess it does really vary from person to person.
well good luck and keep us posted!!!

Jesss
Posted by JG (JG), 10 April 2003

Because of the work on the lateral and medical femoral chondyle, I am non-weight bearing for a minimum of 8 weeks.  Partial weight bearing for another 4 weeks.  So far so good.  My initial CBC report came back.  WBCs were elevated, but on the high side of norm.  The actual ratio of WBCs to RBCs in the joint aspirate was out of wack and the grams stain was positive for something, she said it was not common nor uncommon.  I should hear back from the surgeon today.

Janice

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