mary
Female Member
Posts: 1
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newbee
Apr 3, 2017 19:59:48 GMT -7
Post by mary on Apr 3, 2017 19:59:48 GMT -7
Hi my name is Mary. I'm a 63 year old woman who is married and lives in Oklahoma. August 23, 2015 my femur shattered about 3-4 inches above my knee (which had been replaced in 2011). I had surgery 3 days later to put it back together. In March of 2016 I started telling my doctor that something was wrong. Much to my dismay the doctor just kept telling me everything was okay and the bone was healing. In October of 2016 he finally ordered a CT-scan. Well the bone hadn't healed and there was only fiber tissue between the bone ends so another surgery December 14, 2016. I have been in horrible pain every since. I saw him 2 weeks ago and he said it was healing fine lots of bone growth, he discounted my complaint about pain and told me he was going to refer me to a pain management doctor. In the mean time I asked my PCP to get another CT of my leg. Last Tuesday, March 28, 2017, I got the radiologist's report stating that there was no bone repair to the distal femur fracture. I see my orthopedic PA tomorrow, I'm taking the CT disc and written report with me and I'm going to tell him I want definitive answers. If I don't hear positive results I'm going to demand a trans-femoral amputation of my left leg. Thanks for listening to my tale of woe, Mary
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newbee
Apr 4, 2017 3:22:00 GMT -7
Post by snowyh on Apr 4, 2017 3:22:00 GMT -7
Oh, Mary! I know you've been a victim of bad medical care, and in a lot of pain as a result, but to me it sounds like you need another doctor (orthopedic surgeon) first before you make the decision to amputate. Have you ever gotten a second opinion? Perhaps getting in with a good orthopedist will be a better solution for you than sticking with the guy who dismisses your concerns so easily and whose surgical handiwork has resulted in complications. Amputations can have complications too, and you may not want to take another risk with your current bad-track-record surgeon. You should be able to find a better doctor here: Surgeon Scorecard projects.propublica.org/surgeons/Healthgrades www.healthgrades.com/Rate MDs www.ratemds.comGood luck in whatever you decide, and let us know how it goes. Helen
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newbee
Apr 4, 2017 8:21:19 GMT -7
Post by cherylm on Apr 4, 2017 8:21:19 GMT -7
Hi, Mary...it does sound like you've been put through the mill! You've already gotten some good advice from Helen, and it also sounds like you have no trouble in standing up for yourself...that will do you good as you go about advocating for yourself!
You're right...you absolutely deserve a definitive plan of action and reasonable expectations on a timeline for healing. And, being an elective leg amputee myself, I'm willing to say that losing a painful and useless leg is really not much of a loss. You can live quite a nice life one-legged.
My only word of caution is that an above-knee amputation is much more difficult to adjust to than my own below-knee amp was. Fitting an above-knee socket and learning to use a prosthetic knee can be a real challenge. So if you can get some decent medical advice indicating that there IS a decent chance of getting some healing, I'd suggest giving it a try...but the ultimate decision should be yours. I hope you can reach a decision that feels right for you! Please keep us updated!
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