Hurrah: An Appointment with the Surgeon

September 15, 2009

The surgeon's office has called and I have an appointment for October 1 for the first consultation! That's just over two weeks after the referral and much faster than anticipated. Who says the Canadian medical system can learn from the Americans? But let's not get on that polical hobby horse.

Now it is important to prepare for the consultation. The handout from the Arthritis Clinic spoke at length about a half knee replacement. It will be important to find out the plus/minus on that approach and whether it is best for me.

Haven't had much time to research the new developments in artificial knees. The first internet search uncovered a lot of material from the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada. Spent an hour or more reading through some of their materials. It seems they focus more on what might be called sociological and statiscal aspects of the disease. At least with the time I've spent, there didn't seem to be many research projects on medical subjects and only one on artificial knees.

The second search yielded a different set of responses. There has been time to check only 30 or so of the listings. Many of those first listed are dated 2007 and earlier which seems a tad ancient for what I'm looking for. There are sites that explain the knee surgery but so far not any that indicate much about future trends. One interesting article from the Mayo Clinic does talk about partial knee replacements for younger people who can expect a full replacement in 10-15 years. Will need to find out what this means.

I've also booked for the second cortisone shots on September 28th. The last shots were helpful but didn't seem to bring significant relief for very long. But remember - You overdid it in the garden- dummy. Maybe the shots are accumulative and the next set will last longer?

With my weight, I'm on the edge of type 2 diabetes and take a self-inflicted blood test every week. The reading runs along at 6-something so I've been able to control sugar levels with diet and some exercise. The last test spiked to almost 8 which worried me. However, I was checking the information on cortisone and noticed that it could cause an increase in blood sugar. That will be something else to watch for after the next shots.

My wife says that if something isn't complicated, I will make it so. I don't think I will have to try very hard on this subject.