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| image from Clipart Library |
To be fair, Adrian doesn't really have knobbly knees ~ dodgy ones, yes, but not knobbly 😉
A few years ago he had to have an op on his right knee because of torn cartilage. Thankfully it was a success but now he is having the same issues with his left knee. He puts it down to all the running he used to do when he was younger, blaming pounding the pavements of Hitchin for the damage! He's had an x-ray which showed that there is indeed some damage to the knee, and was put on the waiting list for an op to clean out the joint and probably trim the cartilage too. With the current state of the NHS he was resigned to a considerable wait, not least because he would be having the surgery in Aberdeen. So you can imagine how delighted he was to get a phone call from Balfour Hospital to say that because of the long waiting list for Aberdeen, his op could now be done in Kirkwall and was due to take place on the 15th August.
However on the 14th he had a phone call from the Anaesthetist. She wasn't very happy for the op to take place because of other issues Adrian is having. He has been getting pins and needles/numbness in his fingers and hands for some time now, and has been seeing the Physiotherapist at our GP surgery. It's been a bit of a mystery as to what has been causing this as Adrian hasn't been showing weakness for example in pushing against the physio's hands, etc. The upshot has been that whilst the physio gave him daily exercises to do (for his knee as well), he also requested an MRI scan on Adrian's shoulders and neck ~ which would be in Aberdeen. The Anaesthetist explained that his muscles would, obviously, be completely relaxed under anaesthetic, and she was concerned that more damage might be caused when he was moved during the op if there were serious issues with his neck/spine. At that point, Adrian hadn't yet heard anything about a date for the MRI and she said that the Consultant would specifically request that the scan be done as soon as possible. So, the knee op was put on hold.
Amazingly, Adrian received a letter with the date of his MRI scan the next day ~ nothing to do with the Consultant, as it happened, judging by the date of said letter. He was given two appointments, one for the scan and one to see another Physiotherapist but they were at different hospitals in Aberdeen with only half an hour between them! Adrian phoned to query this but the hospital had already recognised that they had made an error with the times. He was given a new date with the appointments spaced much more sensibly.
The downside to having to travel to Aberdeen for hospital appointments is that the flight arrangements have to be made by one's GP surgery, and the tendency is for the return journey to be booked on the last flight out of Aberdeen. Don't get me wrong, I do understand the logic in this with the chance of appointments over-running, but in Adrian's case this would have meant him waiting around for several hours as his appointments were both in the morning. I suggested that he ask at the airport if it would be possible for his return journey to be changed to the afternoon flight, which it was. In the end, this proved to be most fortuitous as the flights were considerably delayed ~ in the end, he got home at much the same time as he would have done had he been on that last flight!
Anyhoo, the MRI scan didn't show anything untoward, just the normal wear and tear to be expected of a 60 year old. The Physiotherapist said that the pins and needles/numbness were most likely being caused by mild carpal tunnel and bad posture. It's a relief that there is nothing more serious going on.
The knee op is now back on track, and Adrian had a phone call from the Balfour earlier in the week to say that they could do it next Wednesday. Fingers crossed that it will be as successful as his previous op on the right knee ~ I'll keep you up-to-date with progress!
However on the 14th he had a phone call from the Anaesthetist. She wasn't very happy for the op to take place because of other issues Adrian is having. He has been getting pins and needles/numbness in his fingers and hands for some time now, and has been seeing the Physiotherapist at our GP surgery. It's been a bit of a mystery as to what has been causing this as Adrian hasn't been showing weakness for example in pushing against the physio's hands, etc. The upshot has been that whilst the physio gave him daily exercises to do (for his knee as well), he also requested an MRI scan on Adrian's shoulders and neck ~ which would be in Aberdeen. The Anaesthetist explained that his muscles would, obviously, be completely relaxed under anaesthetic, and she was concerned that more damage might be caused when he was moved during the op if there were serious issues with his neck/spine. At that point, Adrian hadn't yet heard anything about a date for the MRI and she said that the Consultant would specifically request that the scan be done as soon as possible. So, the knee op was put on hold.
Amazingly, Adrian received a letter with the date of his MRI scan the next day ~ nothing to do with the Consultant, as it happened, judging by the date of said letter. He was given two appointments, one for the scan and one to see another Physiotherapist but they were at different hospitals in Aberdeen with only half an hour between them! Adrian phoned to query this but the hospital had already recognised that they had made an error with the times. He was given a new date with the appointments spaced much more sensibly.
The downside to having to travel to Aberdeen for hospital appointments is that the flight arrangements have to be made by one's GP surgery, and the tendency is for the return journey to be booked on the last flight out of Aberdeen. Don't get me wrong, I do understand the logic in this with the chance of appointments over-running, but in Adrian's case this would have meant him waiting around for several hours as his appointments were both in the morning. I suggested that he ask at the airport if it would be possible for his return journey to be changed to the afternoon flight, which it was. In the end, this proved to be most fortuitous as the flights were considerably delayed ~ in the end, he got home at much the same time as he would have done had he been on that last flight!
Anyhoo, the MRI scan didn't show anything untoward, just the normal wear and tear to be expected of a 60 year old. The Physiotherapist said that the pins and needles/numbness were most likely being caused by mild carpal tunnel and bad posture. It's a relief that there is nothing more serious going on.
The knee op is now back on track, and Adrian had a phone call from the Balfour earlier in the week to say that they could do it next Wednesday. Fingers crossed that it will be as successful as his previous op on the right knee ~ I'll keep you up-to-date with progress!
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