My Vital Statistics
Age: 54
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Past Medical History: Generally well. Rupture to Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) in 2013
Previous operations:
2001 R knee arthroscopy meniscectomy (a tear in the medial meniscus was trimmed and stabilised).
2014 R knee arthroscopy meniscectomy( a tear in the medial meniscus was trimmed and stabilised).
Surgery Date
Wednesday 24th February, afternoon –
Surgeon –Mr Ali Bajwa
It is a strange feeling waking up in the recovery room after the operation very slightly groggy. It is as if nothing has happened! The last thing I remembered was the anaesthetist putting an injection into my arm and seemingly in no time you are awake. Luckily, I felt very well and not at all sick, just dying for a cup of tea!
Mr Bajwa came to see me on the same evening of the arthroscopy after he had completed his surgery list to explain briefly what he had done. He reassured me that the operation had gone well and had taken about 1hr 30 mins. He said that the MRI scan had slightly understated the damage to the joint surfaces and that there was more wear and tear (osteoarthritis) than had originally been thought. The ligamentum Teres was partially torn.
As far as I remember and understand, he reshaped the femoral head to get rid of the bony impingement. The ligamentum Teres was preserved but shrunk in order to provide more stability. The torn labrum was sealed at the labral- chondral junction. A large patch of de-laminated cartilage was stuck down and secured as best as possible.
The patches of cartilage were micro-fractured to stimulate a fibrocartilage patch. Stem cells which were harvested from my bone marrow during the operation were injected into the repair. I was quite glad not to be going home that night. Although I was quite comfortable on pain killers, I certainly didn’t want to have to face the journey home from London to Northamptonshire. My hip looked very swollen and felt very tight. The nurses were excellent. taking regular observations of blood pressure, heart rate etc. I was pleased that I could activate my quadriceps and gluteal muscles quite well. Got out of bed and walked with 2 crutches to and from the bathroom – all good!
Next instalment….. day one post op coming soon.
