Well, not exactly. We discussed my knee, my limitations and the option of unicompartmental knee replacement. It seems there are two schools of thought in the world of orthopedic surgery: 1) "You're too young for a knee replacement; come see me in 20 years" or 2) "You can sit on the couch for 20 years and die of cardiac disease or we can fix your knee so you can maintain an active and healthy lifestyle". My beliefs fall within the latter but Dr. Sitler didn't necessarily agree. His impression was that I should focus on a lifestyle with major activity restrictions. Fortunately Claire was there with me and we both conveyed to him that that wasn't a feasible option. Hell, I'm 33 years old! I'm not ready to give into a life of sidewalk strolls or water aerobics. These are the important years of my life. I can be incapacitated when I'm 90 years old, but not now. Yes I did get a little emotional with the doc, but he needed to understand that although certain restrictions are understandable, an all-out limitation of physical activity isn't an option at this point.
This leads me to another important note that I'd like to convey to all potential patients of knee replacement: Whenever possible, always try to bring someone with you to your appointments! This should preferably be a loved one, a spouse or anyone to advocate for your best interests. It’s comforting to have a loved one nearby when you’re nervous, and it never hurts to have a second set of ears around when the doctor is talking. I'm so glad Claire was there with me. She understands what happens outside of the doctor’s office and can act as a living testament of what I'm going through. This is huge, and without her there I may have given up and took the doctor's recommendations. Instead, we pushed for a referral to a joint replacement specialist so we can further discuss my surgical options further. Dr. Sitler was willing to oblige and wished us the best of luck.
Now it's on to Dr. McBride; a well revered joint replacement surgeon who came highly recommended for his experience and expertise.
Had a nice visit with Dr. Sitler yesterday. He is the orthopedic surgeon I was referred to for discussion of my surgical options. Taking with him, he’s also had issues with his lateral meniscus that have resulted in a meniscetomy on the lateral side! This is great right, an orthopedic surgeon who shares the same issue with me.