I want to start off by saying that time has flown by amazingly fast since I first started this endeavor. The culmination of the last few years hit me in the waiting room yesterday. Not only did I come to the realization that this is actually happening, but that it's also right around the corner!
Most of my visit was with Corola, the physician's assistant to Dr. McBride. She seemed very knowledgeable about everything leading up to and after the surgery. Claire joined us as well, pen and notepad ready to document the guidelines and instructions set forth by the doctor. The 3 of us spent a good 60-70 minutes going over all the details of the procedure, what to expect, and how to prepare post-operatively.
Claire and I have had contrasting concerns regarding this procedure, which has actually been key in understanding the scope of things. She has been focused on the surgical procedure itself (and rightfully so) along with the inherent risks involved. I, on the other hand, am more concerned with the results. If you haven't noticed already, I've focused both my fear and understanding on the long term outcomes of partial knee replacement (hell, that's the purpose of this whole blog). This contrast has generated a lot of good questions across the spectrum, which Colora was able to discuss in detail with Claire and I.
Dr. McBride reserves his opinion on long term results, only stating the scientific evidence along with his own personal experience performing the procedure. In light of my concerns over the long run, I remarked to him that, "I'd be okay with a 50% chance of success if there was a 50% chance my knee would remain the same". This was an attempt of express my concerns for failure and maybe squeeze some realistic optimism out of him. "More like 98% success...", he said. " You'll have a new knee surface, and it's extremely unlikely it'll be worse than it is now". That was reassuring indeed. Claire and I both left the office feeling good about things.
By the end of the week, Claire had all her notes typed up. She remarked about details from the appointment that she had already forgotten, which shows how valuable taking notes can be. I'm so lucky to have her by my side through all this.
Most of my visit was with Corola, the physician's assistant to Dr. McBride. She seemed very knowledgeable about everything leading up to and after the surgery. Claire joined us as well, pen and notepad ready to document the guidelines and instructions set forth by the doctor. The 3 of us spent a good 60-70 minutes going over all the details of the procedure, what to expect, and how to prepare post-operatively.
Claire and I have had contrasting concerns regarding this procedure, which has actually been key in understanding the scope of things. She has been focused on the surgical procedure itself (and rightfully so) along with the inherent risks involved. I, on the other hand, am more concerned with the results. If you haven't noticed already, I've focused both my fear and understanding on the long term outcomes of partial knee replacement (hell, that's the purpose of this whole blog). This contrast has generated a lot of good questions across the spectrum, which Colora was able to discuss in detail with Claire and I.
Dr. McBride reserves his opinion on long term results, only stating the scientific evidence along with his own personal experience performing the procedure. In light of my concerns over the long run, I remarked to him that, "I'd be okay with a 50% chance of success if there was a 50% chance my knee would remain the same". This was an attempt of express my concerns for failure and maybe squeeze some realistic optimism out of him. "More like 98% success...", he said. " You'll have a new knee surface, and it's extremely unlikely it'll be worse than it is now". That was reassuring indeed. Claire and I both left the office feeling good about things.
By the end of the week, Claire had all her notes typed up. She remarked about details from the appointment that she had already forgotten, which shows how valuable taking notes can be. I'm so lucky to have her by my side through all this.