If you’re sick of hearing about my knee, find something else to read.
I just got back from my first follow-up visit with my surgeon, Dr. Klimkiewicz. Or, as everyone calls him, Dr. K. He couldn’t have been happier with how my knee looks. He showed me the x-rays, and other than the three screws in there, you wouldn’t know I’d just had surgery. The transplant fit perfectly. You can’t tell where the old knee stops and the new knee begins. He was just beside himself. I don’t think I’ve ever left a doctor’s office smiling before. Well, maybe the time I found out I didn’t have… never mind.
The outside still looks pretty gross, though. The incision is still closing and there’s some swelling and discoloration. You can see that, if you really want to, here and here. (Once again: The “JK” is Dr. K’s initials.) Also, I had something called a seroma on the side of my knee. It’s like a blister, except it’s not caused by friction or injury. Sometimes after a surgery, various fluids and such don’t have anywhere to go, so they build up under the skin. This causes a big blister-like thing. Then it bursts and leaks nasty crap all over. And then it looks like this. He gave me some antibiotics, and I’m not supposed to use my CPM (continuous passive motion) machine for 72 hours. He wants to give it more time to heal and get rid of some of the “soupiness.”
In about a week, I’ll e-mail him a picture and we’ll see if it’s time to take out the sutures. I’ve got a suture remover and they told me how to do it. Last time it didn’t really hurt, so it shouldn’t be a big deal compared to what I’ve been through already.
So my knee is like the rest of me: yucky on the outside, beautiful on the inside.
Merry Christmas!
P.S. Click here for the x-ray of my new knee.