Complication 6 months after TKR

April 9, 2010

Hello all.

I have not been too active on this list lately. I wanted to tell you guys what

happened to me.My knee is absolutely fine....however,

On March 24 I flew with friends to Mexico. We go to a B & B every year and I

consider it my week in Heaven. On March 26, every thing was just perfect...We

went for a long walk on a very irregular cobble stone road to a local Marke

twhere the Mexican people bring wares to sell. My 2 girl friends and I always

buy a piece of matching jewelry to commemorate our " Sistah-hood " .This year we

found beautiful rings. The food was great all day...so far, everything was

perfect. On Friday, after breakfast, we laid in the sun....This was perfect. I

needed to go up to my room to get my tanning oil and got delayed a bit. I

returned downstairs in about 20 minutes to go back to the sun. During the time I

was gone, the maid mopped the tile floor. She was gone when I got downstairs. I

had no way of knowing that the floor was wet. No signs, nothing. I took about 4

steps and my foot slipped out of underneath me. (wet tile is an accident waiting

to happen) I fell, and broke my femur...actually it is quite a serious break.

They are telling me it will be up to 3 months before I can put weight on the

leg.

The rest I can make fairly short. I was sent in an ambulance to a Hospital in

Puerto Vallarta. After the X-ray I was was told I needed surgery and needed a

plate to be put in my leg. My knee prosthesis was fine. Well, I wont go into the

" never get sick or need surgery in a foreign country " that you hear all the

time. I did not have a choice..I was having surgery in Mexico. Upon calling my

Surgeon in the US.. He told us that I would have a 75% chance of blood clots if

I flew in a regular plane...and that I would have to fly in an Air Ambulance. I

never dared to ask the price of flying home that way. The surgery would be in

Mexico. The Mexican Orthopedic Doctor just happened to have been educated in the

US.-Very Good!! I stayed in the hospital for a total of 13 days. We sent the

x-rays to MN to my Surgeon and (luck be with me) he said he was impressed with

what he saw on the x-rays. I came back this week (Tuesday) and am staying with

a good friend.

Obviously, there is more to the story, but it could have been much worse...I

could have hit my head on the tile.

The main thing I want you TKR people to know, is this is a very common injury

following TKR Surgery. I didn't know this.

Dorie Madsen

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