tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post3806199770741483297..comments2024-03-18T21:09:10.627-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/19/24: Forget being hip; you can't even count on a pair that workNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-22445825100063452912019-05-01T17:32:34.879-05:002019-05-01T17:32:34.879-05:00I put off back surgery for about four years, tryin...I put off back surgery for about four years, trying physical therapy, exercises, and epidural steroids. I could cut the lawn for thirty minutes at a time and then had to lie down and do some stretches. When I told the surgeon how many injections I'd had, his jaw dropped. More than 20. They fixed me up in outpatient at Northwestern and I have to say the neurosurgeon is a wonderful man. Been good for five years. I should have done the surgery about three years earlier.J. Pabsthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11566801024154623288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-65461568210944102832019-05-01T15:24:56.318-05:002019-05-01T15:24:56.318-05:00A number of relatives have had hip and/or knee rep...A number of relatives have had hip and/or knee replacements. The consensus seems to be that hips are easier. None opted for surgery until the pain became debilitating. A major cause is evolutionary. We were never intended to come down out of the trees and walk on two legs. Or live so long.<br /><br />TomTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09641357239788323783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-84265403924668044842019-05-01T11:20:44.269-05:002019-05-01T11:20:44.269-05:00Cortisone shots are pretty painless now. My husban...Cortisone shots are pretty painless now. My husband screwed up his whole left leg after slipping on some black ice a few feet from the entrance to our front door in December. Torn ligaments and tendons, severely twisted ankle, and broken fibula. Awful pain in knee, ankle and hip. Did not opt for surgery; wore the foot/ankle boot for eight weeks, now doing better with physical therapy, exercises and an occasional cortisone shot. Is still in the process of learning to walk properly again. He’s still in some pain, but hanging in there.SandyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14070366627628604352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-8784078212512990052019-05-01T09:13:59.727-05:002019-05-01T09:13:59.727-05:00Almost forgot, Neil. I decided to delay shots for ...Almost forgot, Neil. I decided to delay shots for my knee, imagining a long probing painful needle sticking several times. Maybe that is true for knees and hips but for my shoulder the needle was almost comically small and didn't hurt at all.JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08613528527379198505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-36879425834590741382019-05-01T08:54:16.870-05:002019-05-01T08:54:16.870-05:00I walk for exercise, a lot. I started having pain ...I walk for exercise, a lot. I started having pain in one knee. The doctors said arthritis, the orthos would give me cortisone but seemed eager to operate if I desired. No profit motive, this is the VA, he even admitted he just liked to cut. I tried another option first. I shortened my hikes, slowed my speed and curtailed my intake. Voila, one year later, fifty pounds lighter, the pain is gone and I'm walking more often and more miles. Chapter Two, constant and increasing shoulder pain without an injurious event. MRI says partially torn supra spinatus muscle, one of four making the rotator cuff. Therapy? Nice try but useless. Cortisone shot, like magic, but six months on and the pain is creeping back. The doctors and the internet don't agree on any therapy. No exercise regimen to heal the tear. They don't agree on which of the several surgical techniques for my problem. Since recovery from surgery is annoying at best I will opt for shots and patience until pain makes me desperate. Try the cortisone shots Neil, keep the surgical option in your back pocket, with a buttoned flap.JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08613528527379198505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-65417498541207039292019-05-01T07:48:42.723-05:002019-05-01T07:48:42.723-05:00Thanks for this informative report. A common argum...Thanks for this informative report. A common argument used against a Canadian-style national health care system is the reported long waits for such surgeries. One explanation I've heard for this purported problem is that in Canada they put you through physical therapy *before* any such surgery. If the physical therapy doesn’t fix the problem, surgeries are scheduled just timely as in the US. So, what is perceived as a delay due to the rationing of care is really just a regimen for trying a low-risk, low-cost approach rather than going straight to surgery. Which sounds like what Dr. Ochiai advises. I hope it works for you.kganderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11005895232135682751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-3765131995872249352019-05-01T07:22:52.600-05:002019-05-01T07:22:52.600-05:00I wish I had read this advice a couple of years ag...I wish I had read this advice a couple of years ago. I had a right hip replacement 14 mos ago (at a prominent Chicago hospital) due to osteoarthritis, and I've had nothing but pain & problems ever since. Chronic pain, worse than before. NOW I'm seeing a different surgeon who specializes in revisions- he may need to fix the 'mistake'. Less prominent hospital, but much better doctor. Moral of my story: never pick a doctor based on reputation, even if s/he is recommended by your PCP. I really wish I'd waited longer. janesusan0108https://www.blogger.com/profile/04862262551870221024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-1260429772929569082019-05-01T04:08:36.622-05:002019-05-01T04:08:36.622-05:00Try the steroid shots into the hip. Takes maybe 1...Try the steroid shots into the hip. Takes maybe 15 minutes & you get them every three months.Clark St.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09634234069783123180noreply@blogger.com