July 16, 2008: The day

Got through yesterday's trek to New Haven which included a stop at the MRI center at Yale-New Haven, breakfast at Ikea, and browsing through Ikea, getting a few small odds and ends and a rug for upstairs. I managed to get lousy dental floss stuck in between my teeth a little while ago and got most out but it feels like something is still there.
Around 9:15 AM, I'll be calling the scheduling lady at CFO. I'll be making sure she/they got the allergy test results and asking her to schedule the surgery. I'm a bit nervous but it's a step moving forward and maybe by the end of the week, I'll have a date for the surgery. Like a year ago when my knee was hurting at night, I had a dream last night with one of the orthos in it! Very weird.
I'll get back here when I know anything from my call.

July 13, 2008: Respite

Got temporary confused a few minutes ago. Somehow my computer thought it was June 13, not July 13! Now I fixed it so hopefully I won't get confused again. I survived working Friday and Saturday, although Saturday's 5.5 hours left me really achy. I'm not scheduled to work this coming week but I did get brave and used the self-serve scheduling feature on the store web site and scheduled myself for a couple of days the following week, 5 hours each day. On Tuesday, I'll be going to Yale-New Haven Hospital, actually one of the other buildings, when Henry has his 1-year MRI scan, followed by a visit to Ikea, about 5 minutes from the Yale medical neighborhood of New Haven. And if I haven't heard anything by Wednesday from the ortho. office regarding my allergy test results and various other odds and ends, I'm going to call the scheduling lady and see if she can start working on scheduling my surgery for September.

July 9,2008: Back from the dermatologist

Got back a little while ago from the dermatologist's office where he checked the results of the allergy test. I had a slight reaction to the fragrance test but not to anything else except the paper tape that was holding the test on me (which wasn't officially part of the allergy testing, lol). I have to check tomorrow morning to see if the disk part of the test on my arms has erupted and if it does, I have to go back tomorrow, but he's not expecting that. So I'm officially not allergic (although I still have problems with cheap jewelry) to titanium or to nickel which is good as far the upcoming surgery goes.
It feels good not to have any kind of testing on me for now. And I'll be able to start my allergy medicine again tomorrow or the day after,

July 7, 2008: Nickel Allergy Testing, Round 2

Got my skin patch stuff put on me---everything from nickel to wool to balsam of Peru and fragrances to materials used in antibiotic creams to adhesives used in bandages and postage stamps on me-12 tests on this one patch, including nickel. It;s a panel thing stuck to my back. I discovered the manufacturer of this test, Mekos Laboratories, is in Denmark, in Hillerod. and the test itself is made there. The doctor also stuck the 2 disks, cobalt and titanium, back on my arms, but on the upperarm. He told me if they need more tape to add it to the top, not take off the tape he put on. No showers for me until Wednesday evening as my appointment isn't until after 5PM on Wednesday. The doctor also said that the week long test I had was far too long and it weasn't necessary to do it for that long! I'm also supposed to not get hot or sweaty!!
This is test, panel 1.1:

TRUE TEST dermatitis and contact allergy testing

The results will be sent to the ortho. office Thursday, I figure, since my appointment is so late on Wednesday and ortho. office closes at 5ish.

July 6, 2008: Belated Happy 4th and tomorrow

Belated Happy 4th of July. I worked 1-6 that day. I'm finding for sure that my latest cortisone shot, administered almost 5 weeks ago, has just about run out of steam. I could tell that after work yesterday plus my knee is beginning to keep me up again and is feeling hot at times again. The cortisone shot gave me a false feel of improvement in the knee's condition but now that it's running out, I can tell I definitely still need to do the replacement!

Tomorrow is the allergy test at the dermatologist's office in Ridgefield. Hoping it won't be too itchy. I'll have to go back on Wednesday for the results and then the dermatology office is supposed to be sending the results to CT Family Orthopedics so Dr. Schweitzer can find a knee for me. Then I figure I'll hear from the surgery scheduler shortly thereafter to get a date for the surgery.

June 30, 2008: 1 week gone

1 week (almost) since the tape was removed from each arm for the nickel allergy test. The marks are still there, but disappearing slowly but surely. A week from today, I'll be starting another test, that time a patch test on the back, I believe. The picture is what my right arm, which had more of a reaction than the left arm, looked like yesterday (or was it Saturday?? I think Saturday or maybe even Friday???!). WHo knows ? But this is what it looked like then. The photo has a date so figure it out by yourself:)

June 25, 2008: The appointment

I went to my appointment yesterday afternoon with the PA at the orthopedic office. Turns out Dr. Schweitzer wanted to see me too. Both confirmed I had a reaction to both disks and I was told to call an allergist for more testing. So I did, when I got home, only to find out that it is actually a dermatologist I need to see. So I have an appointment on July 7 for the test at a dermatologist in Ridgefield. I go back for the follow up on July 9. Thankfully, it's not going to be a 1 week ordeal again. Because of the July 4 holiday weekend and the fact that the dermatology office is closed on Fridays for the summer, I have to wait until then for the testing. The dermatologist office will send the results onto the ortho. office and from that, they'll hopefully find a knee I can actually have without being allergic to it!

June 24: The nickel test is over

The tape came off last night at 6:30. Not a pretty sight. We first thought the redness was from the tape but come this AM, we've decided the redness is more likely a reaction. The redness is more acute on the titanium side than the cobalt side. So I decided to call the doctor's office and now have a 2PM appointment with the physician's assistant there to show him/her. I even put some photos on a CD to take with me. The top picture was taken within a minute of the tape removal last night. The middle picture is of my right arm this morning (titanium disk) and the one on the bottom is my left arm taken a couple of hours later (cobalt disk). I'll report back later on what the PA said.

I also called the surgery scheduler and left a voice mail saying the hematologist wants me asleep for the surgery. She may or may call me back or maybe I'll stop in to see her while I'm there.

June 21, 2008: Happy Birthday, Andy!

Today is my youngest son's 22nd birthday. He arrived at 10:08AM, 4 weeks early. Due July 20, he was scheduled to be born (I knew I was having a csection) 4 weeks early, at 6 lbs. 1 oz., not tiny, and had to trouble. He stayed in the NICU for only 6 hours and then sent to the regular nursery after that. And now he's 22, is a recent college graduate, and is working and living in the Boston area! 22 years flew by!
Meanwhile, I am so sick of this nickel allergy testing to be over with. The tape, the disks, the incovenience are driving me nuts. I haven't taken a shower since Monday night, although I've taken some crummy baths! Washing hair in the kitchen sink isn't fine=makes my neck ache for a day afterwards. Sleeping with the tape unraveling isn't fun. Not taking allergy medication isn't fun. Yesterday I went to work and the lady in the dresses, where I was to spend the afternoon, thought I wouldn't be able to handle putting away the dresses alone (I'd be alone) because I can;t carry things on my arms because of the tape. So I got moved to anotehr department (and went to 1 more, and actually ended the day back in dresses for 1/2 an hour). I am scheduled to be in dresses again today. And guess what, I am alone and I have to open the register or 2 or 3 or 4. And I've never done that before. I'm just working until 1:30. Then I'm coming home to go to sleep. I really don't feel like working but really need the money so I'm going. I can't tell you how much I'd like to not go in!The testing ends Monday at 6:30PM, exactly 1 week after it started.

June 18, 2008 A picture of the nickel testing

I forgot to post this picture last night so I'm doing it now. I thought I felt a few little twinges of stuff going on under the Cobalt disk during the night but it didn't seem to materialize this morning. I had to go to the store this morning and get more tape, though. 2 rolls better be enough!

June 17, 2008: And so it goes

The tape holding the disks for the nickel allergy testing doesn't want to behave. It tends to get stuck on material, furniture, whatever it comes in contact with!
Meanwhile I found an interesting article on a web site:

eMedicine - Immune Response to Implants : Article by Steven I Rabin

Meanwhile, I haven't had any itchy or red reactions to either disk but it hasn't been 24 hours even yet since I put them on. 6:30PMish will mark 24 hours.

June 16, 2008: An unexpected call

This afternoon I got an unexpected phone call from Barbara, the surgery scheduler at the ortho office, saying the disks for the nickel allergy tests had come in. She gave me instructions on what to do with them as well. I went over to the office, going down a skunky-smelling Osborne Street, and picked them up. I also stopped at RiteAid to get paper tape, as instructed to use to hold the disks in place. After dinner and a shower-since I'd have to put plastic wrap on each taped area I showered tonight even though I showered last night, lol-, Henry put each disk on me. One says CO on it, which we think means Cobalt and the other says TI which we think means Titanium. So I have to keep these disks on me for 7 days or until I get a reaction from 1 or both of them or get no reaction from 1 or both of them. As of right now, the tape is getting annoying! I'll be curious to see how everything feels tomorrow morning.
And my platelets seem to be doing well. I bumped into an upright log yesterday in the garage and it fell on my foot. It hurt! No bruise ! I was happy since this meanas my platelets are probably doing well. I'll be seeing the hematologist a week from today and I'll be curious to hear what he has to say about the upcoming surgery. He was concerned when I mentioned just the possibiltiy of this surgery back in September. I got the impression from him that I.T.P. and partial knee replacements don't mix well. But Dr. Schweitzer said anything 50,000 or better should and it hasn't been that low in almost 4 years, and that was only when I had a tick bite!

June 6, 2008: Consultation Day

I saw the doctor this morning. The hospital stay is 1-2 nights, depending on how I feel following surgery. Risks of surgery, infection and eventual failure of the joint, but he also said he could last me the rest of my life because I am fairly young to have this procuedure.The surgery is often done under a spinal, something I probably can't/don't have because of my platelets (I'd rather be out anyway). I have to be tested closer to the date of the surgery to see if I am sensitive to the nickel in part of the prostheses. If I am (and expect to be), he'll find another one and test me for that one too. He doesn't require PT beforehand. After, maybe 12-16 sessions of PT. My range of motion may stay or the same or be slightly less (it was 119 degrees, I believe, today). There is no gender specific replacement and actually the gender specific total knee replacement is a marketing hype-the company just added more sizes to their products. He's been doing total knee replacements for about 30 years, the partial for about 10 (I think).My average platelet count is fine for the surgery but he'll be talking to the hematologist (whom I see in about 2.5 weeks and will mention and discuss everything with him then). I can wait until the fall. I just have to contact the practice's surgery coordinator 4-6 weeks prior to when I want it and that's when I'll have the allergy testing. The surgery itself takes 1 to 1.5 hours unless, I would assume, there are unforeseen issues.
I am thinking about the 1st week of October sounding good for surgery but that may change if it starts being really bad again (which it probably will when Tuesday's cortisone shot wears out!).