I need a new knee. Was going to do it 15 yrs ago when I left the RN but when my surgery appt arrived I chickened out when I read through the risk factors - it just wasn’t painful enough and I didn’t want to risk the replacement needing replacing in my early 70s. Lost some weight and acquired a dog and I have got by happily on the old arthritic knee. But now it’s started to become unstable, locking up regularly with bits of arthritic spur jamming the works, then frees up for a few days before the next cycle. Phoned Col Meyer’s sec to ask what his waiting list looks like and 10 weeks was the reply. My GP referral to the local (RCHT) orthopaedic dept has me an appt next week. As a replacement was deemed appropriate 15 yrs ago, I did not need to jump through a triage of hoops before being assessed and I’m hoping I will be quicker along the route than previously, which is currently guesstimated to be “months rather than weeks” in Cornwall. Question: after seeing the consultant next week, am I better off ( in terms of quality and timeliness) being asked to be re-referred to the Veterans Orthopaedic Service, or should I keep my place in the Cornish knee queue? Anyone able to advise,or comment?
I was living in Truro when both my knees needed fixing. (My age then 75, weight too high, rugby and squash too much). The Cornwall NHS offered a choice of locations and I chose The Duchy in Truro, a private hospital. What an excellent choice it turned out to be. The surgeon Mr Andy Lee was brilliant. Both knees were done only a week apart. It was a very short wait but this was 5 years ago. I am a 22 year RAF veteran. As I have re-located to Cheshire I will be contacting Oswestry as my hips are now arthritic!