Knee Surgery Operation

Health Care & Carte Vitale
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Hi de hi peeps. Now that Phill is on the mend, back to me :wink:

Last year, as I was getting off at Gare d’Agde after our trip to South Africa, I missed the last step of the train and the bag I had in my hand pulled me down and I when splat onto the platform, using my right knee as a cushion. It was a bit sore and a couple of uses of a bag of frozen peas and rest it came right.

This year as we traversed the hills of Cape Town it began to ache and then become sore. I whipped out the support brace and walking become bearable and Uber was used a lot.

I recently had a scan of the area and the conclusion is:

“Lésion méniscale instable et complexe du tiers moyen du ménisque interne avec fragment méniscal plongeant dans le récessus tibial inférieur et remontant dans le récessus condylien supérieur, responsable d’un effet de masse sur le LLI, d’une périméniscite focale et d’un conflit ostéoméniscal chronique.

Chondropathie fémorotibiale externe de grade III.

Chondropathie rétropatellaire focale de grade III”

I am booked in to see a Chirurgien orthopédiste et traumatologue on 29 May for an initial consultation. From what I have read online it will require keyhole surgery and a bit of time on crutches whilst it heals (along with another bag of frozen peas).

Have any of you good people had an experience of this sort here and could provide me with common sense information regarding the matter?

Oh, and a bit of good news. On Monday we were offered the large T4 apartment we looked at last week, so we are now just awaiting the rental agreement to have a look at. Anyone know how long this process takes? We started the process of looking for an apartment on 6 March this year, so not too bad a period to finally see and get offered a rental agreement :blush:

Cheers – S&P

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Hi

Sorry to hear about your knee.

Re the rental, now that you’re at the agreement stage it shouldn’t take long at all. Are you hoping to move in beginning of June?

I’m quite interested in the process because, suddenly, we might be selling our flat. A neighbour approached me yesterday morning as I was going to work and by 3 pm I’d had an estate agent round who gave me a realistic estimate.

It’s many years since we rented so, if this goes through, it’ll be quite exciting looking for a rental. Are you in the Montpellier area? Do you mind if I ask roughly what you’re paying down there to rent a large flat? We have vaguely discussed the possibility of moving south. But I’m not sure I’d want to leave all my friends here. Have you found it easy to get to know people where you are?

Rents here in Strasbourg seem pretty high but we’re quite keen to move slightly out of the centre to where parking is easier.

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Sorry to hear about your knee!

My mother (who is 100) hurt her knee a year or so ago (it just gave way, no trauma like yours) and the doctor diagnosed a damaged ligament - the treatment was essentially just waiting for it to heal naturally, which it did in about 4 months.

In December last year she was at the dentist and they staff rushed her a bit when she was getting down from the dentist’s chair, and damaged it again. This time she just wore an elastic knee support, but it has been slower to heal, so eventually I took her to see a physio and the latter felt that the tubular elastic support that covers the kneecap (which is what she had) was not helping as it puts pressure on the kneecap.

So we swapped it for one that just wraps around and is secured with Velcro, leaving the kneecap exposed, and that has been much better.

I think her injury is undoubtedly more minor than yours, but her experience with knee supports may help I hope.

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Our neighbour a professional football player had the same issue and had keyhole surgery, it went well and on a crutch for a while but healed well, obviously that is also an age and general health sort of thing.

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In terms of rentals, all I can add is that when we were landlords we pushed agents to move quickly to have less than a month gap between tenants.

For the knee I had a knee arthroscopy many years back, which was done via keyhole surgery. Sounds as if your damage was worse than mine, but similar stuff. Surgeon showed me photos of the beautifully debrided cartilage afterwards, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a teeny signature on it. Minimally painful, back on my feet same day and home the following day.

Pretty immediate pain relief as well. However a negative appeared last year in the I now have chondrocalcinose in that knee (pseudogout in english) which my specialist said was a fairly common sequel to arthroscopic surgery. However, even had I known this I would still have had the surgery.

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I came of my bicycle at max speed, standing on the pedals, going down a steep hill. The Sturmey Archer had slipped into Neutral and over I went.

My rt knee hit the ground first, followed by my hands.

After my ma [theatre sister/A & E of various mili hospitals] had cleaned me up, the assessment was that I had displaced the inner/lower meniscus.

In those days [1966] it was not keyhole but a 60mm slice. But it worked and after rehab I was back playing rugby, landing on that leg as a fast bowler, then misusing it doing/carrying manly things for decades.

Now, age 77 it grumbles mightily. My UK GP’s assessment of X-rays was ‘moderately severe osteo-arthritis’ What’s 'moderately severe’ anything?

Next step [sic] would be a new knee, I spose. There’s quite a few on SF who have had excellent results from this.

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Hi di hi. The knee specialist requested an x-ray of my knee to see if there had been any damage to the bone(s). Did that yesterday and thankfully, no damage was detected.

And we pick up the keys to the apartment tomorrow :blush:

Apartment timeline:

Friday, 06-Mar-26

Registered with Garantme Tech

Thursday, 23-Apr-26

0916 hrs

Received an email from SeLoger advertising the apartment

0927 hrs

Contacted the Agency directly.

1934 hrs

Received a response from Agency.

Friday, 24-Apr-26

Viewed apartment and said “YES”.

Monday, 04-May-26

Received confirmation that the owner had agreed to us renting the property.

Tuesday, 12-May-26

Garantme Tech confirms that they have received information relating to the rental of the apartment. Time to pay their fee of €567.00.

Secured insurance coverage for the apartment and contents through their system. Signed, sealed and confirmation documents received.

13-May-26

1710 hrs

Copy of Rental Agreement received to be reviewed and then signed by both of us.

1928 hrs

Confirmation of signed Rental Agreement received and downloaded.

The start date of the Rental Agreement is Friday, 15 May.

15-May-26

Pickup keys at 1600 hrs.

All rather exciting really! Cheers - S&P

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But did he or she suggest anything for the cartilage?

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Hi Jane. I won’t know until I physically see him on 29 May. It was his office that sent the request to get an x-ray done. I have to take my login in details with me to the appointment so he can have a look at the IRM pics that took place last month. Stay tuned :slight_smile:

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Well, what a journey since May! X-ray and scans showed that I had a meniscal tear that would need an arthroscopy to correct it.

Some more scans and another X-ray completed, blood test done, meeting with the anaesthetist, filling out a forest of forms, then pre-admission forms, pre-op physio and then finally the day arrived – Thursday, 09 July. Went in at 0930 hrs, waited four hours before I was taken to the chiller room prior to going into the largest surgical room I had ever seen before with one bed in the middle of the room with two large lights/lamps above the bed, along with seven people running around prepping for surgery. I felt I was going to have a “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up!” moment. Oxygen mask placed on me, injection done, out in three seconds.

The surgery took only one hour, but I must have been in recovery for several hours as when I got back to the room it was just before 1800 hrs and I have a rather large ice pack thingy on from the top of my thigh to my ankle on my right leg.

Yesterday it was quite painful, but I had all the necessary drugs to keep the pain at bay. Today, no pain at all, but feeling really tired, so popped back into bed and slept for a solid three hours.

I have three exercises that I must do four times a day and then pop a bag of iced peas on the knee for 20 minutes; along with a visit from a Nurse at 1600 hrs each day to give me an anti-blood clot injection along with changing the dressings. Post-op physio will be done at home along with massage therapy.

Walked around the market next door to our apartment block this morning on my crutches. I do find it frustrating to walk so slowly, but for the sake of recovery one will just have to put up with it. Take time out to smell the roses time I suppose :blush:

Phill is finally having to find his way around the kitchen. Which is quite funny when I hear one cupboard opening, then closing, then another opening, then closing, until I get the start of “Where is…..”. Such fun!

We read yesterday that there is a 96% chance of seeing the total solar eclipse on 12 August from Marseille, so we have booked two nights there and will lug all the equipment needed in the event we do see it at Plage de Maldormé. Next years solar eclipse will be seen off the coast of Tunisa on a cruise ship with friends we have known for years :blush:

Cheers – S&P

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I’d completely forgotten about that - thought the path of totality is across Northern Portugal / Spain above Valencia, below Barcelona - and it’s quite late, so sun towards the horizon - need to be on top of hills etc ?

https://nso.edu/for-public/eclipse-map-2026/

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It will be a partial solar eclipse with 96.4% coverage at the point we will be based. Cheaper than going to Northern Spain!

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Knee injuries are not good. I destroyed my ACL, MCL and PCL in a ski wipe out, after a couple of helicopter transfers I had them replaced. Recently my partner fell when we were mountain biking, I turned and hit a rock and shattered my patella. Yet another helicopter arrival I landed up with a TKR. I can recommend DonJoy braces, unfortunately they are american.

I can also recommend, morphine, nefopram and Izalgi.

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I’m on Izalgi (max four a day) and an anti-inflammatory called Ketoprofene Biogaran Lp 100 Mg (max two a day for 15 days). Plus three leg exercises, four times a day and after each session a bag of frozen peas gets placed on the knee for 20 minutes. I go for a slow walk on the crutches around the park next door every two days. So, all going well at this end :slight_smile:

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But not together please as Izalgi has morphine in it.