TKR: In Search of an Orthopedic Doctor/Surgeon

 TKR: In Search of a Doctor/Surgeon

Before I begin this section, another bit of history. I live in a rural area, a valley that is at an average elevation of 7500-8000 feet. That being said, the only ways out of the valley require going through a mountain pass, with the exception of one direction,( south), which leads out of the state. Being a rural area, we are fortunate to have 3 small hospitals, but options are sometimes limited, and necessitate finding medical care outside of the valley. 

Also, Just a note: In all instances except one, I will not be using the names of the medical practioner's that I talk about in this blog. The reason for this is very simple, I have not asked any of them for permission to identify them in this blog. I have the highest respect for these people and would never make the assumption that they would not care whether they were talked about in this blog. 

As I talk about my search for a Orthopedic Surgeon/Doctor, I can't stress to you enough, how important it is to find one that;

 1) You have confidence and trust in

 2) Works with you, treats you as a person and not a 'number'

 3) Answers your questions/fears/doubts/concerns/etc. (you get the picture).

 4) Explains not just the positive (rosy picture) aspects of the procedure, but also addresses problems/issues that could arise (no matter how slim a chance).

In the beginning of this journey, I really wasn't in search of an Orthopedic Surgeon, I had one already selected.  I had seen him before (he gave me the 2nd set of shots in my knees), I trusted him, and although he wasn't in the valley, he was working in city that wasn't a huge metro area. Sadly, when I called to see about an appointment with him, I found out he had retired recently. That was a bummer, for me, but I was happy for him. Now what? Well, I had one phone number (from my initial consultation on TKR) and I had the website to the Orthopedic Center my retired Doctor had practiced at, and of course the whole internet available to help me in my searches.

I really hadn't considered looking for a an Orthopedic Surgeon in the valley, as several of my friends dissuaded me from that search long ago, due to issues/serious problems they had had with some of the doctors in the valley. So that was stuck in the back of my brain as I began my search.

I started looking at websites of Hospitals and Orthopedic Clinics outside of the valley to see what and where my options were. In my search, my plan was to pull together a number of potential doctors and basically conduct interviews with them, and then make my final decision. 

I happened to be at an appointment with my Bonecracker (endearing term I use for my Chiropractor), and after the usual catchup chat, I mentioned that I had finally been recommended for a TKR. He asked me if I had a doctor selected, so I explained the situation. He told me about an Orthopedic Doctor here in the valley that he knew and worked with, she had been here about 6 years and he was very positive about her. By the look on my face, (he knew about my longstanding aversion to some of the doctors here), he said, 'Do you trust me?' Well, I have known my Bonecracker for 11 years now, so yes, I do trust him. So he asked me to give the clinic a call and make an appointment. 

So, I made the call and set up an appointment with Dr. Tripi. This was in the beginning of October 2019, so Covid wasn't on the radar, publicly, yet. We went to the appointment and I was blown away! I had a series of questions to ask her after we got through the preliminaries of this initial knee consultation, (looking at the x-rays, hearing my knees crack when bent or straightened),  she answered all of them before I could even ask. She talked about which knee I wanted done first, or that I was a candidate to have both done at the same time (which I will talk about a bit later in this post), the before, during and after the surgical procedure, she covered the positive aspects of the surgery and also the possible negatives. There are doctors (in my experience), that lightly brush over the negative aspects, or in some cases don't even talk about them, unless you bring it up. Not Dr. Tripi, she made sure that we understood the possible issues that could come up. Blown away, yes, definitely; her confidence, her honesty, her forthrightness, her questions, her answers, all showed me that I had found my Doctor. My husband and I looked at each other, and the decision was done. We wanted to move forward to the next step. 

Not everyone is a candidate to have both knees replaced at the same time. I have friends that have had knees replaced at separate times and a few that have had them done at the same time. Mostly with positive results in either case. Not exactly sure of how this was going to pan out, I opted for having my knees replaced one at a time. Things I took into consideration in making this decision included; the Victorian home I  live in (2 story, 1 bathroom, steep staircase inside, and stairs to maneuver in and out of the home), my vehicles, my age, my physical/health level, potential issues, the weather (it snows here), etc. Anyway, the journey had started...…

Dr. Tripi had me see her RN so we could get started by picking a date for the surgery and initial paperwork, questions/answers, etc.

Should I have interviewed other doctors? Maybe, but I don't regret my decision. I felt immediate trust and confidence in Dr. Tripi, and my intuition has never failed me in that arena. It doesn't matter if friends/coworkers/ others have given a doctor glowing reviews, YOU need to have that trust and confidence level. If you leave an appointment with too many questions about the procedure or even the doctor; I recommend interviewing other doctors, you can then make a final decision based on comparison and your trust level.

There are many sites that offer ratings on doctors, and while searching for a doctor you can ask friends, associates, family members and even visit these ratings sites in your search. Regarding the doctor ratings site (and even others who give you their opinion on a doctor), I would offer a word of caution/advice. If there are one or two star ratings given to a doctor without an explanation (and I have seen a number of those over the years), think twice about using those one stars as a decision making tool. My first question would be; why didn't the reviewer support their one star rating with a written review of why they were awarding such a low score. I am very skeptical of no written support reviews, and you should be too. Second, if there is a written review, read it! What were they unhappy with? Was the doctor really a bad doctor that destroyed that person's life? Or was it that they didn't like the doctor's bedside manner, or was is that the doctor wouldn't go along with what the patient was asking for. I have seen doctor reviews that the patient didn't like the doctor's bedside manner. Good grief, (sorry, my opinion), I have had family and friends that have told me not to see a doctor because they didn't coddle and only give happy news. Some of my best doctor's over the years have gotten rotten reviews because of their 'perceived bad'  bedside manner.. Sorry, that isn't what I see a doctor for. Ok, rant over, finding a doctor that you trust and works with you is basically the bottom line. 

 Next post: TKR: Pre-Surgery journey