Jennifer

Age at interview: 64

Brief Outline:

Jennifer started having knee pain around 2004. She had partial knee replacement surgery to her right knee in January 2014, and had the left knee replaced in March 2014. She is walking very well now, in no pain and pleased that she’s had both operations.

Background:

Jennifer is a retired cashier. She is married and has 2 adult children. Ethnic background / nationality: White British.

More about me...

Around 2004, when Jennifer was working full-time, she often had pain in her knees. She took painkillers and persevered. She suspected that it could be arthritis because her Mum and brother had both had it, as well as surgery to their knees. Over time the pain and soreness got worse and Jennifer noticed that it was becoming difficult to walk even short distances. She went to see her GP, who sent her for x-rays. After seeing the x-ray results, the GP referred Jennifer to a specialist hospital. The consultant there confirmed that Jennifer would be eligible for knee replacement surgery to both her knees. Before that, Jennifer said that she’d been advised that she was too young for knee replacement surgery and should wait until she was older. 

Six months after her appointment with the consultant, Jennifer had surgery to her right knee, in January 2014. She was given a booklet with lots of information and felt well prepared. The operation went well, as did Jennifer’s recovery at home. Sleeping was the hardest part of the recovery, but Jennifer did all her exercises and said she recovered quicker than she’d expected. She started driving again after six weeks and resumed most daily activities after eight weeks. 

When she went to a follow-up appointment six weeks after surgery, the doctor checked Jennifer’s knee and discussed surgery to the other knee. About 12 weeks after her first operation, Jennifer had surgery to her left knee as well, in March 2014. This time she was also shown some information videos of the surgery. Having had surgery only a few months earlier, Jennifer felt completely prepared for the operation. Her recovery went well this time too and at the time of interview, about 11 weeks after surgery, Jennifer said that – although she avoids kneeling which can be painful – she is walking very well, in no pain and ‘very pleased’ that she’s had both operations. She also felt she had ‘excellent service’ at the hospital.

Jennifer got all the information she needed from health professionals. Her mum, brother and some friends had also had knee surgery before.

Had any of the family or friends had it [partial knee replacement surgery] before? You mentioned your mum had…?

No, it was just my mum and my brother; a friend of my husband's, he used to play rugby with him, he had his knees replaced so I knew him. Oh and also, yeah another friend of mine, he'd had his done when he was 65 when he retired, so he told me a lot so I had a lot of information from other people as well.

What sort of information did they tell you, was it helpful?

Well yes, I mean my friend said to me, "If they tell you in the hospital to get out and walk, only do it if you can feel your feet," because he witnessed somebody who was told to get out and walk with the crutches and his leg was still dead and he fell to the floor. So that was one thing that I thought, 'If my foot's dead I mustn’t get out.' So that was one thing that was helpful, but I think probably that was the only thing.

And when they did the operations, did they explain about osteoarthritis in the knee?

Yes, they said it was osteoarthritis but other than that....

Have you been interested at all in finding out more about osteoarthritis or you feel now that you're, you know, back walking and everything it's, you know, everything's fine? 

That’s right I do yes, yes. 

Were there any questions at all that you felt that, you know, you'd like more information about or anything at all that you thought oh it would be interesting to know more about? 

Not really, no. I think that what I was told covered it and I think, because I recovered so well, I think I put it to the back of my mind. Maybe if I hadn’t, I might have perhaps wanted a few more answers. 

The video and booklet were both helpful, but Jennifer found it easier to sit and read the booklet than to go upstairs and use the computer.

I did see a video – the physiotherapist showed me a video and it showed you like the arthritis in the knee joint and the new joint they would put in... I saw the video but I felt that I knew from what I'd done the first time, so I felt that really I knew what to expect. 

Yeah. Did you find it helpful seeing that video? 

I did yeah, yes I did, yes. 

So there were a few short videos, on the pre-assessment? 

That’s right. 

And was that all shown to you on a laptop or? 

Yes, no on a proper computer screen, yes. 

Did somebody go through it with you or? 

Yes, the physio was there, yes. 

So you watched it with the physio? 

Yeah, yeah. 

So that was helpful? 

Very helpful. 

Any questions after that or you just felt it covered everything? 

No, I think it covered everything, yeah. 

Did you think it's a useful thing for doctors to do before any kind of operation? 

Yes I do, yes I do. 

And were you able to look at it at home at all or…? 

Yes, she sent me the website so that I could go onto the computer at home if I wanted to. 

Did you look at it again or? 

No I didn’t, no I didn’t...

So this way that you're given information usin g the video – do you think it's helpful or is a booklet just as good, or both?

Well the booklet you can sit in the chair when you're recovering and you can read whereas, to go upstairs on your crutches, it's an effort, so the booklet was very good. Also that was but, as I say, no when I first came home it was easier to sit in the chair, pick my book up and read it so. 

So in some ways you think the booklet is better than… or are they both different and both useful? 

Both useful yeah, both useful, yeah. 

So you were glad you had both? 

I was, yes. 

Did the booklet have all the exercises as well? 

Yes, yes.

So did you use the booklet to have a look whether you're doing…? 

That’s right, yes I did. 

Jennifer saw the consultant, physio and various nurses at the pre-op assessment. It all went well and she felt she had excellent service.

I saw the anaesthetist. I saw the physiotherapist, I saw the consultant, various different nurses when I went to pre-assessment for all the…like the ECG and the blood tests; various different nurses. I think that was about it. 

And how did you feel about all your interactions with them? 

Fine, absolutely fine, yes. 

Got everything explained properly? 

Yes, yeah, really good. I didn’t… not once came away anxious about anything. I felt that everything that they said, you know, I understood and it just went well. 

And the timing, you know, when you were referred and then you got the appointment for the right knee and later the left knee, everything was fine was it? 

Fine, fine. 

Were there any situations that you were dissatisfied with at all through the whole time? 

No, no, nothing. 

Nothing. So if someone was going to say are there any improvements that could be made in terms of the care or the way anything at all was done. 

There's nothing, there's nothing. There really was…when I came out I can remember saying to people that came to see me, you know, they were…it was perfect, I couldn’t fault it, you know, I had excellent service. 

It’s ‘wonderful’ to go for walks and sleep properly at night. Jennifer advises people not to put up with knee pain because something can be done about it.

What's the positives if someone is thinking about having the operation?  

Go of it because it's just wonderful to go for a walk and not feel that you’ve got to keep sitting down because you’ve got so much pain. And it doesn’t wake you up at night – I mean at night I used to… before I had the operation I'd turn over and my knees were so painful it used to just wake me up. 

And walking, how much could you walk beforehand, or you were hardly…? 

Hardly any distance, yeah very, very little really. 

So it sounds like both times you’ve recovered really well. 

Yeah... I would say don’t put up with the pain because there is something that can be done and, when you’ve had the operation, just make sure you do the exercises, that’s really, that’s it.