"Knee replacement surgery"

I had knee replacement surgery on 7th November 2017. The consultant was excellent, very thorough in their explanation of how the operation would proceed and the risks involved. The consultant was professional, caring & calming and someone you could trust implicitly. Highly recommended. The consultant visited every day until my discharge & carefully checked my leg after a fall to ensure there was no damage. All is progressing well 2 weeks after surgery with no complications or wound infection.

The anaesthetist was wonderful. I had several worries about the form of anaesthetic to be used & the after effects. They listened carefully to my concerns & put each doubt to rest, explaining how they could use a different type of anaesthetic and anti nausea drugs. I had the fastest & best recovery from general anaesthetic I have ever had. The pain management regime was effective in relieving my pain yet allowing me to stay alert enough to maintain control of my senses, despite being on morphine.

The nursing staff were lovely, very reassuring & caring. There was some mix up with my medication as staff were unfamiliar with some of them.

I do feel that I needed the extra day stay in hospital as I was very tired & my arms shaking with the additional strain, towards evening each day. This trembling in my arms was the reason for my fall.

Sadly, the food supplied by the hospital was very disappointing & unappetising. The same limited menu every day, very little choice and often your choice proved to be unavailable. Frequently, the food was over cooked & the porridge was watery & tasteless. Not the standard you would expect from a private hospital.

The toilets on the wards were very low. I had knee replacement surgery, not hip replacement, but a raised toilet seat would have been advantageous.

Despite having a large car and the front seat pushed back as far as possible, I was unable to bend my knee sufficiently to get into the car. My family & the porter had to haul me into the back seat in the prone position. Tall patients should be warned of this problem.