Bill, it took my brother six months, instead of the six weeks he was hoping for, to heal from a knee replacement. And now two years later, he is starting to play tennis again. If you aren't into sports or need the mobility for work, lot of downsides if things don't work out.
But medicine has never been guaranteed, hard to do that when we are mostly fluids and chemicals. The structural part, the bones..., you would think they would get that right by now.
They got the five inches of titanium in my neck right. Worked better than I thought. Allowed me to keep going and do all this play farming. Without it, would likely have been in a wheelchair by now. I think we all heal at different rates. And after you yank a tendon off a bone or break something, I think there will always be weakness there. Just don't give me 40 percent use when I could have had 80...
There is a new procedure out, announced by hospital in my old home town, saying the artificial spinal disc they have been putting in the lumbar area is now available for cervical use. Yeah. Supposed to greatly reduce number of fused necks like mine. But...how about replacing C6 for me, where my fat head now rotates around on a metal rod, all on that one little spot. Boy I'd like to get the one underneath it all replaced, as now it's just bone grinding on bone. I lost all my cartilage years ago, dropped two inches in height.
So yeah, could be major upsides to new surgery. And I could also become a quadriplegic.
Which would surely cut down on tractor seat time.
Lots to consider. My MIL sent me the article on the local hospital, bless her.
there are all these wonderful words for things that don't work. RNG will chuckle about this.
Non optimum results. Doctors have some standard lines. Rarely will they say any fault lies with their work.
So it's hard to tell what's going on. Second chances are good. Second chances that don't work means it's time
to find another specialist.