I had my checkin with the surgeon yesterday for the procedure I had done on June 9th (interposition arthoplasty w/an allographed tendon). He was sorry about the difficulties with pain management and recovery process, but was happy to prescribe whatever I needed and wanted to ensure things were healing on good timetable. The visit was interesting, this time there were a lot more medical assistants swarming around and coming in for a look. I know UWMC is a teaching facility, but it was weird the amount of people interested in my arm. After all they were just taking a splint off, getting X-rays, and generally evaluating the healing process. One of the many MAs took the anchor off my arm with all sorts joy and pain on my part. After a week wrapped up in the splint, my arm didn’t exactly look great…
Once Dr Huang was happy with the recovery progress he passed me off to Physical Therapy where I was going to have a new device manufactured and my first PT instructions. Sitting there with the physical therapist washing my arm for the first time in a couple of weeks, I noticed some people interested in what was going on in my area of the facility, then the therapist started talking to them about my procedure and breaks the news to me that my case was presented at a recent guest lecture. Apparently when guest lecturers come to give lectures on orthopedic procedures (These guests are top surgeons from all over the world), the residents occasionally present unique cases that they have worked on to see what the expert would do.
Well – I was the case study – my x-rays, story, years of chronic pain were presented in the lecture hall to all of the people interested in being orthopedic surgeons. I couldn’t be happier with my case being presented, after six years of daily pain, I can’t wait for the healing process to be done and the pain to be gone or nearly gone. I hope that the presentation of my case keeps all of those current and future surgeons aware of the issues and how to fix it for anyone else who is cursed with a similar problem.
Of course, I’d love to see the presentation… If you know anyone at UW Medical School who might have been recording the session, please let me know!!