Surgery Question

[msedup]

Hi friends. Hope you are all well and happy.
I recently injured my knee and will be having surgery to repair it. I am wondering if I need to do anything special to prepare or heal. I've not had anything like this since MS diagnosis so I don't know what to expect. Not really in a flare up right now, just the day to day stuff and trying to stay cool. I wrote on the forms in the doc office that I have MS but the orthopedic doc didn't mention it, do I need to make sure they know? Any advice? Thanks all!

[jessiesmom]

Surgery and MS

Since my MS diagnosis about 5 years ago I have had an axillary dissection, mastectomy, breast reconstruction surgery and shoulder surgery. Yes, I have hit the medical jackpot. I made sure that all involved doctors knew of my MS diagnosis. Probably the doctor who MOST needs to be aware of MS issues is the anesthesiologist. MS patients can have problems with their airway and this doctor is the one that is in charge of keeping it clear so the surgeon can do his job on your knee.

With that being said, I have not had any post-surgical issues that I believe have anything to do with MS. I do not believe that MS has impacted my recovery in any way. Of course, MS treats everyone differently and my experience may not be yours.

Good luck.

[BDOBBINS]

SURGERY

I HAD SURGERY BACK IN '03 AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED IN '99 AND I MADE SURE THEY WERE ALL AWARE OF MY MS JUST BECAUSE I TAKE ALOT OF MEDS AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE THEY DIDN'T NEED TO BE STOPPED OR ANYTHING BEFORE GOING UNDER. I DO BELIEVE IT TOOK A LITTLE LONGER TO HEAL AFTERWARDS BUT I REALLY NEEDED THE SURGERY. GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND I HOPE ALL GOES WELL!

[rdmc]

I had a surgery in 2007 (5 hour) another in 2010 (4 hour) and just had the Baclofen pump implant surgery in February of this year.

I think post surgery it took longer to get back to where I was, pre-surgery, than it would have for someone w/out MS. But I wouldn't say it sent me into a flare.

Speak to the anesthesiologist. One told me that I may need a ventilator after surgery (he said sometimes that happens with MS patients, but don't be alarmed if it did, because it would only be temporary)....I was fine and didn't ever experience breathing difficulty post surgery.

Another anesthesiologist wanted to give me steroids along with the anesthesia...I reminded him I'm allergic to steroids, so they skipped that, but maybe that's common practice.

Hope your knee surgery goes well, and you heal quickly!

[terie-tk]

I had surgery last Aug.

to repair my bladder. It was only about an hour long procedure. The anesthesiologist was interested in my MS DX and questioned me before hand about all symtoms and he even asked me if I knew where my lesions were located . I had no idea at the time. I have since gotten copies of my last MRI reports .

I did fine with the surgery , recovery, healing etc. until about 3 weeks post - op when I got a bladder infection. Obviously this made my immune system crazy. Then I got terrible bladder spasms that continued for about 6 months after the infection went away.

Things are good now though. Good luck to you!
I've went through ACL reconstruction before my MS DX.

[Justsayyes]

I had a surgery a few years ago, and we discussed the positioning required during the surgery and if that would cause any problems. Also discussed adding steroids to anesthesia, but I opted to not do that. I figured if I flared afterward I could get a treatment.

Best of luck with your surgery!

[smashms]

i just went through ileal conduit surgery and had no problems i was offered steroids at the time of surgery but said no. this was a 6 to 8 hour operation so i was also told of the fact that i may require vent support afterwards but did not require that either. i had a minor flare right afterwards but since i was still admitted to the hospital they gave me a dose of iv roids and i was fine a few days after. i was in hospital a total of 7 days. good luck to you!!