Fear of post-op infection
I know medical advice is not available, but what I am really looking for is coping advice . I am on the 'will call' list with my orthopedic surgeon-I need surgery that bad to replace my knees. the pain is horrendous and quality of life, well, there isn't much. BUT the fear of a post-op infection taking hold has me paralyzed! any ideas on HOW to come to grips with the fear? I am not a fan of psychotherapy. I have had RA almost 20 yrs now, take metho, Humira and am in pain mamagement. I realize no one can guarantee a 'clean' outcome but if anyone else has gone through this I'd love input on it!
Thanks in advance- Rose
Dear Rose,
Thank you for reaching out to us. We are so sorry to hear about the pain you are experiencing. Please know that you are not alone and the RA community is here to listen and support you!
In addition to the feedback you may receive from our community, I wanted to share some articles with you in the meantime.I thought you might be interested in reading the surgery section of our website: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/surgery/
One of our moderators, Kelly, wrote a great article about her experience with RA and knee surgery: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/unusual-knee-surgery/comment-page-1/#comments
Lastly, I think you may relate to our article on RA's secret symptom: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/secret-symptom/
Please keep us posted with your knees and if you go through surgery. We wish you the best of luck.
We are always here.
Jillian (RA.net Team)
I have phobias and ticks. I guess for me in my own mind I remind myself how much agony I am in now, before the procedure. And how much relief afterwards the procedure promises to give. My fear of having my joints get worse helps me though the procedure recovery. I also will need knee replacements in a few years. But if you don't have it done, what happens can become far worse... Or that is what runs inside my head... 😀 Hope this helps some...
