St. Joe’s checkup: Full knee replacement “a breeze”
Even at home, hospital care only a phone call away with ICC
Arlene Kappheim has ditched the ramp and sent back the walker. She's determined to climb and descend her stairs one step at a time.
"If I don't get the muscle strength into the right leg it will be harder when I have the left leg done," says the 65 year old Hamilton resident.
Regaining mobility in her knee has been a challenge for Arlene, who is now three and a half months post-surgery for a full knee replacement. But she plans to tough-it out. After all, she's lived with the pain of a deteriorating joint for more than two decades, a situation she attributes to wear and tear, and gradual weight gain.
Opting for surgery involved more than assessing her level of discomfort. Arlene says there were questions she had to answer honestly.
"Can I handle the pain? Can I handle the physio after surgery? It's very much a mental preparation."
When she was ready, Arlene told her family physician she wanted to have her surgery at St. Joseph's, to be enrolled in the Integrated Comprehensive Care (ICC) Program. After meeting and developing a bond with Dr. Anthony Adilli Arlene agreed to an estimated eight month wait, even though working with another surgeon would have shortened her wait time. She used those months to build her strength at the YMCA in a program specially designed for joint replacements.
As her April 26th surgery date approached, the ICC program kicked in. Arlene attended the pre-surgical education class at St. Joe's, and met her care coordinator. Along with some reading material Arlene was given a phone number she could call anytime up to 60 days after discharge, to reach her care coordinator if she had concerns or questions. Unbeknownst to her then, it was a relationship she would need to explore.
The surgery and immediate days following Arlene describes as "a breeze." She began her physio in hospital, progressed well and was discharged within 48 hours of her operation. Therapists and care providers arrived at her home, without Arlene ever having to lift the phone.
On day ten, a nurse arrived to remove staples and sutures from her incision. Within a few days, Arlene began to notice redness in the area. Concerned about a potential infection, Arlene called the number for her care coordinator.
"I swear it wasn't more than five minutes when I had a nurse call me back."
Arlene emailed the nurse photos of the redness that was spreading in the surrounding tissue. Those pictures were sent to the on-call resident, who quickly diagnosed the condition as cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection Arlene is predisposed to. Within 30 minutes Arlene received a call from her pharmacy to say an anti-biotic prescription had been ordered and was ready.
"It was absolutely fantastic."
St. Joseph's Home Care nurses arrived daily to monitor the infection. Although the condition postponed her initial physiotherapy, Arlene is thrilled by the ICC program, and the quick response she witnessed by the health care professionals involved.
Instilled with confidence by ICC, Arlene is moving forward with replacement surgery for her left knee.
"For two months after surgery you have that resource. You have that number. That's your conduit to the surgeon."