Fast bit of engineering work.

I went into hospital at 0730 Monday morning and arrived home at 1630 today (Wednesday) with a brand new cobalt chrome joint for my right knee. They don't hang about these days. I was actually cleared to return home 46 hours after the operation finished.

That means you'll be marathon running in a couple of weeks then.

Glad it all went well.

Brian

I think they chucked me out rather early, it was 3 1/2 days for the first leg, and I am experiencing greater difficulty at the moment as the pain is much higher. I was awake throughout the 70 minute procedure, but to my dismay, they wouldn't let me watch. The violent jarring through my skeleton was fascinating.

I'll be pleased if I can just walk better, I'm not quite up to marathons.

Edited By old mart on 12/02/2020 20:11:49

Our club treasurer has a cobalt containing hip from a model that were found to be releasing cobalt into the blood. Not bad enough to remove, but his blood Co levels are monitored. I hope yours is not a dodgy model. Best of luck for a speedy recovery.

Cobalt chrome is used for these joints and some dentures. I had never heard of tissue fluids affecting these, a bit worrying though. My left knee is twenty months old and also CoCr.

Dunno what they used in my left knee. It went in 8 years ago and gives me no trouble now. They let me out after 4 days, and I had to help the missus lay laminate floor in the garage later the same week to turn it into her art room. Doctor b011ocked me for that, but it did no harm. Had both hips done in 2013 and 14, and it made a huge difference.

Considering the right knee, which is giving trouble now, but not yet quite enough to justify the hassle of the op.

I'm certainly aware of living in one of the most fortunate populations in history - any other time or place I'd be pretty seriously crippled, if indeed still functional at all.

We rank amongst the most fortunate people in the whole of human history

Apart from the skeletal and heart stuff we've also got antibiotics and vaccinations, both of which are incredible inventions ...and it's all free too...

Fast work! I had double heart bypass on a Friday afternoon and chucked out following Tues morning, about 3+ years ago. Felt bit groggy but OK and now feeling great.

I feel sport should be discouraged, I seem to know lots of sporty people who have worn various bits of their body out prematurely. A friend ran cross country for the Army and is 8 years younger than me but my knees are in better shape than his. My back gives me some hassle but that started before I was a fat bastard. Some of the 30 year olds I worked with who played football, ran ultra marathons and ten peak challenges are wearing bits out faster than me.

Is looking after your body not pushing it to its limits?

Mike.

lazy fat sod 63 years old with nearly everything working ok.

Well talking about fast engineering the GWR (just under 119 miles) was built in 6 years mainly by itinerants with shovels and wheelbarrows. Now, 179 years later we are embarking on a new railway blessed with modern machinery and methods and the estimate for completion is 20 years........

Paul.

I don’t know what we are messing about at, the Chinese build a 1000 bed hospital in a week.

Mike

I had a knee replacement in 2001...the twin towers disaster happened whilst I was in hospital. At the time I used to fly free flight model aeroplanes for an obsession, which entailed A LOT of walking. Prior to the knee replacement I had difficulties completing competitions; frequent early retirements were common. After the op. no worries!! I was in hospital for 3 days, the exit criteria were, 1/ Being able to bend knee more than 90 degrees, and hyperextend to "straight", 2/ Being able to walk with the use of a stick, 3/ Being able to negotiate stairs. There followed about 6 weeks of physio, with bucket loads of painkillers. It was well worth all the physio and pain...which was considerable!!

cheers

Bill

Bill

Did you ever come across a free flighter called Alan (aka Bob) Wells? (used to fly Wakefield mainly to extremely high standard and good frind of Jessica Nash who I think was National Champ in same class)

Topical story associated from the late 1970s, Alan and Jess were gently walking across the Army Flying airfield at Middle Wallop retrieving their rubber powered models from a competition flight (lowest risk activity that I can think of) when Alan was mown down from behind by an out of control land yacht. Smashed his leg horribly to the point it was to be amputated. Fortunately his friend was an ex nurse and intervened insisting that his leg could be rebuilt and saved. It was - it took an awfully long time but was very successful.

I visited him in hospital and have to say it was not a pretty sight with stainless rods sticking out all over the place and wide open wound giving access to the bone!

A mark of Alan as a principled devotee of the sport was that he absolutely refused to raise a claim as he feared that might result in loss of the site to aeromodelling. I have heard recently that the airfield is indeed not now available for this use but Alan's sacrifice must have prevented earlier loss to aeromodellers.

As well as all this he was a talented whittler of balsa with a wicked sense of humour! I was privileged to both work and fly with Alan in those days.

I used to make tooling for knee, hip, and finger joints they were made by lost wax casting and were cast in a type of stainless steel in Sheffield. I have a couple left over. They were cast in two parts and welded together so the ball was hollow. One of the ones I have is finnished machined and the smaller ball one is just welded.

David

I was brought home yesterday by ambulance and wheeled to my front door, as I couldn't manage the ramp. Today the knee has improved a huge amount and I'm as pleased as Punch. It already bends over 90 degrees easily.

I can just see those hip joints being made into door knockers for orthopaedic surgeons.

My wife's a nurse and she says it's absolutely imperative to work through the pain (with painkillers as appropriate) and do the physio. If people don't, they can end up worse off than they were before the operation.

George

John Paton... Do I remember Bob Wells?? I'm in Australia now, so whilst I know the name, I never met Bob. However my (sadly late) elder brother, Chris, also flew free flight (F1A) largely at Middle Wallop, so I'm fairly sure that he would have at least known Bob. Bob was famous for his beautifully built models which flew so well. As it happens I too flew Wakefields, I think that Bobs models were predominately balsa and spruce, rather than composite.

George.....Physio. Spot on, the physio is absolutely vital. Where I had my knee "done" they had a machine which bent and extended the knee, with adjustable rate and amplitude. The nurses would strap you onto this machine before coming round from the anaesthetic. I also had to do hydrotherapy two or three times a week. Well worth all the pain though!!

cheers

Bill

My friends hip joint fell apart when the ball dropped off the spigot - Hope it wasn't one of yours David. The surgeon wasn't too pleased let alone our friend.

Bob Well's horrific land yacht accident was actually at Bassingbourn Barracks, which was the airfield during the War where the original William Wyler documentary Memphis Belle was shot. Bob didn't actually lose the leg but was very seriously damaged. Most of London free-flight moved there after the M3 made Chobham Common unsuitable for contest flying.

98% Old Mart, 2% New Mart

All the best for a rapid and uneventful recovery!

Neil