Augusta focus. ([Augusta, Ga.) 198?-current, July 31, 1997, Image 10

Augusta focus., July 31, 1997, Image 10

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Newspaper Page TextJULY 31,1997 AUGUSTA FOCUS Be sure to make preparations for life after knee surgery B After the surgeon has finished, there are things to do that you may have overlooked. By Lillian Wan AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer Recently, this reporter went through arthroscopic knee sur gery. My kneecap had been out of alignment for months, causing me constant pain, discomfort, popping and “collapses” of the knee ashone scraped against bone. All through various checkups, then a pre-op appointment, then surgery day, I came across various information that I had not seen documented before that I did not think of until mainly at the last moment. Here are some steps to hopefully help others in their preparation for knee surgery: - Ask your doctor any and all questions about how the surgery will affect all aspects of life: sleep ing, moving, etc. Any information can only help with preparations. Ifyou are squeamish about physi cal details, then tell the doctor ' that. I am not squeamish and » wanted to know exactly how the ; surgery was going tobe done: what | kind of cuts, what parts would be ' moved or removed, etc. + - Find out what kind of pain or , other medications will be assigned ' to you. Get the prescription filled + before the day of surgery. Then . place the medication(s) conve ' niently next to your bedside. Also + be sure toinform your doctor about all medications that you are cur : rently taking. ¢ -Be sure to ask about when you « can get crutches assigned before ,surgery. The advance time to ' practice on the crutches will be . very helpful. Also ask if you will .be fitted with any type of knee ‘braces or need any kind of special bandages. You may also want to INTRODUCING el - THE PUBLIX BABY CLUB s 7 ppamg sIR K R j AL VIARKEE 10O0GO 10, co o T b PN e L b e e e i © & My baby will soon be walking, and | need help on how to keep him out of dangerous mischief around the house (especially the kitchen). | know that . @ kitchen cabinets and everything in them can be of great interest to toddlers. How do | keep him out of the dangerous cleaners and products? The kitchen is such a dangerous room for young children that some experts recommend they be excluded from it. That's a difficult rule to enforce, because » parents spend so much time there and most young children want to be where the & action is. It's probably more realistic to eliminate the most serious dangers by @ taking the following precautions. o Store strong cleaners, lye, furniture polish, dishwasher soap and other danger ous products in a high cabinet and out of sight. If you must store some items under the sink, buy a “kiddy lock” that refastens automatically ever time you close the cupboard (most hardware and department stores have them). Never transfer dangerous substances into containers that look as if they might hold food. Keep knives, forks, scissors and other sharp instruments separate from “safe” kitchen utensils, and in a latched drawer. Store sharp cutting appliances such as food processors out of reach or in a locked cupboard. Unplug appliances when they are not in use so your child cannot accidentally turn them on. Don't allow electrical cords to dangle where your child can reach and tug on them, possibly pulling a heavy appliance down on himself. Always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so your child can't reach up and grab them. If you have a gas stove, turn the dials firmly to the off position, and if they're easy to remove, do so when you aren't cooking so that your child can't acciden tally turn the stove on. Keep matches out of reach and out of sight. Don’'t warm baby bottles in a microwave. The liquid heats unevenly, so there may be pockets of milk hot enough to scald your baby's mouth when he drinks. : Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. If your home has more than one story, mount an extinguisher in a conspicuous place on each floor. Information provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics, from the book, Caring for Your Baby and Young Child. : Expect a lot from PUBLIX. Is there a baby in your house—or in your future? Join the PUBLIX Baby Club and you can start expecting ‘ ‘ all kinds of wonderful things, ail for FREE! When it comes to babies, PUBLIX delivers. @ ‘ Where shopping is a pleasure SUPER plan for any spare bandages so that one can be worn while the other is cleaned and then dried. - Ask about comfortable sleep positions. Does your affected knee need to stay elevated with your body in a prone position? Do you need tosleep with pillows between your legs? - Think of transportation alter natives for the first few weeks. The best way is to be transported directly from your doorstep to the doorstep of the hospital and/or doctor’s office. Do not underesti mate the traumatizing and wea rying effect of surgery on one limb whichwill affect the energy of the rest of your body. - Discuss with your boss about alternative work arrangements after your surgery. See if there is any way any sedentary or station ary work can be given priority for you to do. Consider how your various duties may be reorganized to allow you to at least work part time, perhaps from home with a laptop or other computer equip ment. Consult your disability co ordinator about any adaptive equipment that may be needed. Post-surgery home prepara tion tips Be ready for the fact that you will not feel like cooking or mov ing around for at least a few days after surgery. -Food: stock up on non-cooking items for the first few days in case you do not even want to activate a microwave oven, if you own one. I stocked up on pop tarts, packages of pudding and canned ready-to eat meats and vegetables. You can also get bread, packaged meats, cheese slices, peanut but ter and jelly for easy sandwiches. You may not have any appetite but you will need a little food for at least enough energy to get around on your crutches if only to go to the bathroom. From experi ence, I know that vitamins will not be enough. Be sure to place Livingßetter bottles of water and medication within reach at your bedside. - Space: make sure there is space to move around on your crutches. Ifyou are a messy bach elor or bachelorette living in a space too small to fit all of the items you must live with, at least practice maneuvering sideways through the small aisles among your junk. Arrange necessary items (spare toilet paper rolls, bandages, etc.) in easy-to-reach areas. - Clothes: be prepared to wear loose-fitting pants or shorts for your physical therapy sessions and checkups after your surgery. The leg of the pants must be able to pull up past the surgery area, up to the thighs. If you wear a very large size and need leg room big MCG receives grant for primary medical care enhancement The Medical College of Geor gia School of Medicine has re ceived aone-year, $333,000 con tinuation grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support a multifaceted initia tive to enhance primary medi cal care. MCG is one of 14 U.S. medical schools receiving funding from the nation’s largest health care philanthropy through the Gen eralist Physician Initiative. “Nationally and regionally, there are not enough generalist physicians—family medicine ger than the ready-to-wear 3X sizes in the regular stores, try the Big & Tall Casual Male store in Richmond Plaza, across from Au gusta Mall. Also, ifyou think of it early enough, you may have extra large pants made by a tailor. - Bath/shower arrangements: you will need some sort of support for your baths and showers, espe cially if you live alone. Alterna tives are: sponge baths, special tub seats or chairs, or handbars and/or handrails. -Laundry arrangements: ifyou do not own a washer or dryer, think ofalternative means of hav ing some clothes, elastic bandages and/or knee braces washed. Be prepared that you may have leak age through your bandages for the first few days after surgery physicians, internists and gen eral pediatricians—to provide primary care to patients,” said Dr. Max Miller, director of the MCG Office of Generalist Edu cation and professor of medi cine. “We have worked to en courage and support the educa tion of primary care physicians with a program that begins be fore students even get to medi cal school and continues to pro vide support to the generalist as he or she prepares to set up practice.” “We not only are increasing Watch for Augusta Focus’ upcoming trivia contest in the August 14, 1997 paper! . N\ &% 4 : . AN b 6 R 2 o G E R - “’,Vv,»\ i o ] . o . 5 0 3 e N Ge G e S S S S SRS Lo S ";«\ % 00l G o e SRR e W i : %}'ﬁ e I R ¢ B L oS @ . § Y R S -\--;;;_.&‘:.s:s} ¢ RRsiT SR R T e § eER § e gs . wEE s A . SN & us i e e B T o . ERPI R W P e A i Forw. BN R B WWw g e * GRee e G B S eReW e o R i o il % w. MEn G iR eRo & e § S R e N A e SORSREREN e S . e . . e E - e b L Toe- Y e R < e . R . BeS B s f o :%se . 3 . ? E B ki k e 4 i :‘= 5 4 5 L o o 3 SR s e SR ;e oo % e L k. e ¥ E L /:\,E;.::::.;:\::;:;:ng_i:%i_;\'.‘{f_ e ""s‘-»‘;»'},".:»-\.;::\.::i;.:\’fg i o ‘. . % 4 - ' * S}\’c(h and language pathologises can identity communication disorders at a very young age. Farly screenings can give parents the assurance they need about their ¢hilds development and identify speech or language difh culties before they become a problem: We can help you or your child find the proper treatment for a speech or language RIS IENNE Call today for a free screciing appointiment. == University Hospital i)): : e ‘ X == Speech & Hearing Center o V Service Of Lniversity Health Please call 706/774:86606,0r SO3/6:41-0530) 10 schedule anappoinement arone of our four conyenient AN University Hospital = Main Campus, Aiken, Columbia County-or South Richmond County ol A ) o INSIST ON UNIVERSITY. FOCUS your special luncheons or dinners in a fine restaurant. Visit BL’s Restaurant at 1117 Laney-Walker Blvd. or call (706) 828-7799 to arrange your celebrations. which may soak through any ban dages and clothing. - Entertainment: plan for read ing books, doing crossword puzzles, watching TV or other ac tivities that will be easy to do while in bed. Have some extra supplies for handicrafts (yarn, threads, origami papers, etc.) handy for use. - Company or lack of it: your personality will be the best deter mination as to whether you would best have people around you or not. If you prefer to be a loner during times of sickness, it is your right to assert your wish in this case. Your true friends and good family members should respect and honor your wishes. Call people back during times when you are awake. Turn offthe ringer the number of our graduates who enter primary care practice, we also are making certain that all of our training, that for general ists and specialists alike, is en hanced in important areas such as wellness, health promotion, the patient-doctor relationship and medical ethics,” said Dr. Darrel G. Kirch, dean of the MCG School of Medicine. “The result will be physicians who are much better prepared to meet the challenges of practice in the 21st century.” The Robert Wood Johnson on your phone so that you will not have much-needed rest disturbed. Ifyounormally wear hearing aids, just turn them off. Consider renting a wheelchair to use if you live in a large, roomy area. It can cost as low as $35 for two weeks rental for the use of a chair with an attachment to el evate the knee that was operated on. Look in the yellow pages un der “medical equipment and sup plies” for listings. Knee surgery, even if it affects only one body part directly by sur gery, will affect all aspects of your life for several weeks to several months. The more prepared you are for it, the more time you will have for much-needed rest. Foundation began supporting MCG’s initiative with a $150,000 planning grant in 1992; two years later MCG received a $1.5 million implementation grant. “One of the original goals was for the Medical College of Geor gia to have 50 percent of our medical school graduates enter and remain in one of the gener alist specialties,” Dr. Miller said. In 1997, 51 percent of the gradu ates selected a primary care resi dency; the figure was 36 percent when the initiative’s planning process began in 1992.