Mr Stephen Palmer 2018-12-10 Person 5 5 0

I first met Mr Palmer at Springfield hospital in July for a consultation about my knee.After an examination I was sent for an x-ray and returned to Mr Palmer for his opinion.He said that had two options, do nothing or have a total knee replacement.I opted for the replacement.I had existing health problems which were of concern to Mr Palmer and he said that he would like me to see his aneasthetist Dr Hywel Jones to see if he was happy for me to have the operation. Mr Palmer then told me what to expect from the procedure.He said that it was probably the most painful operation performed at the hospital and that I could expect to be in a great deal of pain for at least three weeks after the op but after five weeks or so the pain would be much less and diminishing.He also said that there would be an exercise regime after the op which would in itself be painful but very necessary to achieve full recovery. He said that we would meet again after I had seen Dr Jones. I did in fact see Dr Jones the following day and we had a very detailed discussion about my condition and existing medication and said that he was happy for the op to go ahead and that he would discuss my case in great detail with Mr Palmer. We discussed the operation itself and he took me through the procedure step by step.He was very professional but at the same time gave me a great deal of confidence that all would be well. He stressed the after effects of the operation but assured me that adequate pain relief would be provided for me. I had the operation on 10th August and during the procedure Dr Jones spoke with me all the while and and was a great comfort. felt no pain. Yes the recovery was painful and they were right about the time scales. For three weeks it was very painful but the pain relief provided was a great help in keeping the pain under control.The exercises were tough but but knowing that they were essential I did them religiously and on 20th September, one day short of the predicted six weeks I was able to go on holiday and managed quite comfortably. I saw Mr Palmer last week, on 6th December and he was happy to sign me off and told me I should now carry on as before even to the extent of driving again. The care I was afforded by Mr Palmer and Dr Jones and the nursing team at Springfield was , I would say second to none. If anyone is suffering the pain that I had then I would say go for the operation. If you are prepared to follow the medical advice given and put in the work afterwards you will not regret it.