Yesterday another nice day at the hospital.
The two short-haired ladies from the plaster-room removed my 2-week old plaster and immediately started to apply another one. But that wasn't the deal.
Two weeks before I had pointed out already that I didn't want plaster again this day, but a removable brace so I could start with increasing ROM (passively) twice a day. "No, sir, we just follow the protocol for a ruptured quad tendon repair, and that's a stiff plaster for 6 weeks." Well, maybe over there, but not in lot's of other hospitals, including the Academic Hospital in the area were I live. 6 Weeks in full extension gets any joint (ij this case my knee) to stiffen up completely and the quads to shorten. Takes weeks of extra fysical therapy afterwards.
So I simply refused and just lay there for a while until the surgeon who operated on my knee walked in.
After some discussion he could agree with the brace and starting with passive flexing up to 60 degrees building up over 3,5 weeks.
The point of this story, my fellow getbiggers, friends and foes: the standard protocol in not-specialized settings is not to do what's best for the patient, but what's easiest and the least risky for the staff/personnell.
Always get yourself informed and demand to see the dude or dudesse in charge.
Have a plan upfront and get to read your file (operation report in my case).
And remember that protocols are for the average housewife, not for us.
Serious advice from
Dr Dutch