Had any of the family or friends had it [partial knee replacement surgery] before? You mentioned your mum had?

No, it was just my mum and my brother; a friend of my husband’s, he used to play rugby with him, he had his knees replaced so I knew him. Oh and also, yeah another friend of mine, hed had his done when he was 65 when he retired, so he told me a lot so I had a lot of information from other people as well.

What sort of information did they tell you, was it helpful?

Well yes, I mean my friend said to me, “If they tell you in the hospital to get out and walk, only do it if you can feel your feet,” because he witnessed somebody who was told to get out and walk with the crutches and his leg was still dead and he fell to the floor. So that was one thing that I thought, ‘If my foot’s dead I mustn’t get out. So that was one thing that was helpful, but I think probably that was the only thing.

And when they did the operations, did they explain about osteoarthritis in the knee?

Yes, they said it was osteoarthritis but other than that…

Have you been interested at all in finding out more about osteoarthritis or you feel now that you’re, you know, back walking and everything it’s, you know, everything’s fine?

That’s right I do yes, yes.

Were there any questions at all that you felt that, you know, you’d like more information about or anything at all that you thought oh it would be interesting to know more about?

Not really, no. I think that what I was told covered it and I think, because I recovered so well, I think I put it to the back of my mind. Maybe if I hadn’t, I might have perhaps wanted a few more answers.

I did see a video the physiotherapist showed me a video and it showed you like the arthritis in the knee joint and the new joint they would put in… I saw the video but I felt that I knew from what I’d done the first time, so I felt that really I knew what to expect.

Yeah. Did you find it helpful seeing that video?

I did yeah, yes I did, yes.

So there were a few short videos, on the pre-assessment?

That’s right.

And was that all shown to you on a laptop or?

Yes, no on a proper computer screen, yes.

Did somebody go through it with you or?

Yes, the physio was there, yes.

So you watched it with the physio?

Yeah, yeah.

So that was helpful?

Very helpful.

Any questions after that or you just felt it covered everything?

No, I think it covered everything, yeah.

Did you think it’s a useful thing for doctors to do before any kind of operation?

Yes I do, yes I do.

And were you able to look at it at home at all or?

Yes, she sent me the website so that I could go onto the computer at home if I wanted to.

Did you look at it again or?

No I didn’t, no I didn’t…

So this way that you’re given information using the video do you think it’s helpful or is a booklet just as good, or both?

Well the booklet you can sit in the chair when you’re recovering and you can read whereas, to go upstairs on your crutches, it’s an effort, so the booklet was very good. Also that was but, as I say, no when I first came home it was easier to sit in the chair, pick my book up and read it so.

So in some ways you think the booklet is better than or are they both different and both useful?

Both useful yeah, both useful, yeah.

So you were glad you had both?

I was, yes.

Did the booklet have all the exercises as well?

Yes, yes.

So did you use the booklet to have a look whether you’re doing?

That’s right, yes I did.

I saw the anaesthetist. I saw the physiotherapist, I saw the consultant, various different nurses when I went to pre-assessment for all thelike the ECG and the blood tests; various different nurses. I think that was about it.

And how did you feel about all your interactions with them?

Fine, absolutely fine, yes.

Got everything explained properly?

Yes, yeah, really good. I didn’t not once came away anxious about anything. I felt that everything that they said, you know, I understood and it just went well.

And the timing, you know, when you were referred and then you got the appointment for the right knee and later the left knee, everything was fine was it?

Fine, fine.

Were there any situations that you were dissatisfied with at all through the whole time?

No, no, nothing.

Nothing. So if someone was going to say are there any improvements that could be made in terms of the care or the way anything at all was done.

Theres nothing, theres nothing. There really waswhen I came out I can remember saying to people that came to see me, you know, they wereit was perfect, I couldn’t fault it, you know, I had excellent service.

What’s the positives if someone is thinking about having the operation?

Go of it because it’s just wonderful to go for a walk and not feel that you’ve got to keep sitting down because you’ve got so much pain. And it doesn’t wake you up at night I mean at night I used to before I had the operation I’d turn over and my knees were so painful it used to just wake me up.

And walking, how much could you walk beforehand, or you were hardly?

Hardly any distance, yeah very, very little really.

So it sounds like both times you’ve recovered really well.

Yeah… I would say don’t put up with the pain because there is something that can be done and, when you’ve had the operation, just make sure you do the exercises, that’s really, that’s it.