Mick Kedge's story is written in his own words:
“I started playing rugby at the age of 11 at school and gave up playing when I reached the age of 22. That was in 1967 when knee surgery was in its infancy and the way to stop the pain was the removal of the cartilage. Members of the Rugby club who had had their cartilage removed were using walking sticks to get around by the time they were 40. This was not the way I wanted to end up, so I gave up playing and hoped time would heal my knees.
Time did work and eventually I started playing squash. My knees did not let me stamp around the court for long games, without pain. The squash club organised a Ski trip and I became hooked on Skiing. My knees had no problems at the beginning, and I enjoyed 25 years of Skiing until I was 63. I stopped when I realised, I could not do the turns and jumps, and it was unsafe and a danger to others on the slopes.
My knees deteriorated over the next 11 years and going downstairs became an ordeal. Running for a bus was not an option.
I travel to Singapore often and the terminal buildings are enormous. Walking from one terminal to another required assistance which I got by using a luggage trolley as a walking frame. It took the weight off my painful knees.
Last year, in 2019, I woke up one morning and I could not put any weight on my right knee. I went to see a chiropractor, on crutches, and after that appointment I realised I was wasting my time and money. I was due to travel to Singapore in two weeks and needed a quick fix.
I went to BMI Bishops Wood Hospital’s website and found Mr Vikas Vedi was a consultant at the hospital. A friend of mine had a hip replaced by Vikas Vedi and highly recommended him.
At my first appointment Mr Vedi asked me how he could help me. I had two requests: firstly, I needed a Cortisone injection to allow me to go to Singapore and secondly, I thought I needed a knee replacement. I had an X-ray which showed that my knee was in a bad way. Mr Vedi thought that a replacement was necessary and explained the process to me. He told me that it was quite painful after the operation and that it was up to me on how quickly I recovered, saying it was 10% down to him and 90% down to me.
I had the cortisone injection and the relief was immediate, no pain and I could walk without my crutches – a miracle. I went on my trip to Singapore without pain and on my return, I organised a date for my knee replacement operation after my next Singapore excursion. I travel every three months and so the appointment was made as soon as I landed. This gave me three months to get better and mobile enough to go on my next Singapore trip.
I had complete confidence in Mr Vedi and he explained, in detail, everything that the procedure entailed - all very frightening but necessary. The next thing I knew was that it was all finished and I was in a recovery room. The epidural was still hiding the pain and I was wheeled back to my room ready for something to eat. The pain that came later was relieved with pain killers and are essential for the physiotherapy that begins almost immediately.
It was now up to me and the Physiotherapist, Jess to get mobile again. Jess got me going the next day, tentatively walking with a frame at first and then with crutches. Instructions for exercises were given to me, which I did constantly whilst lying in bed. I was determined to get my knee to 90 degrees and be able to walk up and downstairs within the three days that I was booked into Bishops Wood. During my stay, Mr Vedi was checking me out every day to make sure I was OK and progressing to plan. Painkillers enabled me to get on with the physiotherapy.
I worked hard on the physio and my last appointment with Jess was a month after the operation. My last appointment with Mr Vedi was 10 weeks after the event and I was walking with no problems and I was able to drive again. The whole experience was initially quite frightening, but the result is amazing. I should have had a new knee years ago; in fact, I am now able to run for a bus and Singapore Airport is a doddle. It has been a pleasure to have been treated by Mr Vikas Vedi and the team at BMI Bishops Wood Hospital. I would recommend you seek Mr Vedi’s advice for your ageing joints and keep up with the physio for a speedy recovery.”