Knee surgery

[lefty o]

I had my left scoped almost two years ago and I'm starting to have trouble again. Was told by the specialist were going this route and see if it works before replacing the knee. Another way to get more money? Do it twice?

it is a way to get money, but generally when it comes to cutting the ends off bones and inserting foreign objects into the body, most tend to take the less aggressive things first to see if they'll work.

[PB234]

with a good doctor and team it should be a very good thing helping you to retain mobility. I suggest precooking many meals and freezing them prior so that eating is mostly effortless after you get home. Also get a chair for the shower to sit on while you are recovering. Handicapped toilet height is going to help. Watch out for he pain pills and be careful as they can be problematic after a while.

My bet is you will wonder why you waited so long.

[rondog]

it is a way to get money, but generally when it comes to cutting the ends off bones and inserting foreign objects into the body, most tend to take the less aggressive things first to see if they'll work.

Truth.

[rondog]

Re: pain pills - Honestly, for ME in MY world, I can't stand 'em.

Instead of knocking me out and making me sleep, they do the opposite. They wind me up and I sleep very fitfully, with CRAZY dreams and mind nonsense. I can't even take Melatonin pills. All opioids are off the menu. I have some Tramadol for back pains, but only if I NEED them, and only if I DON'T need to sleep.

I had some Dilaudids after shoulder surgery, flushed 'em down the gurgler. Was like taking mild acid to me.....

[lightman]

I've had several friends and family that have been through this. All of them say they would do it again. All of them also say to push the therapy early on while you are still on the pain meds.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Cortisone just annoyed my knees, but we tried Hyaluronic acid and it's worked rather well, it acts like you greased the knee joint. Not ready for knee replacements quite yet.

[Hickok]

Funny that you should mention riding motorcycle. Three weeks after my knee replacement I was riding my motorcycle to PT with my cripple stick across handle bars! Someone stole my handicap card after the fifth or sixth time. Oh well, he might have needed it more than me.

Atta boy Hickory! If anyone asks "WHY?", ain't no use explaining, they will never "get it!"

[Randy Bohannon]

Seven knee surgeries, 32 yrs firefighting on a 110’ ladder truck . Research every kind of physical therapy, lots of different approaches and the more you know the better outcome. Dr says I am one of his star patients because I listen and learn.

[abunaitoo]

If you do get it, you need to push through the rehab.
Work hard at it.
Don't slack off even one day.
Have two friends that have had it done.
One worked through the pain, and is better than new.
He even went to Japan and climbed Mount Fuji.
The other guy was a wimp.
Didn't want to go through the pain.
Leg didn't get straight.
Have to go in and have it broken to try and straighten it.
Again didn't force through the rehab.
Leg is now bent, and doctor wants nothing more to do with him.
So...... he has one bent leg, with no pain. the other with lots of pain.
He's worse off than before.
Don't be like him.

[white eagle]

I have had both knee's replaced,the biggest mistake I have ever made
worse pain now than before,I think,anyway they are not pain free
range of motion is gone,I was a martial arts BB,and can't hunt any more
like I used to for me I would not recommend it to any one

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have had both knee's replaced,the biggest mistake I have ever made
worse pain now than before,I think,anyway they are not pain free
range of motion is gone,I was a martial arts BB,and can't hunt any more
like I used to for me I would not recommend it to any one

Thanks for commenting on your results.
While I have heard many positive stories, I also had a close friend who had poor results like you, she was a life long farmer's wife and wasn't afraid of work or some pain, but her issue was the Knee got infected. She regretted that surgery every day for the rest of her life...RIP Darlene (she passed away 3 years ago). She always said she would have preferred to continue to hobble in pain helping her son in the vegetable fields and her flower garden (which was 2 acres), instead of after the surgery needing a walker, and not able to even enter the fields anymore.

As to your results and not being able to hunt anymore, Last summer I passed on a trip to SE Alaska, with a free place to stay, I just had to get there...anyway I would have loved to have gone on that trip, but the current condition of my knees would not allow it. So I have nothing to lose in regards to the risks of this surgery.

[Budzilla 19]

I had my right knee replaced in Jan. 2019, best thing ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yeah, the physical therapy was rough, to say the least, but now i'm back to work (pipeline work is tough for an old guy) and no more hobbling, no pain in the joint, and I dern sure don't regret it!! Push that PT early while you can, because if those leg muscles are not used, then atrophy sets in and now you got a pile of legwork to do!! Just my opinion.

[barrabruce]

I did well.
40yrs after they threw the cartridge in the bin and several total rebuilds.
Wore one side of me knee out . So I got it replaced.
The only thing left is a little bit of their wire and metal artwork and bone chips on the opposite side .
I had lost the main strengthening muscles around the joint.

I was the 1 in 10,000 and got a pulmonary embolism in each lung after surgery..
The medication made my knee bleed out into a sausage and range of movement reduced.

I got all tore up about knowing I would have to a manual manipulation .

It was nothing ...just knock you out and a bit sore for a few days.

My knee joints stability it what comes with the unit.

Kneeing is doable with preparation.

Getting on and off the floor is a challenge.

I lost some strength. 15-20 kg max for me now if I hug it and walk properly.

All in all after a year I caught up to the rest of the crowd.
I have less pain but other ways it is so more restrictive ...but you learn to get adapt and overcome.

Bad things are.
Twisting is mostly out.
Getting down is difficult with less range of movement.
Getting a thorn out of your foot highly unlikely.
I can’t lift things and put a lot of stain on my joint without sharp pain.
Uneven ground ..Stoney ground is torturous.

Good side.

I can walk much further than I could for years.
Stand up a lot longer.
Get around better.

Still get a sore knee but in different way.

It can be fun in the boat when you twist a little and it locks your knee up and slowly fall over. (don’t tell the missus )

Would I do it again.
Yep in-spite of it nearly killing me and my little aftermath hiccup.

All those exercises. You ain’t trying till you end up in a screeming slobbering mess.

Yep 3 years later and doing quite well thank you.

[farmerjim]

-







I had both done at the same time 6 years ago. As others have said, build up your muscles as much as possible before surgery. You will walk the same day as surgery. They usually do a nerve block, so you will not have too much pain for 3 days. When that little girl pushes your leg back at PT, They will hear you scream in pain several blocks away. But if you don't do it, you will walk with a limp for the rest of your life. One of my friends had his done 6 weeks ago by the same doctor that did mine. They have improved the procedure lots in 6 years.

[Hickory]

One thing about the after surgery pain, this is a good pain, unlike the bad pain before surgery that never gets better, the good pain will get better with each passing week. Until one day there is no pain and you realize you're now, better than you have ever felt, or at least better then you have felt in many, many years!!!

[Boz330]

Had mine done almost 7 years ago. Everyone has a different perception of the pain and results. I heard all of the horror stories prior to the surgery and was expecting the worse but was bound and determined to make it work. I had the left done on the 23rd of Sep. My day was 2 hr in the morning in a machine that flexed the knee. Another hour of exercises after that. Then I sat and read and started the process over around 3PM. In a little over a week I went to out patient PT which conveniently was nearly across the street from my shop so I went to work and did PT in the morning.
Three weeks after surgery I was deer hunting, carefully mind you but hunting. Two months and two weeks after the first knee I had the second replaced. It was a little slower because I didn't have the original knee on the other side to fall back on but it still wasn't bad. I used a walker for about a week after surgery and a cane for about 2 weeks after that. None of the PT was as bad as I was expecting but I tend to have a pretty high tolerance for pain.
My recommendations are similar to others but definitely find the best surgeon available. I had a buddy who took the local available surgeon who botched the job and he had to get it done 2 years later and is still having trouble. This was after I told him the whole thing was a cake walk. I don't tell anyone that anymore. It is pretty much up to you how it will go.
It will take awhile before you can kneel without some kind of padding and you won't have the range of motion of original equipment but it will be close and you will adapt. I don't even think about the fact that they have been replaced anymore. At first you will notice they make noise when you walk in a very quiet environment but you get use to it. I walk 5 days a week anywhere from 1.5 to 3 miles depending on my schedule. I didn't do anything special to get ready for the surgery but I was walking daily even with the pain but Celebrex minimized that pain.
As you can see some people have problems and some don't but it is definitely the best thing that I ever did.

Bob

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Thanks everyone, for all the info.

Boz, thanks for bumping this, I've been procrastinating the update.

I see the surgeon last Thursday (the 20th), he wasn't very confident that the insurance would pay for it. But the attending was. She said we should proceed with setting appointments and wait for the go ahead from the Insurance Co. We got the go ahead the next day (friday). Monday they did the MRI. They pushed out the surgery date to the end of April, due to the custom hardware that has to be made. So now we wait...I don't have any appointments until a week before the surgery.

I'm gonna try and take Boz's advice and walk more than I am now. I take a daily walk, about 6 blocks, that's about when the pain gets tough ...I'm gonna try to stretch that to 10 or 15 blocks.

[MrWolf]

I don't have knee issues other than arthritis but I do have a screwed up back. I would suggest looking into a treadmill that has the arm supports. After my back surgery to fix my legs, it would be impossible for me to use it without the supports for balance. Good luck with the surgery and PT.
Ron

[Boz330]

Thanks everyone, for all the info.

Boz, thanks for bumping this, I've been procrastinating the update.

I see the surgeon last Thursday (the 20th), he wasn't very confident that the insurance would pay for it. But the attending was. She said we should proceed with setting appointments and wait for the go ahead from the Insurance Co. We got the go ahead the next day (friday). Monday they did the MRI. They pushed out the surgery date to the end of April, due to the custom hardware that has to be made. So now we wait...I don't have any appointments until a week before the surgery.

I'm gonna try and take Boz's advice and walk more than I am now. I take a daily walk, about 6 blocks, that's about when the pain gets tough ...I'm gonna try to stretch that to 10 or 15 blocks.

Good luck, I hope it works as good for you as it did for me. I was 67 at the time and not ready to be an invalid.
Old age is my biggest Boogey man now. Spent the weekend doing some work around the farm and I am one sore puppy this morning, but I got everything done I wanted to do.

Bob

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Update:
I found out today, this same Day that our Governor put this 2 week 'Shelter in place" executive order in place, the Hospital has postponed my knee replacement surgery until June.

Since I can't believe they will start doing elective surgery by June, I opted for a full cancellation and a cortisone shot, instead. Maybe I'll start the process next winter...maybe earlier in the winter this time. Besides this virus thingy, I just can't waste a Minnesota summer recovering from surgery, I'd much rather do it during the Minnesota winter,