No Knees

[10x]

Had my knee replaced in 2016.
1) Get a copy of all of the recommend post operative knee exercises from a physiotherapist.
2) start doing those exercises now. Even if it hurts, build up muscle now.
3) Your leg will lose 40% to 90% of strength and mobility during the operation depending on how strong your quads are
Yup, I gotta be careful with my new "low bidder" knee.
But I can walk. I take care of it, no twisting, no bungee jumping, nothing that pulls on the knee.
The more you exercise before the operation, the quicker and easier the recovery.
ANd it is worth it

[floydboy]

Get it done. The longer you wait the harder rehab will be. The therapist is your friend. Do your excercises as directed and in a couple weeks or less you should be in pretty good shape. As your knee deteriorates you quit moving it because it hurts. This means all the tissues and connecting ligaments shrink from not being used. This is a huge cause for pain during rehab. Stretching these tissues back to normal as you try to regain your normal range of motion is painful.

[gwpercle]

My wife had both knees replaced at the same time ...
But she's tough as nails and doesn't complain ...
She wanted to get it all done and over and get back to walking ...
She did , went through physical theraphy and said shes glad she had them both done at the same time and would do it again .

I wouldn't do it ... I'm a big weenie and don't like pain .
Gary

[Baltimoreed]

Had a tough lady in the preop class I went to that was doing both knees. Wow. The nurse doing the class made the comment to us NOT to google knee replacement. She said ‘google is not your friend.’ I didn’t. Don’t watch horror movies either.

[Boz330]

Both my knees are gone, I have to consider replacement: what's your experience?

I had both of mine replaced in 13 about 2 months apart. I was deer hunting 3 weeks after the 1st knee replacement (carefully). The big thing is do the PT religiously. I will say that I thought mine went very well and way better than the horror stories I was told. Attitude is everything and and pain relief is wonderful.
I had an ankle replacement right foot 6 weeks ago tomorrow. Recovery time was much slower but the pain was less overall. I approached it with the same attitude and it seems to be paying off. The saw bones said I was the poster child for healing when he looked at it just before Christmas. You have to want it to work.
Having said all of this everyone is different YMMV.

Bob

[1I-Jack]

Just had both of mine replaced (Aug 4th and Nov 3rd). Overnight stay at the surgery center but they had me up and walking the afternoon of the surgery. Started PT as soon as possible and one of the key things is to do the PT exercises on your own at home on the days between PT visits.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend doing both at the same time. There are certain activities in life that require sitting down and having one good leg to stand back up is VERY helpful. Also, a lot of the PT exercises are done lying down. Getting back up without help would be extremely difficult if you had both knees done at the same time. Totally happy I had them replaced.

[Dukeconnor]

I'm a year and a half into mine and it still hurts like hell. I religiously did the PT and still fo it on my own but the damn thing clunks and cracks. Doctor wantsvto go back in.

[GregLaROCHE]

Each time I got a hip done, my roommate was getting a new knee. It seems to be one of e more painful surgeries to recover from. The second time they used a long cuff that was refrigerated down to ice temperature. Think that made it better.

[Sig]

I'm scheduled to have my right knee replaced February 17. I've been doing cortisone shot for about 1-1/2 years. The last shot did next to nothing for about 2 weeks. Right now the pain is manageable & I'm having second thoughts. I work light construction(very little framing) & I'm fairly active outside work. Just not sure if I should get it done yet. My biggest issue was driving or sitting still. The pain was very intense.

[TCFAN]

I had my right knee replaced 8 months ago.For me there was very little pain after the surgery. I spent one night in the hospital and did 6 weeks of physical therapy 3 days each week.I did not do any exercise at home like they wanted me to do.I never had to take any pain pills at all.
I am pain free now in my knee and can do about any thing I want to do.I was 77 years old when I had the surgery and would do it again if my left knee starts giving me any trouble.

[David2011]

After having one knee replaced and watching my Dad after both of his, I'm convinced that the surgeon is a big factor in the level of pain experienced. I'm not a fan of medication, especially potentially addictive meds and I was on hydrocodone at night for at least six weeks in my early 60s. Dad was on pain meds for a few days after each knee at 85. I'll see his surgeon if the other knee gives out.

Knee replacement is painful but it doesn't last forever. Once the tenderness was gone I was able to enjoy life again.

[wch]

I plan to read the surgeon's ratings carefully!

[jonp]

None personal but my father in law has had both of his replaced courtesy of Uncle Sam. He is over 80 but says it feels like his knees are 50. No pain and the last one he had done they had him up walking that same day. I will point out that the local VA which is very good could not do it timely so sent him to a sports medicine place that does it for skiers and such. BTW he is extremely satisfied with the local VA hospital. I remember it from when they did my grandfathers heart surgery ( Vet of Omaha Beach). They are great people. I could use it but I can pay my own way and there are Vets that need the VA far more than me.

[jonp]

Had a tough lady in the preop class I went to that was doing both knees. Wow. The nurse doing the class made the comment to us NOT to google knee replacement. She said ‘google is not your friend.’ I didn’t. Don’t watch horror movies either.

Yeah, I watched it. From the smoke and the noise of the Black and Decker Drill it was not pretty. You can bet I'd be in LaLa land for that one.

[Idaho45guy]

I'm currently on hold with the VA trying to get an authorization for knee surgery. Down to caller 11 from 13!

My left knee was damaged while hiking in AZ. Radial tear of the meniscus. Thanks to a doctor that misdiagnosed it, I've been in pain for a year until they finally had an MRI done and saw the damage. Unfortunately, that year of walking on it and all the physical therapy damaged it beyond any non-surgical options.

Visited the surgeon yesterday and he said it will be a 45 minute procedure and I'll leave the hospital the same day. He said I'll have to miss about two weeks of work, but will be back to 100% within a couple of months.

I am about 90lbs overweight, so I am finally getting serious about losing it.

Doc said for my age and weight, my knee is actually not too bad.

[Chaparral66]

My wife is a PT with 38 years of home care experience. Do what the PT tells you, do all the exercises and this is the most important part... take your pain meds 1 hour BEFORE the PT shows up. I have seen the results of her treatments. Those patients that do not follow the process end up in pain, limping and have reduced mobility. Those that followed the rules provided by the "physical terrorist" are extremely happy and you'd never know they had surgery.

[Idaho45guy]

My wife is a PT with 38 years of home care experience. Do what the PT tells you, do all the exercises and this is the most important part... take your pain meds 1 hour BEFORE the PT shows up. I have seen the results of her treatments. Those patients that do not follow the process end up in pain, limping and have reduced mobility. Those that followed the rules provided by the "physical terrorist" are extremely happy and you'd never know they had surgery.

"Physical Terrorist"... Ha! Using that one!

[Lloyd Smale]

I had both of mine replaced in 13 about 2 months apart. I was deer hunting 3 weeks after the 1st knee replacement (carefully). The big thing is do the PT religiously. I will say that I thought mine went very well and way better than the horror stories I was told. Attitude is everything and and pain relief is wonderful.
I had an ankle replacement right foot 6 weeks ago tomorrow. Recovery time was much slower but the pain was less overall. I approached it with the same attitude and it seems to be paying off. The saw bones said I was the poster child for healing when he looked at it just before Christmas. You have to want it to work.
Having said all of this everyone is different YMMV.

Bob

ive had an ankle a knee and both hips done. the ankle was the worse but the knee is pretty close. Maybe because i just had it done a month ago and had a hip done 3 months before that and the pain is still reminding me i had it done. i still have to sleep in a recliner because i sleep on my right side and thats the hip and knee i had done and sleeping in bed is just an exercise in futility right now. That said i dont do pain meds. took them for two days after each surgery and tossed them and take only tylenol. Id rather have pain then that crappy way narcotics make me feel.

[wch]

Thanks!