I Get Knee Surgery - Hooray!

About 5 years ago I had significant knee pain. Was refered by my PCP to a surgeon in our HMO system. Surgeon tells me, if it hurts - stop doing it. He said it was arthiritis and nothing he can do about it. Geez, wasn't that helpful? I started taking glucosomine with chronditin and over a period of 6 months - all knee pain went away for a year or so. Then, knee pain came back. I live with it. Now that I've lost 110 pounds, I thought maybe the surgeon would take me more seriously. So, my PCP does another referral to a surgeon in the HMO system. The x-rays show my arthiritis is significantly better than it was 5 years ago (the glucosomine works). The MRI shows a torn meniscus. An appointment with a surgeon is scheduled. I visit the surgeon. He says it is most likely arthiritis and refuses to fix my knee. He says, if it hurts - stop doing it. (That means no long walks, no running, no bicycling, no - not much of anything. Did you know that sex, oops, nevermind, another topic... I do it anyway, it all just makes the knee hurt) I tell him that isn't good enough. He authorizes a second (now third) opinion. This time the surgeon is a sports medicine surgeon. This guy makes no promises that the surgery will fix it, but believes that he can "clean it up" inside and likely the pain will go. It might not (about 25% chance), but it won't get worse. I'm so happy. I've wanted to bicycle for years without pain. And run or do long walks without a swelled knee the next day. And not wake up during the night in knee pain. They'll schedule it in the next couple of months. -Pam

Pam.. I had Knee surgery on my left knee about 6 years ago next month. I had tear in my meniscus.. assorted horrors going on in there.. I also had and still have Arthritus in that knee. I was told that the surgery would clean it up too and and they also told me that the Arthritus could poosiably get worse after the surgery.. It did. BUT.. AFter losing close to a hundred pounds it is not nearly as bad as it was. I still have night pain when I am in bed.. and it just feels stiff and aches a lot I walk sometimes.. ( most of the time) BUT.. I bike ride.. I walk.. I can swim.. I keep going.. I am hoping that it will only get better with the last of my excess weight off. Before you do any surgery on your knee consider all your options.. and remember that with the physical therepy required after surgery it's a waste of time. I know I didn't do the time so I am paying for the crime.. hope it works out for you .. peace Mo

Do you mean, WITHOUT doing the physical therapy it's a waste of time. Or that the physical therapy is a waste of time? Thank you Mo for your concern. It may not get better, but the surgeon says I'll be no worse off. That is enough for now. -Pam

Pam.. Yes I meant with-out the physical therepy!! I was so over weighat the time of my knee surgery that I wasn't motivated to do any physical therepy and that really hurt me in the long run. I sure didn't mean to put a damper on what you are haing done. And, after re-reading my post to you that sounds like what I did. You are now going to do great! You have lost weight which will make the whole process so much better I wish you well and I know that pain is a horriable thing to live with you are doing the right thing in taking care of yourself and getting the surgery. peace Mo

Glad that you will be getting this sorted out. I have arthritis in my left knee, so I know how horrible that can feel. I hope they are able to work it so you have less pain. Less pain is ALWAYS a good thing!! Nickie

Good for you Pam! Glad to hear this-- By the way- Knee surgeries have improved drastically in the past few years, so its not bad that you were made to wait. My sister actually severed her ACL in 2001 and just had it operated on this fall--the difference is amazing! One note of caution-- please, please, please ask around about the surgeons-- Some are really good at ACL replacement, others specialize in Back surgery-- etc. You want to make sure you get a surgeon that knows his stuff for THIS particular operation. Fingers crossed that everything goes well.

Pam ~ Hope things go well for you. I injured my knee in high school in 1983. Finally had the ACL and torn meniscus repaired in 1992. Had a second surgery a year ago today - Spring cleaning of the knee I called it. I had tremendous post-traumatic injury arthritis. The Dr. found that my replaced ACL had been shredded by the arthritis (it acted like a saw). I had no medial meniscus left and torn lateral meniscus. I also had foreign bodies floating loose in the joint that would "lodge" in different places - sometimes I couldn't straighten it all the way, other times I couldn't bend it all the way. Did only 2 months of physical therapy after the second surgery (did 6 months the first time). The Dr. decided during the surgery not to do a second replacement because he said that he could tell when he saw the inside of me knee that it was a matter of "When" the whole knee would be replaced not "If". The pain was better for a while but came back in December. I've been struggling - going back to the Dr., trying to decide if I want another cleaning - one of my bone spurs is so large, the Dr. looked at me and said "I don't need x-rays to see that bone spur". I tried a shot of cortisone - no good results. I've started taking the glucosamine/chondroitin even though two different doctors have said it wouldn't help much. They won't do a complete knee replacement because I'm too young - just turned 38. The Dr. said the average age for a US citizen to have a knee replacement is 71. The youngest patient he's ever done is 35. So, now I just need to decide if a second "Spring cleaning" will be worth it - on my bad days, I say "hell yes"; on my good days, I think "no way in hell". Best of luck. Maria 272/157/155

PAm HUGS- I am suffering from a torn PCL.. Happened two months after my WLS. I had tons of PT- no excercise... STILL very painful. I was just released to work out at a gym. I "did not" have surgery yet! my poor body still needs time to recover. I wish you good luck...THE PT helped with weight loss.. HUGS PAttiann