Have you had knee replacement surgery???

I am currently scheduled for knee replacement surgery March 2ND. I'm wishing to hear from anyone who has had this surgery. I have a very real terror over going through the surgery and need to hear other people's experience of going through and recovery from the surgery. While I "know" I need to have the surgery done; I'm sure my fear and attitude over the surgery  is making me needlessly stressed before hand. I have met several people who have had horror stories of having the surgery which is upsetting me. While, I have enough experience to draw upon based on the true meaning of individual surgeries have different results and experiences I cannot shake the dread, fear and doubt I feel. I learned even with the gastric bypass, one cannot predict or be certain how each of us experiences and responds to the surgery results. It's actually a Russian roulette thing. Help me understand better so I can go through with this surgery with a better attitude and hopefully less fear!  I know I need to get in a better space before my surgery. I had my gastric bypass 8/16/07 and I have lost 200 pounds. This is just another step in regaining my physical recovery from the effects of all the years of obesity. I know everyone here ha always been so helpful and willing to support me through every step of the way from beginning to now. I need more help and information yet. Thanks, Sue

Sue i needed both done but my doctor would only do one so i picked the worse one. now i dont want to have the down time any more...4 weeks after my first surgery on Dec 7 of last year i had my rright knee done and four weeks later was on a cruise , walking everywhere without a cane , crutch or walke r. it still bothers me once in a while but nothing like it did. now i need to go ahead and get the left one done.....it is a painful rehab
...you have to really push yourself, no one can do it for you. but i worked mine almost every minute i was awake.....i was off the walker within about a week and used the cane about 4 more days and that was it, i made my leg work to hold me up ...hope you do as welll. Jan

Jan, Thank you for the reply. When, I say frightened about having the surgery, that is a understatement! Terror pure and simple. It's really strange, you either hear of success and honest pain reports or the people who have had the worse time in the world. Nothing in between. I am in so much pain now, I cannot imaging going through anything worse and that's probably what is causing my fear. I know they have pain medication and I just hope that they give me enough to make the therapy bearable. I am not brave or tough and I know it. That's another reason I am so frightened. In fact I ended up in ER just a couple of days ago because of the pain and swelling in my right knee were so bad. My right knee was swelled up 2 and a half times the size of the left. It looked like I had legs that belonged to two different people. Two days later after staying off it and keeping it elevated the swelling in minimal. I know if I stay off the knee it is better. But you do try to lead a normal life even hindered as you are. Than out of the blue I have a problem and I am one hurting puppy! This has been going on since  2006. The weight loss has certainly helped. I cannot imagine what I would be like still carrying my former weight load. I am so grateful for all the improvements the gastric surgery gave me. I have been trying so hard to improve my feelings over this surgery on my knee and I realize I am not being objective about the whole thing even as much as I try. I keep having this fear overwhelm me. Hearing from other gastric bypass patients really helps. Because you all understand where we are and have been. I am trusting every ones advise and experiences. What else can I do. Thank you so much for shearing!!!! Love Sue 

hi sue

i had both my knees replaced at the same time almost 5 years ago.  i am so much better for having the surgery done.  i could not walk for more than a few minutes at a time before the surgery.  of course my weight did not help the situation. 

now i can walk well, do stairs, go to the mall. these things were all difficult for me before the surgery.

i will say that i had a long recovery, not because of complications.  i think it was just a factor of having both done together, and i also overdid it in the beginning.  i think i was just in a rush to be better, and prob. slowed myself down by doing too much in the first month.  i had to kind of take a step back and slow down.

i wish you well, and my one word of advice is to work seriously at the physical therapy afterward. most of the people with horror stories did not work hard at physical therapy.  its an important part of recovery and i know you can do it

be safe and well, hugs jacki

Jacki, You are one strong brave woman! Having both knees done at once is truly amazing. I can understand the recovery being slower with both knees. I have heard from everyone that the therapy is the key to recovering well. I agree that the people I have heard the problems from couldn't handle the therapy and I think they increased the problems. That's also why I am so frightened, I know how I tolerate pain now and the prospect of more or worse pain is the biggest part of my fear and doubts. So I just keep the whole issue driving me crazy. I am also afraid the surgeon won't give enough pain medication to help me through the recovery. I don't know how to insure I get adequate pain relief. I would rather be slightly zonked on pain medication than suffer. I know I can deal with short term pain during the therapy with good pain relief. I want to get trough this and gain my mobility and be as pain free as possible. Your advise and experience are so helpful! Thank you. Love Sue

Yes Sue . Knee replacement can be scarey, and like you I had heard so many horror stories. I had my rt knee done about 3 years ago after I had lost the weight. Piece of cake. Yes, it is painful for a while ( thats what they make percocet for..take it) The key is your rehab. I swear by the "bending machine" they sent me home with. I did it religiously. My doc said 6 weeks off of work, I told him I would be back to work in 3 weeks. I was through physical therapy walking on my own, when I returned for a 3 week check up . He just smiled , shook his head and told me I could go back to work. I am so SO glad I had it done..

I'm 59 and I don't know if age makes a difference on how you deal with the surgery. My surgeon told me the younger you are the more pain you have. That certainly hasn't helped my fears. But hearing about such great recovery reports is so helpful. I intend to ask for my pain medication. Though Kaiser seems to be hesitant to give pain medication. I hope I can convience them to help me in getting the right amount of medication. I have had previous experiences with recovering from surgeries that the doctors were doubtful of my full recovery. So I have confidence in being able to keep working at regaining the best recovery I can reach. I can see how using the passive movement machine is so helpful. I have to pay to use the one I will get and at $575.00 for the first three weeks I want to get the best use of it for my cost. Though if I am in so much pain I just can't see dealing with it. Here I go back to square one being afarid. You can see where I 'm at.  Love Sue   

Hi Sue,

First of all congratulations on your amazing weight loss. I had RNY 10/07 and in 4/08 had a total hip replacement (which is very similar to the knee replacement). I couldn't walk before my surgery and after 1 week with the walker and a few weeks more with a cane I was able to walk again without pain for the first time in years. One day while I was still on disability my husband and I went to see a matinee movie and it was a cold damp day. The theater only had flavored coffees so I walked out of the theater to a bookstore with a coffee kiosk to get my coffee. On the way back to the theater (about 1 block) I was holding the coffee in one hand and no cane in the other and I was thin! I thought back to my two surgeries and success of both of them and wondered what was greater -- to be thin or to be able to walk again. For me, being able to walk again made me feel better about my long journey to health.

I'm so happy for you and know that you'll have some pain, but it will be short-lived compared to the ability to be able to regain your life. For me my goals from the beginning were to be able to hike again, sit on the floor and play with my young grandsons, and boogie board! I've done all 3.

All the best.

Kathie, reading every ones replies. Helps me realize that I am doing the best thing to have the surgery. I expect it's normal to be doubtful and fearful. You are right, I am so glad I had the weight loss surgery. Though that has not been fun or easy either. But I would go through all I have all over again to lose the weight I carried around my whole life. I don't regret that and I was afraid of that surgery too. Not so much because of pain, but because I was afraid I would not lose the weight for what ever convoluted reason. That made no sense either, again it was just my fear talking based on negative experience with weight loss all my life. But I still took the risk and look where I am now. Way under 200 lbs, which I had not been since my early 20's. I realistically know I will do fine with this surgery too. But emotionally it's an problem for me. I think I am seeing that clearly now. Maybe just acknowledging the fear will help me deal with it. Heck, it can't hurt any less than being so afraid. Can you kneel on your knee after surgery? I've heard different things on that. I can't get up from the floor with out doing a certain amount of kneeling and heck what about praying. I think I need to be doing a lot more of that, LOL!  Love, Sue

Congratulations on your super weight loss!!! 
  I had my right knee replaced in 1995.. the left in 1999.. both were a GOD send.  Both were done when I was well over 250 pounds.
  This past March 25, I had the first knee replaced/ repaired.. and I was so suprised and pleased at the response and pain level.. I had.  I crossed the new knee over the the other on the second day.  
   My surgeon insists on 4 weeks of none weight bareing.. no matter the weight of the patient.  None weight bareing being 50 pounds.  I would have been out and around with out the walker if he had permitted.  The pain level was almost nil.  It was excruciating the first 2 times.. But O it is so very worth any pain that comes with the healing process. Let me tell you I was back driveing my car every where at 5 weeks out. My daughter.. who has been my support through all the surgeries and this journey also.. Even commented about the fact that how different the whole process was this time.
  I can only say the same things the others have said.  Follow the rehab routine and just work it , work it, work it.  I am sure you will never regret it.
  Good luck to you! And please keep us updated.  Alice