Total Knee

 Okay..i am looking back over the last 9 months or so.  Its been a tough time.  My SO had been out of work since just after my Lapband Surgery...about what ... 18 mos or so.  Its been a long year.  Some of the choices I have made..havent been the smartest, but I am back on track.  On top of all that,  my knees have been getting worse and worse,  Had cortisone injections, the injections of the medication that turned into a cushion....to no avail.  Today I went to my orthopedic surgeon, and am scheduled for a right knee replacement on June 10th.  I am waiting until our work team completes the Relay for Life the weekend before.  I have started exercising recently again to get in "shape" for my surgery.  LOL...oxymoron eh?  

  Has anyone in here had a TKR recently?  How did you manage?  What does it FEEL like the first time you stand on the leg??   I guess I am on the way to being the Bionic Momma!   What I AM looking forward to is no more pain in that knee/leg.   I am looking forward to long walks again.  Doing the STAIRS....geesh!   Any input will be appreciated.

Sherry

I also am looking at TKR probably about the same time as yours. My right knee is so painful. I've had the steroid injections twice but they only last a month or so and wear off. Since you can only have them every 3 months it's not much relief.  I have to have hernia surgery next week and once recovered from that will have the knee done. I am told it is a very painful surgery but most people I've talked to say it's worth it.  I think the first couple of weeks following surgery are bad but once you get through that you feel like a new person. I know there are people here who have had great results and some with not-so-great results. I think complications are pretty infrequent but they do occur, mostly infection and sometimes a revision is necessary. I wish you the best. Let us know how it goes.

I am the voice of doom and gloom here on TKR. I had my right knee done in Feb. 2007, did tons of PT over and over again and just when it seemed to get better .... my legs swelled up so much I couldn't get my jeans over them. It was right around Thanksgiving 2007 and I couldn't get in to see my ortho doc because it was a holiday of course and they didn't think it was an emergency ... so I waited until the next week. My PCP saw me too the following week and told me I needed to lose weight ... well, it was all fluid in my legs! I did some more PT with those boots that squeeze the legs and finally got some diuretics to get the fluids out ... but from then on, my knee was never good.

After Christmas, I got a brace and more PT, but at my 1-year checkup, ortho doc No. 1 told me everything looked good. I was still in a lot of pain. A week later, I slipped on some ice and it was hurting, so, fearing I did something, I called the office. They got me in, did an X-ray, everything was fine. I went through April still in pain, my leg swollen, uncomfortable. Went back to him and asked him to do something for me. He sent me to their revision specialist.

Ortho doc No. 2 did blood work, bone scans and found nothing wrong, said I didn't need a revision. After several appointment, he was about to dismiss me when I started yelling at him. I was about to see a different doctor in a different practice and he referred me to another doctor in their office. He said I needed a revision ... without looking at records or anything ... just moving my leg around. When my revision was done in December 2008, No. 2 told me my patellar tendon was torn ... whether that was from the fall or it happened before it, we don't know.

Now it's 2010, my knee is still swollen, sore and I can't sit with it bent for more than an hour without being in pain. But No. 2 says everything's fine and I'll see you in a year. I can't walk more than about 15 minutes without being in pain unless I'm holding onto something. I still take stairs slowly. When I was working, I had a makeshift footstool and icepacks that I'd use whenever I got a chance. Otherwise, I'd just grit my teeth and try to get through eight hours without pain meds. When I have to drive long distances, I'm in severe pain for the rest of the day. No. 2 tells me that people who have fibromyalgia, which I do, don't do well with joint replacements (there are actual studies on this ... look 'em up). I wish I would have known that before I had the surgery. I am in more pain now than I was before, with less mobility and no real options available to me, other than more surgery, which probably won't help me. I have a bigger prothesis in there now, I don't have a patellar tendon anymore. All I have is daily pain and my vicodin to get me through the day.

I really wish I never had this surgery. It has made my life a living hell.
But most every one else I know has gotten good success from it. Wish I had been as lucky.

Sorry I can't help with the knee thing as I have not had that surgery but I wanted to tell you that my dad did and it was like night and day for him.....the first week or so were real tough but after that he did fantastic.

Best wishes...hope your surgery is an easy one.

Hi Sherry,
I haven't had TKR but I have taken care of patients in the past when I was a nursing tech and also took care of my ex-MIL after her surgery. I also have several volunteers who have had TKR
and it seems like they all do well later on post op with a lot of therapy. You have to do your exercises and hopefully the hospital you are having surgery in has a "joint camp".

Our hospital does, they do group therapy and the patients kinda compete against each other and give each other motivation.

I love it when my volunteers come back after their surgery and show me how much more degrees they can move their legs, the smiles on their faces and the feeling of accomplishment.

You think positive and look forward to your long walks again, it will happen but not overnight.
Slowly....like our weight loss (especially after regain!)

I know Eileen had a hard time, but I did lots of reseach (read: asking around) and heard from lots of people about the "night and day" changes they had.  I was really nervous, but by the time I had mine (November 2008), I really had no choice.  I was worried, but it was the best thing I did.  I weighed way too much (400!) and some of the healing has taken place since I've lost weight - but I'm sure glad I did it!

Ask me anything you want!  I can't say enough about my new knee!  Glad I have it!

 My stepmother (who is 70 this year) had one knee replaced in 2008 and is totally pleased with the result.  Her other knee has gotten so bad that she has scheduled to have that one replaced in a couple of weeks.  She says she can't wait.

Thanks for all the responses..good and bad ;)   As it stands right now...I am really tired of the pain.  I am positive this is going to be a good thing.  My quality of life right now isnt the greatest as my knees do hold me back in many ways.  I mean...i could be a lot worse..and Thank God..i am healthy, and if my knees are the worse thing at this point of my life (i am 57 this year) I am truly blessed.  

LOL..on the poster that talked about boot campish therapy at the hospital.  Our hospital has 32 beds..and I will most likely be the healthiest there...LOL...

Thanks again...and I will certainly keep you all posted...thanks!

Sherry

I had both of my knees replaced last year.  One in June and the other in September.  My knees were in terrible shape.  I selected a surgeon in Boston at a hospital that specializes in joint replacement.  The hospital had a class before surgery that did a great job of preparing me.  They gave me DVDs with exercises to do pre and post surgery.   I was in the hospital 4 nights and then came home.  My husband is great.  If I lived alone, I probably could not have come home directly from the hospital. 

This hospital uses femoral nerve catheters for the first two days post surgery.  These are very thin tubes that continuously put  pain medication directly onto the nerve.  So, I had very little pain in the front of my knees while the this was in place.  My thigh muscles and the backs of my knees were painful.  I had a pump that I used to control this pain.  When I first stood, I had a brace on my knees because the nerve catheter was still in place.  The first few weeks after surgery, I felt like the knees were not a natural part of my legs.  Now, they feel great, I take long walks and stairs are no problem. 

The best advice I can give you is to faithfully do the exercises they give you to do post surgery.  I had physical therapy three days per week and exercised about 3 hours per day.  For the first three weeks, I took the pain medications every four hours during the day and then tapered off.  This allowed my to do the exercises.

I delayed these surgeries because I was very afraid.  Now, I am very glad I did it.

Good luck,  if you have any other questions, feel free to ask me.