Poll for those who have had knee replacement surgery

You did say good or bad, right Lora?  I hope you take my comments with a grain of salt.  I had a total right knee replacement Jan 4, 2005.  I was a letter carrier (at the time 22 yrs) and had had a few injuries and 2 prior surgeries on the knee.  Also had tried the Synvisc Injections (3 series) and got no relief from the pain.  I put the surgery off as long as I could since my left knee was rebuilt after an accident in Vietnam and that had always been my weaker of my knees.  Pain wise it was the worst pain I've ever had.  The second day after surgery my leg swelled up and was the same size from my thigh to my ankle.  I spent 3 extra days in hospital because of the swelling.  PT was started on the second day and when I got home on a Sunday morning there was a PT specialist waiting for me.  Had her for about 3 weeks.  Her and my wife got along great.  Every time I screamed I could hear her and my wife laughing.  What bothered me the most was the hugs and high-fives between them.  LOL.  

I was off work totally for 3 1/2 months.  The USPS finally ordered me back to work part time.  I went to PT 3 times a week for about 5 months.  I had trouble with swelling and my range of motion.  It was a lot more difficult  than it should have been.  I didn't get back to delivering mail until late Aug and than it was only for 4 or 5 hours.  I never did deliver my whole route after my surgery.  I was given a disability settlement by USPS and I retired the next Apr.

I found out years later that the bottom plate that is affixed to the top of the tibia was placed off center.  This is what caused me all the problems.  If I press on the center of my knee I have pain.  There shouldn't be any pain since the middle of my knee is artificial.  Tried to find a surgeon who would back up a legal suit and that was an impossibility.

I was around 240 or 250 when I had surgery.  I did add weight because my knee bothered me and I also quit smoking.  I would not do it again and I will not let them replace my left knee as long as I can still walk.  I can't run on the knees I have and I have to be careful with exercises I do with them.

I'm only one person who had problems.  My brother, sister and sister-in-law all had at least one replacement and had NO PROBLEMS AT ALL.  My surgeon told me before surgery that 90 percent of  replacements have no problems.  I guess I was just unlucky to be in that 10 percent.  Yeah, that and his carelessness.

I will tell you one thing that you probably all ready know.  The pain is not going to go away.  The bone on bone rubbing is only going to get worse.  I know your looking at living for a whole lot more years and you don't want to do this surgery anymore times than you have to.  I've seen your posts here over the past 6 months and you've mentioned your knees and how painful they are.  I thought to myself when I was reading your posts that you should have the surgery.  Every year they improve the system and now they have knee replacement parts that are just for women.  It's going to be tough running and playing with puppy on bad knees.

Good luck.

Jim   

        

Thank you for sharing. Yes, I need it just quit being a big baby about it and just do it. At this point, though, I will have to wait until the puppy is housebroken and doesn't have to be supervised outside before I can have it done.so perhaps in the spring.

Lora

I am 39. I ad a total knee replacement on my left in 2009 and one my right in 2010. I had bone on bone arthritis ib both and at that young age, could barely walk. I weighed in excess of 280 at surgery time. It saved my life in every way. It gave me back functionality. I had both done at the beginning f my summer vaca so I had 2months off work. I needed it. The pain in week one was some of my darkest days, and I went through mildcdepression each time. However, it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I can walk or stand all day and never have a thought about it. I event through every treatment option before this as a last resort. My weight coupled with genetics made it a necessity for me. Looking back I might have considered RNY to lose weight first and buy a few years f I could, but mentally wasn't there. For me, I had no complications and it was the best decision I ever made for my health. Therapy is essential and in the first few weeks I cried my way through every session, but I did those exercises religiously. Bet wishes!

I am scheduled for a total knee replacement on Jan. 7th. Back story....i was scheduled to have  bilateral knee replacement December 2011 and WLS in late January 2012. The ortho surgeon was pretty blunt and told me that my weight would adversely effect my recovery and the durability of the replacements.    Cortisone and Synvisc had absolutely no effect on my knees by the way.  Anyway, i canceled the knee surgery until after WLS.

Everyone i have talked to that has had it done say it was hard but the worth it. Would do it again in a heartbeat.  My understanding is the average time out for one knee is 3 months for initial recovery and  6 months+ for total recovery. Of course everyone is different. I am told that the initial pain is pretty tough but again depends on the individual. Nothing you don't already know I'm sure.

Does your surgeon or hospital offer info sessions? Mine has meetings 2x a month for 3 hours for pre-op patients and also have a NP available by phone at all times to answer questions and concerns. Very much like their WLS department, they encourage you to contact them for any concern or questions, no question is too silly. I haven't been just yet but have a running list of questions...one of my concerns is how to make sure i am not given NSAIDS during the process.

I am not the best at handling pain but i am looking forward to this surgery and getting on with my life. My weight and knees have held me back for too long.

I will ask about info groups when I go in next week for my Synvisc injections. Thanks for suggesting it.

Lora

I work with our total knee/hip patients at our hospital. I facilitate the preop teaching class as well as follow through with their care until 2 weeks postop. I hear from patients that they normally take 6 weeks off of work especially if they have a very demanding job. If you have a desk job you might be able to get by with 4 weeks, but if you can get 6 weeks I would suggest it.  You will probably have therapy 2-3x/week for the first 4-5 weeks depending on your progress. I would suggest working on strengthing your gluteus and leg muscles as well as your upper body muscles preop. The more you do preop, the better off your recovery will be.

 

I have not had a knee replacement but my wife did in May and I can tell you she says it is the most painful thing she has ever experienced. With that said and her about six months out with above average mobility and no pain she says she will not hesitate to do the other one in a few years as the doctor suggests. She has RA and the bone on bone was so severe the surgeon says the surfaces were polished and that he rarely sees this. The rehab was two weeks at home and ~four weeks at the PT office. It was extremely difficult and painful but she was very diligent and the ROM and pain improved everyday. Also, they do give GOOD medication to deal with the pain. As to the time off work, she has had to take disability because of the RA so I can't speak to that. She is overweight but it hasn't seemed to hinder her a lot. The surgeon says it will probably knock a few years off of the life of her replacement. She still has occasional swelling around this knee and some muscle pain which the surgeon says is normal. All in all, she is extremely pleased with her decision. BTW, she is 51

Hope this helps in some way

I will be honest, the pain scares me. I had SO much pain for SO long after just the meniscus surgery. I know my almost 300-pound weight had a lot to do with that, but it is hard to convince myself to go through knee surgery of any kind again.

Lora

I was off of work for 6 weeks but I was in misery. The pain for me was pretty intense...I couldn't sit without elevating my leg for more than a few minutes. The operation was easy compared to the physical therapy.... It took me a year to feel healed. I am glad I did it...the pain before the replacement was unbearable. I had it done when I was around 300lbs. Having said all of this...a 70yr old co-worker of mine breezed through her knee replacement. My brother had both of his replaced...one was a breeze..the other was similar to mine. I need to have my other knee replaced and I'm hoping it will be the easier one! lol 

I have also heard very mixed experiences. Some people have no trouble and are so glad they did it. Other have terrible experiences. That just adds to my nervousness.

I hope your next one is easier!

Lora