Knee Surgery Coming Up.

Hello Everyone,

   I have a knee surgery coming up on April 9, 2013 (full left knee replacement) and I am getting nervous about it. I know it's about 11 weeks & 1 day away. This coming Wednesday I have to set an appointment for clearance for surgery & set up for a mandatory class for people that are going in for knee surgery or hip surgery. The hospital that I'm going to have my knee surgery is at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL.. My surgeon is Lalit Puri, MD. Has anyone have him? If so, How is he? The reason I need knee surgery is from all the weight I carried most of my life and the times that I fell down. That's the price that I paid for being obese. I need knee surgery on both knees (full replacement for both knees). Also, there is even talk about having both of my hips replaced. Has anyone had one of your knees or both knees replaced from being obese? Also has anyone had one of your hips or both hips replaced from being obese? How are you know from knee(s) and/or hip(s) replacement surgery? Any info/advice is welcome.

Thank you in advance.

I had my miniscus torn, and had ortho surgery.  I have some pain when its cold and wet, but the pain is much  better and quality of life much better.

My girlfriend had both knees replaced, one at a time.  She said these tips I shared with her helped: Take your pain medicine, and don't let the pain get ahead of you. If it says take every 3 hours, take every 3 hours.  It is painful at first. Take stool softeners while in the hospital  and while you are on pain medication, as pain medicine will constipate you. Do the therapy, it will get you moving much faster.

Ask questions of your doc.  There are no stupid questions.  Don't be hard on yourself.  You are trying to make good choices now.

I hope this has helped some. Check back and let us know closer to the date, or let me know, and I will be sure to keep you in my prayers.

blessings, Tamilynn

Hello Tamilynn,

   Sorry to hear that you had torn you miniscus, I bet it was painful. The way my knees are, I have pain in them off & on and more when there is to much moisture in the air. Good to hear that the pain  & the quality of life is better for you.

I'm going to have my knees done one at a time too. That's what I do when I was on pain medicine with the surgeries that I had in the past, at times, the pain does get the best of me, but I do my very best with the pain. That's what I do with the pain medicine, true at painful at first. My last surgery that I had, I did get not only pain medicine, I also got stool softener medicine, but the surgery I had before the last one, I didn't get any stool softener and paid the price for that. It's true on the steps on what you girlfriend said. I believe in what your girlfriend said about the tips.

I do ask questions that I have for my doctor. True, there is no stupid. At times, I can be hard on myself. Yup, all of us trying to make good choices now.

I think it will help me out one way or another. Will do, I'll get back and let the two of you know when it get closer to the date, thank you for the prayers.

Blessings to you too Tamilynn.

Jason.

I had both knees replaced last year. One in June and the other in October. It was the best thing I've done for myself since WLS! Like you I had totally trashed my knees with my weight. I had no other options besides total replacements. I was prepared for extreme pain but it never happened! Yes, it hurt but not nearly what I was expecting. The secret is being very diligent with you physical therapy. Do your exercises every day, not just when you go to therapy. Concentrate on straightening the knees fully, not just bending them. And id you're like me, you'll need to strength your legs because your gonna be using them with those new knees! I was off the walker and walking with barely a limp by the time my stitches were out! By 6 weeks I was walking 5 miles a day.

Today, there's very little I can't do. And it's my arthritic hips that limit me now, not my knees. So be excited....you're about to get your legs back!!!!

Just like me for this year. 4 months apart with the knees. Great to hear that's the best thing that you have done for you, I hope the same thing for me. That's the price that we had to pay with our weight. Same here, I have no other options besides total replacements. I have to prepare myself for the amount of pain from the knee surgeries. I know it will hurt, but how much, every is different when it comes to pain & hurting. I'm going to follow whatever the physical therapy has in store for me. I will do the exercises every day with the physical therapy & on my own when physical therapy is not around. I like to go for walks all the time which I know will help my knees out when I have the surgery done, I know it will be slow at the beginning. I don't know what I'll be using once I have my knee surgery, a walker or crutches or both. I don't know when I'll have my right knee done, I guess it's up to my left knee on how well it heals and how well I do with physical therapy and on my own.

Sorry to hear on how little you can do now due to your arthritic hips. Same here with me, there is things I can do and things I can't do & thing I can do with limits. I ma excited & nervous at the same time. I can't wait to get my legs back.

Thank you Deedles for posting and for the comments.

You'll do great...you'll have to because the alternative sucks! I may not be able to squat down completely or easily put one ankle on the opposite knee without help from my hands, thank you hips! But the things I CAN do now is amazing! Just waking up every day with NO pain in my knees is amazing and something I never envisioned. Standing in lines or just being able to go places where there's lots of walking is something I just don't think about anymore. Between my WLS and my new knees....watchout world! LOL!

Hubby bought me the prettiest cane thinking I'd be using it for at least a few weeks with each knee. I used it once! My physical therapist told me his patients that make the fastest progress are those that don't get dependent on canes/walkers. For me, it was just too much trouble to keep up with!

Yes, pain is very subjective with each person. But I found that if I just didn't dwell on it it was never as bad as I thought it would be. Don't be afraid to take your prescription pain meds! Take them on schedule to keep a level of the drug in your system instead of waiting until you hurt before taking them. And make sure you take them about 30 minutes before your therapy...it'l make all that work easier! I never even finished the first prescription of pain meds.

I know I'll do great, I've done so much since I had weight loss surgery, one thing I have done since I had WLS in June of 2010 is that last month when I went on vacation is that I walked on a some what a zigzag incline path on a mountain in Arizona, I thought I would never do in my life. I bet the alterative sucks. Same here with my hips when it come to squatting down & the same thing with the ankles. I am happy that I can walk up each morning with little (some at times) to no pain in my joints. I can stand in lines better now than the way it was before I had WLS. I know it will get better once I have my knees fixed. The world needs to watch out for the two of us .

I guess the physical therapist is right about that witch makes sense. I'll keep that in mind about the pain meds..

You have been such a big help to me Deedles, Thank you.