Undecided what to do now......

[Pabuckles]

I had a torn meniscus in my right knee and was in terrible pain. Had injections that did not help at all. Had it scoped and was told by doctor that he thought he could get a few more miles out of this knee.
He prescribed an arthritis medication along with some pain medication. While waiting for right knee to heal, my left one started doing the same thing. Both were swelling, in much pain, and just could not hardly go. I got a second opinion from another OS and was told I was bone on bone and should get both knees done at the same time. He also gave me an order for PT and changed the arthritis medication to another type because the first one was hurting my stomach. He wanted me to come back in a month and see one of his associates as he was going to be on leave for a period of time. I went back thinking I was going to set a date to have the surgery. In this month span my knees have lost all the fluid and swelling they had and the pain is greatly reduced. I don't know if the PT or the new medication has helped but my knees feel better than they have in over a year. The associate told me thought I should wait to see if this improvement continues and to see just how much better they could get. I was SO ready to get this surgery going but now I don't know what to do.........has anyone else experienced this type of thing? Also thoughts on getting both done at the same time versus just one?

 

[Gigi32]

If your knees are truly bone on bone, I suspect your relief is temporary and the pain will return at some point. The one given is that the cartilage is not going to grow back. I suffered with horrible pain for 10 years, had tons of injections, took arthritis medicine and when I consulted the OS that did my surgery, the 1st thing he did was PT. It helped some, but I knew it was temporary. The good thing is that the PT you do to strengthen your muscles and improve flexibility are pretty much the same things you do post-op so it helps to be comfortable doing them. It won't hurt anything to wait a couple of months but you will probably need something done eventually. As far as getting one vs both done? It's really going to depend on your situation and how much support you have. After my 1st TKR, I was kicking myself for not having both done because my 1st recovery was pretty easy. Now that I have had the 2nd one done, I'm not sure I would have wanted both done at the same time. It has been a harder recovery and I was glad I had one "good" knee to help. There are pros and cons to either way. By the way, where are you in Kentucky? I live in Louisville.

 

[selketine]

I was recently told that I'll need both knees replaced and the doctor was very clear that he prefers to do the surgery when the person still has a good range of movement and flexibility. He said if you lose that, you can't get it back with the surgery (or at least not all of it). I had injections in both knees and it's hard to tell if it helped - maybe some - but I've also modified my exercise activity to be less stressful on the knees.

My plan is to wait and see for now. I'm not in constant pain, I do things normally and usually without much discomfort (shopping. cleaning, self-care, etc). But for example I'm going to Disney World soon and I've rented a scooter because I know all that walking will leave me in pain. I plan to walk when I want (and have another adult drive the scooter or leave it parked). But I can walk in the mall - just not 12-16 hours straight day after day...lol! When I get to the point where I'm in pain, I can't exercise (VERY important to me) and/or I can't do normal activities then I'm having the surgery. I also know that I have a stable situation (insurance wise and family wise and I'm not working - still at stay-at-home mom) so I don't have an immediate issue that way.

I don't think it can hurt to wait but we know that is temporary. As long as you feel good and can be active and not in overly bothersome pain then I think it's ok to wait. I plan to have one knee at a time but mostly because having two done at once (to me) is a bit scary. I want one leg to stand on...lol! I'm hoping one knee gets worse before the other (it seems that way now) so waiting on the 2nd one is a good plan for me.

I'm from Kentucky by the way!

 

[Josephine]

@Pabuckles, I'm in the middle here on this situation. Back in 2012, I saw my surgeon about my right knee. He pronounced it to be bone-on-bone and said he was 'ready to do it when you are'. Well I wasn't. I was without symptoms and wasn't prepared to undergo surgery yet. 3 years later I started to get the grit in the knee syndrome and had myself booked in.

If you want to be able to chart your progress, you can use this chart. Print off a few copies and complete one every month or so. Then you can take them all to your surgeon who should be able to get a good picture of where you are.

 

[Pabuckles]

Gigi32- I agree the relief is going to be temporary.....its raining in Bowling Green today and my knees are letting me know about it. I know the PT is helping and I want to continue but I know my insurance only allows so many visits in one year, so probably will do at home until I have the surgery. One thing I didn't mention and should have is my wife is disabled, and she is on a walker herself. She will only be able to assist me in a limited role when I do get home. The doctor said I would be in the hospital probably 2 days and then to a rehab facility for 7 - 10 days. This is another thing I have to consider when having them both done at the same time.

Selketine- I share the same concern about having the surgery before I lose any more range of motion and muscles and such get weaker. The injections did not help me at all, and the scope on my right knee only had minimal results. I was all set for a date, and when the Dr. said if it was him he would give it some time.....I can't explain it but it was sort of a let down. I have been retired for a year now and have just not been able to do the things I had planned to do. I have always been very active and this is starting to really bum me out.

Josephine- Thank you for the chart, a nice tool to have.
I had 8# 1's
17 #2's
5 #3's
6# 4's

Thank you all so very much for your thoughts, I really appreciate it.

 

[iivesfam5]

That was a great little survey @Josephine. @Pabuckles I am scheduled for 7/16 - less than 2 weeks and I am doing both knees together. Many reasons really - I am strong, I am positive, they both hurt like hell, and I only want one surgery and one recovery - even if it takes a little longer....... I took the survey and had 7 #1's, 15 #2's, 8 #3's, 6 #4's. The standing stamina I chose between 10 and 20 min but I will be in severe pain at that point. It is a very scary thing to make this decision but I know even though those numbers on the survey don't look horrible - I want to do this surgery while I am strong, healthy, flexible and determined!! And this pain impacts my life tremendously and I do not want to feel old before my time!! I want to hike and bike and be active for many more years. Good luck with your decision!!

 

[selketine]

I have been retired for a year now and have just not been able to do the things I had planned to do. I have always been very active and this is starting to really bum me out.

That's the thing - I'm not able to walk for exercise (cardio) anymore and walking over a half mile can start to hurt. I can modify my exercise but if I can't do the things I want to do then that's a problem. I've lost a lot of weight over the past two years so if I can't be active I know that's going to come back. Plus it's just not good for you to sit all the time.

On that chart I had 5 of the #4's but two of them are surfing and skiing which I've never done anyway...lol.

 

[iivesfam5]

@selketine have you set a date?

 

[selketine]

@selketine have you set a date?

No not yet. I don't think I'm at the "tipping point" for surgery just yet fortunately.

 

[Celle]

I waited too long to have my first knee replacement. My recovery was long and hard. I regained full range of motion (ROM) quite easily, but my ligaments and tendons had distorted and I had lost muscle strength during the wait. It took a long time to recover full strength and activity.

My other knee was bone on bone a couple of years ago, and my surgeon said he would replace it whenever I felt ready, but I didn't have a lot of pain with it. As soon as i started having constant pain and the knee was beginning to restrict my activity, I had that knee replaced. My recovery was much easier than the recovery from my first knee replacement.

Whenever you have it, recovery from a knee replacement does take a long time. It can be as long as a year before all your soft tissues have healed completely, even though you will feel much better long before that.

 

[Pabuckles]

One of the OS told me that I could not hurt it anymore by waiting to have it done. Is that not correct ??

 

[Celle]

Well, you may not hurt the bones any more, but it was certainly my experience that my tendons, ligaments and muscles suffered. Consequently, I had a fair bit of deformity to recover from.

 

[kneeper]

And as the pain increases you get more and more sedentary which hurts your overall fitness. You might give it a few months to see how it goes, continue to maintain the muscles around the knees and then reconsider. How long of a wait would you have to get on the surgery schedule once you decide?