mlwreader
senior
Hello everyone: I have been lurking on this site since about four weeks prior to my 9/11/17 bilateral tkr's, and have found so much wonderful information and comfort from all the posts. I had a bit of a technical challenge at first in trying to register, etc., and decided to let it sit for a while and just read everyone's posts anonymously. Then, this morning, I woke up and said to myself, let's try again, and I was able to register successfully.
I had both my knees done last month, and prior to that I was virtually housebound for at least six months. Originally I was scheduled to have my right knee done only. Then one fine day in April my left knee totally "blew up" and I landed in the ER in excruciating pain. I was told there was a baker's cyst in the left knee, and an MRI revealed a lot of stress damage to the bone in the left knee in several places. Bottom line I had been favoring the right knee so much, and the left knee wasn't all that great to begin with because there was definitely some reduced cartilage, causing it to really become a problem. I was on a walker from then on.
My first OS was not tremendously responsive to my plight with the second knee, and it took him six pain filled weeks to pay enough attention to me to send me for an MRI. Then he began to acknowledge that I was having real difficulties, but would not consider doing both knees at once. That, plus some screw ups with appointments and his medical assistant with an attitude problem made me decide to look around for an alternative. A friend had bilateral tkr a few years back and she swore by her doctor, so I scheduled a second opinion appointment with him. He is in San Diego, about 45 minutes from where I live. Still my son went with me to the appointment and we both got on board with this guy pretty quickly. He said a person like myself, healthy (thank God), whose only prescription med at the age of 72 is a thyroid supplement, is a good candidate for bilateral surgery. To wait and do one at a time is to waste time, because one of the knees would still be in horrible shape after the first surgery, making rehab more difficult.
I got on board with the second doctor and fired the first, thanking him, of course for all his help. I was right away so impressed with the immediate response to my inquiries and questions on the website portal that they had created for me when I had my second opinion appointment. Since that June, 2017 appointment, any time I have had a question or concern, I have always gotten a quick response.
My surgery went well, and I spent a week in a rehab facility in San Diego. The good news about the facility was that the PT and OT staff were outstanding. As were the CNA's and most of the nurses. And the food was soooo good, when my stomach finally settled down enough for me to eat. One of the nurses was a definite problem, and she tried to give me the wrong meds on two different occasions. She became very hostile to me when I called her on it. Other than that, it was a fine experience, and since I live alone, necessary with two knees done at once. Plus the fact that my son and his family live five minutes from the facility and my son stopped in for a coffee and chat every day at lunchtime, and they brought the kids over for visits as well. I felt very supported and safe, especially when my son assured me I could call him any time day or night and he'd be right there. What a lovely person he is!
When I got home there was some concern that some dark areas on my left knee might be an infection. That was dark news indeed. After a visit to the doctor's office, I was prescribed two forms of extreme antibiotics for a week, which made me so sick. However, whatever was going on with the knee seems to have resolved, because the dark areas went away quickly. The visit to the doctor resulted in the staples being removed that day as well, and that was two weeks out from surgery and no fun at all. Ouchie is all I can say.
My knees are still hurting somewhat, especially at night. And the left one is definitely still a problem child, in that one of the stitches popped open and caused a fright, not to mention that the left knee is more swollen and hurts more at night. What is it about nighttime that causes these suckers to start singing and dancing. I have read so many threads where everyone talks about how the pain keeps people up, and folks are up with their iPads and books and audiobooks, etc. through the night. Same for me. I got to bed with an audible book, and usually fall asleep for about an hour, and then wake up and lie there until I finally take 1/2 ambien at about 11:00 and sleep for a few hours, and then take the other half ambien and sleep for a few more hours, and am up around six. Most of the time the pain is more like nerve pain, where it is almost too painful to have the sheet and blanket touching the stitch area. And I am not a back sleeper, but that has changed by necessity, because it hurts too much to sleep on my side.
I can tell you I am forever grateful to be rid of the horrible bone on bone pain I experienced pre-surgery. What a miracle. And at six weeks out I am at 120 degrees in my knees, which I actually was able to achieve by week 4. I had a wonderful home health PT up until last week, and she guided me and inspired me. I put off outpatient PT until tomorrow, based on some things I read on this site. I was pushing myself quite hard and was having unnecessary pain when I should have been healing. Right now I am doing stretches and leg lifts first thing in the morning in bed, then knee bends and more leg lifts from a standing position later in the morning, five minutes on the recumbent bike at 0 resistance, and a ten minute easy walk around the apartment complex where I live, although today it is expected to be close to 100 degrees, so I will probably skip the walk, and maybe walk the inside corridors - lol.
Please know that I am so grateful for this site. You have provided me with so much comfort and good solid experience, strength and hope. My son has visited the site as well, reading some of the articles so he could become more informed.
All best, looking forward to comments, if any, and looking forward to reading more stories from others and their knee adventures.
Mary Lou
I had both my knees done last month, and prior to that I was virtually housebound for at least six months. Originally I was scheduled to have my right knee done only. Then one fine day in April my left knee totally "blew up" and I landed in the ER in excruciating pain. I was told there was a baker's cyst in the left knee, and an MRI revealed a lot of stress damage to the bone in the left knee in several places. Bottom line I had been favoring the right knee so much, and the left knee wasn't all that great to begin with because there was definitely some reduced cartilage, causing it to really become a problem. I was on a walker from then on.
My first OS was not tremendously responsive to my plight with the second knee, and it took him six pain filled weeks to pay enough attention to me to send me for an MRI. Then he began to acknowledge that I was having real difficulties, but would not consider doing both knees at once. That, plus some screw ups with appointments and his medical assistant with an attitude problem made me decide to look around for an alternative. A friend had bilateral tkr a few years back and she swore by her doctor, so I scheduled a second opinion appointment with him. He is in San Diego, about 45 minutes from where I live. Still my son went with me to the appointment and we both got on board with this guy pretty quickly. He said a person like myself, healthy (thank God), whose only prescription med at the age of 72 is a thyroid supplement, is a good candidate for bilateral surgery. To wait and do one at a time is to waste time, because one of the knees would still be in horrible shape after the first surgery, making rehab more difficult.
I got on board with the second doctor and fired the first, thanking him, of course for all his help. I was right away so impressed with the immediate response to my inquiries and questions on the website portal that they had created for me when I had my second opinion appointment. Since that June, 2017 appointment, any time I have had a question or concern, I have always gotten a quick response.
My surgery went well, and I spent a week in a rehab facility in San Diego. The good news about the facility was that the PT and OT staff were outstanding. As were the CNA's and most of the nurses. And the food was soooo good, when my stomach finally settled down enough for me to eat. One of the nurses was a definite problem, and she tried to give me the wrong meds on two different occasions. She became very hostile to me when I called her on it. Other than that, it was a fine experience, and since I live alone, necessary with two knees done at once. Plus the fact that my son and his family live five minutes from the facility and my son stopped in for a coffee and chat every day at lunchtime, and they brought the kids over for visits as well. I felt very supported and safe, especially when my son assured me I could call him any time day or night and he'd be right there. What a lovely person he is!
When I got home there was some concern that some dark areas on my left knee might be an infection. That was dark news indeed. After a visit to the doctor's office, I was prescribed two forms of extreme antibiotics for a week, which made me so sick. However, whatever was going on with the knee seems to have resolved, because the dark areas went away quickly. The visit to the doctor resulted in the staples being removed that day as well, and that was two weeks out from surgery and no fun at all. Ouchie is all I can say.
My knees are still hurting somewhat, especially at night. And the left one is definitely still a problem child, in that one of the stitches popped open and caused a fright, not to mention that the left knee is more swollen and hurts more at night. What is it about nighttime that causes these suckers to start singing and dancing. I have read so many threads where everyone talks about how the pain keeps people up, and folks are up with their iPads and books and audiobooks, etc. through the night. Same for me. I got to bed with an audible book, and usually fall asleep for about an hour, and then wake up and lie there until I finally take 1/2 ambien at about 11:00 and sleep for a few hours, and then take the other half ambien and sleep for a few more hours, and am up around six. Most of the time the pain is more like nerve pain, where it is almost too painful to have the sheet and blanket touching the stitch area. And I am not a back sleeper, but that has changed by necessity, because it hurts too much to sleep on my side.
I can tell you I am forever grateful to be rid of the horrible bone on bone pain I experienced pre-surgery. What a miracle. And at six weeks out I am at 120 degrees in my knees, which I actually was able to achieve by week 4. I had a wonderful home health PT up until last week, and she guided me and inspired me. I put off outpatient PT until tomorrow, based on some things I read on this site. I was pushing myself quite hard and was having unnecessary pain when I should have been healing. Right now I am doing stretches and leg lifts first thing in the morning in bed, then knee bends and more leg lifts from a standing position later in the morning, five minutes on the recumbent bike at 0 resistance, and a ten minute easy walk around the apartment complex where I live, although today it is expected to be close to 100 degrees, so I will probably skip the walk, and maybe walk the inside corridors - lol.
Please know that I am so grateful for this site. You have provided me with so much comfort and good solid experience, strength and hope. My son has visited the site as well, reading some of the articles so he could become more informed.
All best, looking forward to comments, if any, and looking forward to reading more stories from others and their knee adventures.
Mary Lou