TKR at 41 for unique problems?

I'm also being pushed by my mother as she was up and back at her job 1 week after ACL repair and assumes I will be the same as her
There’s a big difference between an ACL repair and a knee replacement. You’ll have to explain that to your mom.

At least you are getting some very good information before your surgery. I went into this thinking I knew what I was approaching and then found out after surgery that I actually knew very little about what to expect from this recovery.
 
Update. Met with the surgeon, my kneecap is so far out that nothing but a knee replacement will fix it or give me stability back. Rated my pain at a 6, was like night and day, he recommended surgery. So I need to go through knee replacement boot camp and I’m waiting for the scheduler to call to let me know what pre-op testing I need to do. I wish I had a picture of my x-rays as they’re freaky looking. So now waiting on that and insurance approval. I’m a little bit nervous but a little bit excited if that makes any sense. Mostly I just feel a sense of relief.
 
Be glad you're not going to have a Fulkerson's osteotomy. Osteotomies are a notoriously painful procedure and recovery, and most of them have to be converted to a TKR after a relatively short period.

If you think your reporting of a low feeling of pain is the sticking point, why don't you now let your surgeon know that your pain has increased?
 
Yeah I’ve read some horror stories about the Fulkerson. Kinda glad I’m not having that. I’m under no illusion that this will be easy but it seems the “better” choice. He’s ok with my pain being at a 6, he was reluctant with it being a 1-2.
 
However, because I rate my knee pain at a 1-2, they are not interested in doing surgery because I may end up with pain higher than what I'm currently experiencing. I've been basically sent home to I guess live life how I am. I do have another appointment tomorrow but... is this fair? To send a 41 year old home, using a walker, unable to do their normal stuff without fear of their knee giving out and collapsing? Is this something doctors routinely do? I was so flabbergasted at the last appointment I ended up in tears at the thought of having to just live like this, I've already given up so much in my life due to my knees and now it feels like it's just too much to ask.

No, not fair at all.

Good news you are now going to have it done. I totally understand about the knee giving out, though luckily I never hit the floor. I waited over ten years to get mine done, not through choice.. But now they have been I am pain free and living well again. Not quite 100% but closer then I have been in years.
 
I kept thinking losing weight was going to fix everything because that's basically what I've been told.
If this were true, then younger normal weight people would never need knee replacements. Which we both know is not true.

You might talk to a doctor about your self reporting pain scale and see if it's skewed.
 
He’s ok with my pain being at a 6, he was reluctant with it being a 1-2.
I have never liked the 1-10 pain scale. One person’s opinion of a number might be different than someone else’s opinion of that same number. Words should be definitive explanation enough.
 
I have never liked the 1-10 pain scale. One person’s opinion of a number might be different than someone else’s opinion of that same number. Words should be definitive explanation enough.

I found that out AFTER I told them 1-2, my mom's like how can you say you have a 1-2 pain but you can barely walk?! I'm like well, I think of pain as excruciating and unrelenting and just the most horrible thing that you can imagine. Her and my brother looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

I think because I've lived with my knees for so long it's my "normal" despite there actually being pain and swelling and stiffness. I don't honestly know what a normal person's knees feel like because I've never had that, I guess my mind just assumed everyone walks around with the same amount of pain and instability I do. Which is why I get so down on myself for needing walking aids, being afraid of ice, etc. Turns out that's not true and as silly as it sounds, I'd just never considered that.
 
If this were true, then younger normal weight people would never need knee replacements. Which we both know is not true.

You might talk to a doctor about your self reporting pain scale and see if it's skewed.

Well poo, I never thought of that either!

My self reporting pain scale is skewed and the 4 Aleve I was taking a day were doing more for my pain than I thought. I haven't taken any OTC pain meds in 10 days, last night was pretty frustrating. No matter what way I laid my knee hurt, I couldn't sleep because I could not find a position in which it was happy enough to at least stop throbbing. So I spent most the night tossing and turning before finally giving up and getting up for the day. Coffee is my friend today
 
No, not fair at all.

Good news you are now going to have it done. I totally understand about the knee giving out, though luckily I never hit the floor. I waited over ten years to get mine done, not through choice.. But now they have been I am pain free and living well again. Not quite 100% but closer then I have been in years.

Unfortunately 9 times out of 10, when mine goes, I go down. I get this sick feeling in my stomach when I feel it too because I know I'm going down. My knees have never been 100%, this has actually been happening since I child, I remember the first time it happened even, so I was like maybe 7-8. So I'm shooting for just functional at this point lol.
 
I had a pain management doctor once describe a pain at a 10 as if a car had fallen on me. I can’t even imagine that. No pain I’ve ever had could possibly come close. So I’ve also underrated my pain. Now I just throw out a number to make them happy. I have no idea how accurate it is.
 
@Jockette I can't even imagine that either. That's such a weird thing to use as an example. It's like almost an unreachable amount of pain I'd think. But I similarly have always thought of a 10 as "the worst thing you can ever imagine" so I've never even been close to there because I can always imagine there's something worse. I've also been taught it's weak to show pain, so I have a tendency to suck it up and push on, no matter what. I'm learning that's maybe not a good thing.
 
I've also been taught it's weak to show pain, so I have a tendency to suck it up and push on, no matter what
Well, you won’t have to do that here with us. We understand pain and we care.
 
Wow.. 4 Aleve a day says alot about your pain.. Its not minimal! I take an Aleve and 2 500 mg Tylenol in the AM and the same in the PM.. That pretty much makes the pain disappear. Without them I would have 2-3 screaming episodes a day.

But I do not want to depend on those forever ( I seldom take OTC meds) and the X ray does not lie.

The doc does ask about pain as there will be a post surgery survey from time to time asking the same question as the goal is returning a quality of life.

This is not time to suck up and push through.. Training ( which seems to be what you are doing) is appropriate much later post op.. not now. No pain, no gain= swelling lack of improvement in ROM+incessant pain.

I plan on a month of indolence with light walking.. then walking our lovely neighborhood trails and hopefully within two months climbing the mountain in back of our house.. It has eluded me since this hip stuff started as it has stone stairs that are too tall. I already had TKR and my OS was not a fan of severe PT.

I can't help you with blocking your mother's advice. I am sure she means well and loves you but sometimes duct tape is needed. Applied gently:angel:
 
djklaugh posted a different version of the pain scale - thank you, @djklaugh:
De_sL9qWkAAikBK.jpg
 
Wow.. 4 Aleve a day says alot about your pain.. Its not minimal!

I realize now it's not, I was told when I hurt my other knee that it was ok to take 4 Aleve long term to stop it from hurting. I guess i thought it was a lesser evil than say taking ibuprofen long term. ie. less side effects or even none. Guess that's not the case.

And turns out it was doing WAY more than I thought, I just thought my knee didn't feel THAT bad. Without the Aleve it feels pretty awful, I wasn't able to sleep much last night because the stupid thing hurts no matter where I put it. I really wish I could throw it out of bed and get a good night's sleep lol
 
As to your mom... Duct tape is not practical.. But as she has never had knee replacement her only reference is an ACL surgery.

That is sewing. there is a little fishing too
TKR is carpentry with expensive saws and hammers.

Maybe have a sit down with her if it seems possible and watch some You Tube on ACL surgery and TKR surgery?
 
I'm glad to see your surgeon is going forward. Our lives become so controlled by our knees as they go downhill but we "get used" to it. It will be like night and day once you have your tkr.

I see you talked about being taught to tough it out. You definitely don't want to "suck it up" right after surgery. Be honest about your pain levels. I tried to "tough it out" for too long with my first surgery and that made it harder to get the pain handled. I was up front with my second tkr and the pain was well handled.
In fact in many cases they have improved methods since the time I had my tkrs a few years ago.
 
Hello! I just found your post, read it all. Very glad you’re having surgery. I understand your knee, I think. Back when I was 14, I slipped in a puddle by an indoor pool. My toes were pointing upward but my left knee had dislocated, looked like my leg was bent outward.

I replaced one hip in 2014, other hip and the other knee last summer. I still have this knee, always my problem knee, left. I saw my surgeon for my one year post op last month and we discussed this knee. I don’t have much for pain in it, don’t take even OTC stuff but it’s not stable. Anything downhill has me worrying it’s going to “go out”. Due to my life, it won’t be replaced til spring 2021 so I came home with a brace so I could do some outdoor things, or try, and give the knee some stability.

Good luck!
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jaycey
    ADMINISTRATOR Staff member since February 2011
  • EalingGran
    Staff member since January 23, 2024

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,180
Messages
1,597,061
BoneSmarties
39,364
Latest member
All2Gd88
Recent bookmarks
0

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom