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39 more Days...WOW!!!

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I seriously doubt you'll have any issue with getting the surgeon to agree with doing it - I'm 45 now and at 44 I had 3 different surgeons telling me it was silly to wait.

I, too, tried all the shots/scopes, etc - even some out of pocket experimental stuff and no luck, one by one my favorite activities were either dropped or seriously curtailed...so it's time. I'm holding out until Feb as that is my slowest time of the year. Good luck!
 
Hey welcome to bonesmart . It truly is God sent. My recovery was made a piece of cake , thanks to this forum and mantras. Im 5 months post op . Im back to work full time as a butcher for a Costco and Im back to the gym full bore. My knee is the last of my worries now ! Let me recommend a total as oppose to a partial. Its almost inevitable . Its not to early to accumulate post op home aids, like shower chair , commode riser, etc. I remember those pre op days with the arthritic pain . That will be gone instantly. On day 1. Yeah you will have a different pain but it can be managed with medication and proper elevation and excessive iceing !!. Also you wont be able to muscle through this. Patience will be your virtue. And dont allow a therapist to set you back by pushing you too hard . Best of luck , Iceman
 
Hi I have been following this post v eagerly as it is totally relevant to my situation.
Being a bit technophobic and not real clever with the system I do not know how to transfer these wise posts to my thread - nervous Nellie newbie- or whether this is the right way to enter the dialogue.:what:
But I am sure reading them avidly as they are SO relevant.

I think the above info from icep707 is what I would have written for myself if I was going yo reassure myself, answer my questions and calm my fears.:yes!:
MEGA mega thanks. Icep707 and everyone else :flwrysmile:
 
cbrniner said:
Hello everyone , I am new here and I am seeking advice ... Just some background

At 40 I tore the meniscus in left knee had scope done to shave torn area

At 43 I tore more of it had another clean up done

at 44 Once again made a mess of knee and had surgery again which this time the removed 75 percent of remaining meniscus , leaving me in an off loading brace during any activity ...

Now today at 46 the pain is unreal most days , I have had all the shots and to be honest I am tired of band aides, braces, meds and everything else ....

I guess what hit the nail on the head was we were in Florida on a trip (from Vegas) and I guess its maybe the humidity and the extra walking(Disneyworld and all) but the pain was unbearable to the point my 13 year old wanted to get me a wheelchair as to not want to see any more grimaces on my face ... Well I'm stubborn and of course I didn't but the pain was bad ... Ive dealt with the pain long enough , so I go to new Ortho at the end of this month ...

Am I odd for wanting to get PKR or LKR ?? I am so hoping the OS will say you need it ...I don't want anymore years of pain , Band Aides and I want to make this brace go Bye Bye ....Over the years I have quit coaching youth football cause I couldn't deal with the pain , stairs suck and now its even throbbing at night lying in bed .... It is starting to effect work cause I can't stand for long periods of time and I need to for work ...

by the way I am not overweight , I am 6 foot 1 and about 170lbs maybe a little less ..... If this new Ortho doesn't move in replacement surgery do I move on to another ??? and yes I know I will probably need a revision in 20 years or so , but I want my life now .... and Go .... LOL
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Hi! I am 47 and hav already had both hips replaced and I've torn my meniscus in my right knee twice and my left once, all since 2012. I've done the Supartz injections (1 shot a week for 5 weeks) twice and I'm supposed to get six month's relief but I barely make it 4.

Subsequently, I have become tired of always being in my OS's office so I went ahead and scheduled a right knee replacement for this Sept. 8.

You are not too young - our joints wore out sooner than other people's have. Could be lifestyle, genetics, or just plain bad luck. Since both hips were replaced, I feel so much better. My hips feel like they were always part of my body. I don't expect the new knee will be any different. We may be younger than most who undergo joint replacement, but I think we recover sooner and our convalescence is easier.

Don't hesitate, don't suffer another minute. We only get 1 shot a life, a mere 100 years if we are lucky, and I'm not wasting a single second of it.

Best regards,
Robyn
 
@cbrniner When the shots, medications, pain killers and braces stop working it is time to get the TKR! My pain got so bad that I would have had to give up golf which is a passion of mine. Nine weeks after surgery I was back to playing and could have played a couple of weeks sooner but waited for the OK from my OS who was concerned not about the motion of the knee during the swing but the possibility of slipping and falling.

These things are now designed to last for up to 30 years if you don't fall on them, get an infection and you stay away from the activities that make the polyethelene compnent wear out.
 
I'm only 40 and I'm 16 days post op and I can tell you it was the best decision. I first blew out my ACL, MCL, PCL and tore my medial meniscus when I was 13. For 27 years and 5 surgeries I have been bone on bone as that first surgery ended with removal of meniscus. Age doesn't matter, it is the quality of life and when I had grandmas doing more than I could, I knew it was time. I feel so much better besides trauma of surgery and it is only 1 days later. :dancy:
 
lorl said:
Hi I have been following this post v eagerly as it is totally relevant to my situation.
Being a bit technophobic and not real clever with the system I do not know how to transfer these wise posts to my thread - nervous Nellie newbie- or whether this is the right way to enter the dialogue.:what:
Click to expand...
@lorl --it's just fine to answer here. Threads are like conversations. You are like the discussion "leader" in your own thread, just as @cbrniner is the leader in this thread.
 
I wish you luck with your appointment. I'm 40 and almost 6 weeks into my recovery. My GP was very clear when he told me that if I make enough noise with my ortho, he would replace my knee. It worked and I have no regrets! The last appointment that I had before I was approved, I made a list of all the reasons I needed to have my knee fixed. I went through everything with my surgeon and yes, I did get uncharacteristically emotional, but he listened and agreed to do it. On the mend and looking forward to making a list of all the things that I can do again!
 
Had to share this , I was just thinking what if I go into OS and the Xray doesn't show bone on bone or anything ??? where would the pain be coming from , there shouldn't be much meniscus left .. I mean 3 scopes in 5 years all meniscus tears surely there is damage ....I guess all this thinking is killing me till I get to ortho ... I wish I could say , Regardless of whats there or not there I want a new knee , no more pain and or band aides .... Okay ...that was my thought for the day ....LOL maybe I'm humoring myself cause that would be a nightmare come true. Lol
 
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While I was not in my 40's---I was 53 at the time, I was fortunate to find several OS's who worked together and were not at all concerned about my age.

I tried braces, I tried pills, and I had to have a set of SynVisc shots---that had a great effect---for all of three days!

It really does not have to be bone-on-bone to be in bad pain---in fact, there are folks that have bone-on-bone who really do not have a great deal of pain---everybody is different.

I was tired of enduring my life and I was not enjoying it---and life is meant o be enjoyed and not endured.

Please take heart in knowing that many more OS's are thankfully more concerned about a patient's quality of life and not merely their age.
 
My doc says he doesn't treat X-rays, he treats patients and their symptoms (pain, effusion, limited ROM). With the pain level you describe, I doubt you are w/o articular defects, but I suppose it's possible. X-rays showing hard tissue (bone) and joint space don't necessarily show grade 4 articular defects.
 
trailspud said:
My doc says he doesn't treat X-rays, he treats patients and their symptoms (pain, effusion, limited ROM).
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This is awesome! This is what it is all about!

For what it is worth, my OS actually told my wife that my knees were worse than he thought they would be---many OS's actually cannot tell until they get in there and see the joint for themselves.
 
I'm glad to be hearing these last posts. Does rest my mind a bit. Cause I definitely want my life back ...actually sitting at sons football practice right now dying cause I can't help coach as I have in the past. I don't like watching life pass me by


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I coached football for six years after my BTKR---I would still be doing this year, but I retired from education after 37 years.

I still umpire HS and college baseball games with my Stryker Triathlons--- I believe that I worked about 80 games this year---I think 60 or so of them were behind the plate.
 
One thing I might add. Three years ago when my knee was scoped, my OS took the common position of me waiting as long as possible as I was only 47. Last Fall when I went back asking for some better meds to deal with the pain, he had no trouble at all with going ahead with the replacement. At the office visit he ordered x-rays. When he walked in the room, he asked me how far could I walk before my knee hurt. I answered that my knee hurting was the first thing I thought of every morning when I woke up. He then said it was time and we went ahead. His position on waiting as long as possible certainly changed in a 2 1/2 period.
 
You will be coaching again, potentially several months after your surgery. My new knee has reversed my age almost 40 years. This is how , Im nearly 50 but before my surgery , my activity level and movements made me feel 70 years old. Literally 5 months later, I feel 30 years old. Its miraculous .!! Just follow bonesmarts mantras and you will do great. Best of luck , Iceman
 
I wasn't quite bone on bone in all compartments, but each was pretty bad nonetheless. As your knee deteriorates is messes with your alignment etc. So "bone on bone" isn't the only criteria your OS will look at.
 
re: partial vs. total -- This is something your OS should advise you on. The partial could buy you some time and the recovery is much easier than a TKR. Considering your age, that could be a good thing. But if its only going to get you an extra few years because your knee deterioration is too severe, then that will factor into your decision. The only way to know for sure is to get an MRI. When I was trying to decide what route to take, my OS took all my x-rays and MRI to an orthopedic surgeons conference and conferred with many other OS's. They all agreed that my knee injuries were too far gone for a partial, and a TKR was my only option. I waited for another 4 years before having the TKR earlier this year and so far, I'm very glad I had this surgery.
 
caridgway said:
The partial could buy you some time and the recovery is much easier than a TKR.
Click to expand...

Our experience here on the forum is that recovery from a partial replacement is very much like recovery from a total. Partials are touted as being easier, but that doesn't make it so as folks have found out the hard way.
 
Hi @cbrniner Welcome to the best place you could come to lost of caring people who know how you feel. I think the idea of having a knee replacement can be a bit scary but the results are so worth any doubt yo may have. I too had problems walking working in a fast paced job working 9 or more hour a day I finally found I was dragging myself along using something for support even a shopping vcart to keep from falling. This was not the way I had moved before and was very painful . You loose some of the quality of life that you enjoy when your knee gets to this point and things that you used to enjoy are now difficult. I am awaiting my second replacement surgery had my first last April 2013 and anxious to have two strong stable knees. My first surgery has helped me to get my quaility of life back so much more.

Recovery time for some of us can be a bit challenging but well worth the things it brings back. Remembering when I had my visit think it was 6 or 8 weeks my surgeon said I was ahead of most people at this point couldn't understand why as lots of swelling flexing was still difficult and quite sore but now understand. My knee is doing wonderful. No more pain in operated knee. feels like it did when I was a kid very strong and now waiting to have my left knee feel the same. Your will probably find if you do have the surgery that you will be very pleased that you made the choice and your new knee will take care of you. Holly
 
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