I am right there with you. I'm 45, but I turn 46 in 2 weeks.
I was told by my current Orthopedist to keep postponing a right TKR for a few years and try to get to 50 by relying on Hyaluronic acid injections and cleaning out the loose debris when necessary with simple arthroscopy. I was torn with not knowing what to do...
Then I had the unfortunate (or maybe fortunate ??
) luck of having a large piece of articular cartilage break loose in the left knee last Spring, and needing surgery. The physical therapy made my right knee (the bad one!!) even worse. By the end of August, I realized I can't live this way any longer. My daily activities are hindered to the point of barely getting the bare minimum accomplished....and I have a 12 yr old that needs his mom!!
Therefore, I got a second opinion last week and am VERY glad I did. Everyone's posts here made me realize I wasn't crazy for wanting to do the TKRs in my 40's and worrying about revisions isn't as important as living and enjoying life NOW!!!
So yeah----I used the recommendations from Bonesmart and my Rheumatologist to find a surgeon who doesn't just look at your age and BMI. He was wonderful and didn't try to talk me into or out of anything. He simply gave me the facts and told me there's truly nothing left that can be done for my knees except TKR---the right knee is bone on bone, and the left knee is close behind. He suggested a right TKR in the next year and the left TKR within 2-3 yrs----otherwise I'll be creating more problems for him to fix when I DO get the TKRs. He didn't even assume I was going to have him do the surgeries, which made me feel even better about his practice, ego, and integrity.
So in a nutshell, when your life is this impacted with limited mobility and pain, I say go for it. I wish you the best with whatever you decide. Just know that I get it and understand your worry and reservations. It has taken me a couple of years to switch from "I'm too young and MUST wait" to "I refuse to live this way anymore!"
---Lisa