Can this be successful?

[lavender]

Hi Flash I think it is hard maybe reading the posts telling how much pain and stuff after surgery but it is just telling it like it is maybe not for all but some of us. I wish I had of found this forum before I did as my journey would have been so much less confusing.

I had lots of pain and yes not happy with it but thought I was just not handling it the way I should have. Had a very positive attitude going into it hoped it would make walking and things something that I enjoyed again. I know it is scarey and it is normal but the sharing of thoughts and encouragement found here after 3 weeks of thinking I was just too emotional not understanding what was wrong.

I think it is good to hear how others also experiencing this surgery felt and then reading on in the same posts what a different with a bit of time. I see a difference each day now the pain for me ended quite a while ago and the results turned out better then I would have thought they would. This time when surgery on my left leg is performed with the information I have gathered along my way I will do things a little bit differently . I managed great after leaving the hospital and until the pt started .

I know it is overwhelming now and felt the same but you might find that after you are all finished your increased qualty of life will be well worth it. You are in very good company and the support and care you will receive here will help to get you past your worries. Wishing you the very best and hope you are doing ok. Holly

 

[Tykey]

We do have a place of wonderful recoveries here Stories of amazing knee recoveries

Well! I live and learn

I think I'll write something in there.

 

[gazelle7777]

Here is my opinion for what it is worth. I am a positive recovery story now going on 11 months past my surgery. It depends on how bad both your knees are.... if you could not rely on either knee if one gave out... than you should do both at once. That is where I was at. I was severely bowed out legs with my right knee my worse knee... the left knee was bad. The doctor said that to fix one and have the other so bad and bowed out would hamper my recovery... Plus one surgery, one recovery. Why not get it over all in one operation, and just have it finished and done with? You can read my recovery thread below.. the first month is not too easy for anyone, but as time goes on you will be amazed at how great you feel!~ by just the 7th week out I was feeling pretty terrific! I am just an advocate for Bilateral surgery if your state of health supports it.

 

[icep707]

Hundreds of thousand tkrs are performed annually, majority never seek out a forum. Thats because they really dont have any issues. My replacement couldnt have gone smoother. Im nearly 3 months and already feel 15 years younger. Bone on bone pain gone. I sought bonesmart 3 months prior to my surgery and it helped tremendously. Read and follow the mantras and you will be just fine. People here help immeasurably. Best of luck . Do you have much family to help with recovery.??? Iceman

 

[flash85]

Hi Icep707, thanks for your words of encouragement....I need them. I don't know why this is freaking me out so much nor do I know why I put it off this long. I am at the point now (bone on bone) that I just can't take anymore. I'm lucky I can walk from my car to the Walmart store entrance and if there isn't a handicapped cart there I have to sit and wait for one. (very humilating to me) I had brain surgery in 2006 for a benign brain tumor and that was like a walk in the park compared to the stories I read about this TKR rehab. I'm 62 and overweight but I have my husband who is like the Jack Lalane of older men. He is in fantastic shape!!! I was thinking maybe I could do some kind of pre-op therapy to build up my leg muscles. Maybe that would be better than just me doing exercises myself!!!!

 

[lavender]

Hi flash I now wonder if not knowing what was going to happen might have been the best for me going into surgery I had no idea what to expect. I had bone on bone for many years held a long term full time job at which the last 10 years decided to work night as it would make appointments through the day easier to plan more hours and more money. The job I did involved a very fast paced routine pulling skids worked as an assistant supervisor lots of heavy loads and had to do it. had deadlines. I was not worried going into surgery as the discomfort dealing with two very unstable legs hoped this would give me my ability to walk again properly without trying to cut corners.

The first step for me after many painful years with my legs was to seek help left work after my shift one morning could hardly walk and made an appointment that morning they saw me a few hours later and then the process began.. I knew very little about this type of surgery mom had both done but the information was not there. The first visit to the surgeon for a cortisone shot was ok. After 5 months more pain went for another cortisone shot and his suggestion was that surgery was the most reasonable option. I really had no great concern going in thankful that they could actually replace a knee and maybe that would be a way back to normal. Concerns after surgery were mostly inspired by the pt I had and the aggressive pushing to achieve a rom that they eventually discovered my knee would not fully give. Bone on bone was the reason the surgery was performed and the surgeon I had was very caring and concerned for my well being. I was referred to the bonesmart site in my third week and how much the information I received has helped.

So many people have this surgery and after booking mine have been amazed at how many people I either worked with or friends are also needing this surgery so common. Try to keep calm try to relax with it as the pain and loss of mobility now will most certainly improve. Was my recovery period easy no and it would not be fair for me to say that it is all easy considering the amount that is done to your knee during this surgery not that bad but for me deffinately not easy. Yet how thankful now that the option for this was available years ago people would possibly spend their lives in a wheelchair . I am living happy not dreading going for a walk or upstairs and waiting for the next replacement how much easier it will make things

 

[CraftyOne77]

Hi Flash! I had BTKR in early Jan. so I am almost 16 weeks post op. The first few weeks after surgery were
difficult, but definately bearable. The pain that I did have I called my "healing pain" which was so different from the bone on bone pain! The healing process is definately a journey, with ups and downs, but before you know it you are accomplishing more and more daily activities without difficulty.

I was asked many times if I regreted having both knees done at the same time. I can honestly say that I have never had regrets about that. There were times during my recovery when I questioned myself about having had the surgery at all, but I think that most people have those doubts. Having BTKR is the way to go with only one hospital stay, one recovery, etc. My doctor did not suggest it, but when I asked him if it was possible, he was all for it!

Anyway, I just want to encourage you to have the surgery! I can do so many things today that I wouldn't even consider doing 4 months ago. It is so worth it to be able to enjoy life again!!!

 

[scaredinCA]

I wanted one knee done at a time, in fact argued with the surgeon about it. Ended up having both done at once and I'm not sorry now. If I could have taken the pain meds, I would have had a good recovery, but I recovered on tylenol. Talk about challenging! But I'm fine, I can walk again. I was in a wheelchair for shopping, etc. Now I get out of the car and walk across the parking lot and into the store just fine and it always surprises me every single time.... Sometimes i have to use a walker with a seat on it but its more for my back than for my legs. (had back problems long before surgery on knees). The arthritis pain is gone and thats the biggest plus there is!! I am still working on my extension for both knees, but its still far better than having the old knee pains that were hideous! My knees were so bent before surgery and now they don't look bent anymore. Nothing in life is perfect, and none of us recover at the same rate.. Theres one lady on here my age who had a wonderful recovery but I can't remember her name to tell you where her thread is. You will be fine and you will be glad you did it..

 

[flash85]

I am wondering if I only end up getting one knee(the worse one) done first how much strain will be put on the good (haha) knee? Is it dangerous if both knees are bad?? I know I need both done but one is clearly worse than the other and I really don't think I could manage a BTKR. The better knee isn't as painful but is doing ALOT of bone cracking lately. Sometimes I do get alot of pain in it but not as bad as the other knee which is constant pain and now even starting to burn. I just can't even imagine having both done at once. Was anyone in this situation and how did the other bad knee hold up? Thanks

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Hi, Flash. I had a pretty rough time of it at the beginning of my recovery, but things are beginning to settle in and my recovery is going better. I, too, wavered over having this surgery, but what finally decided me once and for all besides the awful pain of walking on a bone-on-bone knee, was missing out on a lot of fun with my granddaughter and the deep desire to do normal everyday things in life again. I was tired of going up and down stairs like a two year old, I was tired of pain all the time, waking up at night in pain, not being able to play pool or ping pong, not being able to sit at a poker table for hours, or the dinner table with family for meals and games. I couldn't dance at all, and last summer with our granddaughters at a local concert, I couldn't dance with them. On vacations I was always on the sidelines looking in while others had fun. At the of 57 (and your age of 62), we have many, many good years, decades, ahead of us and, dang it! I WANTED MY LIFE BACK! I wasn't ready to roll up the carpets and pack it in. I knew there would be ups and downs, but I also knew I had to do whatever was necessary and go through all the steps in order to have a life again, instead of the recluse I was becoming. Typing this makes me want to cry, as I realize where I was and that I have now taken the first steps to a new and exciting life. I am so looking forward to climbing the rest of this mountain of TKR. Climbing mountains is not an easy task, but, man oh man, the amazing world that opens up at the top is worth the climb. I encourage you to get this done and go through the steps necessary to recover, then do some dancing at the top of that mountain! Keep us up to date and let us know how you are. There are always people on line who will help, listen, chat, whatever you need. Kim

 

[Roy Gardiner]

... I really don't want to get them both done at once... I hardly read any good recovery stories on here which is really starting to scare me.

Please read my recovery thread (see sig below).

Also told me I was too young for surgery.

wrong!

From year to year I just kept thinking they couldn't get any worse. Well same story today but now I can't walk for more than 2 min or stand for more than 5min and yet I am still scared to death. My appt is for May 13th. He is a wonderful surgeon and comes highly recommended. I fear the minute he lays eyes on me he'll be disappointed. So if I have to get both done at once are you sent right to a rehab facility for a week or two? I can't see me coming home right away with bilateral knees done!!

You can go to rehab or come home, you just have to take things very easily.

I wish there were a thread about "wonderful" recoveries instead of just the challenging ones.

there are.

BTKR is indeed a challenge, but it's a manageable challenge and all the pain goes away; having two bad needs is forever

 

[Jozilla]

I am having my second knee done in September - 9 months apart. I a probably one of the odd ones in saying I am glad I did it this way. I did consider btkr but in my case with my health history my surgeon was against it. He did think however I would get more time out of the unoperated knee. I do have to say in my case that knee is painful and yes holding me back a little. One knee feels amazing and one does not. If you do not want to get them done together I would suggest close together.

The bad knee has served me well during recovery but it cannot wait to feel like the tkr does! Consider all your options. Remember if you do them separately you will need two recoveries and recovery is slow!

Good luck with your decision!


RTKR - 9th December, 2013

 

[sunflower]

Hi Flash, I didn't have bilateral knee replacement but I did get both knees replaced and I am more than pleased with my recovery. When I had my first TKR, I was in a joint care camp on the orthopedic floor of the hospital. Of the 6 joint replacement patients, I was the youngest and participated the least in terms of ambulating in the halls outside of the twice daily PT regimen. I was simply too groggy and sore and stayed in my room. Meanwhile, the older patients (who were in the 60's and 70's) were enjoying strolls in the halls and feeling less pain and discomfort. I was the only one that cried during PT~not from the discomfort but because I simply became emotional from the narcotics. My OS told me that as a younger patient I would be stronger but I would feel more pain than the older patient. And he was right!

So you have an advantage for having a knee replacement at your age.

 

[kymammovanner]

It sounds as if I'm one of the few who had my knee replacements done separately, but closely together. (7 weeks apart) Probably whichever decision you make, you will be happy with. There are pros and cons to each way; one surgery, one rehab, etc. if done together. Done separately, you always have one sort-of-good knee, which I suspect makes getting around after a whole lot easier. (Both times I was walking without a walker or cane within 10 days.) Plus, PT on one knee can be kind of hard sometimes; glad I didn't have to double that fun every time I went!! I'm 15 weeks out on one, 8 on the other, and glad I did mine separately.
BTW, not that this has anything to do with your decision, but today I parked in a handicapped spot, since that's all I could find anywhere close, and I have the permit. I thought to myself that the permit would have come in a lot handier in the 2 months BEFORE my surgeries, since walking was so much more painful then than it is now! Yay for new knees!

 

[kneeper]

If one knee is not "ready" I doubt your surgeon would do a btkr. My second knee was definitely on the decline when I had the first one done. However, I think for me btkr would not have been a good option given how deconditioned I was and with my RA. It was good to have one relatively good leg. It was a wonderful feeling as I recovered when my "bad" knee became my good one.

 

[midwest girl]

Plus, PT on one knee can be kind of hard sometimes;

I'm curious to know why that is, PT with one knee that is. I would think it would be easier to only have to do PT on one knee.

 

[kymammovanner]

PT can be kind of hard, especially at first. You'll notice no one on Bonesmart writes about how much fun it is!! It IS easier to do PT on one knee at a time-that's what I meant. Doing PT on both knees every time you go for therapy would be twice as difficult I would imagine. (That's what I meant by the second half of the sentence-it really wouldn't be double the fun! More like double the work.)

 

[JustJeff]

We are for the most part all success stories, just different timelines, based on myriad reasons.

For My height, Nevermind my muscle mass, they say I should weigh 155. Ha! A good normal weight for me is 190. Well in recent years (the last decade) with my knees going bad I was a lot more sedentary.

At surgery (a month, tomorrow) I was at 268!

I had both done at once. My best decision! I was only in rehab for 4 days, including the weekend before they kicked me out, only using a walker.
A week after that, no walker. Going up and down steps. Got the green light to drive at 3 weeks. Life is getting back to ~normal!
AND weighing myself a few minutes ago, since surgery, I dropped 20 lbs.

If I can do it, why can't you?

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[jeano]

I had a "textbook perfect" recovery from PKR late last year and will have the other knee done next Monday (my OS thinks bilaterals are "too brutal".) I, too, am at least six inches too short for my weight. The reason I began to post on bonesmart was because I thought folks might appreciate reading about an uneventful recovery for a change. Bear in mind, there were quite a few alarms and diversions in my thread, which was pretty hilarious if I say so myself, but the actual facts of my knee healing were pretty tame. No serious pain. No complications during the op, and I got to go home the same day. No anticoagulants other than aspirin for a few days. No TED hose, no CPM.
No home health care. OS was so generous with drugs that I still have 82 lortab left over from the amount that was only supposed to get me through the first TWO WEEKS. No infection, minimal scarring, driving in less than a month, back riding horses in 5 weeks, back to work in less than two months. Good ROM. And all of this in a little hospital in a little town, and the OS is not exclusively a knee specialist.

All of which leads me to suspect that good outcomes are perhaps more common than what one might conclude if one was only familiar with dramatic horror stories about botched knee replacements, inadequate pain relief, mean PTs, and people moaning that surgery was the worst decision they ever made. For me, it was a no-brainer to roll the dice and get my mobility back. Nothing short of surgery helped.

 

[Celle]

PT can be kind of hard, especially at first. You'll notice no one on Bonesmart writes about how much fun it is!! It IS easier to do PT on one knee at a time-that's what I meant. Doing PT on both knees every time you go for therapy would be twice as difficult I would imagine. (That's what I meant by the second half of the sentence-it really wouldn't be double the fun! More like double the work.)

PT should not be hard - it should be gentle.

And it should never be painful. Never allow anyone, especially a physiotherapist, to do anything that pushes you beyond discomfort into pain.