TKR Clock is ticking!

[Hippalong]

I am almost nine months out. I would say my experience was not as easy as I would have liked. I worked too hard right after surgery so it’s good you have found this site. I had my right knee done. I was worried it would flare up all my left side problems, especially was worried about my sciatica. What actually happened is my left side has never been better. Probably since I don’t walk crooked any more. My lower back has also been better.

Hi its nice to hear you ended up with a positive outcome and I never looked at it that way and it does make lots of sense! We do walk with a weird 'gait' to compensate for a damaged hip or knee but once the joint is replaced it does make perfect sense that we must walk straighter/ less twisted. Thankyou for your positive feedback

 

[Nekocarlo]

Hi Hippalong, although I don’t have the hip issues you have, I wanted you to know that my concerns about pain from my TKR (almost 11 weeks ago) were largely unfounded, pain was well controlled as long as i strictly followed the medication schedule. There was discomfort but my surgery 25 years ago to repair broken foot (with screws) was much more painful. for the TKR I was given propofil?, a spinal and a nerve block in my thigh that lasted a couple of days.
my problem is getting my rom back, and Im partly to blame because once I started to improve I overdid it (on my own, not at pt) and set myself back. I then had an mua. I was so frightened of that but it wasn’t bad, was back in pt that afternoon. I’ve been very lucky from a pain and sleep standpoint, and although it’s too early to tell how successful the mua will be, my pt sees slow but steady progress and I’m very hopeful.

 

[lrj]

Does anyone recommend the mini excercise bikes please, for use while sitting?

I had one of these before surgery. Used it after surgery too. Started at the lowest speed and for a short amount of time. Didn't start for about a week. Helped loosen things up before I stood up to walk.

 

[lrj]

because my surgeon tried to put me off with various things like my age (63)

I was 35 and was being told to wait till I'm 60. I couldn't take care of things around the house. I couldn't sleep. I was in so much pain. Had to travel 6 hours to find a doctor who would do the surgery. First one at 36, second 3 months later at 37.
My mom said her aunt went through similar, but didn't have options. Because of her pain, she couldn't be active and her health deteriorated. By the time she was "old enough" she wasn't healthy enough for surgery.
The surgeon who did my surgery said they typically still wait till people are older. Not because the implants won't last, which is what the reason used to be. He said younger patients more frequently say it feels unnatural and then become less active. That's part of the reason I had a partial instead of total. Each knee has it's own quirk, but I can do stuff again!

 

[Hippalong]

Does anyone recommend the mini excercise bikes please, for use while sitting?

I had one of these before surgery. Used it after surgery too. Started at the lowest speed and for a short amount of time. Didn't start for about a week. Helped loosen things up before I stood up to walk.

I might very well invest in one! They sound quite the bit of kit, only 4 weeks to go so I better start soon haha. Thankyou for your mssg

 

[Hippalong]

because my surgeon tried to put me off with various things like my age (63)

I was 35 and was being told to wait till I'm 60. I couldn't take care of things around the house. I couldn't sleep. I was in so much pain. Had to travel 6 hours to find a doctor who would do the surgery. First one at 36, second 3 months later at 37.
My mom said her aunt went through similar, but didn't have options. Because of her pain, she couldn't be active and her health deteriorated. By the time she was "old enough" she wasn't healthy enough for surgery.
The surgeon who did my surgery said they typically still wait till people are older. Not because the implants won't last, which is what the reason used to be. He said younger patients more frequently say it feels unnatural and then become less active. That's part of the reason I had a partial instead of total. Each knee has it's own quirk, but I can do stuff again!

Hi sorry for the delayed reply! You are/were very young to be having all that surgery. I hope it was al worth it? As for the Age thing you definitely need to weigh up all the information you have at hand, as your Mom's poor Aunt discovered, waiting isn't always a good thing. I have other joints that are problematic and will only worsen with time, so although I'm not the worst case, the surgery is still necessary for me. A partial knee replacement wasn't recommended for me as I would need revision surgery at some point after that? I'm sure it will feel 'Alien' at first, as my hip did but you do get used to it. I hope all is well with your knew knees! Take care

 

[DizzyBlond]

@Hippalong and @lrj When you mention a mini exercise bike, I’m wondering exactly what you mean. Is this something that could be used while seated on a chair? I think I’ve seen something like that advertised on TV, but not sure if that’s what you’re both referring to.

 

[Hippalong]

@Hippalong and @lrj When you mention a mini exercise bike, I’m wondering exactly what you mean. Is this something that could be used while seated on a chair? I think I’ve seen something like that advertised on TV, but not sure if that’s what you’re both referring to.

Yes its a small unit with pedals so you can sit whilst exercising, I've heard they're quite good, but they range in price so I'm reading reviews before buying haha!

 

[DizzyBlond]

@Hippalong Thank you! I’ll be waiting to hear what you find out!

 

[lrj]

@Hippalong and @lrj When you mention a mini exercise bike, I’m wondering exactly what you mean. Is this something that could be used while seated on a chair? I think I’ve seen something like that advertised on TV, but not sure if that’s what you’re both referring to.

I bought mine to sit at my desk at work. My aunt uses one while knitting. Look on Amazon for under desk elliptical.

 

[Hippalong]

Hi @Clementine30 And welcome to the July sparklers!! My Op is the 8th so you're a little ahead. Hope you are feeling ok, it is a bit nerve wracking though, the wait is always the worst

 

[Hippalong]

Right TKR scheduled for July 25. Pretty freaked out right now, but reading and learning everything I can.

Hi there
I think being freaked out is definitely a common pre op problem. I have read lots, some of it good some not so good but at least on here you get the most helpful information from those who are living through it first hand! Hopefully our time will go quickly and we'll soon be on the road to recovery

 

[Jockette]

@Hippalong I‘ve moved a couple of your posts, above, out of the Monthly team thread as we reserve that thread for surgery date information, and so members can see who else has surgery the same month.

I love that you are so friendly and supportive of the other members in the same month as you, but Bonesmart prefers all other comments and discussion to take place in a pre op or recovery thread, such as this one. Since you tagged and/or quoted the members, they will see it here, and can reply to you here.
Enjoy interacting with others who are on the same journey, here in this thread.

 

[Hippalong]

Sorry @Jockette, I didnt realise I had posted on wrong thread, I blame brain fog and nerves lol. Hopefully I'll get it right next time

---

 

[Jockette]

@Hippalong No problem, it’s great to see you interacting and encouraging others!

 

[RatherbeCamping]

I am in the same situation, scheduled for TKR next month and questioning if I reallly need. I’ve been to four surgeons and all had the same view yes surgery is warranted, but right now the pain is tolerable and not terrible. I keep thinking that maybe I should not have this surgery and face an even more horrible painful recovery, but then again I’m not getting younger. Getting more worried very day.

 

[mendogal]

@RatherbeCamping
Welcome to BoneSmart! Would you like to start your own preop thread to explore this?
Just go to here and click the big orange rectangular button.

About your concern, I had posted this earlier today:

As a community health nurse working with seniors, I saw many people who delayed their TKRs until they could barely walk and as a result had lost so much muscle mass, muscle tone, and stamina that they couldn't reap the benefits of the new knee. It made me opt for earlier rather than later.

It's 100% a quality of life issue, so each of us has our unique priorities... there's no "one size fits all" answer.

 

[Hippalong]

I am in the same situation, scheduled for TKR next month and questioning if I reallly need. I’ve been to four surgeons and all had the same view yes surgery is warranted, but right now the pain is tolerable and not terrible. I keep thinking that maybe I should not have this surgery and face an even more horrible painful recovery, but then again I’m not getting younger. Getting more worried very day.

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear you are having doubts. It's a very tough decision to make but as @mendogal says if we leave it too long it can affect the outcome. I have pondered, worried, asked questions and researched and ultimately assessed my overall health situation. I decided its the best time to have the Op, I still have my doubtful days but I know its the right thing for me. Doesn't stop me worrying but I am hopefully prepared! I wish you well on your journey

 

[Hippalong]

Hi Hippalong, although I don’t have the hip issues you have, I wanted you to know that my concerns about pain from my TKR (almost 11 weeks ago) were largely unfounded, pain was well controlled as long as i strictly followed the medication schedule. There was discomfort but my surgery 25 years ago to repair broken foot (with screws) was much more painful. for the TKR I was given propofil?, a spinal and a nerve block in my thigh that lasted a couple of days.
my problem is getting my rom back, and Im partly to blame because once I started to improve I overdid it (on my own, not at pt) and set myself back. I then had an mua. I was so frightened of that but it wasn’t bad, was back in pt that afternoon. I’ve been very lucky from a pain and sleep standpoint, and although it’s too early to tell how successful the mua will be, my pt sees slow but steady progress and I’m very hopeful.

I'm sorry I somehow missed your post! You sound like you've done extremely well and are hopefully well on the road to recovery. It's lovely to hear a positive outcome from TKR surgery (apart from you overdoing it) but that too shows a positive strength of mind!