TKR First time poster

DEL2020Mar-10

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Hi all, first time poster. I am a 51 year old male. I fell at work in late march of 2019. I had surgery to repair a torn Meniscus from the fall. After the surgery the doctor told me I had arthritis that he scraped out during the surgery. I never knew I had arthritis until after the surgery. Approximately six weeks after the surgery I was in steadily growing more pain in September I asked the doctor for the second MRI which showed bone on bone. I’ve had two Cortizone shots since October 2019. On Sunday I traveled to a city about about 2 1/2 hours away from my home I stayed in the city for about three hours and then turned around and drove the 2 1/2 hours back home. When I got out of the vehicle at home I can hardly walk pain so intense I have had this pain since Sunday. I am due to be fitted for a brace and my surgeon is checking to see if my insurance will pay for gel shots. Has anybody else felt this intense pain that comes out of nowhere? My surgeon is taking the track of telling me I need the replacement, but he will not tell me when, he’s telling me is that for me to decide I’m very confused.
 
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I am so sorry you are in so much pain. My Dr. basically said the same thing as far as that it is my decision. I think that is the safe answer for them to give so they will not be accused of trying to talk someone into something. I guess you have to ask yourself- how much it is impacting your quality of life. Which it sounds like it is. It is a tough decision to make and the recovery is a long haul. At least you have this great resource, BoneSmart to help you ahead of your decision. Keep us posted.
 
thanks for your responce. Have you had your knee replaced? If so, how long did you put it off?
 
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@DEL2020Mar-10 Welcome to BoneSmart! I am afraid if your knee is bone on bone there is nothing you can do to get rid of the pain except TKR. And it is not unusual for a joint to go from tolerable to horrid very quickly. Unfortunately injections, gel and a brace are not going to stop this process.

It's a tough decision but I really hope you can come to terms with getting that knee replaced as soon as possible.
 
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I just worry about how my life will change, what I won't be able to do anymore, what if the surgery goes bad and I'm in more pain after than before.
 
Ah - but let's turn that around and ask if all goes well what will you be able to do that you can't do now?

Most TKRs are successful. It might not seem that way reading here. Just remember for every member who is posting about a problem post op there are literally thousands who have had this surgery and are out living life again.

Having lived through literally years of bone on bone pain I can confirm it is the worst pain you can endure. Life is too short to plan activities around pain.

I'm going to tag my colleague @Roy Gardiner . He had bilateral TKRs and is now an avid cyclist.
 
Hello DEL2020Mar-10. I feel your pain literally as I have been going through the same issues as you have been. I'm 52 with multiple injuries to both knees over the past 30+ years and it was just a couple years ago that I awoke with severe knee pain with no recent trauma so it came out of nowhere and fast. Since that time I have had physio, cortisone x 2, synvisc injection and a scope to remove a large piece of meniscus. I am currently on LTD and doing 24 hrs a week of modified duties as tolerated. Life kinda sucks at the moment as my quality of life and work has been severely compromised. I did lots of research, saw 4 OS's that all told me the same news I did not want to hear and that was there is no other option but to have bilateral knee replacements. I was completely floored thinking my life will never be what it once was before the pain but after reading many testimonials here on this forum I am seeing things in a more positive way. I expect to have surgery early summer and will plan to return to work if all goes well before the new year. These are the years we want to be active and enjoying life as who knows what tomorrow will bring. I am looking forward to being pain free someday soon.
 
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Hello @DEL2020Mar-10 and :welome:.
As Jaycey said, your knee isn't going to get better without having it replaced. There is no alternative, apart from living with increasing pain and disability.

Have a look at this score chart, to see how much your knee is impacting your life now:
Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic knee?

And then look at some of the stories here, to see what people have been able to do with artificial knees:
Stories of amazing knee recoveries

I was about the age you are now and I waited far too long before having my first knee replacement, because my surgeon thought I was "too young". I waited for 9 long, painful years, during which time my life became smaller, until I was almost a house-bound invalid. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

When I finally told my surgeon "I can't stand this any longer," he did the replacement.

I think that's what your surgeon could have meant when he said you would tell him when to do it. Surgically, your knee is ready for replacement, but your surgeon needs to be assured that you are physically and mentally prepared for what is a major surgery and a long recovery. (But getting it done is so worth it in the end!)
 
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thank you so much for your reply. I been off work for a day and a half to to the sudden intense pain that started on Sunday. I very concerned that at age 51 I am too young.
 
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Well the surgeon who is going to perform my surgery stated to me "your too young to be in this much pain". When I heard that comment I knew I had found the right guy. My knee pain all started in the left knee and by last summer while on vacation which entailed towing a travel trailer across a couple states the pain in my knee was unbearable for the first 20 minutes after I got behind the wheel then it would settle down. When we stopped and I got out OMG I could barely stand let alone walk. Walking and hiking were and still are painful so to be honest my family vacation was not a lot of fun. In the past year my right knee is equally as bad as the left and I have come to the realization I've had enough and just want this circus to end. Very nervous about having a bilateral replacement but I am so looking forward to the day when I can do all the things I want to do and be relatively pain free.
 
Please keep me updated about your progress. I have noticed that my left knee s starting to hurt more and more each day, still nowhere near the pain in my right knee. I know I need to lose a little weight I am 5'11" 235. I struggle trying to drop weight because It hurts to exercise.
 
I very concerned that at age 51 I am too young.
No, you're not too young. Nowadays, knee replacements can last for more than 20 years, and some are even predicted to last 30+ years.

Joint replacement is no longer just for old people. Having a knee replaced will give you back an active life. You don't have to wait around, in pain, like I had to.
 
Knee replacement is elective surgery so you must decide when the time is right, for me it's been over 10 years of getting steadily worse I can't walk the mall or go to Disney world because I can't walk or go up stairs or down stairs, I am very scared but on 3/3/20 I will have my right right knee done, I totally understand how you feel read around Bone Smart it's very helpful. Good luck.
 
Good luck to you,I hope all goes well. I look forward to hearing more about your surgery and recovery.
 
@DEL2020Mar-10 The decision to have my Right PKR done on 10/3/98 was difficult. For me it came down to not being able to keep up with my wife while walking on the beach, on vacation. I knew at that point I needed to have a knee replacement. I spent most of the rest of the vacation investigating options, not fun. Less than a year later I was walking that same beach, pain free!!!!! Was the recovery a pain, yes, was it worth it YES!!!

Now a year and a half later my left knee has failed. It was bone on bone when I had my right done, it just did not hurt yet. After the 2nd pain flair up, where my comfortable ROM went from 130 to less than 60 degrees. I decided it was time to get the left done. Just waiting on a surgery date.....

I am 10 years your senior, but I am still VERY active. I had a partial for my Right, other than slight restrictions, it feels very normal to me.

If you have gotten to the point where your knee pain is effecting you quality of life. It is time to decide how you want to live the rest of your life.
Good luck with your decision process!!
Rick
 
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Hello! First, you aren’t too young. Second, shots are usually a band aid. They may make you feel better but they can’t fix bone on bone.
I admit, I’m a ”fixer” and preferred to get the issue fixed. My surgeons told me not to wait too long as you can become more debilitated, possibly making rehab harder.
I was 57 when 8 had my TKR, had both hips replaced before that!
 
I will say I sort of feel like I've found a home here, at least a bunch on kindred spirits. I was measured for a brace today. I was told that the cost, if custom is 2K before insurance and if not custom 1,600 before insurance. Still waiting to find out if insurance is going to pay for the gel shots. went back to work today pain still very intense. must pain I've had in my life. still weighing my options by every day leaning more toward TKR.
 
I was offered a brace but I never accepted it as even the surgeon didn't think it would help much if at all. I have a typical skiers knee in that they are worn away completely on both lateral and medial sides so much so that a high tibial osteotomy was not an option . Synvisc injection did not work at all and actually caused me more discomfort. Cortisone worked for a week each time I had it then pain came back almost immediately.
 
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