Bilateral TKR Joe's Journey

[Hey Joe]

Sup y'all? I've been having seriously achey knees for about 6 months now. They've been getting worse for a number of years. I was a postman with a walking route for 35 years until I retired 4 years ago. Used to to do quite a bit of running in 10Ks, did a couple triathlons and played tennis on hard courts for about 5 years when I had to stop due to my inability to run.

Last October I moved from a tiny condo into a 3 bedroom townhome with lots of stairs. All the walking up and down those dang stairs carrying furniture and boxes sent my knees to the next level. They recovered somewhat but I'm still unable to go down stairs like a regular person. I was willing to put up with it even until it became difficult for me to walk any distance even on flat ground.
I saw my Ortho who is extremely highly regarded. X-rays showed bone on bone in the patelo-femoral compartment bilaterally. We tried HA shots that were of absolutely no help.

We finally did MRIs which showed significant advanced osteoarthritis with fill thickness cartilage loss bilaterally. Being the internet sleuth that I am I started doing some research and found you all here. After reading and following the journeys of you I decided to just get them both dome at the same time.

Still 3 months before surgery so I've got some time to absorb more information and prepare both mentally and physically. I know it's going to be a long road. Will update as the date grows closer but wanted to introduce myself and thank those who have taken the time to post your experiences as it has really given me the confidence to take this step.

 

[Jockette]

Hi and Welcome!

Here are some members who have had bilateral TKRs, check out their recovery journeys.

Knee Surgery Recovery Area

For post-operative knee patients, on the "other side"

bonesmart.org

Here’s some pre op information for you:

If you are at the stage where you have joint pain but don't know for sure if you are ready to have surgery, these links may help:
Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic knee?
Choosing a surgeon and a prosthesis
BMI Calculator - What to do if your surgeon says you're too heavy for joint replacement surgery
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:
Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced knee, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing knee recoveries

 

[Hey Joe]

Surgery date is 3 weeks from today. I've been finishing up all of the pre-op authorizations and I'm ready to go.
Dr convinced my to just do 1 knee at a time and so I agreed. Wondering now if I should have stood my ground and insisted on doing the bilat.
Anyway was in the office last week and saw a person with the telltale knee scar and asked her when her surgery was and how she was doing. She said it was four weeks ago and she's doing great. Had the other one scheduled for 6 weeks. When they called her name to go back she popped up and walked without a limp.

 

[sistersinhim]

I‘ve moved your post 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. We prefer all other comments and discussions to take place in a pre-op or recovery thread, such as this one. So, I’ve started this Recovery Thread for you. Enjoy interacting with others who are on the same journey, here in this thread.

 

[Tentcamper]

@Hey Joe Welcome to the group. Personally I am glad to see you are not doing a bilateral. You need some serious help just functioning with more than 1 brand new knee much less two based on what I've heard. Your friend has had a remarkable recovery! I hope yours goes just as well but each knee and person heals differently. Best of luck!

 

[benne68]

...saw a person with the telltale knee scar and asked her when her surgery was and how she was doing. She said it was four weeks ago and she's doing great. Had the other one scheduled for 6 weeks. When they called her name to go back she popped up and walked without a limp.

Not to be negative but that's an awfully fast recovery -- and it's quite rare. Most of us are still struggling with pain and walking with a cane at 4 weeks.

While everyone is different and every knee is different, I hope you don't set expectations for your own recovery based on her very unusual one.

 

[Hey Joe]

@Hey Joe Welcome to the group. Personally I am glad to see you are not doing a bilateral. You need some serious help just functioning with more than 1 brand new knee much less two based on what I've heard. Your friend has had a remarkable recovery! I hope yours goes just as well but each knee and person heals differently. Best of luck!

I'm sure you're right and I appreciate your response. From reading here I can see that that type of recovery is atypical and I probably won't be that lucky. It's good to know it's possible though and I hold out hope that I get lucky too.

 

[CricketHip]

Dr convinced my to just do 1 knee at a time and so I agreed. Wondering now if I should have stood my ground and insisted on doing the bilat.

@Hey Joe It's best to go with your chosen surgeon's judgement. In this scenario he knows best, right? Or you wouldn't have chosen him.
I hope you are one of the easy recoveries.. just be patient and take things one day at a time and you will do just fine. Do you know which knee will be replaced first? If yes, then we can change your signature reflect that.

 

[Hey Joe]

Dr convinced my to just do 1 knee at a time and so I agreed. Wondering now if I should have stood my ground and insisted on doing the bilat.

@Hey Joe It's best to go with your chosen surgeon's judgement. In this scenario he knows best, right? Or you wouldn't have chosen him.
I hope you are one of the easy recoveries.. just be patient and take things one day at a time and you will do just fine. Do you know which knee will be replaced first? If yes, then we can change your signature reflect that.

Thank you Cricket, I appreciate your input and I agree. That was my exact line of thinking as well.