TKR Making knee replacement decision

KatMM

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I am 71yr, 6 mo, & my ortho doc told me almost a year ago that I would need partial or total knee replacement down the road. I fractured my patella almost 16 yrs ago so my right knee already has 2 screws in it. I am in pain all the time, but my tolerance is high so I have learned to live with it. Don't take any pain meds except Excedrin or Tylenol. I also have arthritis in my knees, my spine & my fingers. I have had meniscus surgery on both knees (L-2013 & R-2020). Some days are OK but others are pretty bad. I don't consider myself an old person & I have stayed active up till Covid. Every time I think I am ready to schedule surgery, I talk myself out of it. I don't have any serious health issues except that I have gained weight the past several years. I was very skinny most of my adult life but I still managed to sustain a bunch of injuries. I have had 3 knee surgeries & 2 shoulder surgeries in the past & have never had an issue with anesthesia. I've been reading some of the posts which give me some encouragement about having the surgery. I live with someone who is good with helping me with things after surgery. I have several pets so I don't know how I could handle it without his support. I feel unsteady when I walk. If I sit at my computer or take a longish car ride, I am very stiff & have a hard time moving normally. Any advice is appreciated.
 
@KatMM
Welcome to BoneSmart, glad you joined us! :welome:
I feel unsteady when I walk. If I sit at my computer or take a longish car ride, I am very stiff & have a hard time moving normally.
Seems that slowly over time your life has become limited almost with out your noticing.
It may be time to give serious consideration to proceeding with a knee replacement.

I am going to give you our pre op reading, be sure to take the score chart so you can see clearly how limited your life has become.

New BoneSmart members like you are in various stages of their journey to joint replacement. Making the decision whether or not to have surgery and preparing for surgery can be easier once you have done your research and know what lies ahead. Here are some tools that can help you decide what is best 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?


Regardless of where you are in the process, the website and app My Knee Guide can help you stay organized and informed. The free service keeps all the information pertaining to your surgery and recovery in one place on your smartphone. It is intended to be a personal support tool for the entire process.

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
 
IMHO I strongly suggest go for it, life at any age is worth enjoying especially pain free. Like you I had a high pain tolerance and put off my surgery, eventually the gel injections etc ceased to work and I underwent surgery a year ago, the BEST decision I ever made, Yesterday (1 year post surgery) I hiked to a start of a waterfall high in the mountains and I achieved my goal, life is rosy once again. :flwrysmile:
 
These were some of the things I considered, many may not apply to you but I hope they help anyway.

- if your knees rule your life , it's time
- take charge, don't be dictated to; it's your knee, your future
- don't believe in either horror stories or miraculous recoveries that happened to 'a friend of a friend'
- there is no such thing as too young or too heavy or even obese for TKR
- choose a specialist surgeon who does several hundred TKRs a year. Ask the nurses, if you can; they know who's best
- all replacement knees are very similar, don't believe that a special new one will give magical recovery -- it's the skill of the surgeon that counts
- if you need two done, think carefully about the time gap between surgeries, it's not a trivial decision
- try to plan for at least 12 weeks off work
- your recovery is your time to be selfish and idle; plan to embrace this, you'll need it
- don't think you can work hard (even if you're an athlete ) to speed recovery, healing works at its own pace
- look at our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thread and for full reference the Library index.

- finally, if there's any part of this that you aren't clear about, ask here; it's what BoneSmart's for.
 
Your post is making me feel better. I’ve been really worried about having surgery due to my weight. And I’ve also read and heard a lot of horror stories... which is why I put it off to the point I’m at now that I literally can’t walk 5 feet without grabbing on to something.
I was only planning 1week off work and then week 2 work from home because I’m afraid the 25 stairs to my office will be to hard and then week 3 back In the office.
im scheduled for December15th. I just scheduled it and I keep questioning myself.... so my point is that your post does help me feel a bit better.
 
@Cococay - You've now planned major surgery, and I'm glad you have, because you obviously need it.

But I think you are being over-optimistic about how soon you will be able to go back to work. WE usually recommend taking about 12 weeks off and then doing a Phased return to work

At only one week post-op, you will still be needing to rest most of the time. Almost all of your body's energy will be directed towards healing your knee and there will be very little left for anything else. You'll be suffering from the post-op energy drain and you won't be thinking clearly.
Energy drain for TKRs

Have a look at this article, to see what you can expect to be able to do during the early weeks of recovery: Activity progression for TKRs

This is a year-long recovery, although you'll be able to do most things long before the year is up.
 
I 100% agree with Celle; if you can, please plan for a much longer period of off-work recovery.
 
I agree also that you will need more time to rest up PO. I sounded like you thinking I would be up and ready to bike 20 miles, eat out etc. after the first week. I was bummed that I was very limited on energy and mood to do much of anything lol. I was a very active person before my TKR as I biked 20 miles every other day up to surgery. I do believe it helped me tremendously on the recovery side because I needed no outside PT. Ice and elevation was my best friend during the first 30 days And feel good as new now. You might want to rethink the PO plan but I do hope you recover very quickly Like I did. My TKR was 6-18-20. God Bless!
 

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