MissViv18 is here!

MissViv18

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Hello,

New here and looking for inspiration and advice. I am a 66 year old female who has had knee pain for about six years. I was able to continue working for until age 63 (with cortisone shots) and then they quit working and I had to take early retirement. My job was a store manager and I worked long hours on my feet.

A rheumatologist put me on prednisone (which was great no pain) and that is where I have been until now. Now … the prednisone is no longer working. I returned to my ortho dr. and received the cortisone shots, in both knees, again. This was a little over 2 weeks ago and they did nothing to relieve the pain. Dr. says I have severe arthritis in both knees and xrays now show bone on bone so my body is ready for knee replacement surgery (not sure my mind is).

I am scheduled for another appointment to get the Rooster Shots (anyone had any experience with these). I will be getting them in both knees. Hoping to postpone surgery until the winter.
 
Hello and welcome! If your knees are bone on bone, they won't get better, and over time will get worse. IMHO, your surgery shouldn't be put off until winter as the worse our knees are before surgery, the worse they are during surgery. You need the surgery and putting it off only delays the inevitable, plus more months of the bone-on-bone grinding will just mean that much more repair work needed, and the more pain you'll have every day, and the more damage done not only to your knees, but the surrounding tissues, ligaments, whatever, by limping badly and/or doing less due to the pain. I know my left knee, which is perfectly fine, was very irritated by my limping, as was my back. I don't think our minds are ever ready for this surgery, but we just have to do what we need to do; which is get the TKR asap.
 
Welcome to Bonesmart!

Cortisone shots never worked for me, and neither did the rooster shot, but it may work for you.

Best wishes as you figure out what’s best for you.
 
My left knee was bone on bone had synvise, cortisone injection, put replacement off for 4 years. When you are ready for surgery, you will know. I waited for situations in my life to” align’.
My recovery was trouble free, regain my ambulatory life back. Advanced arthritis of the knee, never get cured without surgery.
After finally scheduled the surgery, I busy with preparation! Getting my clothing ready, freezing food, exercising and preparing my nest for recovery.
 
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I had the Synvisc ("rooster shot") a few years before my tkr and it helped for a while. But my rheumatologist told me that it tends to work best before the knee is too far gone.
 
Hello @MissViv18 - and :welome:

Filling in this score chart may help you to decide how bad your knees are, and whether you should wait until winter to have them replaced.
Score chart: how bad is my arthritic hip/knee

Honestly, if the other shots haven't helped your knees, it's unlikely that the rooster shots will help. Once they are bone on bone, nothing is going to stop them from getting worse.
 
Hi MissViv and welcome!

My knees sound like yours and I was also a retail manager for years and years.

I’m having both knees replaced in October and can honestly say they have gotten much worse in the last 60 days. I’m really sorry I waited for a year.

As lovetocookandsew said it doesn’t pay to wait. You will know when to have the surgery when it gets too painful.
 
My surgeon indicated the general rule is not to do a replacement within 3 months of a cortisone shot so you're looking at September before you can have surgery anyway. I wanted to put my second tkr off until January but was convinced to do it in July for a variety of reasons but the main one is that it's difficult to tell how quickly knees will deteriorate in a relatively short period of time. Probably waited too long to have the first one and don't want to make that mistake again because of the cascading problems which develop if you start limping, are in severe pain, etc. all the time. It takes some time to get used to the idea mentally and emotionally. When I asked my doctor when I knew I would be ready for a replacement, he said "when you're in constant pain, can't sleep, can't do the things you want to do and are ready to have your life back, you'll be begging us to put you on the surgical schedule".
 
The first time I got Synvisc shots, it helped me a lot. The second time not much. If you want to buy some time, it’s worth trying... just know that if your knees are bad enough to need TKR, they aren’t going to get better. Look at it as buying time only. If the shots work, you might be okay until winter. Best of luck!
 
Hello MissViv18 and Welcome! I had the synvisc injections that you get over a three week period. This was last year April 2017 . The first one felt great, but the two thereafter did not do much. At my follow-up appt, the ortho went ahead and gave me steroid injection plus had me do PT for 4 weeks 2 times a week. That helped a lot. But then the pains came back gradually. To the point where one day in October 2017 I was at work got up from desk and found that I could not put any weight on my knee. I really panic as I did not know how I was gonna get myself to the garage to my car. I did not use a cane or crutches at that time. I was lucky to see my ortho the next day and he did an MRI thinking maybe I fractured my knee. I didn't it was just the disease advancing really quick. I was bone on bone . At that appt I received a steroid injection but it really did not help. Just took the edge off. He indicated I needed a replacement, but rather than scheduling within 3 mos out I chose much much longer it was scheduled this October . Here I am waiting and losing out on living a normal life. But my day will be here soon. Sorry this post is so long.
 
Going for the Rooster shots, in both knees, this morning. Praying and hoping that this works and bides me some time.

I am trying to get a referral for a Orthopedic Surgeon in Nashville, TN and still to do not have an appointment. The local surgeon here can do it (small town) but I wanted a second opinion and maybe better surgeon (my neighbor used the one in Nashville).

I'll let you know how the shots work!! Send good thoughts my way, please!!
 
Hope the injections give you relief. :flwrysmile:

It’s always best to get the most qualified surgeon you can find. That a surgeon has a reference is a good start!
 
Back from the Dr. The brand of Rooster shots I received were Moncvisc. That is the one that my insurance approved. I only had to pay the $40 co-payment. They weren't very painful - less pain than the cortisone shots but they were given to me by a NP who is VERY GOOD with shots. The cortisone shots were given to me by the Dr.

Looked up the reviews and they are mixed, hoping for a good result.

Didn't mention in my introduction, but I have reservations to go to Walt Disney World with my daughter and my two young adult grandsons in October - Halloween week, in fact. If these shots do not relieve my pain, we will have to cancel and go next year. Surgery will be in my forecast VERY SOON!

Back later with more results! Resting as much as possible today and tomorrow.
 
Not a bad idea to check out the surgeon in Nashville. There are good surgeons in smaller cities, but it's important to do your best to check out your doc options and the hospital you'd be dealing with.
 
I have reservations to go to Walt Disney World with my daughter and my two young adult grandsons in October - Halloween week, in fact. If these shots do not relieve my pain, we will have to cancel and go next year.
It may be possible to still go, if you rent a mobility scooter at Disney World. I now that people have done that after their surgery, and found it worked well.
 
Knees are really sore today but I expected that. Trying to stay off of them as much as possible. Hubby is helping!!
 
Yes, I have thought about renting a scooter. They will deliver to your resort.
 
It has been almost a week since I received the shots and so far no relief. The doctor did say it could take up to six weeks (why so long). Anyway, I now have an appointment with a surgeon in Nashville but first available appt. was 10/22. I am in a lot of pain. Using ice and voltaren gel. Cannot go shopping for very long. Walking in Wal-Mart is painful.
 
I had one Synvise injection 3-4 weeks before a vacation that required a lot of walking. Kept waiting for results that never happened.
 
Although I was also told it would take six weeks to see full results from my Synvisc shots, I felt some relief in the first few weeks and really good relief for the next several months. That was the first series of shots, six years ago. The next set of shots gave me much less relief, but again I did feel some benefit from the early days and a small relief for a few months. The last set of shots, six months before my surgery, gave me no relief at all, not at first and not at all later.

If your knees are too far gone the shots, which lubricate the joint, can’t help. :sad:

Keep using the ice and whatever painkillers work for you while you look for a good surgeon. I often say that by the time I had surgery I wanted nothing more in the world than to have my knees cut out. It gets that bad. I’m sorry you’re having that pain. But you can make it through. Finding the right surgeon is the best move you can make for yourself right now. :console2: The good ones tend to be booked for months. I made my decision in early November, got an appointment in late February, and scheduled for May. Just take it one step at a time.
 

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