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KarenS777

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I'm so glad I found this forum! I've been reading for several days, but decided it was time to register and get involved.

I'm 47, and sometimes it seems like I've spent the last 35+ years singlemindedly abusing my knees. I was a figure skater as a kid, until a fall (playing hockey with the boys) when I was 13 sidelined me with torn cartilage. I had lousy ankles anyway, so my Mom nudged me into doing something else. So I picked horseback riding. Brilliant! I never had a riding-related injury to speak of, though I earned my share of falls and throws. In my 20s I took up cross-country skiing and backpacking. My home state of PA is FULL of rocks on the Appalachian Trail. I know, I've tripped over most of them. ;)

Longer story short, I've always been somewhat physical, but as I got older I became more sedentary. Over the last 10 years, I've had "knee problems" like sharps pains, aches, stiffness, and increasing muscle spasms. Three years ago I talked with my family doctor about it. He sent me for MRI's which revealed a torn meniscus in my left knee (the biggest troublemaker), some old torn cartilage, and a lot of cartilage loss laterally. He sent me to a local ortho who told me I was bone-on-bone, but too young for TKR.

He basically made it sound hopeless until I was magically old enough. My regular doc put me on Mobic, which started out helping really well. Last year I had a travel situation that sent me home virtually crawling and begging for surgery NOW. I managed to buy time with cortisone shots and a series of Supartz injections, which helped amazingly well.

I got cortisone injections again in December, then did some more stupid stuff (camping and slogging through mud) again this February, which sent me back for something more last week. I was hoping for another series of the Supartz injections but my doctor said 'enough' and time to talk TKR.

Honestly, I'm thrilled. I feel like I've done what I should to appease my insurance (with some positive time-buying results) but I'm sick of hurting, sick of 'finding my feet' whenever I stand up, and sick of hobbling up and down stairs every day. I'm only 47 and I'm tired of hurting like this and having to thing about what I can or can't do each day.

I have an appointment for a consult with a well-known surgeon on Friday. I'd happy dance if I could. I'm sure he'll tell me to lose weight and exercise some more. This latest round of cortisone hasn't helped as much, but I'm more than willing to hit the gym and do whatever it takes, I just wish it didn't hurt so much. It's such a Catch-22!

I need to read up some more, but I think I know what to look for in a good surgeon (I was a medical assistant for 15 years). I'm leaning towards technique vs. gadgets. I'd love to hear any comments about minimally invasive techniques, though. What are the real recovery differences, etc?

Thanks for being here. :)
 
Hi karen and welcome in! i had a torn miniscus as well, but the same knee was bone on bone. The Os i was seeing then said wouldn't bother fixing miniscus because I should just do whole knee. But because I was so young, younger than you, I should hold out as long as I could and try to loose weight. Well, that was a year ago and I was to POINT WHERE i DIDN'T DO ANYTHING BUT SIT ON THE COUCH AND WATCH tv, SO WEIGHT loss was not going to happen and in the mean time the other knee quit. I now know also that putting off surgery only damages things more so that recovery when you finally do replace the joint is harder. My worse knee is behind the other. Muscles stop getting used, compensation distorts things etc. ...Long and the short of it, I found a dr that knew better living and moving now thqn sitting in pain waiting to get "old enough" for this surgery. My Bi-lat was 2 weeks ago today and i am doing great. First I thank God for the ease and speed of my recovery and i'm also grateful to have found this board as well. The info here is irreplaceable and the humor and friendships sanity saving.
When you see the doc fri. don't let him brush you off for weight & age. As it was put to me, cry if you have to. that wasn't hard in my case. and go to the next one if he does. we hurt too much and have tried too hard to suffer. Best and keep us updated. jen
 
Wecome Karen. Ditto to what Jenn said. I heard that the Knee replacements nowadays last longer than they used to, so to heck with waiting until you are older. Life is short enough. Because of waiting I put on more wait as I couldn't hike etc. any more. Heck I couldn't even shop anymore. Always loved to walk through the malls, even if it was only window shopping. Enough is enough! These OS's are usually fit and healthy and don't know what real pain is. So, stick to your guns and get it done.

Keep in touch!! Sue
 
Karen, your story is such a familiar one with the members of our group! You are wise to be assertive in your medical treatment. You know what is BEST for YOU! I am a little older than you are (59), but still what the medical community terms "young" for this surgery. I went to three doctors before I found "the ONE." Don't give up. You'll know when you find the right person. And, I truly believe the choice of surgeon is THE single most important thing to ensure success. In my case, the immediate relief of having a stable knee again was fabulous. No amount of pain experienced in recovery to me is worse than what you are currently feeling. Stick with us and let us know how you are doing. We care about you and are here to support you in whatever you are going through. ....Jamie
 
Karen, welcome to BoneSmart. Glad you decided to join us. Don't forget to take a look at the thread How to choose a surgeon and a prosthesis as it contains all my useful tips and pertinent questions to ask your OS before you make your final selection.
 
Karen,
Welcome from another 47 year old Karen. I had my first tkr 6 months ago. I see my doctor on Thursday and plan to schedule the next knee. I too saw a doctor that said I was too young and I put off surgery until I was almost in a wheel chair. Trust me, there is no reason to let it go this far. I am very happy with my new knee and the loss of the bone on bone pain. Good luck finding the right doctor!

Pain has no age! Welcome again! Karen
 
Thanks so much for the warm welcome!

Well, I saw my surgeon-to-be on Friday! It was a remarkably quick appointment. I had x-rays beforehand, his nurse took my history, he came in, looked at my x-rays and told me it was "good you came to me, I can fix this!" LOL

He explained my x-rays...I have bone on bone and early bone loss on the lateral aspect of the knee. Curiously, the medial aspect isn't so bad. He pointed out that my leg is crooked, too! I've always been "knock-kneed and pigeon-toed." I was born with what my Mom called "congenital hip" and had to wear corrective shoes when I was little. Apparently it all started then, and my childhood clumsiness was just a symptom. Who knew!

So, no stalling, no opposition, no "wait til you're older." BUT he wants me to do some pre-op exercising and to lose about 20 pounds. Makes sense to me! I have plans for a short vacation (visiting family back east) in July, so I'm making August my target for another appointment and officially scheduling surgery. I'm headed back to the gym on Wednesday (stuff to do today and tomorrow) to start the exercises, swim laps and hopefully even get back to water aerobics once my endurance is better.

The only "bad" news was something I expected...there's a risk of blood clots post-op. I was treated in the hospital a year ago for bilateral pulmonary emboli (blood clots in both lungs) which were fortunately caught (whew!), and "blamed" on some hormone replacement therapy I'd just started a month prior. I was cleared from that mess in December, but the surgeon wants me back on Coumadin post-op to protect me. I can deal with that! It was a bother but no big deal.

There you have it! Four months to exercise and lose weight, and then I'm on my way!
 
Good news Karen! Nice when our mountains are really only molehills. i do it to. As for blood thinners post-op, I think they all do it in some form as arule. Legs get sensitive that way. i was on lovenox shots initially and then switched to asprin. Keep us posted and enjoy your vacation. Jen
 
Karen, sounds like a plan! You have such a great attitude going in to the surgery, you should do really well on the rehab end. Plus you have found us!! We're here to help you any time you need it. Best of luck and keep posting!! ...Jamie
 
Karen,
Are you planning a TKR or PKR? I also had bone on bone and torn root meniscus with severe bone sclerosis and loss---- but it was only medial and my LATERAL surfaces were not bad.

So my OS did a medial Partial KR instead of TKR. There are some great benefits--- with one of the biggest being that with our ages (I am 4 years older than you) we will most likely need a revision in the future (I am also very active) and it is easier to do a revision from PKR to TKR than from TKR to new TKR. I have had great results with this procedure. Very fast ROM recovery and walked into his office at 10 days post-op with no cane, crutches, or walker. Admittedly, the pain has not been easier--- but in my case there were some complicating factors not related to the knee)

Maybe in your case because of the crooked leg a PKR is not your best option.

Work hard to get ready. It will pay off big time!

Welcome. This is an amazing resource and support!
 
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