KarenS777
new member
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.
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.