TKR New, young, and afraid

[Claire56]

Three practical reasons for a bilateral come to mind for you.

1) one recovery
2) you will max out your deductible if you have one, only once.
3) less total time off work (potentially)

My doctor doesn't do bilaterals either and he also said the closest he will do them is 8 weeks.

 

[Tegbennett]

Thank you for responding @Tegbennett. I was diagnosed with early onset arthritis. I am grade 4 Bone on bone in my left knee and grade 3 on my right. I’ve had an MRI on each knee which shows these grades although the MRI were taken for MCL strains i had caused that’s how this whole thing came about. I had no idea i had arthritis prior to these injuries. Later once i was referred to a knee surgeon he took X-rays on both knees and you can see my left knee no longer has any cartilage left and my right has very little. I know that at my age I most likely will have a revision surgery in my future if i were to have surgery now. I also know that in my 13 years of Nursing (not orthopedic Nurse) I have watched people of all ages pass away and I know life is not guaranteed at any age. Quality of life IMO is more important than quantity and I definitely plan on talking to as many surgeons as i can. I already have started the referral process to get a second opinion. May I ask what led you to make the decision of having your surgery at 50? Had you been putting it off for a while?

Hi again, completely understand now why you are being advised to have it done. I had the same mentality as you, it was more important to try and get my quality of life back now that wait years down the line. I had a meniscus tear and had one quarter left plus grade 3 to 4 arthritis. 7 years after injury and having debridements the surgeon agreed to do TKR. He had already told be it was my only option although his colleague had advised an ostiotemy. I had read up alot and knew this wasn't the best option for me. I'm in pain post op but it's a different pain and I have no regrets about having it done (must admit, up to the 2 week mark I was having doubts but that was lack of sleep and not adequate pain control)
I think you know your stuff and have suffered long enough so good luck with your op. I hope to read about your success x

 

[Shortstuff26]

Good luck on your recovery @Tegbennett life is short! Enjoy the hell out of your new knee!

 

[Scaredycat10]

My name might give you some idea of my thoughts on a TKR!

I need both doing but bizarrely, the one which started off as being OK, is the ne which needed the op and had needed it for many years.

My OS said the same as yours. 'You will know'.

And I did. I was beyond scared. I was petrified every time I thought about it. The pain, the rehab, the immobility, the reliance on opiates...you name it, I was petrified of it.

The reality has been very different. Yes I have a very high pain threshold but yours must be reasonable to have put off any op. The pain was controlled and I was off most of the opiates by two weeks. Rehab was VERY uncomfortable to start with and I ignore two exercises which REALLY hurt.
I am a carer so needed to be mobile asap. I had a freind stay with me for four days until I realise I could cope.
I batch cooked for the freezer as I was told I wouldn't be able to cope in the kitchen for a while.

Well I was cooking a full meal as soon as my friend had left. OK, sitting on a stool at times but I coped.

I went with my physio's advice and we started on gentle rehab a week after the op and I haven't looked back.

Ice will be your friend. This forum will be your venting place and your relatives, whoi should be primed to know this op is MAJOR and comments such as 'I thought you'd be OK by now' should be left until at least six months have passed

I was op ready fit, I am regaining that fitness but as one who needs the other knee doing, there is NO way I would have coped with a bilateral.
Even now, I won't contemplate the other knee at the moment. I said neverf again four months ago, now it's 'I'll see how I go'!

Good luck.

 

[Shortstuff26]

Thank you for responding @Scaredycat10 Im glad to hear your recovery is going well. I too am very afraid! Of the pain, the rehab, the expectations of others and what life looks like afterwards. This forum has helped settle this fear slightly. I’ve also spoken to people who’ve had it done and most are happy they got it done so that’s reassuring. When i end up doing surgery i will have both done with the shortest time gap possible. I don’t want to endure recovery two completely separate times. I also believe you’ll do fine when you decide to get the other knee done. You’re surviving what you were afraid of! You can survive again.
I follow your recovery and hope you continue with great results!

 

[Tegbennett]

I was just reading your reply above and wanted to say please don't let anyone else's expectations be a factor. I realised early on that this was my journey for my future and I'm not rushing recovery to impress or appease anyone else.

 

[Shortstuff26]

Thank you for that @Tegbennett As a woman It is sometimes hard for me to put myself first when I’ve been caring and putting others first for what feels like my entire life. Hope you’re doing well with your recovery

 

[Shortstuff26]

I have an appointment for a second opinion April 7th! I will share my results. My primary provider also agreed that a second opinion was in order but she also told me that TKR could be a life changing experience and to not to be hesitant if it’s necessary.

 

[glidefloss]

Hi @Shortstuff26 , I waited 11 years after 2 separate orthopedists recommended both knees be replaced. I was in my early 50s then and had had a number of very good years of running (after having quit basketball due to deteriorating knees and other aches and pains related to playing ball with bad knees.)

I was not mentally ready for replacements and quit running instead and started biking and biking was very good for my knees for many years. I did miss basketball and running but I was still active - until things went downhill very fast and even daily activities were impacted by knee pain.

The attached are the x-rays taken during my visit to the surgeon in late 2021. My right leg was severely bowed then and the left was (still is pending LTKR next month) knock kneed. As the Dr described it, I had "windswept" knees. . Both knees were pretty bone on bone and had lot of debris floating around inside. At this point in time I was all in on getting a replacement and I think that fact is what helped me a lot rehabbing.

Once you get your 2nd opinion, I'm sure you'll be in a better state to make a decision. And whatever your decision is, if you are "all in" on it, I'm sure you'll maximize your chances for success.

Best of luck! There is a lot of active life after TKRs!!

 

[Shortstuff26]

Thank you for sharing your x-rays….OUCH! @glidefloss I also have stopped running and started bike riding. I have to admit that it does help my knees and I want the second opinion just for my own peace of mind. If it turns out that i indeed need a TKR then so be it. Once i feel that my knees are no longer manageable I will have surgery going into it with the most positive attitude and 100% in it to win it!

 

[glidefloss]

I will have surgery going into it with the most positive attitude and 100% in it to win it!

Hi @Shortstuff26 , that attitude will certainly help you recover/rehab ... without a doubt! It won't be easy ... that's for sure ... so the more positive you are and stay, the better off you'll be.

Going into my coming LTKR, I've been working hard on pre-op'ing the leg and the rest of my body (core strengthening, stretching, muscle strengthening, etc). It's easy for me to do this since a lot of the workouts I've been doing are to rehab my right knee and a vast majority of those workouts are not just specific to the right knee.

I've also started compiling a list of things I'll do differently with my LTKR than I did with my RTKR ... lots of tips and suggestions from bonesmart folks and lots of learning from lots of mistakes I made with Knee #1.

Who knows, one of these years, we'll bump into each other on some desert ultra marathon!

 

[Susie-Q]

going into it with the most positive attitude and 100% in it to win it!

I can't remember if I mentioned this before but my first surgeon said this is very important. Going into it with a positive attitude will help a LOT. You are also arming yourself with lots of good information from this site and we will be with you every step of the way. Knowing I had a good outcome the first time made it easy to do it again, especially knowing I would be getting rid of all that pain I was having. I'm just amazed my second knee lasted 10 years after getting the first one done.

 

[glidefloss]

Hi @Shortstuff26 , "new, young, and unafraid" might now be a more appropriate thread title

 

[Shortstuff26]

You are definitely right @glidefloss! Wow, what a difference talking to people who’ve gone through it can make! I was terrified when I first received the diagnosis! I can honestly say that I’m not anymore. I’m thankful there is a solution to my bad knees! And you’re right…. Who knows we may bump into each other on the trail of this life! It’s a small world after all.

Thanks @Susie-Q! I knew nothing before finding this forum! Now my outlook on life is once again a good one! I’m strong and I know i can do this!

 

[Nyland]

Hi @Shortstuff26 !
I had a great outcome. I had might knee replaced 10 years ago. Prior to surgery, I walked with a cane because I needed BOTH knees replaced. My awesome bionic titanium knee has done all of the work and I haven't used a cane in 10 years. I'm at the point where it is time for the left knee. I'm actually excited to be able to walk without this ridiculous limp. My 3 year old granddaughter fell last week. When my daughter asked her if she was ok and could she walk on her leg? She responded, "Yes, (as she dramatically limped) but I have to walk like Nana." Yes, it's time.

 

[Shortstuff26]

I’m glad to hear you’ve had such good results @Nyland! When will you have your left knee done? I look forward to reading about your recovery.

 

[Nyland]

Well, I finally decided (after 10 years LOL) that it is time and I made my surgeon appointment. He only sees "new" patients (a new knee is considered a new patient, I guess) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I teach on T & TH from 4 -10 after a full day at the hospital, so I had to wait until the semester is over. My appointment is on May 10th. I'm going to ask him if I could have the surgery the week before Labor Day. That way I can enjoy my summer in the pool, Labor Day is a Monday holiday, and hopefully i can still keep my next Monday patients by telehealth. I know that it won't work out that way, but on paper it seems to work perfectly.

 

[Shortstuff26]

Gosh 10 years! @Nyland I am trying to hold out as long as i can since i am 37 before making the plunge to have surgery but i don’t know how long i can push this out. Some days i feel like this is tolerable and i can make it for sometime. Other days I don’t think i can make it another day. I have more good days than bad at this stage but I know that it won’t stay this way. My job requires me to be on my feet a lot (Med-surg Nurse) and I know once i decide to do surgery I need to be prepared to be off for a while. So I’m doing just that. Preparing for the inevitable and taking things one day at a time.

I definitely would enjoy summer then do surgery

 

[Susie-Q]

When my daughter asked her if she was ok and could she walk on her leg? She responded, "Yes, (as she dramatically limped) but I have to walk like Nana." Yes, it's time.

Awwww, out of the mouths of babes......

 

[Shortstuff26]

Hi guys, So my appointment to get a second opinion is this Thursday. But I’m not sure what questions I should be asking. Can i get a little feedback please
Thanks in advance….