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Iamahurtin

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HI I am
having a tkr on June 23rd which I am both excited and nervous​
about. I have had 4 scopes one in 2002, then 2006, 2007, and 2008 the last one was the descion maker for the TKR. Does anyone have any advise on what to do before surgery to get my legs strong. I have continued walking and doing the things I have always done but with a lot of pain. I am seeing a physical therapist to help strenghten my leg. I was wondering what to expect after surgery I am having it at 7:30 am and I asked if I could get up in the afternoon and was told if I felt good I could. I am not one to lay around and can take pain and I plan to work hard at all my pt's and do whatever is asked of me. So any information anyone can give me will be helpful. I can use all the advice I can get.
 
Hi Iamahurtin! So am I! Great name! The best advice I can give you is to follow your physical therapists' advice for leg strenthening. They should be able to tailor an exercise program that best fits you.

I had my first tkr 7 months ago. After surgery, I was taken to my room at noon and they had me up walking at 2:00 PM. It was only across the room, and though weak, I had no problems. By the second day, I was walking, very slowly, down the hall to physical therapy. It was scary the first few times I walked but I trusted they wouldn't have me doing anything I shouldn't. Most people will use a walker but I used crutches right away. They work better for me. My second tkr is June 9th. Keep reading and asking questions as soon as you think of them and many will answer. There's plenty of support here. Welcome! Karen
 
Hi Ima, welcome. Your PT is probably your best guide for prep for surgery. Anything that strengthens and stretches the quads is whatbthey'll have you doing. The walking is always good. Also try to build upper body as you will count on your arms to lift yourself and push off alot. My OS had you up the same day also. Even with 2 knees at once, so try even if you don't feel up to it. They told me you can not break the new knees. Keep posting and good luck on your day.
 
[Bonesmart.org] Newbie
 
Welcome, Iamahurtin. I've been ahurtin for a while, too and am scheduled for bilateral TKR in June. Although I don't know from experience, I have learned a great deal from reading all these posts. Also, hospital staff at a recent seminar on TKR said they want you up and around as soon as possible. Rehab starts either day 1 or day 2. I have been trying to strengthen both my quads with leg lifts and my upper body with weight lifting. The group is great, and for those of us having this done in June, looks like we'll be spending the summer together online. 1jt@atime (Karen) and I have even discovered we work minutes from each other. By the way, has ANYONE ever gotten relief from those scopes and arthroscopic surgeries? Seems it only made mine worse. I'm actually wondering why they do it so much.
 
Oh TL----- please don't say that about arthroscopy..... I am going in on 5/16 to have my "other" knee 'scoped to remove and clean up some torn cartilage. I know it is not a cure--- but I am hoping it will buy me some time before I have to have that knee done as well... it is not bone-on-bone yet.

Obviously--- it is only temporary at best--- or there would be no TKRs....

I am trying to be positive and believe it *will* help me. At least for a while.
Cross your fingers for me!
 
The scope made my knee worse also. I think they help if the degeneration is minor but once the joint gets past that point, it's like sticking your hand in a bee's hive and it just makes everything worse.

Turtlelady and I work about 3-4 miles apart but we live about 75 miles from each other. We are going to try and meet sometime soon. Hopefully we can make it prior to our surgeries on the 9th and 16th of June. I'll email you.

Did you see online that Forbes.com has listed DC as having the worst traffic in the country? The article states that the average commuter spends at least 56 hours per year stuck in traffic. I WISH that was all! I just calculated the delay part of my commute and it's conservatively 8 hours a week which comes to.....about 400 hours a year that I spend stuck in traffic. I think I'm breaking the averages just a tiny bit. Boy, that sure is depressing. I need to move to where Skeet lives....

broken link removed: https://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Article_Forbes.aspx?cp-documentid=6987107&GT1=35000
 
Beach, Do you know what stage of arthritis your MRI showed? From what I've researched, a scope on a joint with stage 1 or 2 arthritis is generally successful. Stage 3 or 4 is not often. Now I'm not a doctor so don't hold me to this!!!!

Either way, we all want to do the conservative thing first and that's exctly what you are doing. We'll all stay postive for you!
 
I have not yet seen the MRI report itself(My OA called me with the results) but I am going to trust my surgeon when he said we should do this. (although he did say there is a possibility it could make it worse...)

I didn't even know I had OA until my other knee was completely shot and I know this one is not as severe. So I am hoping for positive results and will at least know we have done everything we can to postpone another KR for a while. After my KR and back surgery, I am really not in any shape to do another KR this summer..... I just want to heal and get stronger before I got back to school in the fall.
 
I hope it works for you. The surgeon wouldn't suggest it if he didn't think there was at least a chance it would help. Stay positive.

My first knee was bone on bone for years but this second knee I'm about to have replaced isn't. It's a completely different type of pain and a different type of problem then the first knee.

The last thing I want to do about now is go through this a second time but here I am. I had originally planned to have the second done 4 weeks after the first until I started having back problems too. Funny how major surgery sometimes brings out problems you didn't know you had. I'm about to start up PT again for the SI joint in hopes of strengthening the area before surgery.
 
beachcomber said:
Oh TL----- please don't say that about arthroscopy..... I am going in on 5/16 to have my "other" knee 'scoped to remove and clean up some torn cartilage. I know it is not a cure--- but I am hoping it will buy me some time before I have to have that knee done as well... it is not bone-on-bone yet.

Obviously--- it is only temporary at best--- or there would be no TKRs....

I am trying to be positive and believe it *will* help me. At least for a while.
Cross your fingers for me!
Click to expand...

Hi Carolyn, when I had my arthroscopies which were usually for torn cartllage and arthritis behind my knee cap, I usually had relief from the pain for a year or two, then the cortisone helped after that until I was bone on bone. So hopefully it will also help you, fingers crossed for sure and (((((((((HUGS)))))))
 
Beach, I agree with Karen (1jt@atime)....you need to trust your surgeon and take this least-radical option to see if it affords you some relief. I don't think anyone can predict the outcome of a scope when arthritis is involved, but I believe it is better to try conservative options first before a TKR. Even though my scope didn't work well, I certainly don't regret having done it and don't blame the doctor that it didn't work. I'm praying this does work for you, though. You have had enough medical science in your life for a while and could use a breather!! You are such a strong person! And it does sound like you have a wonderful doctor on your side. Sooooo important.

Karen, what you say about the level of arthritis involvement makes sense to me, though. The only problem I see is that it might be difficult to determine what the level is at any given time. In my case, there was significant arthritis behind my kneecap that didn't show up in either the xrays or the MRIs. Medicine is DEFINITELY NOT an exact science!!
 
Thanks all--
We are hoping the 'scope will buy me some time... pure and simple. If I can wait a year or two longer before having to do another KR it would be worth it for sure. My other knee was mostly asymptomatic until the big meniscus tear last summer so we didn't have a chance to try any conservative treatments on it.
I am banking on the quick recovery/return to work. Even if it is on crutches I can't take more than a day or two off of work. Do you think that is reasonable? Surgery on Friday--- back to work on Tuesday?
 
In my opinion (for what it's worth) I think you could be okay to go back to work Tuesday. I've known people who are basically okay the next day. I think how comfortable you are afterwards may have to do with the swelling (that sounds familiar, huh!). Little swelling = back to normal. More swelling = ice and elevation until it stops. The good news is that you are an old hand with the icing! You are most certainly in my prayers, Carolyn!! And I'll be waiting to hear from you after the scope.
 
Beach, Yes, I think you will be able to return to work by Tuesday. You may just need a cane at this point but again it's different with each person. I was only on crutches for a day after my scope and then used a cane for a short time.

When is your last day of work for the school year?
 
My 'scope is on Friday 5/16 at 1:00. I am going to work that morning---- might as well. I am planning on taking Monday off (my job is so hard to be on my feet all the time covering a lot of ground) and go back on Tuesday with whatever kind of "stick(s)" I need at that time.

My last (official) day of work is mid-June--- 13th, I think--- and we leave for vacation on the 19th. I am rarely finished up on time and with 3 kitchens to shut down for the summer it is unlikely I will be done this year until the next week either.

I am SO ready for my summer off to rest up from what has been probably the toughest year of my life.... physically and emotionally. I know how much I need time and sunshine to get "me" back. Let my knees heal and make sure both are healthy and strong again. Seems like forever ago that I walked without pain.

Thanks for your support, my friends.
 
Good luck, Beach. It really is interesting reading all the different results folks have had from scopes. I was actually on crutches for a week, then a one crutch for a week, then to a cane for a while (and I'm not a sissy!). I do not think that is typical, though. I've known others who were back to work in a day or two, but I had to take off a week. As Karen (1jt@atime) mentioned on an earlier post, we both work in D.C. and have pretty trying commutes to work with trains, cars, subways, and lots of crowds, so hobbling around under those circumstances sure isn't easy. I sure hope you get some relief, because when you finally schedule a TKR, you have to find a great big fat window in your life that allows you to take a lot of time off. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the kind wishes, TL.

My job is also very demanding and I am on my feet constantly, kind of like your commute, it sounds like. I am still recovering from my left PKR and hope this scope will buy me some more time before having to have the right knee done too. I'm pretty tough and I am sure I will get by with my crutches and cane as needed. I know a have many colleagues and students who will help me as much as they can. I think they sorta missed me while I was out recovering from my surgeries this winter.
 
Hi. I am having both done on June 18th. I got a book on Total Knee Replacement & Rehabilitation from Amazon. It has been full of great information. It recommends a Total Gym, a Brasilian Futbol, a stationary bike, and strengthening the upper body and the quads before surgery as muscle memory plays an important part in recovery.
I do the exercises they suggest for pre-surgery. They also have day by day exercises for recovery through the first year. The book was written my a PT and an Orthopedic surgeon who both has TKR which they refer to as TKA. Below is a link to the book:
Amazon.com: Total Knee Replacement and Rehabilitation: The Knee Owner's Manual (9780897934398): M.D. Daniel J. Brugioni…
It has been a great resource so far! Anyone else use it?
 
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