PKR on 9/21 - help!

[SissyG]

I'm Sissy and little did I think I would be searching and posting on a knee replacement forum. But, I'm here and have spent a great deal of time reading your helpful posts.
While on a cruise in February I felt terrible pain, heard a scary pop in my left knee and had to go to the ship's doctor..he put me in a wheelchair and told me to see OS when I got home..at home my OS said I had a double torn meniscus and did surgery...it seemed to be doing great until my second visit to the physical therapist when something terrible happened, I felt they were much too agressive in their approach, lots of pain and then swelling, I did not go back, instead exercised at home and went to my gym with my OS's blessing, but the pain and swelling did not go away..now a few months later after 2 cortisone injections, 4 Orthovisc injections an MRI shows that the meniscus is again torn and my joint is extremely inflammed and I have developed bursitis. OS has recommended partial knee replacement and it is scheduled for 9/21...I am trying to be a brave soldier but I am scared to death. I will continue reading your inspired stories of rehab and relief to keep me going. I feel as if I have lost 6 months of living since the original injury in February.

 

[Judles]

Re: Hi,I'm a newbie!

Welcome to Bonesmart, Sissy! Doesn't matter how you got here....just that you found us! We're one great big family here!!! You've come to the totally BEST place for the support you need!! Don't worry!!! You will be fine!!! (0)

 

[Josephine]

Well, hello! And welcome to BoneSmart! I've changed the title of your thread because almost every other new member uses that phrase and it doesn't help others when they're doing searches of the forum.

So you're having a partial TKR? I hope you have absolute assurance from your OS that the arthritis is confined to one part of the joint only. Trouble with partials is that a person can find themselves requiring a conversion to a total 2-4 years down to line. So I strongly suggest you ask him that leading question "how long do you think it will be before this needs to be converted to a total?" and see what his reaction is.

Having said all that, the conversion within 2 years is only at about 10% so there are still 80% happy campers with this.

 

[SissyG]

Re: Hi,I'm a newbie!

Thanks Judi and Josephine, it feels good to be in the company of so many that understand and with such good advice. Sissy

 

[JudyS]

Welcome Sissy,
I remember the shock of finding out I needed a hip replacement. Wow that was weird and scarey. I thought I had a little tear in there!!! So did my doc until he got in there.
Anyway I survived. My hip is awesome. I've also had knee surgery. Just please be sure you have a great surgeon, that is the most important part. I'll be having surgery on Oct 1st , we can recover together (back surgery).

Let us know about your pre-op apt.
judy

 

[Jenniferne]

Hi Sissy, everyone here has been frightened of having surgery but let me tell you what a relief it is after the surgery is over and within a few months you are as good as new. I had a tkr on my right knee in april and I am having another tkr on my left knee in 2 weeks and even though I came through the first tkr in good shape, I am still very nervous of having my second tkr......I remember wondering after my first surgery why I was so nervous and scared ,it all went by so fast.The nurse will give you something to relax you while you are getting prepped and then they take you in to the surgery room and before you know it you are sleeping like a baby..I slept through the whole surgery and when I awoke it was all over. The nurses who took care of me were wonderful the whole time I was there. Just remember to post often and we are all here for you.

 

[SissyG]

Wow, you guys are great, it is really conforting to hear from those in the know.
I guess I am in fear that we I will not recover well enough to continue our busy life. We love to travel and because next year we celebrate our 50th anniversary we really went overboard and booked up the year with a lot of travel..a month in Florida, a week with family in Maui and a tour and cruise in China and southeast Asia...so I do have great incentive to get in and rehab and get back to an active life.

I have quite a problem with taking pain meds...lots of itching and nausea but the worst side effect is a feeling of being wired and not sleeping..my doctor is concerned about what he can give me..I have taken morphine with phenergan in the past while in the hospital for back surgery but will have to find something that I can take with few side effects when I come home.
Sissy

 

[ship4]

I have quite a problem with taking pain meds...lots of itching and nausea but the worst side effect is a feeling of being wired and not sleeping..my doctor is concerned about what he can give me..I have taken morphine with phenergan in the past while in the hospital for back surgery but will have to find something that I can take with few side effects when I come home.
Sissy

I can relate to the itching with pain medications. I was prescribed Dilaudid and Visteril. They are both very old drugs. They worked great for me, but I was required to see my PCP every 30 days for a new prescription as the Dilaudid is a very potent drug in tiny pill form. (It is the drug Elvis OD'd on as it suppresses respiration if too much is taken.) I had no problem with the Dilaudid. The Visteril inhances the effect of the Dilaudid and is a relaxant. Hopefully you can discuss these with your OS.

 

[loggon]

Hi Sissy and welcome. I had a scope for a torn meniscus about
3 years ago. They had to remove most of it and left bone on bone.
Well the pain was so bad from the arthritis and the bone on bone.
I had to have a knee replacement.

The doctor said he would do a PKR but when he got in there if he
felt I needed a TKR he would do it. He said the PKR usually do
not last but for several years esp. if someone is active. He did have to
do a total replacement.

Do ask him about a TKR maybe he two can do a TKP if he feels
the PKR would not last long.

Congrats on 50 years. We will be celebrating our 50th in 2011.
We plan some trips also. I am planning on being in great shape
to enjoy the trip.

I don't know when you plan your travel next year but I do hope it
is not at the beginning. Ask your OS about the travel also.

Good luck and happy recovery. I also took Dilaudid. I too am
allergic to pain meds and lot other meds.

 

[SissyG]

Judy, we will have to keep in touch since our surgeries are so close together...will be thinking of you.
Crystal, I will mention those drugs when I meet with my OS again before surgery...the pain med thing is weighing heavily on me...I know I will have to find something that I can tolerate..the problem is that I won't know what that will be until I already have pain and am in the hospital.
Thanks to all of you for making my day a little less stressful...I have learned so much reading the posts here.
Sissy

 

[cindy88fan]

Welcome Sissy! It sounds like you are going to be busy next year. Get the surgery done, get to rehab and in no time you will be back to your busy life. This is such a great place to come for answers and support. You can also join us in the social room. It's a place where we go to talk about anything and I do mean anything...it's a good time. Best wishes with your upcoming surgery and feel free to post anytime.

 

[Texas]

Hey Sissy This is the welcome wagon...........lol....Yes make sure down the road a lil you wont need a full TKR repl so you dont have to do it again....ugh.....But you will be in my prayers post anytime we have all been thr it............Love to help with any questions......These people got me thru alot.............Good Luck to you........)

 

[sykeRN]

Hi Sissy-Welcome once more---I welcomed you on another post. Already I can see the information and support is--flowing--as usual for you!

Great that you have a 50 anniversary and love to travel. On Sunday my hubby and I will have our 40th anniversary. Our present to each other was buying a lot on Molokai Hawaii that we will (probably next summer) build a small house on--doing most work ourselves. We plan to live in both Virginia and Molokai. For the last 3 years we have lived for 4-5 months (usually we go twice a year) in a rented condo. We live on a lake in Virginia--but could not resist the ocean view overlooking Maui and Lanai (and the 2 acre lot was a bargain!!!). We also have had a lifetime of traveling the world. Thanks to my new left knee replacement I look forward to helping to work on our small house project and travel in the next years. I an EXCITED.

Keep posting and again glad to meet you. Regards Nancy

 

[SissyG]

Hey Nancy, Thanks for the welcome and happy anniversary to you on Sunday.
We are so addicted to travel I am sure that it will be a motivating factor in my recovery..I was reading about your pre-surgical exercise regime and was completely bowled over by the intensity of it...I am not quite able to work out that much..I had arthoscopic surgery for dbl torn meniscus in March and at the hands of an overzealous Physical Terrorist as I call him my meniscus was again torn...my knee joint is seriously inflammed and have developed bursitis..I really wish I could do more to keep my leg muscles in tact..but do go to the gym and work out upper body and as many lifts as I can stand..I am determined to get back to my active self as soon as possible after surgery.
My daughter is in Maui right now...sending me pictures of the Westin Kaanapail Resort North where we will be with them next August on our anniversary...I am so looking forward to the opportunity to set off the security alarms and deal with the TSA's....LOL Sissy

 

[Linda2]

Welcome. Do ask, as Josephine said, about how long he expects the PKR to last. That being said, you will be able to do almost everything again. I say almost because it is not good to run for exercise, do gymnastics--stuff like that. Most everything is doable. It will take longer to recover than you will like, because we all think it should take a couple of weeks. Right now, six weeks later on the new one, I would travel anywhere I felt like going. I might have to pace myself, but that's about it.

 

[Josephine]

I am determined to get back to my active self as soon as possible after surgery.

Sissy, my dear - be careful of 'trying to get back to active self'. Recovery is not something you attack and often (unless you're a certain kind of lady like Skigirl! ) trying to rush it can be counter-productive. When you've had major surgery, your body needs lots of rest in amongst the PT, so it can heal and repair itself. You'll feel easily tired and that will be a sign that you need to rest and nap.

However, some people have had great recoveries, being back to some kind of normal in about 6-8 weeks whilst others have taken a much longer time. Just take it easy and don't try to set dates to be 'back to normal' by.

 

[SissyG]

I know that I will have to let my body be the judge of what I can or should not do....I am 67 and so my "normal active self" is not as active as it used to be...LOL.
Unfortunately I have had many different surgeries, back, 2 arthoscopic knees, thumb joint replacement, foot surgery and appendix so know it is a slow process to gain ones strenght back. That said I am also not the most patient person.
After my last knee scope at the end of March my knee did not have a chance to heal completely before the meniscus was torn again:rant:...my best guess is that my overzealous PT did it on my 2nd visit there, do not want anything like that to happen again.

 

[SissyG]

When I left my OS office last week it was after I first learned he thought I needed PKR. He told me that I would spend 1 night at the hospital after surgery along with a description of the surgery and at that time I told him I wanted to go home talk to Robert and think about it..I called back and told them that I decided to go ahead..but have not been back in his office since...I want to go back to his office prepared with all the right questions..is 1 night at the hospital post surgery for PKR the norm? I am really worrying about pain management because I react to most pain med with anxiety and nervousness and itching, but know that they can mange pain and watch me closely in the hospital. Is it best to have home care PT at first? And what is this I am reading about giving oneself shots...Oh dear....I may have to rethink this whole thing....

 

[Linda2]

Make sure they give you a really good antihistamine with the pain med. I, too, am an itchy person and that helped me. I think the narcotics make all of us a bit weepy at times.

 

[JudyS]

Sissy,
I had a knee scope /microfracture but can not really help in what the replacement would be like. I just know my OS said a partial would not work for me do to my activity level. He said they are for sedentary people. so my questions to my doc would be about that and having to convert in a few years.

The injections are for blood thinning and only last about 10 days. Really not a big deal.
Get those questions ready.
judy