Question on knee not having surgery on?

[jessymi]

I am having a RTKR. My left knee is bad, but not as bad as the right. I am curious on peoples thoughts after they fix the bad knee, does the other knee seem not as bad or tolerable? I guess what I am saying is that my left knee started going bad because of the way I carried myself, shifting the weight off my right leg. I am hoping that once the right knee is fixed maybe there will be less stress and pressure on the left therefore reliving some of the pain. I can tell by most peoples post that they either have both done or one shortly after the other.

If you need to have both done, does the length of time between the two surgeries matter. I am losing my insurance by the end of the year, and I don't know when I will be able to afford to have the 2nd one done.

Jessy, MI

 

[Texas]

Hi I only had one knee done. There are many that have had 2 and are doing amazing. I guess its up to what you can handle. Some one will post soon that has had 2 and I hope you get your answers. All the best to you....When are you having the first one done? Im sure you will be fine. Please post anytime...We have all been thru it...Good Luck to you...

 

[Gringo]

If I understand the question, I would have to say that getting my worst knee fixed first has made my former "good" knee feel a lot worse. Before, they both hurt and they both were unstable, but I favored the really, really bad one and consequentially that quad atrophied a bit while the 'good' quad at least got some exercise, being the first up the stairs etc. It hurt, but the pain was minor compared to the really bad one.

Now, almost nine weeks out of the first TKR, I am very much aware of the problems with the remaining knee. What used to be my straightest knee, the more stable of the two, is now seeming crooked and shaky. Somehere, on some thread, I posted a photo of the two legs about a week after the TKR, and the difference is very noticeable. The old one is crooked.

I think that is due to two things, in my case.
First, the new knee is so superior that it's amazing. It's straighter, it doesn't hurt as much and anyhow it's a different hurt. It' more like recovering from a serious knife wound than anything else. Not that bone on bone agony. It is stable, strong, and reliable. It doesn't fold on me. Makes my former 'best' knee look bad by comparison.

Second, I am suddenly more active than I have been in years. I go up and down our very steep, unpaved, loose rubble covered driveway five or six times a day. I go up and down stairs, do all kinds of things. Walk a lot more. Stand for longer periods of time, like hours compared to maybe ten minutes before TKR.

What this means, though, is that my bad knee is wearing out faster. It is making a step up a steep driveway for every step the new knee makes. I think it is going downhill faster. Thats just in my particular case, of course.

We joke about me no longer babying the knee trying to make it last longer, since I know I am replacing it in Sept. I think I need the TKR pain meds more for the original knee than I do for the new one.

My unqualified opinion is that if both knees are bad, you should get them both fixed while you still have insurance.
Who knows what your situation will be a year or two from now?
Right now you can do it, and you need it. No brainer. Far as I am concerned, anyhow.

Have you found anyone on here yet who wishes they had waited longer?

 

[skigirl]

When the doc asked me which knee I wanted him to do, I was not sure--my left knee has the older injury and the ACL. The right knee has a more recent injury --loss of meniscus---and ached more.

I finally went with the left knee--it had more bow in the joint. I must say I would love to more around more than I did before the surgery--but I am not sure that will ever be possible. However, I have to say that the right knee does not hurt at all any longer.

I think my right knee hurt because of my left knee. At any rate, it is doing just fine right now. I can run up and down the stairs (after six weeks) which I could not do before the surgery---today I ran in for something and thought wow, I am running on the stairs.

After standing or moving around, my left knee swells, but my right knee is just dandy. After doing this surgery---I can't even begin to imagine the difficulty of doing two knees at once---just the balance issues alone would be killer. But, My doc does not do two knees--for which I am so grateful because one painful non working knee is quite enough thank you.

 

[Simon]

I had many previous surgeries and each time, the one not being operated on got worse. Though 3 or 4 months the replaced knee might be strong enough to relieve the left while you are rehabbing the left one will probably get worse.

If you are losing your surgery, I would have both done at the same time. That way you will not have to worry and you will insurance for PT.

I had both replaced at the same time last year and things are pretty good. I don't think if I had only 1 done that I would have done as well as I did.

Simon

 

[FrogFeathers]

My surgeon told me that my left knee was worse than my right. The right- although its my "injury knee"- has much more cartilidge than the left. The left was absolute bone-on-bone. The right has been injured 8, maybe 9 times in the last 20 some-odd years. His theory is that for all those injuries, the left one had to compensate for the right, therefore causing its decline. I injured the right one three years ago (March 3, 2006) and it was shortly after that the left one got so bad I had to use a cane for it too. (I used two canes for over a year!).

My surgeon says that by getting the one done, I may never need to get the other done, because the surgical knee will start "pulling its weight" so to speak.

In my personal opinion... my right knee will have to turn to jelly before I get it done. Not because recovery has been bad or anything, its just something I don't want to go through again unless I absolutely have to!

EDITED TO ADD: there was a guy who had both of his knees done a week after I did and he was faster on recovery than I was. I was still using a walker and he was only using crutches "in public" and not even using a cane at home. I'm JUST now to the point of using only a cane on longer walks and none at home. But if its a question of insurance, I'd do both too.

 

[loggon]

Wow Gringo is correct. Get that left knee done as soon as possible way before you lose your insurance. You did not say when you are getting it done. Some doctors will do both at once but mine will not unless it is an emergency. But so many folks here have had both done and they did great. I know a gentleman in his 80's that had both done and bless his heart he was up and about in a few weeks. He did great.

I had my right knee done but now my left knee is bothering me and there is not a big problem with it. Maybe years from now I might have to have a partial or full replacement.

You sound like you need both done. Have you talked with your doctor? You may explain to him about the insurance and he for sure will be able to advise you.

good luck and keep us posted

 

[Texas]

I agree that if you wait and down the road you get another Ins you have to deal with pre exsisting and you dont need that. When I got my new Ins before, I had to have nothing done or even an appt about my knee for 1 yr.....Just saying !!!