TKR Sharon’s second knee recovery!

[Sara61]

@Sks1997 - I totally agree with you, had my surgeon not been so vain maybe all this could have been prevented, telling me it's all in my head was way out of line, although yesterday many tests were done, I still have that niggling feeling something is still amiss, today I still have the buckling and to bend, I firstly have to place both hands under the knee, gently lift it in the air until I hear a popping /click sound and only then it will bend, this is not normal for 8 weeks post surgery, I cannot lift, or bend knee as I walk, it's almost as if I'm back to the day 1 after surgery, I have to use my good leg to lift /move this knee.
I will rest and ice and medicate till the end of our vacation and if on the 13th of February I'm still the same, then will seek a 2nd opinion from a completely different orthopaedic surgeon and I won't stop till I get a genuine reason why suddenly a good knee at 5 weeks turns into a hellish knee at 7 weeks maybe a deep bone MRI scan might be the answer.
Even the doctor yesterday could not explain my symptoms, but agreed that it wasn't in my head as he too felt the popping/clicking on pushing my knee into a bend, he was also baffled to why, my 132 degree ROM was only now at 85 degrees, yet all the tests cane back clear.
praying you don't need further surgery anytime soon and that you also get the answers you seek.
Sending Virtual hugs xx

 

[Sks1997]

@Sara61 i think you have a good plan and seeing a totally different surgeon is a good idea if this doesn’t resolve. Prayers continue for you!

 

[Susie-Q]

Mine pretty much discharged me after my 3 month visit. Stated if I had any problems to make an appt to see him.

My current OS did the same thing. I came in at 6 weeks post-op, barely at 90 ROM and he had no doubts I would improve over time and said if I had any concerns to call him, otherwise he'd see me at a year post-op. This is after his PA had the "discussion" with me at my pre-op that I needed to push PT real hard or I could end up with an MUA. I think that was what they tell everyone and since I'd had a successful TKR already, years ago, the OS knew I'd be fine.

I'm remembering my original OS talking about my first TKR (right) and him saying I could have a partial done but he recommended doing a complete replacement because he said partials were problematic and the recovery wasn't as good long term. This is just one surgeon's opinion but he was well-respected and had done thousands of TKRs at this point. (He had been highly recommended by a friend who worked in a clinic and had many hospital connections) So I went with his recommendation of getting a full replacement.

 

[Jockette]

I'm remembering my original OS talking about my first TKR (right) and him saying I could have a partial done but he recommended doing a complete replacement because he said partials were problematic and the recovery wasn't as good long term.

My surgeon did not tell me this. I suspect my surgeon has had very little experience doing partials. And the biggest thing I’ve learned from Bonesmart is how important the surgeon’s experience is to the success of the procedure. Lesson learned!

 

[Sks1997]

@Jamie My surgeon said since my other compartment wasn’t affected that he could not justify a TKA with insurance. He had done many partials and felt confident that was what I needed at the time. But, but, but it only makes sense that the other side is going to go bad and then you basically have to have a full replacement. I honestly don’t know if they will leave that hardware in or put all new hardware in. I am hoping and praying that I won’t be having another surgery for a very long time. Maybe Jamie can answer this!

 

[sistersinhim]

Some people have success with a partial. A former Moderator on here had her partial last 11 years before having to have a TKR. There are even some that never had to have it revised to a total. Let's hope that yours is one of those.

 

[Sks1997]

I am still not at the place of saying this surgery is worth it. As I was coming up my stairs this evening, my quad is still so weak and by the time I get to top of stairs, I have a lot of discomfort. The popping has been bad the past few days and my knee still feels like a tree. Not sure why the popping has been bad. I’ve been resting a lot this week with the snowstorm and frigid temps going on.
I dream of waking up with no stiffness and no discomfort with walking.
Hope we all get some good restful sleep! I am thankful that on this TKR, I have slept pretty well since the first few weeks and not had much pain at night!

 

[Jockette]

I hope you see a difference when you get to Florida and those hopefully warm temperatures.

 

[Sara61]

You will feel a whole lot better just by being in a different environment, the sun, sea and especially the warmth will do your bones wonders, plus mentally seeing different things and being able just to relax will definitely calm your mind. Wishing you a fabulous time xx

 

[Susie-Q]

I didn't mean to say that PKRs are not successful, I was just remembering what my original surgeon said. I'm sure there are many out there who have had successful surgeries and recoveries with partials. Apologies for any confusion.

I'm sorry you are still having discomfort and the clicking in your knee. I know you're going to enjoy your time in Florida!

 

[Sks1997]

Susie, I knew what you meant. I really wish I could have had a TKA versus the partial!

Have a great day!

 

[Sks1997]

Well, people at church said that I was walking better. That is good!

my friend is coming soon to meet my cats and see the set up for feeding and litter box. She has agreed to do this while we are on vacation.

we have had a death in family which may change our departure time for our trip. My husband’s niece died suddenly Friday night. They think it was a heart attack. She just got over COVID a couple weeks ago.
Have a relaxing and restful Sunday!

 

[Susie-Q]

Oh no! I'm so sorry!!!

 

[Rubyroo]

I’m so sorry for your family’s loss!

 

[Jockette]

Apologies for any confusion.

No need to apologize, you were just saying what your surgeon told you. It’s true that there do seem to be many successful PKRs (unfortunately I am not one of them, although it will be 5 years for me next month, and I never thought this partial would last that long.)

Last Spring during our JRAD online conference they had a topic on “when things go wrong” I was able to type in a very brief description of my issue in the chat, and they did read it and discuss it. I sat here watching a Zoom-like screen of 3 surgeons that were literally stumped by my issue. The moderator of the group actually said, partials are not done often enough for the surgeons to get good at them. Bingo! That alone explains my issue. Another of the surgeons said sometimes when he does a partial, he wishes that he didn’t.
Joint Replacement Awareness Day (JRAD)

So, anyone reading this, if you are considering a partial, my advice is to have it done in a busy area, not a small town (like I did) so that they do have more experience, and make sure they have done a lot of them. One surgeon I know of said he does about 5 partials a year. With the knowledge I have now, that is not enough experience.

 

[Sks1997]

@Jockette That is really interesting. I remember when I had my first visit with my current OS. I had told him about my experience with my partial, not a great result and believe it or not, that knee/leg is STILL stiff. He hesitated and in a professional way stated that it should have been a TKA. He was trying not to say anything derogatory about my previous surgeon. I am 6 yrs out from my partial. Sure hoping I am not headed for another surgery in the near future!

 

[Jockette]

My second, second opinion was very polite about it, also, and didn’t really comment until I asked him outright if he does Patellofemoral partials. He said no, he doesn’t. Then he said surgeons are on the fence about it, some will do them and some won’t

Which partial did you you have? We’ll add that info to your signature.

 

[Sks1997]

My partial was a L medial

 

[Catalien45]

I’m reading your posts regarding partials, & wondering, do some Drs determine this based on the condition of the knee & how long it has been in trouble? I’ve known mine was bad for a very long time, &/then the Pandemic came along, & a lot of hospitals here were not even doing “ elective” surgeries, also, I was Leary of going to a hospital, short of life or death emergency. Basically put, by the time I relented & went to my surgeon, my knee was Badly messed up. His PA showed me, an x-ray of a Normal knee. Then, “ your knee”. There was no cartilage, & some of the existing bone had become like cement. Not sure if there was enough there to even do a partial. I’m fortunate, my surgeon does specialize in knees. There were closer facilities and Orthopedic surgeons, but we chose his group, and specifically, him. We live in a small town with 2 hospitals, but also relatively near the Denver area, with a lot of options. I just have to wonder, had I had a partial, with my knee, how it may have turned out. Perhaps this is a less drastic option that surgeon’s consider if it seems applicable to the specific patient? And, I do hear of folks who have had successful partial replacements that are very successful & long-lasting. Hopefully this will be the case for most. And sometimes, as with mine, I don’t think that was an option. I do hope that those I’m reading of here, will ultimately have a good & long-lasting outcome. And now, it’s back to the ODIC corner for me.... I got a much-needed cleanout & organization of a kitchen cabinet done.... but,

 

[Sks1997]

My first knee issue was a torn meniscus from an injury at Zumba. I had a repair surgery and when he did the repair he could tell that I was bone on bone, only on the medial side which is why I had a partial replacement. Interesting that the bone on bone hadn’t shown up about a year earlier on MRI.
i went around for a long time with the meniscus tear (and pain) hoping it would improve on it’s own but it didnt. Ended up having the repair done. And it wasn’t very long after the repair that I had the PKR surgery! Maybe 2 months.

Something else that I don’t remember telling you all was with this current knee, I had 4 different problems before surgery. Of course I was bone on bone, I had a Bakers cyst, a loose piece of bone or cartilage in the back of my knee AND a bad meniscus tear. Good gravy, no wonder I was almost in a wheelchair!