Revision TKR Sondrals’ Revision

I have a high out of pocket max so not having to pay that would be a huge bonus. But my other knee is completely messed up, it has been, and I knew it, and I was told about 4 years ago the only thing to fix it was a replacement but I was too young.
That sounds much like my story. "Your knees are trashed, but you're too young and too fat, so go away and suffer." I took that as gospel and slunk away for about 5 years. Fortunately, circumstances found me with a completely different surgeon who agreed to help me. Like you, we have a high deductible, and a pretty significant out of pocket, so I'm really, really glad I was able to get it all done in one calendar year.


Guess I'm just scared he'll tell me no, for one reason or another. Part of me just wants to "get it over with" so I can get on with my life.
Other people worry about the surgery. Me? All my stress and worry was focused entirely on the horrible possibility that something would go wrong and my surgery would be cancelled, or postponed. I was definitely in the "get it over with" camp.


And I live in Alaska, having a month or more in the middle of winter where I don't have to go anywhere... uhm yes please?
I live in Virginia, so I had the opposite idea. Confined to the house in July and August? Miss 98% humidity and 95 degrees outside? Absolutely. Works for me.

I do urge you to discuss it with your surgeon soon. I tried to schedule a follow up with mine for early December and he's book completely solid. They call it 'deductible season' with everyone trying to get in under the wire, so you'll want to make your reservations soon. lol
 
I do urge you to discuss it with your surgeon soon.

I go in Wednesday, I am going to discuss it then I hope. I'm so terrified they'll tell me no or that I have to wait. *sigh* I've worried myself into a tizzy this weekend, so much so that I had extremely weird dreams.
 
I'm so terrified they'll tell me no or that I have to wait.
That's pretty much how I felt from the minute I woke up after the first surgery all the way until I woke up from my second. I was so ready and so eager to have them fixed and rebuild my life. I was so stressed something would go wrong and it wouldn't happen on time. Good luck tomorrow.
 
I was so stressed something would go wrong and it wouldn't happen on time. Good luck tomorrow.

This is so me right now!

I'm also debating on seeing if they will do a cortisone shot in my right knee to at least help with the pain for a bit. My dilemma: what if it makes it hurt worse? Then what? I've never had a cortisone shot so I don't really know what to expect.

The kinda new stuff with me:

Had a few moments where I "think" I can walk like a normal person again. I take a few steps then my right knee feels horrid so I go back to my cane, soo... progress? Maybe.

I finally am able to sleep on my side sorta, with a pillow between my legs. I even woke up this morning on my stomach. Though I woke myself up at some point in the night trying to roll around in bed when I bent my leg farther than I intended and it did not like that. My dog has taken my not sleeping on my back to go back to her normal place in the crook of my knee. We spend a lot of time fighting over who gets to sleep where.

I literally slept 12 hours on Sunday and I'm STILL tired, I'm so tired of being tired! The house is a disaster, winter is coming, the yard isn't picked up and I don't really even care (except I do and I will obsess about it non-stop until next summer).

Got spikey thing for my cane, got my icebug shoes out, got new stretchy on things for my other shoes in case I don't want to full out wear the studded ones. My bf said we will order me a new pair of the studded ones next week, they run about $200 but I've had the pair I'm wearing since 2016 so they seem to last.My bf insists I need a new pair but we shall see, I've lost a few studs on these but they still are good. Guess I'm as ready for winter as can be.
 
@sondrals , congratulations on being able to sleep on your side and stomach! That is terrific. Also, sleeping 12 hours is amazing.

If you are *thinking* that you can walk like a normal person, then even if you can't right now, maybe you will be soon? It sounds like something in your mind is telling you that this is going to happen eventually.
 
@ Carole4815 I guess I should point out that it wasn't 12 hours straight lol, I went back to bed after taking my bf to work and slept until almost 11am though.

Yeah I think my mind is finally figuring things out. I think I've gained some more feeling back in my leg that I didn't have before. I've noticed it itching, and weird little worm under the skin feelings that I didn't before. Still feels huge to me though it's not visibly swollen or anything, kinda like there's water in there. Squishy watery rubber band feeling lol, it's super weird. Now if my other knee would cooperate I think I could actually walk.
 
I'm also debating on seeing if they will do a cortisone shot in my right knee to at least help with the pain for a bit. My dilemma: what if it makes it hurt worse? Then what? I've never had a cortisone shot so I don't really know what to expect.

I had cortisone shots for years. They don't hurt and they helped me postpone my surgeries for quite some time. If you are considering surgery in the near future, talk to your OS about the shots. My doc required a 4-month break between the last shot and an operation on that knee.

I found that walking with my 1st new knee was negatively impacted by the ongoing pain in my other knee. Overall, I was able to walk with significantly less pain, but even with the swelling, pain, and tightness from my newly bionic knee, my 1st knee/leg is doing better than it was before that 2nd surgery.
 
If you are considering surgery in the near future, talk to your OS about the shots.

Oh! Thanks for the heads up, I never thought about that, guess I better ask.


I found that walking with my 1st new knee was negatively impacted by the ongoing pain in my other knee.

I think this is happening with me. My new knee doesn't really hurt, it's kinda stiff, and weak sometimes, but it hasn't really ever hurt. My old knee is a butthead and hurts constantly. Even while driving, it's honestly causing me to go a bit batty right now.
 
@Rather beat me to it. My OS also required a 4 month gap after a cortisone shot.
I also got them for years, and they were certainly wonderful. But they became less effective over time.
 
You guys were right, no shot for me.

Overall the appointment went very well. He was not super happy about me using a cane but after seeing me walk without one he agreed I still need it. He didn’t bother to measure my ROM, he said just from looking at my movements he knew they were fine. He thinks my leg is still pretty weak and I’ll need to focus on strengthening it.

Then we discussed my right knee. He sent me back for Xrays and when he showed back up he was just shaking his head. He said “your knees are ****, I can see why you hurt.” He said zero problems with replacing the right, the surgery scheduler will call me Monday to work out a date. Kind of shocked, he agreed so fast it surprised me. Soooo guess I’m doing this again!

attached a picture of my knees for fun 733B4537-0ADD-4471-BE53-2E72AE636370.jpeg
 
Congratulations on having such a great appointment, and getting your surgeon to agree that it's time to schedule knee#2!! :yes:
 
So random weird question, what causes some people to need knee replacements and others not? I know it’s probably not a completely straightforward answer but it made me think a little. My dad never needed one, my mom is knock-kneed but doesn’t have the issues I do. My brother so far is pretty normal. No aunts or uncles have had one, neither set of grandparents. So am I just unlucky? Kinda made me think a little bit though.
 
Interesting thought. I’m the only one that I know of in my family, as far back as I remember, to have a replacement of any kind.
 
My mother had awful knees, but nobody else in my family did. Her knee problems started in her early 20's. By 1989, when she was age 80, she was told she needed two TKR's but refused to have it done.

In my case, landing on my knees after a fall off a loading dock in 1997 was the start of my knee problems. So I think in my case it was due to injury.
 
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I had chronic subluxations of my kneecaps which started as a kid. Turns out I have no groove for my kneecaps to sit in. Also I fell a lot which I’m sure contributed to the damage done. Just kinda weird I’m the only one I know in my family, well actually at all, that has had that happen.

My boss on the other hand, has one done, needs the other, his one sister had both knees done, the other sister both hips, and I think his dad had had his knee done.

Just kinda got to pondering things this afternoon.
 
Also, my X-ray surprised me. I expected the posts to be longer on my replacement!
 
I think your decision to do the second one is great. I still felt far from recovered with my first one when I did it again, and mentally I feel in control now as I know it’s all about moving on. You won’t regret it. Why wait?
 
@Didot how far out we’re you when you had your second one done?

I’m a little nervous only because my first isn’t where I thought it’d be by now. But my dr requires 12 weeks between them so that’s another 4 weeks at least for me.

Ideally I’d like to have mine done right before thanksgiving or the first week in December. A little selfish on my part but it would totally excuse me from the usual family holiday drama for this year at least.
 
Went back to PT today, everyone was crowded around the monitor and my physical therapist called me over. They were looking at my x-rays! The X-ray I didn’t see was the one showing my kneecap, it’s totally dislocated and sitting on the outside of my leg! Just like the other one was! No wonder it hurts. Despite having seen my other leg in the exact same condition I was sort of shocked the right is almost exactly the same. They said I’d make a good case study:rotfl:

On the plus side I’m not leaning on my cane as much today. I’m using it more for balance and probably will continue to do so because my other knee is so painful.
 
That sounds horrible! When is your next appointment with your OS?
 

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