TKR TKR scheduled for July 5th

[Razorback 1983]

Have my preop scheduled for June 27th and my TKR is set for July 5th. I tore my ACL 40 years ago and had it fixed then tore my meniscus in 2020. The doctor told me it was just bone on bone and he expected me to need TKR in 5 years. It has been 3 1/2 years and if I am on my feet for more than an hour or bend and squat a lot it takes a few days to recover and get the pain to ease up. So I went to see him last week and he said he could give me a shot and I would be back in 9 months wanting another one or I could have it replaced. He said it had to be replaced eventually and it was up to me to decide when. So I set up the surgery and I am just waiting for the day to get here.

 

[Susie-Q]

Welcome to Bonesmart, @Razorback 1983

Here are some articles to help you prepare for your TKR. July 5th will be here before you know it!

You are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but if you're looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:

Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home​

Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery​

Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?​

Regardless of where you are in the process, the website and app My Knee Guide can help you stay organized and informed. The free service keeps all the information pertaining to your surgery and recovery in one place on your smartphone. It is intended to be a personal support tool for the entire process.

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced knee, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:

Stories of amazing knee recoveries​

 

[Razorback 1983]

Thank You

 

[benne68]

Congratulations on getting your surgery date, @Razorback 1983 ! It will be here in no time.

I was in a similar situation prior to my TKR, but after having to put it off because of the pandemic, I was so happy when it was finally scheduled. I'm even happier today that I have a working knee, again!

 

[Razorback 1983]

Thanks. I was eager to get it done but now that I have it set I am wandering if I should wait or get it over with. Ever since I set the date my pain has been manageable but I know it will get worse again.

 

[FionaW]

I think there are pros and cons with having early surgery versus waiting until things get bad…
If you’re already bad when you join a waiting list, as I was, the extra wait can be really awful. I’ve had a miserable year - I became housebound and had a stroke, which they think is probably because of my immobility.
But on the other hand, if your pain isn’t too bad and you’re not too restricted before surgery, I think the first few months can be really tough - some people even wonder whether they’ve made a mistake having their knee replaced at all.

 

[Razorback 1983]

I have had severe pain when I am on my feet a lot. I limp on this knee so much my opposite hip hurts and is out of line. I have had to go to the chiropractor several times with the hip. I know it needs to be fixed and will follow through with it.

 

[EalingGran]

Agree with @FionaW it is a real balancing act deciding when to go for surgery.
My knee wasn't that painful and I slept OK before surgery. My reason for going for surgery was that my leg was getting increasingly knock kneed and it was causing horrible hip pain and sciatica.
For several months after my partial knee replacement I had much more pain in my knee than pre-op and more pain at night. The surgery did cure my hip and sciatica pain but for a good while I felt I had just switched pain locations.
At least if you wait until the pain is bad you know that you had no choice- even if something goes wrong. On the other hand waiting could make both the knee and other joints worse and increase your recovery time. Also every year older you get makes you a slightly worse anaesthetic risk.Only you can decide what's right for your body.

 

[benne68]

Ever since I set the date my pain has been manageable but I know it will get worse again.

Once your knee is bone-on-bone, it will only get worse -- it can not improve. And there is risk to delaying -- you can do additional damage to your leg and make the TKR recovery more difficult.

In my case, my delay caused my leg to become badly bowed, which the OS had to straighten during surgery with an osteotomy.

I think we've all had the experience of our pain seeming to "improve" once we sign on for surgery. There's really no benefit to putting it off.

 

[Razorback 1983]

Thanks for the advice. I am not going to back out , I have dealt with the pain to long to not go through with.

 

[Razorback 1983]

I am still 4 weeks out from my TKR and my knee has started buckling on me constantly. I have started using a cane to keep from falling. Does anyone have any suggestions of things that might help with buckling?

 

[benne68]

@Razorback 1983 The exact same thing happened to me a couple of months prior to surgery. In fact, it's what finally made me schedule the TKR.

I don't have any great solutions. I found using the cane for support was important. I also tried a hinged knee brace, but I it was really hot to wear in August! (My surgery was in September.)

Also, be very careful to "double step" and hang on to the bannister when you are doing stairs. That's when mine was most likely to give out and I had a couple of near misses with falls.

I'll bet you're glad you already have your surgery scheduled!