TKR with severe valgus deformity

[lyndas444]

Hi there from Auckland, New Zealand, I found this site last weekend and it has been very informative. I've made friends with a lovely Californian lady who had the same surgery as I am having and at 9 weeks out she is doing great, which is very encouraging.

I'm very active and still walk for an hour 4 mornings a week and go to the gym on the other three mornings. I am hating the thought of not being able to exercise for so long, as it has been part of my life for over 30 years. I guess I just wore my knees out!

After reading the post surgery forum on here, it really hit home what a big op this is and for how long afterwards I will have to rest. I am struggling with that, along with anxiety about post surgical pain management.

I am having an oxinium implant which is supposed to have a longer life than previous implants and I will have a general anaesthetic plus a an epidural which stays in for 1-2 days post op.

 

[Poppet]

Welcome To BoneSmart.

I am an Aussie and a hippy, so unable to comment regarding knees... But lots of members will be along to chat with you.

It's great to have a Kiwi join the BS family

 

[Titianlady]

Welcome to the forum!! Now you know this a great place to get your questions answered. It's also a great place to vent, share your fears and get lots and lots of support. I'm glad to see you here!!

 

[bottomshollow]

lyndas444, so pleased you have joined us here on the forum. My hubby will be having both knees replaced the end of the month; he too has fairly severe valgus in addition to severe hyperextension of both legs. I am going to give you links to articles from our Library which are essential reading for anyone having TKR:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
How Long Does Healing Take ......
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevating your leg to control swelling and pain
Using ice
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?
Constipation and stool softeners
Tips for an easier recovery: Comprehensive List for hospital and home

Knee Replacement - Where Am I in Recovery?
So What Is It Going to Take? The Five “P’s” of Knee RecoveryWork “Smarter” and not “Harder”
About recovering a knee - from one who knows!
Some suggestions for home physio (PT) and activity progress
Myth busting: The "window of opportunity"
MUA (manipulation under anaesthetic) and adhesions
It's never too late to get more ROM!
It's Worth the Wait for ROM
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

I know this seems a bit overwhelming, but the articles are not lengthy and have loads of information that will answer many questions you probably have. Please read them all. If you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to inquire about them. We are here to help in any way we can and to support and encourage you from pre op to post op through your recovery.

Take care of yourself and keep us posted. We care.

 

[Roy Gardiner]

After reading the post surgery forum on here, it really hit home what a big op this is and for how long afterwards I will have to rest. I am struggling with that, along with anxiety about post surgical pain management.

Post surgical pain should be handled by prescription drugs from your GP. You should try and get that arranged before The Day.

I found pain levels manageable if I rested properly.

You will have to treat proper rest as a challenge, because doing nothing is a requirement. Doing too much can set you back, very easily.

- If it hurts, don't do it nor allow anyone -- especially a physiotherapist -- to do it to you..
- If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it.
- If you won't die if it's not done, don't do it.
- Don't stand if you can sit; don't sit if you can lie down

For at least a month, telly is your friend.

 

[Josephine]

I am having an oxinium implant which is supposed to have a longer life than previous implants.

No more or less than any other device. All much the same in performance and longevity. What makes the difference is the skill in the hands that puts them in!

 

[lyndas444]

Thank you so much for all the info, Judy. There is lots there and I will have time to look at it over the next few days.

 

[bottomshollow]

FYI, it is not necessary to click the "Reply" to respond to a post---just scroll down a bit to the message box and start your post. "Reply" is actually only for quoting a post when there are several posts between it and your post and you want to use it as a point of reference. If you just want to reference a specific point, you can delete all but the part you want.

 

[lyndas444]

Ok, I see it, thank you!

 

[Titianlady]

Lynda is my new friend from NZ! She is a very fit active lady, and is very anxious about the surgery. Lets all help her on this journey BoneSmarties!! I've told her what a wonderful family BoneSmarties are.

Her surgery is a week from today. I hope she isn't too scared to come back to the forum. Reading all our vents, has scared her, so she has stopped reading for now, but once she is on the other side, I will get her back here.

Please, send her best wishes..she is a lovely lady.

 

[Motorcycle Meemaw]

Good luck Lynda! I too was scared, but the more I read, the better informed I became. I feel more secure about having the surgery. I still have doubts as everyone does, but they pass quickly when I think about getting rid of this bum knee!

 

[RestAssured]

Lynda,

We all had doubts before, but having new knees is terrific! It will enable you to do a lot more walking and other stuff that you might be finding too painful to do right now!

 

[lyndas444]

Thank you. The issue now is which knee to do first! Originally it was the left, then that settled down enough that I decided on the right. Now the left is worse so I have to decide - fast - which one to do.
Reading the posts has certainly prepared me for 'the worst' but it just got a bit much and I had a meltdown and decided not to read any more.

 

[Titianlady]

I didn't know you were having trouble with your other knee too! Well, one thing at a time. Let's get you through the first one. We will all be here for you. You most certainly know by now I will my dear.

 

[lyndas444]

Yes, both need doing and I originally was having the left done as it was giving me severe sharp pain. Then that resolved and I changed to the right which was always the stiffer one which ached more and which had the more pronounced valgus. Then for the last few days the left is giving me sharp pain which I don't think will work if I have to favour it while on crutches. Drama again!

 

[Titianlady]

Maybe for the next days, you should forgo your morning walk, and give your left leg a rest. I know you look forward to it, but it might help to not tax it for now. Since your right knee is so valgus it may not be able to handle the added use right now if you changed your mind and did the left one first.

 

[RestAssured]

I agree. Give your knees some rest and get the right one done first. You are probably overdoing it a little too much right now. You have your whole life ahead of you to go for those long walks! My Mom is 71 and she still walks 4 miles a day, and goes to the health club. I really admire her for her determination!

I understand you not reading the posts anymore, but please understand this, I for one knew that I was at a 50/50 chance of getting MRSA before I had surgery on either knee! But that was because I had MRSA 6 times previously.

You know why I went ahead anyway with odds like that? I wasn't living, but merely existing! I have lost 150 pounds since then and I can do so much more than I ever dreamed I would be doing! I love life again, and wouldn't trade any part of my hard fought journey with anyone! God has a reason, and I believe mine is to continue to encourage and help others!

 

[Elsie Yan]

Hi Lynda,

I am like you, an active person. But I wasn't like this all the time. I had never exercised when I found out that I had OA more than 10 years ago. Then I resorted to sleeping pills to help me to sleep and eventually got addicted to it and had to seek treatment for my addiction. It was then that I learned I had to exercise even with OA. So I started walking and losing weight and even workout at the gym. I felt good with all these exercises and the positive mindset helped me manage my pain better. When my children and sister joined running competitions, I would always gate crash by walking behind after everyone had taken off. I was surprised I lasted 10 years before I had a bilateral TKR. In fact, just months before my BTKR, I managed to walked 7 km in a running competition which I gate crashed again. That was the furthest I had ever walked and you can imagine the pain I had in my knees and soles of my feet. Even though my knees were so sore, stiff and painful but the achievement was worth it. After this, I knew it was time to do TKR because my pain had gotten so bad that even when I'm not moving, I have the pain and it really disturbed my sleep. Even pain meds doesn't help anymore. So I knew I had hit rock bottom and just surrendered myself to the surgery.

Before my surgery, I did not know much about TKR and all these wonderful forums. The little info I knew came from my OS. Its now been 17 months but I only started joining such forums a few months ago. I noticed that because I did not know much about TKR, I did not think too much about it. I did googled and saw a live video on the surgery which I cringed but that's about it. I scheduled a date with my OS for the surgery which is not far away so I could quickly get it over with. I was anxious but did not have any doubts. I knew that with the surgery, I could look forward to a new life with two pain free knees. I knew I could continue with my active lifestyle without pain anymore. Now I noticed that people start learning about TKR months or years before they have the surgery which is a good thing. However, when their surgery date gets close, they start getting scared up to the extent of thinking of pulling out and all the denial behavior starts coming out. But after all the support and encouragement from members here, these people ended up fine with the surgery. So I feel its a matter of preference. If you feel more info is going to make you worse, then don't bother with it. Its not too late to learn more about it afterwards especially during your early recovery when you have all the time in the world. That's what I did and I turned out okay. The only regret is that if I knew more, I could have made better preparation for a more conducive environment for recuperation at home. But still, I learned along the way - no big deal. I say do what you think is best for you. Good luck with your surgery!

 

[lyndas444]

Thank you so much for your lovely reply. I was feeling quite good on Monday this week as I'd made quite a few decisions and organised things. But then my left knee (I had booked in to have the right done) became very painful again and has stayed like that so today, a week out from my op, I have decided I will have to do the left first. It has thrown me a bit, but there you go, life throws curved balls at us. I'm still walking and keeping active and will until I hit the theatre.
My main concerns now are being immobilised for so long and how much pain will there be after surgery. But I'm sure everyone worries about that and we just have to get through it.

Oh yes, the denial has come in, like 'why am I doing this, I can go on a bit longer' etc, but the truth is that it has to happen some time.

How long was it before you could get back to moving around easily and exercising again? Having both knees done must have been huge, I can't imagine how you could get around without one leg to use.


Thank you again for your positive note.

 

[Titianlady]

Hi Lynda.. Everyone's recovery is different, so giving you a timeline as to when you can become "active" again is an individual thing. The first 2-3 weeks are major healing time, and you will most likely be resting, taking meds, and just getting over the initial surgery. You won't be bedridden. You will be able to get around your home.

You are fit, and enjoy activity, so I think you will do fine with it. The downside of that is you may try to do too much too soon. My PT had to scold me and tell me to stop walking around so much, and stop working my knee so hard. I was causing too much internal swelling.
He said " you have the rest of your life to walk on that knee, but now you need to let it heal, and not cause it so much grief"

I have always been a go getter, and thought that, hey, I can walk on this knee, so let's go! Taking it easy was the hardest thing for me, but I did, and my knee rewarded me. Patience is key. I know, I know, you've heard that over and over, but it IS the key.