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TKR Walking without an aid?<

Hi flyaway.......we're in the same boat for sure. I just can't see myself doing surgery again before a year at least. I guess it just helped to say it out loud and also to say it to my Bonesmart friends. The only good thing about another surgery is that I have Bonesmart friends who will stay by my side as I do it. Also there will be many changes from the first one.....PT will be totally on my terms as will pain relief. I know what works for me... I am the only one who owns my body and tells it what to do !! Keep in touch please as we will see these surgeries through together.
 
Definitely! We just may be surgery buddies again next year! :friends:

I have learned a lot from this one too! I've been keeping a log of my progression so I have something to look back at next time and refresh my memory when I think I'm not where I'm supposed to be.
 
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Ugh, trying to decide on the optimal time for surgery on Knee # 2 is such a dilemma. I know I'd like to get another year (or more?) in before it's necessary, but, it may not play out that way. My surgeon gives it a two year max. Right now, the non-op knee isn't bothering me much, but I know it's just *there* waiting to come out of temporary hiding. Before my left meniscal tear last December, the right knee bothered me every single day. Since the LTKR, it hasn't....go figure!

I can't help but feel it would be best for the body, never mind the psyche, to have the first knee fully recovered. I definitely don't want to experience double the energy drain or shoot myself back to Square One, when I'm only just beginning to recover pieces of a *normal* existence.

So yes, many of us waffle over this decision, and in the end, we do what we believe we can handle at the time or are forced to do because of other factors. Right now, I can only handle this....so I'm playing the waiting game. Of course, it's easy to play that game when relentless pain isn't an issue, and not easy at all otherwise. *Knocking on wood* that my right knee continues to behave for the next year or so.
 
I am definitely feeling my right knee now again (everyday, just like before lefty TKR) - but I too need that year! I need to be assured that this is the OS who will do my right and that this is the prosthetic of choice. I still feel confident with both, but I'm not painfree yet and can't go chopping on the right side until the left feels great. :)
 
I've had three surgeries on my right knee and I want to be sure that it's finally fixed for good before I start messing with my left. It's going to be weird when I finally do my left because for years the emphasis has been on my right one. I'm afraid I won't even know how to walk with a cane with it :chinstroke:
 
You just do what feels best for yourself & what you can tolerate. I admire anyone who does bilateral replacement at one time or in the same year.
 
Reading the last posts and nodding in agreement.
I just don't want to do this again.
My hope is that eventually there will be some new medical technique to save sawing off the bones to replace the worn meniscus.
I know they're trying this in Switzerland but are limiting it to young athletic patients.
Hope someday some docs will try it on fat elderly people too.
 
Maybe when your new knee gets stronger, it'll take over some of the work and the other knee will get better.
 
I have been thinking about when to do righty . . I can't believe I asked the OS how soon I could do it before we did lefty as I am in no hurry now. OS says that based on x-rays righty is much worse, but lefty was the queen of pain for me. Like Pheebs I am now wanting to make sure that lefty is in a good place and that I can give all my attention to this healing. Will cross my fingers that righty holds out for at least another six months. It would have been less expensive to do both in one insurance year, but I don't think I will be ready before the end of the year and not sure I want to be recovering during the winter when it might be icy out. Guess I'll just take each day as it comes and as ChrissyP says, regardless we will have our bonesmart friends to see us through the recovery :yes!:
 
God love all of you and all of our Bonesmart friends. I am so grateful to have found all of you. There are days when I would have just sat and cried but now I come here to my friends to sort my thoughts out. Thank You.
 
@Lilli215 makes a great point about knees and your back. My back is much better since the tkrs. (Though there was a bit of a flareup in the immediate recovery weeks.)
 
@crissyP , I see my OS on 15th Sept and at that point she will put me on her standard waiting list which means I'll get my op early doors Feb '18. That suits me as we're coming to USA in Oct for a holiday, don't fancy Xmas laid up post op and got a few things scheduled for January so Feb is ideal then hopefully this time next year I'll be reaping the benefits. Happy 4th July :beer:
 
@Lilli215, I see my OS the end of next month. I'm sure my knee will come up in the conversation as it is painful. Will see what happens then.....ugh. Don't blame you for not wanting to be laid up for your holiday. We'll figure this out eventually. Happy 4th to all !!!!!
 
Hi Everyone. Heading into my 6 month of recovery. I would say my right knee is doing well with just a few zips, zaps, twinges etc. I still use my walker for about an hour in the morning as I have back issues and my knees are really stiff when I get up. I then transition to the cane not because of my tkr but because my left knee is now telling me it needs to be replaced. I'm wondering just how I'm going to talk myself into this surgery. My husband wants it done yesterday, but boy oh boy, I'm sure I'm not quite ready to face this as yet. How do you talk yourself into getting this over with???? Any advice truly appreciated !!
 
I scheduled mine at the same time so I didn't have to talk myself into it. But I sure did try to talk myself out of it. LOL.

But as I neared the 10w point, my unoperated knee started bothering me more than the new one, so that definitely helped.
 
crissyP said:
My husband wants it done yesterday, but boy oh boy, I'm sure I'm not quite ready to face this as yet. How do you talk yourself into getting this over with???? Any advice truly appreciated !!
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I already had my right knee done and my left knee had started being painful while my right knee was recovering. I knew the left would have to be replaced eventually and it was on my surgeon's radar. He'd already offered me a PKR, but I said I would wait a bit and then have a TKR.

I went to India for a month, to stay with my son and his family, who were there for his work. The rough pavements and uneven steps in Delhi did a number on the left knee.

I thought it would settle down again when I got home, but it didn't, and one day I suddenly felt "I can't stand this any longer. I need to get this knee sorted out now." I phoned my surgeon's rooms the same day and started the process for having the left knee replaced.

I had 2 years and 9 months between my knee replacements.

For me, realising that I couldn't put up with my bad knee one minute longer was the catalyst that made me decide to get the replacement done. That feeling far outweighed any pre-op apprehension I had.
 
@Celle thank you so much again. You always seem to know what to say. I know it's coming because I'm getting tired of trying to find ways out of the pain it causes.
 
@crissyP and @Celle - reading the last couple of entries helps me so much. I like Celle's comment that knowing she couldn't put up with the knee one minute longer was a catalyst to getting it fixed. Right now, my surgery knee is still giving me quite a bit of discomfort and isn't getting as strong as my docs and I had hoped despite 12 weeks of PT and water exercise/stationery bike at home and senior center. I've been dreading the conversation about the other knee and dreading the idea of another recovery. In essence, it sounds like you are saying, "When it's time, you'll know." And @Pheebs52, I agree that having the first leg fully recovered would be far better for the mind and body. I can't imagine having both my wheels feeling like the left one does right now. I keep thinking that I am making slow improvements and those will continue. Thanks, to all of you for posting.
 
@phrog....Well, I see my OS the Aug. 11th to see where we stand on getting the left knee done. I don't know if I'm ready to go through this again but I do know I'm not walking like I should because the left knee doesn't want to cooperate. Now I wake up with this on my mind and I go to bed with this on my mind. Another problem is we farm and my husband has only a couple of months out of the year where he can help me recover. My mind set is I may as well get it over with as it's going to be done one day anyway. On a brighter note....my right knee is progressing well. I can tell you I never thought I would be saying that in the beginning of this journey....lol. Everyone have a fabulous day !!
 
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