Will new knees be good enough?

[BigGene]

Ann,
Glad to hear things are going well. Keep it up.

Jaycey,
My list of questions is typed up and ready to go!
Yes, if I read my own posts it is an interesting transformation. I'm sure I will vacillate some before it is all over but definitely seeing things differently since a month ago. Thanks for the support.

 

[Jaycey]

:thmb:

 

[Josephine]

I vacillated like mad before I took the plunge!

 

[BigGene]

An interesting thought came to mind, prompted to some extent by my acceptance of the need to get TKR and in part from other threads.

What is pain? OA develops over years, it sneaks up and gradually eats away at our enjoyment of life. As a result there is no specific time when it becomes obvious that it is time for surgical intervention.

When young my pain was sinmple, really. It usually came from injury. First, I was healthy and pain free and then an incident occurs and I would have pain and usually things got fixed and the pain would go away.

As we age, things change, we start getting little aches and problems. We start using words other than "pain" like sore or tight or stiff or swollen. Doctors often use a 10 scale for pain 1 = no pain, 10 is worst ever pain.

OA, for me, seemed like 2-4. Rarely higher. Not so bad, right? Certainly compared to those acute injury events of my youth or a broken bone from a fall, etc.

I also think there has been a tendancy to downgrade the pain because I have become use to it. It's "normal" so i don't think of it as so bad.

That went on for years and slowly but surely my activities became fewer. If an activity caused hurt, I stopped doing it. As a result that pain level was kept at that 2-4 level.

Frankly, if I had not gone on a backpacking trip where every night and after any rest break the pain level went to the 8--9 level, I would not have gone to a doctor and gotten the x-ray which showed both knees were bone-on-bone.

Interestingly, in the past couple weeks, as I finally began to understand that TKR was the only action that makes sense for me. That I seem to be acknowledging more pain, I even use the "p" word now. It "hurts" instead as just being stiff. I don't believe it has gotten worse, I believe I have begun to acknowledge the truth.

I expect there are others who are struggling with the decision, as I am, should consider two things.

Have you knees stopped you from living your life the way you would prefer?
Is your "discomfort" controlled by changing your behavior?

The answer is yes for me.

 

[Jamie]

Very thoughtful post, Gene!!! I agree with what you're saying.....

 

[Josephine]

Excellent post! I may nick that for the Library!

 

[BigGene]

Thanks Jo,
I considered starting a new thread, then decided to keep it here.

Feel free to use it in any way that it might help other.

 

[gertie]

This was really helpful, Gene. I'm in that wrestling stage. Mostly, I can do what I need to do to live my life, w/ minimal discomfort--even travelled over the holidays, trudging around airports, sitting 6 hours on a plane, etc.--with minimal pain. But...I'm also aware that I'm not doing things I used to do because I know it would really up the pain level. Hmm...food for thought.

 

[BigGene]

Gertie,
What choices did you make during your trip that were based on your knees? What did you avoid because of your knees?

Do something you use to love, regardless of your knees. How much does ir hurt? Ask yourself if you really want to give up on doing those activities for the rest of your life.

I don't want to run away from my favorite activities and when I do them I don't want to be miserable because of my knees

Three years ago I went rafting through the Grand Canyon. 14 days, camping under the stars. An incredible experience, but each day the group would stop to hike the beautiful slot canyons. I stayed behind, waiting on the beach because I couldn't do the hiking.

I want to do that trip again, only next time I don't want to be left on the beach. I want to do the whole trip, not just part of it.

Suggestion:
Make a list of the activities you used to do that you have stopped doing over the past 10 - 20 years.

 

[Josephine]

And you will! You shall go to the ball, Cinderella! I promise!

 

[darncat]

Big Gene, I've been where you are...when you finally go to the ortho and they ask you on the form "when did the problem start?"...hmmmm kinda fuzzy...been in pain for a long time...started as a little twinge..."Gosh, maybe I should lose a couple pounds"...to now..."Honey, can you go to the mall to get my watches fixed, I can't walk from the parking lot"...

 

[Recycled]

I expect there are others who are struggling with the decision, as I am, should consider two things.

Have you knees stopped you from living your life the way you would prefer?
Is your "discomfort" controlled by changing your behavior?

The answer is yes for me.

Gene,

Excellent post. Due to knee injuries, I was told way back that I should expect problems in the future. I just always kept thinking it was a more distant future. My "decision" was typically prejudiced by the risk of a bad outcome and maybe not walking.......So I re-catagorized the pain and continued on.....adjusting. (also, not having insurance delayed me for awhile too) When I finally decided to at least get X-Rays to check on the status and any options......Well.... let's just say the OS said, "I'm not surprised your in pain and it's amazing you can still walk".

Even now, with TKR scheduled, I still weigh the moments of less pain against the risk of TKR. It's only when I open my eyes to all the limitations I have regressed to, that I realize TKR is my best option at not losing this time in my life.

 

[referee54]

I guess I am one of the odd ones. When I reffed or umped, there were trips in the car on the way home in which I had ice bags on both knees. Finally, I had to quit reffing college hoops, and then football went also (part of that was that my son was playing and that I wanted to see him, but even the trips up into the stadiums hurt.

I finally realized what had to be done; I went through with the SunVisc (which didn't work) and then made up my mind; it was a "done deal." I wanted to get my knees done when school was out, but the soonest I could get them done on my surgeon's schedule was November---so I did.

I never really second-guessed myself or vacillated in any way---it had to be done; I just went forward fro there.

TSC

 

[ruppbike]

Gene -

Everything you are saying is telling me you know what must be done. You are right to take the decision seriously and consider all the ramifications and possible outcomes, but in the end you know what you need to do. If you have the support of others to help and an inurance plan / work situation that makes it possible to give yourself this gift - go for it. This is just my opinion from someone that put it off for awhile, but once I got to the point that I knew what needed to be done and had the above listed support and means, it was then a matter of preparing myself physically and mentally and getting the job done. 19-days post surgery and no regrets so far.

Kurt

 

[BigGene]

Ruppbike,
Glad you are doing well. I will follow your progress.

Recycled,
Good luck with the surgery. Like you, even though I feel I have made up my mind. I still await the my appointments to discuss specifics with the surgeons.

I have questions about whether to do one or both at the same time. Whether to have it done here where I live alone or go to Reno where my daughter can help and has a house on one floor.

Issues related to timing. I have a sence of obligation to a project at work that I need to think through. It would be best for my job if I waited till September. But I don't think I want to do that anymore. If I do one soon I will feel obligated to get back to work early. If I wait it means 6 more wasted months.

But first I need to meet and talk to the surgeons 1/26 iin Reno. 2/1 in Maryland. Then I will move forward.

 

[darncat]

Big Gene, I just wanted to tell you how much you have helped me (and I'm sure others) by your thoughtful prose. Amazing how many of us are way too young to not be living a full life because of the failings of our bodies. Good luck with your journey!! I really don't know what I would do without this website!

 

[BigGene]

Thanks, Darncat for your kind comments. I look forward to moving in the right direction. Hang tough with all your own issues. It will all work out.

 

[themess]

Big Gene, As we would say in the 70's "just do it". You have been given great advice and a plethora of personal experiences. Having finally (after about 12+years of my wife telling me to do it) gotten my 1st tkr done Jan13th 2011, I'm one of those people saying "If I knew then what I know now, I would have done this a long time ago".

I consider myself very fortunate with the excellent out come of my surgery, which so far has been mostly pain free. I have just one more suggestion for you and anyone reading this: Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock, time's a wasting and it's yours.

Good Luck
LTKR 1/13/11 doing fantastic
RTKR March/April 2011

 

[BigGene]

themess,
Glad to hear things are going so well.

You should really get rid of that old x-ray and show off your new knee!

 

[kneeper]

Just had to share the conversation I had with a friend about my decision for tkr. I was saying how I think it will really improve things etc. then I said something like "some days I think maybe it's not *that* bad" and she looks at me like "are you nuts? Of course it's that bad." We kind of had a laugh.