off-topic, but desperate

Archives1

Archives1

Staff member
Sorry it's off-topic, but I trust you peeps, so I'm asking for your advice. I'm not on any other medical forums. I'll be having a knee replacement probably in more like 1-3 months, depending on operating room availability due to COVID, instead of a year as planned, because now I also have a torn ACL. I am terrified of the procedure, of having metal in my body, and of the 2-year-long recovery. Does anyone have any knee replacement success or failure stories? Thank you.
 
Do NOT be scared! While there is a saying "every knee is different," most of the time this operation is very successful and the outcome is good. I had my right knee done in November, 2016 and my left knee done 5 months later. Best thing I've ever done for myself. The recovery is painful, yes, for several weeks and then uncomfortable for another month or so but then it's over. For me, I was pain-free and fully functional after 10 weeks. Some people take longer. It does take about a full year for all the swelling to go away and strength to recover completely. Now, I can run, which I couldn't do for 10 years before surgery. I can do all activities which I did before my knees deteriorated and I rarely even thing about them (except first thing in the morning, when I do have to stretch a bit). No pain, and no perception of metal. Again, while every one is different, a "2-year-long recovery" is unusual. Most people recover much more quickly than that.

BTW my surgeries (which were not using the robot) took about 35 minutes each. My doctor does several hundred a year so he is very skilled and very efficient. Most knee replacements now are done with the DaVinci robot and the outcome is usually excellent.

Contact me privately (DrSLawrence@aol.com) if you would like more details. No need to be terrified!
 
Hi, do not fear, the recovery will not be that bad. Try to have someone who does this all the time. I have had friends who have had one knee done at a time and then both done a the same time. Be brave, it takes that long to recover if you run races and do other long distance stuff. I am assuming you are not a tennis or pickleball player-so relax. You will be fine. I had my rotator cuff done by a specialist in the shoulder and the pain was nothing compared to when I had it done in 2007. They make smaller incisions now. It is easier healing. IF you have a warm water pool by you start exercising in it. I also exercised as much as I could before the surgery. I had a nerve block where the only real bad day was the 3rd day. I also used lots of ice at home. I have 6 gel packs in the freezer which I use also much as possible. Do not worry, prayers-let us know the day s I can start praying or you.
 
Just do everything that the Doc and the Physical therapist tell you. It DOES help to be in good shape beforehand (doing safe exercises for your particular impaired condition) and having good muscle mass and especially good vascularity is king for good healing (Ask your Doc and PT is you can stationary bike and other good exercises - and their ideas on safe stretches - flexibility is also key). IF you smoke or otherwise use tobacco, you need to stop now - it slows healing. You want to heal fast, and avoid infections, sepsis, etc.

Good luck - Please give us updates - pre and post surgery!

Cheers,

George
 
Snow - I haven't had a knee replacement but did have a hip replacement in November 2000. It was almost a year to the day that I suddenly realized I hadn't been having any pain. The surgeon expected the replacement to last 10-15 years and it's been almost 21 now. I had IV pain med the first day and after that just acetaminophen as needed. I was faithful to do the exercises prescribed and I started taking glucosamine/chondroitin daily and still do. In some severe weather changes a couple of times I've had bursitis in the area where the metal tube goes down through my thigh bone. But I feel fortunate that I recovered quickly and was back to gardening soon after. Also my daughter came to my house after she got off work each evening after my surgery for a month and rubbed my feet. That was extremely wonderful healing.
 
Joe rogan has talked many times on his show about peoppe avoiding joint replecment with stem cell infusion. Don't know if it helps with acl tears but it basically speeds up healing so it might.
 
My belated grandmother had both knees done simultaneously, and in her case it made issues worse however she ignored the doctors suggestion to keep moving repeatedly. She was a sweet lady but she was a big couch potato and at age 80+ she had a right to be.

As long as you keep trying I don't personally believe you will have any issues. There are always risks so if you feel unsafe, ask your doctor first what the risks are. I know for fact if you put the work in, typically you come out better off than if you didn't. Just know like any surgery there is probably going to be lots of rules to follow and things to do, but that is the path to success.
 
Most folks I know were glad to have gone through the surgery and physical therapy. I think it can be tough before hand, but there's a threshold where everyone finally said it was worth it.
 
I was in the break room talking with a coworker earlier this week, and another coworker walked through on his way out. As he left, my coworker commented on how well he was walking with his new knees. i was surprised, because I'd had no idea bed had knee replacements done, which happened before I started at this company almost four years ago. Apparently he's spent years limping around and nearly retired early because he was in so much pain. Now, he's doing so well that I'd never even suspected he'd had knee problems.

What you get out of it, like so many things, is proportional to what you put into it. Keep up with the PT and exercises after the surgery, and your outcome is very likely to be excellent.
 
Hi Snow, I think the very first thing I would advise is find a surgeon and hospital who have had lots of experience with this!!! And once you find someone do go over with a fine-toothed comb, all of the possible risks and benefits. And tell the surgeon about your medical history and ask the surgeon very frankly if knee replacement is the right course of action. You can always also ask, "What would you do if you were in my place?"
That said, I have not had any experience myself with knee replacement but at the nature center where I volunteer, there is a lady, Marianne, who helps us on field trips. She works at the local water authority and that agency does field trips on its own as well.
I'm not sure her exact age, but she is in her late 40s and definitely under 50. She had both knees replaced on the very same day. Maybe it was three years ago. She had it done in The Villages Hospital which is probably the "go-to" place around here for that type of thing. She came back to the nature center for our first field trip of the season and I asked her how her knees are now.
"I don't know why I didn't have this done earlier," was her reply. "And don't know why I waited so long." It sounded like her surgery and recovery were uneventful. The only negative comment she had was the food at the hospital wasn't very good!
She had this done in early summer and by the time school started in August and field trips were being scheduled with her agency, she was fully on her feet again.
She said that at the end of a typical day she'd feel sore around the surgery sites and tired, but I think that's to be expected.
Marianne has a very good and positive attitude and always gets right in there with the kids, so I think that helped her recovery overall. She was also happy with her choice to have both knees done at once so she wouldn't have to deal with having the other one done later.
I hope this helps allay some of your concerns and encourages you to go ahead and find out more.
I think what @ltapilot said right "upstairs" here about keeping up with your PT and exercises after surgery will also help cut down on the recovery time and will also help you with a good outcome.
 
@Newbie2this Yes, I’d love to try stem cell replacement before knee replacement but I don’t have $5,000 in cash for that. Seems insurance companies will never cover it.

The people I know (all skiers) who’ve tried stem cell, say their joints feel like they’re 12 again. I’d love to try it in my back, also.
 
Snow - I talked to my doctor about stem cell replacement for my back and she brushed it off, saying stem cells don't work for everything. All I've ever heard about stem cells is that they work remarkably well. So I have to think that there must be some politics involved for the reason that insurance companies won't cover it.
 
Stem cells cost a few K to grow in a lab, joint replacments cost tens to hundreds of thousands. Everyone likes money. Just sayin.
 
Thank you all so much. I feel better. Yes, I agree, I’ll have to work hard on PT, and I’m very willing to do so. Looking over the past 2-10 years, my knees have actually been my greatest physical disabler. Yeah my back really hurts, but Aleve really helps for that. Sometimes I have Tramadol, which also helps my back pain a bit. I’m at the point where even after two arthroscopic surgeries per knee in the past two years, I’m still experiencing buckling, popping, and locking. I had to get my right knee drained about 10 days ago when a massive storm came through. The severity really hit me when I was on vacation in CA last month. I could barely complete the drive there because my knee hurt so bad while driving (I drove a total of 2,700 miles, solo). The pain made me vomit and call my mom - even with Tramadol, Tylenol, and Aleve in my system. I was stuck in the rural NV desert (I like backroads) and wasn’t sure I could drive to the next town 120 miles away (I did, but I felt sick and deranged from the pain). Then when I got in the ocean, when the first wave hit my right knee, I screamed out in pain. I had to face backwards to the waves, and couldn’t stay out there long. Surfing was out of the question. And now that I’m home, I can barely do the small lateral movements necessary for driving or shaving my legs. If my leg is straight out in front of me I have to use my hands to pull it up because it’s too painful otherwise. When I snowboarded in April/May, I was not able to override the pain, and I cried and cried and only got 2-3 runs in when I’m used to going for nine hours nonstop. Snowboarding the year before was the same but this year it was worse. I haven’t skied in six years. I haven’t hiked or backpacked since 2014 because of the instability, and I used to hike/backpack almost more than anyone else I know, like 80/days/year. It just never doesn’t hurt: hurts in bed, hurts standing, hurts sitting, hurts walking. It’s not even just pain, it’s function. You can’t hike the steep Rockies with a buckling knee. I can no longer swim; another thing I love to do. I’ve gained weight because of how inactive I’ve become because of my knees. And how about my soul?! It’s dying to get back to my favorite activities safely. These knees have greatly altered my lifestyle for the worse.

So yep, it’s time. My doctor has been suggesting it for 10 years. I’m just so young. They say it’s better to get them when you’re young for a faster recovery. If I get them now at age 45, I’ll have to have them done again at age 60-65. I know lots of skiers who’ve done that and had great results.

I don’t think my doctor will do both at once, but I’ll ask again. Sounds like a better expenditure of recovery time that way. I’ve been taking glucosamine/Chondroitin for the past 15 years. Don’t smoke. Can’t really do much exercising before surgery, but I’ll certainly ask my doctor. I’m still pretty flexible (leftover from yoga and ballet). I’ll stock up on gel packs and compression hose in advance. I do live close to warm pools. There’s a hottub at my complex and my parents also have one.

I guess if I’ve been putting up with this since first diagnosed at age 19, that means I’ve tolerated the pain for 26 years, and deserve to get on with replacements.

@Slawrence Did you have to have a wheelchair, walker, or knee scooter during your recovery? I own all three already, just wondering what level of dysfunction to expect.
 
@Newbie2this Yeah, in that light, it’s hilarious that insurance companies don’t pay for stem cells. If I was wealthy, I’d get them injected into my face wrinkles, too!

For a primo, 10-years-long stem cell treatment package my Orthopaedist offers, it’s $5,000. He’s done it on himself. He’s a few years older than me, with knees in similar condition. He was about to get replacements, too, then he tried stem cells and was floored. He said he barely has any pain any more.

I know an elderly, hardcore, extreme skier who is a miner who gets stem cells in his knees every couple of years (wealthy guy who now owns several mines himself, so he can afford the stem cells) and he says he feels like a leprechaun jumping jollily around afterward.
 
Have a co-worker who got both done last year. First went smoother but they're all different like mentioned. They were a problem for many years and he's happy he had it done just before he retires. His quality of life has greatly improved. Everyone's different but wanted to share.
 
Snow- I used a walker for about a week, then a cane continuously for another week, then the cane as needed for another month or so. I show dogs as an avocation, and I was able to show (slowly) on the 18th day post- surgery. Now 4 1/2 years later, I am in better shape than I have been in 20 years and I never have knee pain.
With that said, remember-again- every knee is different. Some people do have more trouble, some less. Do “prehabilitation”:to strengthen your legs before surgery. Make sure your doctor does a lot of knee replacements and check the infection rate at the hospital that doctor uses. If you are considering both knees at once, you can expect to be very limited for several weeks; if you do one knee at first, at least you have another leg to stand on.

This is a painful procedure for most people- be prepared! But the pain goes away. Sounds like you are limited and uncomfortable now- you will be better off with new knees!
 
@Slawrence Thank you for the tips :) Yes, based on how much relief I felt immediately (even though I was in pain) after the arthroscopies I’ve had, I’m already familiar with the feeling of, “Wow, I should have done this earlier.” I felt better on my left side the first time I stood up; born again. It’s still doing pretty well. The right side hurt so bad it made me cry as soon as I woke up. But it was worth it.

I think I’ll have to get one knee done at a time because I live alone. Not looking forward to replacement recovery alone. If only my cat could cook!
 
I live alone also, I have a friend that helps me but still living alone sucks when your body is not right. I got through my rotator cuff and bicep surgery, off of pain meds. It could have been worse. going to rest and heal now. Sleep is real important for healing. I am not a good sleeper, I try to sleep more. Training myself and learning that I still have a roof over my head and can pay my bills. Prayers help a lot. Hang in, each day it gets better, I notice the change during therapy visits- I am getting stronger-yesterday I did not feel well at all. I have an implant that is bad and went on antibodies two days ago, feel better today. It is always something I swear.
 
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