Hi all - first post here & I am desperate for input & advised.. I had an arthroscopy done 6 months ago & expected a miracle as my surgeon gave me the impression it would help heaps & promised me the earth.. I had a medial meniscus tear. I was on a walker at the time & now on just a walking stick so it helped a slight amount BUT I am in still in severe pain still every day. I did 3 months of physio & did everything I was told to do. I had a MRI, Cat scan & all the tests before but now because I had been begging for a cortisone injection for over 4 months. I have now been told the recent MRI says I have NO cartilage left on my inner knee. I have thought I was going mad with the pain as I was told prior to the surgery that it should leave me pain free. I am declared medically fit to drive & feel as if I have lost my quality of life. I just feel so stressed & anxious over being in non stop pain because I hate taking pain killers but my GP says I must because the pain has now affected my blood pressure & I am also getting heart palpitations & the shakes because of the pain. Has anyone else felt so desperate & fed up ? MY surgeon has now said I need a part knee replacement but I have lost faith in him & feels he just wants $$. Has anyone else heard of stem cells therapy ? I have heard it has worked wonders for athletes & footy players . I may have to travel interstate for this & private health may not cover this BUT I am only in my 50's & feel like a 90 year old atm. I am desperate to get my life back & fed up with feeling so stressed & anxious about all of this. I can not do any more than 10 minutes of work at home, I can't walk inside the shopping mall for longer than 5 minutes. I fell like my life is in ruins. Any input or advise will be appreciated,
Thanks Colleen
Opps that was supposed to be Medically UNFIT to drive !
Hi Colleen
So sorry about all your going though .
I ended up needing a partial years after I had a arthroscopic surgery .
Me knee had gotten so bad I could barely walk .
So very happy since surgery . It's been 5 months and I'm like a different person .
Everyone is different but it sounds you may need to have the partial done .
Good luck . Keep us posted , this forum was my lifesaver after the surgery .
Debbie xo
I can relate, unfortunately. After hurting my knee I opted for a cortisone shot from our family doctor. Things felt great for a few months. Then had an MRI and had to have arthroscopic surgery to clean up a torn minisicus. Since then nothing but problems. Three cortisone shots, fluid in knee. Finally had a TKR 4 weeks ago.
My advice..... go get a second, or third opinion from a doctor outside of the ortho group you currently see. I waited too long and my knee deteriorated to the point of bone on bone with loss of blood flow and then TKR.
Also, the most cortisone, the less your chances of avoiding another surgery.
Thanks Dan
I AM already walking bone on bone. The 1st cortsione injection I had a couple of weeks ago has given me some relief but I am still in daily pain. It is just so good to find a group where other people can understand what I am going through & how desperate that I am. I am on Dr's orders to be away in the country to wind down & relax atm. When I get back to town I am going to look for more opinions & try & find out about this stem cell therapy. Thanks for your reply, Cheers Colleen
Cortizone is just a anti inflamatory. I had cartiladge removed 3 times. I get the 3 shot synvisc injection series every 6 months. I was having the same issues til the doc started me on those. It's been over 10 years and it still works great and feels good. I would try them before going any further.
Can I please clarify that the 3 x corisone injections per year are managing to keep you going ? Are you also bone on bone in your knee ? I just want to avoid a knee replacement if I can & as I said I get the impression that my surgeon is more interested in $ so if need be I will see further specialists . I have heard great things about this stem cell treatment but need to learn more about it.
I get synvisc injections. It's 1 injection , once a week, for 3 weeks. Every 6 months. It's a lube job for your knee. I have bone on bone. Scoped twice in 2002. Doc took pics. Showed cracks in my thigh bone from the friction. I am 53 now. Still feels good. I will go as long as injections work. He was going to do cortizone years ago and decided they won't help.
"I expected a miracle..." Unfortunately, only Jesus does those and he hasn't been around for 2,100 years... However, I can change ice into water if you need me to...
I had four knee scopes (two each side) for femoral condyle and meniscus tears and they went pretty well...but sooner or later, the pain always comes back...at least for me. So I lived on Synvisc injections for years and years. FABULOUS. Lasted 11 months per set. Moved to TX from NJ and the warm weather made the shots unnecessary for 6 years.
@ 68 The pain resurfaced; doc said that more Synvisc would only delay the inevitable TKR...so I had it done in March. Worst pain ever; best outcome ever. I'm 7 months p/o with no pain, on no meds or aids, 0 / +131 flexion, sleeping great and getting back to work. Yes, there's still some stiffness and clicking sounds that may last another year. Who knows.
If you're looking at replacement surgery, I'd check out one of the ortho groups in your area that's been hired by professional and/or college sports teams. Those are the experts. Meanwhile, level-set your expectations...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-experience-or-wish-i-had-another-kidney-stone--524499
Hope this helps...
Hi Colleen, I can relate to you totally. I had an arthroscopy done on 8th Sept 2015 and too as told it would greatly help my knee, fix the torn meniscus however the outcome was the opposite. When I awakened he came to see me in recovery and said it was not a success and would see me in 6 weeks. When I went for my followup appointment he told me I needed a total knee replacement. I was devastated. I was only 49. I was put on waiting list, was told it would be 12-18 mths. I am in Uk. My knee deterioted quite quickly. I went from walking quite indepentently before 8th Sept to needing a stick, driving became impossible and I could not walk more than 20 meters, taking 5 different pain meds including morphine based tablets. My life was miserable, not only for me but my husband and 3 children too. I couldn't work any more than 2-3 hours and due to pain meds was dopey too. My husband and I took out a loan and I went private in March this year 2016 and had a total knee replacement... best thing we have ever done the recovery has been slow but although stil getting there do not have bone on bone pain. I do need the other knee done too but will not be having an arthroscopy before this time.
I did have steroid and synval injections but they did not work. Unfortunately I haven't heard of stem cell therpy. I wish you all the best, let me know how you get on and keep asking questions. I found this forum at 5 weeks post op and it is brilliant. X
Colleen, I just finished my 3rd surgery, that's right the third , god awful, but please do NOT get a partial knee replacement. Down the road you will have to do it again. I m in my 6th week and have low energy and the pain is diminishing however you would think after my other two surgeries I would understand what I m going through but it's hard when you're consistently in pain or tired. If you're in fla I would recommend my new doctor,Martin Roche ft lauderdale, does it with robotics, although you will always have pain my swelling was Fuentes in a week and knee looks normal but of course you have to wait for the body to heal. We all feel like you do because this operation is not for the faint of heart! Gang in and try to stay positive!
Sorry to hear your struggles. I had 4 cortisone injections this year, after the last one had no benefit, I realized I needed a solution and not a stop gap. I was bone on bone with bone spurs. So 8 days ago, I had a total knee replacement. Jury is still out but I'm showing slight signs of improvement. Take pain pills as prescribed they help healing. No need to suffer. Stem cells are not proven and some things work better for people in their 20s. If you lost confidence in your surgeon get a second or third opinion. Docs don't make that much for each surgery, so I'm sure his opinion is based on your current situation. Good luck.
I had that done horrible pain for 2 years. Had an MRI bone on bone needed a knee replacement. I could have had a partial but went for a full this past July.
Yes colleen you are not alone, i am 53 years old and have has Meniscus repair and partial knee and now i have a total knee, and in November i am having a total knee revision because my hardware in my knee is loose. It is very frustrating but you have so some how get though it be distracting yourself, i do a lot of reading and go to church and physical therapy, just try and keep your mind active. When i had a partial put in they had to put a full replacement in because my pain never stopped. This is a really good group of people to talk to and get advice from. Dont give up it will get better.
Hi April how long after your partial did you need the total ?
I had partial 5 months ago , knee was bone on bone . So far I'm doing great except if I've done a lot of walking it almost seems like it may swell up but I don't let it get to that point .
It seems all I have been reading on here is revision , revision , revision , or partial and now total . I'm freaked at the thought of needing a total replacement . I am 58.
Debbie
Hi Colleen . I would get a second opinion from another orthopaedic surgeon. My first opinion doctor based his information on a year ago x-rays .He said only needed a partial knee replacement. I decided to get a second opinion based on how my knee was feeling .The second surgeon took updated x-rays and could see basically no cartilage in two parts of left knee and showed me where on xray it was bone on bone . He was honest with me and told me because of the meniscus tears in the two places in knee and none on bone it would be a waste of my time to do anything but a total knee replacement. I saw you also asked about stem cells . They are doing stem cell replacement trials at Rothman Institute in Pennsylvania ,since it hasn't been FDA approved here in USA yet. the study has shown good results so far and it's getting stem cell
S from your ownbody
Colleen, I m 76 just had my 2nd TKR and I was bone on bone, hated to do it still suffering from chronic pain especially during the night, however it is best to go through the misery while you're young than wait like I did. I don't want to be in a wheelchair so I had the TKR. Do not delay but get a couple of opinions. I m in fla a dr Roche did my second with robotics and after 2nd week knee was normal size but of course had pain. This op is not for the faint of heart
Your story sound so close to mine I've heard the stem therapy doesn't work either that is why I didn't get them.I did get the partial amd I definitely regret that as well. Ive been told don't ever do the partial if you do knee replacement go with the total and I am now paying for it because now I'm 10 weeks post op and have to total done in 2 weeks. Make sure if you decide to go that route have a really good support system in place as I underestimated this surgery and the healing process.
Yes!!!! Do NOT underestimate this operation. Click on the link in my other post for a lot of information. Be prepared; be strong.
Thanks Dan I am doing exactly what you suggest.. I have decided to get a 2nd opinion from another Orthopaedic surgeon. My GP wanted my actual surgeon to give me a referral to another one but I pressed her to do it. I did not feel completely confident in one specialist doing a referral to another one who was probably his mate & would automatically agree with him. It might sound horrible saying that but I wanted to see someone nearby & of my own choice.