I have been told that I need a Knee replacement, I am very scared and worried if it is going to work . Need some reassurance from anyone who had it done
While any major surgery has risks, knee replacement surgery is a routine operation and many people can testify to the benefits. It is not a quick recovery...But my own experience is that is is well worth the work involved.
The surgeon does their bit, and then you will need to both rest and also do a lot of necessary exercises afterwards. I am five months post op, and its great to be more mobile than I have been in years.
How limited is your mobility and how is your life affected by pain?
It is a big decision to make, but there is lots of information around. Lots on here too!
Hi laila20290 I had mine done over a yr ago and although recovery is long and brutal it's so much better than before. Gl
I have had both knees done 19½ and 17½ years ago . It worked for me , I have had no problems since . If you need a knee replacement have it done . I would advise you to have a spinal anesthetic with sedation rather than a general , the recovery from it is much easier . You may or may not have problems with your recovery , but the end result is better than suffering from arthritic knees for the rest of your life . Read lots of posts on here , you will find some had good recovery some not so good . Don't judge recovery by others progress , some are quicker than others , but we get there in the end .
I am just past 3 months from having had my surgery. Since surgery I have not had pain that is even remotely close to what I had before surgery. My surgery was late in the afternoon so they did not get me on my feet until the next morning. It was great. I could already tell that the new knee was giving me more support than the original.
I only have a few bits of advice. Physiclal therapy (or physio depending where you're from) do it, do it like they say as much, or as little, as they say, Do let them know if something is to much. You control your recovery. Be strong and let them know if something hurts too much or doesn't feel right.
Ice and elevation are your friend. Suprisingly for me and a lot of others you can get more relief from ice packs or a machine like the polar care cube. If you are not familiar with it the ice machine hold water and ice [I use frozen bottles of water instead of ice with mine) and circulates cold water through a wrap that goes around your leg.
You will have swelling and it will last. Like I said earlier, I amd 3 months out and this is the part that is bothering me now, I feel like I could do more if it would go away and stay away.
Ready yourself for the fact that your recovery will not happen overnight, This is the part that is killing me. I feel like I should be able to do more than I can.
You can do this.And you'll be so glad you did. I think I've become a walking, talking ad for total knee replacement and my doctor.
Please feel free to ask me anything that I may not have covered.
I've had both my knees total knee replacements. I spent 12 years before I could get them done, in so much pain. I feel like I missed out on life. I hope you don't go through that. It is major surgery though and takes a lot out of your body.
Worth it? TOTALLY!!! But...
This will hurt and the recovery time is long. You need to prepare yourself physically, mentally and spiritually...exact as virtually NONE of us on the Forum did! Don't be dumb like us! Here's something to get you started...
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-experience-or-wish-i-had-another-kidney-stone--524499
Click my picture and then See All Discussions"...lots of stuff out there. Also look up OldFatGuy1, WaffloBill and other #6 Oracles. Great people. There's also Jenny who has a fantastic off-site blog of her journey. Had mine done at 68...one more to go... We're all here to help.
Absolutely worth it!! It's a painful recovery in the beginning....and a lot of hard work with exercise....but as the weeks & months go on....you'll be glad you did it. I'm 8 1/2 months post-op now. And I have far better mobility than before. Get a polar ice machine if you can. It will be your best friend. And it's a long recovery, but well worth it!!! Good luck with your decision.
How bad is your pain nowand how mobile are you? I had both replaced Mar 2016. Now 17 months later life is good. I can do almost anything except run and sprint up and down stairs. There could be pain after op. Will most certainly be. But if you persevere and do the exercises, be as fit and lean as you can be pre and post surgery and eat clean, rest, ice when necessary and get pain medication under control, you will almost certainly come out of the experience stronger and more mobile. Just do it if it's your only choice. xxx
It painful long recovery but as my husband reminds me every time I moan I'm walking pain free more now than for done for years and still have the other leg to get done go for it Have it done💗💗💗
Hi Laila!
I'm your age and had my knees replaced in June and October of 2015. I now have my life back after many years of pain. They are the two best things I ever did for myself!
I imagine many people do a lot of thinking about whether they SHOULD have knee replacement surgery. For me, as soon as my surgeon told me that I had literally WORN OFF my bone spurs, was WAAAY past arthroscopic surgery and was a candidate for having both knees replaced, I set up my first surgery before leaving my doctor's office! My x-rays looked like I had ALIEN legs...all bent and bowed and I KNEW I wanted to be done with the horrible pain I had been experiencing for many years.
My recovery went well. I had much less pain in the weeks following surgery than I had experienced PRIOR TO surgery. Swelling was annoying, but I got through it. I had six months of physical therapy twice a week during g my recoveries from my two surgeries. Physical therapy was EXTREMELY helpful to me.
The best thing about my knee replacements is being able to spend as much time as I want in my garden, at the beach, going shopping, and walking wherever I want without PAIN.
I wish you much success as you gain information and opinions about TKR surgery.
Keep a few things in mind when asking opinions from others:
There are a number of different reasons for people having joint replacement, everything from your condition to mine. Injuries from accidents to, in my case a rare, 1 in 2 million persons tumor.
Because of these various conditions, friends and family can be great allies or huge pains in the a**.
Surgeons are well trained professionals but often 1 brick short of a load when it comes to knowing the psychic of the patient. It isn't that they intentionally try an mislead you but their focus is cut, whack, chop and close that sometimes they miss full disclosure.
Most cases, the tkr is very successful and people are fine with the results, its all they hope for and more. Those are the people that never show up on this type of site. Many of the folks on here are the people with complications and are looking for answers and justifiably so. Due to the tumor, I've ha d 11 surgeries plus radiation requiring 5 complete rehabs. The last thing I would want is for anyone to use my history as the basis for making a decision regarding their surgery. I have a long time fellow church member friend that refuses to have replacement based on my history even though I've begged him not to do that. Because of that, he goes in agony all of the time when there isn't a need.
So, t o answer your concerns as best as I can, my suggestion is to write down as many of your questions as possible and present them to the surgeon keeping in mind we all as different in our healing as our fingerprints. Then let your final decision rest on level of pain and how its affecting your life, keeping in mind that healing isn't lineal but erratic in scope and time. At 1st you'll probably want to kick yourself and then, shortly, hug yourself for being so smart and brave.
Stay with this forum. A million dollars with box help free for the taking. Listen to people like Chico Marx. He talks strange but after all what can you expect from a New Joiseyite living in Texas but he has the wisdom of a guy that's fought all kinds of battle. Valerie (Martinvealo) who has lived and fought the battle from the UK to Spain and the Cheryls, one from lake Erie and the other from Oz. All qualified to be great mentors in kind, sensible ways.
Good luck, whatever your decision.
I'm 52 and I have arthritis since I was 26 most notably in my knee. I'm on a lot of medication for this including steroids which are horrible tablets that have serious side effects. I had a tkr in April
and it's the best thing I've done. It is a hard surgery and painful but compared to how I was before the op the pain is virtually non-existent and I'm now on half the dose of steroids I was on before the op and am continuing to reduce them. It's s hard recovery but well worth it. Good luck with the op and take care.
You sound like me before I had my right knee done. I got to the point where I couldn't walk a block and avoided it at all costs. The daily pain was interfering with my interactions with other people, no tolerance at all. I could no longer get in or out of my kayak, the best part of my active life. I avoided surgery for 3 years, till I got to this point. My surgery was 5/17, now I can go to the mall (I still need to sit and rests sometimes) but best of all I'm back in my kayak. The recovery can be difficult, you have to decide when the pain and limits you experience keep you from doing the things you enjoy most. Whenever you decide to go ahead, read the comments in this forum, there are so many knowable posts to help you both before and after. Good luck
You are so right Kathy!! I couldn't walk my dogs anymore, couldn't go around the block without being in tears by the time I got home. Since the surgery, I'm back to walking the dogs, going for walks with my boyfriend, dancing.....such a difference!! I'm currently getting Synvisc One shots in my other knee....eventually will probably need a replacement. For now though...it works very well.
While I am only 6 weeks post op..and it has been a rollercoaster ride these 6 weeks... One thing for sure.. The very first time they get you up walking... You instantly notice it is a different type of pain. It is a hard surgery to recover from and a lot of hard work on your part... Ice.. Exercise... Tears of frustration ... I am amazed I am here and smiling 6 weeks later , I still have a ways to go but I already know it's the best decision I made. Plus this group here has pulled me through every worry I have had..and if you do decide to do it... We will all be here cheering you on!!
Hi Shelley!
Glad to hear you are doing well!😄 Yes, "rollercoaster ride" is about right for those first few months!
I was super surprised, too, when I put my weight on my new knee that first evening. I expected lots of pain, but it felt a lot more solid than my other leg! Learning how to kick my leg out and 'lock" my knee so my nerve block wouldn't cause my leg to buckle was a challenge, but I got pretty good at it by day two as I headed to the in-room bathroom EVERY TWENTY MINUTES to pee! My entourage of two nurses, one on each arm, an aide rolling my IV pole, and ME trying to remember all the new rules of walking caught us all in giggles over and over again. Four of us in the tiny bathroom along with my IV pole was HILLARIOUS!😄 They would leave me for privacy, waiting outside the door. I would ring the buzzer, and all of us would head me back to the bed. One or more nurses or the aide would then say, "See you soon!" Laughter really IS the best medicine!♥️
I am also a 66 year old female and had my second TKR this June, almost a year to the date I had my first knee replaced. All has gone very well. I suggest you do your homework re researching the doctor. If done right, there should be only minimal pain post op which is well managed by drugs and elevating with ice. Plan on a few months before you are back to your normal energy and physical therapy for at least the first two months. Very important: do all suggested exercises pre op and, if offered, go to the class at the hospital giving you info pre-op. It's a long haul recovery but doable and better then the alternative of ending up in a wheel chair. Hope this helps and God bless you.
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer ,I am in great pain ,its my left knee and unable to walk for longer then 15 minutes ,my problem is I also have rheumatoid arthritis inboth my hands ,i have a steroid injection once every 3 month. having been through two major ops for breast cancer, I know the trauma that comes with it. I think I have now decided to go ahead with it as it is makin my life a misery.
I know how you feel as I cant walk for longer then 15 minutes. unfortunatly I also have COPD so I am aslo restricted with excersise . I think I will go ahead with it now wish me luck .will post my progress