Just remembered a very interesting conversation my surgeon had today with a junior doctor who was shadowing him. He was having a little grumble about reverse ageism, and I was introduced as a "rather young" TKR patient 😁 I was 49 last week. He was also saying that he strongly disagreed with age being a deciding factor, and that all surgical decisions should be made on an individual clinical basis, with quality of life and pain levels being the main issues regardless of age.
It was so refreshing to hear him speak in those terms, instead of the usual roll of the eyes and sharp intake of breath, accompanied by a shake of the head, when they realise my age!
So, if anyone is being fobbed off with the "you're too young" excuse, it may well be worth seeking a 2nd opinion.
Best wishes and good luck to everyone at ANY stage of this epic journey!
A sensible man. I know that if you have the op when very young you may need a revision in 20 years. . but why waste the best years of your life in pain, when a TKR could give you your life back!
So true...if you can't walk and have a good quality of life then you should be allowed to have the operation.
I'm lucky that I have private cover through my job and had my first TKR at 52. My knees were both bu**ered according to my consultant. Yes, that was the word he used after my arthroscopy.
patsy
Wow...an orthopedic surgeon with a heart! However, he is following the NICE guidelines ( National Institute for Clinical Exellence ) for TKR. These guidelines cover all aspects of health care in the NHS and are always worth reading with any condition and should be followed by all NHS practitioners.
Good to hear Terri. My surgeon specialises in 'younger' patients so I don't get the age thing off him (at 36) but I do off everyone else. He is adamant that my age should only be a consideration when discussing what outcome I should work towards. He refuses to accept the leg I currently have so is operating again next week to try to straighten it further. I am so thankful that after all the years of being fobbed off, that I found my surgeon just over a year ago.
I did find in hospital that I was treated differently than most people by some nurses and physio. I was also being given different exercises to everyone else and worked for much longer (I was happy to do this as I know I should expect more due to my age). By day 3 I was rushed back to surgery after my wound burst open. After that only the senior physio was allowed to work with me, my surgeon wouldn't let anyone else near me as he thought they would do more harm than good.
There is definitely a reverse ageism culture though so it makes me happy to hear some positives.
I'm 56 and today I'm 17 weeks po from new plastic knee cap and metal trochlea (the bit behind it). I waited 11 years for this op as I too was considered too young. Whilst waiting I wore a knee support for a long time so I've now got muscle wastage, which is a real ball ache because actual knee is healing fine. My argument had always been where is your quality of life whilst waiting for the op......if I'd had an accident 11 years ago and the only way of saving my leg was to give me a new knee, then that's what they would have had to do! So, where's the argument......I know they try not to do them too early because of the life expectancy of an implant, but I've struggled for 11 years, years I'm never going to get back. I also suffer from fibromyalgia which I think is also affecting my recovery somewhat. I'd advise anyone not to wait.........you only live once!
I remember reading the NICE guidelines when I first started researching TKR, and wondering why all the Registrars I saw told me that my designated Surgeon "didnt like" doing TKR on someone as young as me - I even went as far as printing out the NICE guidelines, highlighting the relevant bits, and taking them to my appointments in case they were stubborn about my age! Funny that 7 months later the man himself was telling me a very different tale! Just goes to show, speak to the Organ Grinder, not the Monkey, and youll get the truth! (sorry, very old saying but I love it!)
Most of the old sayings ARE the best (now I sound like my Mother)!!