I am 48 years old and a 1 1/2 years ago was diagnosed as bone on bone on my right knee. My othro started me doing steriod shots every 3 months. They worked for a while, then only lasted a month then I had two months of pain again. A month ago they tried Synvisc shot. I can barely feel a difference. I am so scared to go through with the surgery because I do not want to be in worse shape than I am now. Right now I can still walk a short distance with pain. If I turn just right it feels as if my whole knee has came unhindged. I was a very active person but now I work and go home to become a couch potato. If I go shopping I can't even walk through wal-mart without extreme pain. It is to the point I have my husband do all my shopping because shopping makes my knee so much worse. I want to be able to shop again, to work in my yard again. I work a desk job but in a big facility so walking is a chore at work. I know surgery will be horrible but in the end will I be in better shape than I am now? My ortho said the bone on bone is due to osteoarthritis. My other knee is on it way to being bad too but I can still bend it. My right knee I cannot completely straighten it out anymore. Crossing my right leg over my left is impossible. I even hurt it in my sleep at times if I move the wrong way. Anyone that has had tkr at my age please let me know if I should just continue as I am or get the tkr?
I'm not your age, but sure that some people will reply, but I can say that although for the first weeks i swore I had made a mistake having a TKR, in the end the difference is so great that it is really worth it. As you are, it sounds as if your life is being seriously disrupted by your knee, and if your orthopaedic surgeon agrees, surely it would be worth doing. . . .
Yep sounds like I was at 56. I got so bad I didnt hardly leave house for two years prior to the operation. I had a massive Vitamin D deficiency because I wasnt going out.
I'm 12 weeks post op and already just about saying it was all worth it.
I wasn't prepared for the level of pain and discomfort though - I feel if I was I would have handled it better.
Go for it - took my dogs on beach last week...that was my goal...now waiting for weather to get better so I can do it every day!
You were able to walk on the beach at 12 weeks. OMG I have not been able to do that in a couple of years. Thank you for the reply
Yes i feel my life has been put on hold and I am ready to get it back.
My right knee was ruling my life. Had a tkr October 19 and 5 weeks post op had the left done. That put the right one back some but now 9 weeks after the left and 14 after the right I am glad I had it done. Both of them would have continued to get worse. You are far too young motto get them both fixed. I am 74 Every week I get a little better and I can walk, sleep, ride the bike, drive and cook and do housework relatively pain free. Stiff in the morning but that gets resolved.
Maila
Hi Cathy..I'm older..65.. Very active...work on a sailing vessel...you just told my story...Walmart was the kicker...same diagnosis..same fears..I thought I was going in, down and right back up...it is very difficult...I am 12 weeks post op...I'm not quite ready to say "worth it"... But I can see light...I have now been back to Walmart, with a cane, and it is better than before..right for me too..driving pain already better...used to have to put car in park at red lights...not anymore...I will say....expect to be surprised...it hurts and you lose your mobility....take the meds..prepare the house with things at hand..like pots and pans, washcloths, etc..I wish I had worked a bit more upper body before surgery, for walker....it is slow recovering...I was depressed...that has all moved away..I did the exercises at home and p.t., but not excessively...I let my body tell me how much we were going to move each day..be kind to yourself...moan, cry....whatever you need to do...I am better..and back on the move..I would say I'm at about 75% capacity and growing stronger each day...it is better than the bone on bone pain..that I know for sure...hugs, cindy
I was in a similar situation and I had my knee oeration 6 months ago. I am now able to do much more since having the operation. stiff muscles are still sometimes an issue but the awful bone on bone pain has disappeared and I am able to enjoy long walks and plan trips away.
I am 63 so I am older but I feel that the operation has gven me my life back.
Hi Cathy,
I had similar problems, I am 55 and had a TKR 7 weeks ago, the first 2 weeks were really hard.But now 5 more weeks on an 5sessions of physio I can say I have made my mind up to have the 2nd TKR done later this year. Tiredness for me is the worse factor, but then I didnt sleep much beforehand. I am able to walk about a hour now, eventhough I am suffering with my other knee. I dont have regrets, ust looking forward to a better quality of life in 2017 as that is when my son gets married to this is part of my driving force and to be able to look after my grand children again.
well yes and no. let me be honest here. my wife came also and I had to take it easy...but yeah - it was a huge milestone for me and I did have a little weep when I got home.
Hi Cathy, I hope I can help......I'm 49 years old, and had my 1st TKR (right knee) last March, when I was still 48, and my 2nd last October, 7 months after the first!
In Sept, 6 months after the first surgery I fulfilled the "goal" I had set myself during my recovery.....I went snorkelling off a floating pontoon in the Red Sea! Don't get me wrong, it took a lot of damned hard work in physio and the pool to gain the required strength, but the feeling after I did it.......amazing!
Prior to my OA getting severe with bone on bone and locking, I was walking at least 5 miles a day. It got got the point prior to surgery that I couldn't go shopping, walk around the block, I was as you describe, a couch potato. Which is counterproductive, as your muscles weaken and subsequently support your damaged knee(s) even less.
My second knee ended up in worse shape than the first, and I'm struggling to get it fully straight even after 13 weeks, so if you're unable to straighten yours now (as I also was pre op) then I wouldn't leave it to get any worse - your recovery will be all the harder for it.
I tend to ramble and go off on tangents, but to sum up - I was 48 yo when I had my first TKR, 49 for the 2nd. 2nd knee in much worse shape pre op (unable to bend, waking with excruciating pain if I moved in the night, propping up with pillows...)
So if I were in your shoes, I'd be seeing the Ortho asap and setting the ball rolling. Some even do bilateral, both at the same time - sounds utterly horrific at first, but with hindsight I really wish I'd researched it.....
Don't hesitate to get in touch if I can help, and you can private message if you like.
Good luck with your decision
Terri xx
How long should I expect to be off work?
Gosh, that's a tough questions, I'm probably not the best one to ask as I was made redundant 1 month after my 1st surgery 😞
Ive heard people use 12 weeks as a guideline, but have also heard of some returning after 6 weeks (brave souls!) Hopefully someone with more experience than me will pop on for this question.
Recommeded 12 weeks, however in UK if you are signed off by the consultant and you feel fit enough I presume you could return to work, however you may still get very tired
For me also...the more weight I am putting now on my operated leg is making my other knee much more bearable. I was quite frightened that I'd have to go through it all again but am now confident I'll get a good few years before I have to. Fingers crossed. It's no walk in the park (so to speak) but worth it. Great info on here I wish I'd found before the op...it wouldnt have put me off ...just would have made me much better prepared for it.
Hi Cathy I had a FKR three years ago this july ..it was the best thing I have done in years you see Cathy I to put it off for three years and wished I had done it sooner I will never get the three years back now in my fifties the years are going fast ..I would say before the op get on a bike and cycle ..I did this because I couldn't walk without a lot off pain ..but I could cycle and found it kept pain down in knee ..so when I went for of I got over it quicker I was out of hospital walking with crutches after four week I went on a gym bike ..three weeks later I was cycling the glasgow to Edinburgh event ..55 miles I raised my seat to allow my foot to go around when pedal turned ...sore backside at end with a great feeling of relief and pride ..I now walk any distance without pain and forget I have a false knee ..it will never be as good as the one you are born with but its a good second you get used to it very soon ...go ahead and have a replacement you will not regret it Cathy and get back to walking pain free ...good luck Cathy
Hi Cathy,
I was only 42 when I had my knee replaced, and I was an OR nurse...I went back to work at about 14 weeks I think,
the knee wasnt whame give u work, but then
Hi Cathy,
I was only 42 when I had my knee replaced, and I was an OR nurse...I went back to work at about 14 weeks I think,
the knee wasnt whame give u work, but then
Sorry Cathy this stupid computer is misbehaving. Any way I wanted to say that I had to give up work because my shoulders didn't cope it had nothing to do with hips or knee...I do aqua aerobics now and it's amazing.
i am in Vietnam right now, and yesterday sat on the back of my sons motorbike while we went up to some temple...
hope this helps. I won't pretend it is hard work and painful but now my knee is 17 years old and I don't know it's even been done
Hi Cathy,
I started with pain in my knees when I was 49 years. I had laser surgeries,
did the synvisc, had cortizone shots and just continued to live with pain as nothing helped. The docs kept telling me "I was too young" to have the knee replacement and wanted me to be in my late 50's before considering it. I finally had my first knee done on Sept 15th and my second one done on December 18th in 2015. I feel like I lost a part of my life during that time because the quality of life with pain is not great! If I had it to do again, I would have had it done sooner! I am 4 months po on my right knee and 7 weeks po on my left knee. I already feel better than I did with bone on bone pain!!! It's definitely not a fun surgery but keep your eye on the prize! I have a home rehab business and I am back at our rehab house painting already. It's alot of standing so after about 4 or 5 hours my knees get very tight but I can come home and ride my stationary bike and they loosen up again. I've been told the tightness with stay around a long time so I just work through it. I definitely recommend using a stationary bike. Been a great rehab tool for me!
Good luck!