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seeing ortho surg. on friday, 1st oct.

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Posted 9/29/2010 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone . I am new to this group and you can tell i'm sure.  I have suffered with my knees for at least ten years.  I am very strong willed and stubborn, always thinking this to will pass.  For the last three years it has been more than I just about can take.  Finally in March this year I gave in and went to local ortho. We live in a small town and usually have to travel at least thirty miles to get a dr. with a lot of experience.  My local doc took a few ex-rays and informed me he would not operate on my knees, he said they were among the worst exrays if not the worst he had ever seen.  told me to see a joint replacement spec.  It was hard to pick one not knowing any of them.  The one I chose has been out of school nine years, so hoping he has some newer ideas.  The appointment lady told me that he had operated on some of her family and she recommented him highly, like she wouldn't? 

she said he is so good to his patients, he babies them so much that they tease him about it in the office,.  to be honest that is one of the reasons I chose him.  with this pain I have come to the point that I have struggled so hard and tried to keep doing all the things that I can, I think I want to be babied a little.  Both knees are about equally bad.  I use a cane now to help me.  My questions Is .....this is all new to me, and I know some of you have much more experience and have been down this long sometimes hopless walk, advise me with your best knowledge on what to tell the doc, what to expect, things I need to be prepared for at my visit, they say it will be about two hours.  Help!

Posted 9/29/2010 11:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hello darkdays,

Welcome to HealingWell.  An important factor in deciding whether to have total knee replacement surgery is understanding what the procedure can and cannot do.

More than 90% of individuals who undergo total knee replacement experience a dramatic reduction of knee pain and a significant improvement in the ability to perform common activities of daily living. But total knee replacement will not make you a super-athlete or allow you to do more than you could before you developed arthritis.

Following surgery, you will be advised to avoid some types of activity, including jogging and high-impact sports, for the rest of your life.

The following is a list of modifications that can make your home easier to navigate during your recovery:

  • Safety bars or a secure handrail in your shower or bath
  • Secure handrails along your stairways
  • A stable chair for your early recovery with a firm seat cushion (and a height of 18 to 20 inches), a firm back, two arms, and a footstool for intermittent leg elevation
  • A toilet seat riser, if you have a low toilet
  • A stable shower bench or chair for bathing
  • Removing all loose carpets and cords
  • A temporary living space on the same floor because walking up or down stairs will be more difficult during your early recovery

    • This is just a partial list of what to expect and things you will want to discuss with the surgeon.  Each surgeon has their own set of post-op instructions but be ready to advocate for yourself and ask questions as this Doctor is working for you.

    Write down your questions and good luck on Friday.

    Kindly,

    Kitt

    Posted 9/30/2010 1:26 PM (GMT 0)
    thank you for the tips. Anything you care to share will help me. Honestly I'm scared. I wonder, am I strong enough to go thur the recovery. I have heard how painful it is. I think that now I have my own knees not good working knees but I get by. What if the procedure doesn't work what happens then amputations.  what about blood clots, staff infection?   How much help will I need. I don't have any. My husband is supportive but he works and we can't afford to take much time off. Trips to pt how do I get there??? And a big one whats it gonna cost us? we have insurance, but not everything will be paid for.   and it goes on and on!    I am 58,and they say I'm young well don't feel it.  ANOther concern is i am over weight. about 257.   I hate doctors saying that caused the problem, and you look around and the waiting room is full of skinny folks who have the same problem, what happened to them?    Talk to me friends, give me your story. love being able to tell my fears and knowing you don't know me makes me able to be open and honest with my fears. With family we have to hide a lot. sad
    Posted 9/30/2010 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
    Hi darkdays!

    I am another that needs to have both knees replaced. I am a few years younger than you, but I do understand your fears. I also have a chronic illness and had surgery for another reason recently, and have now put off my knee replacement for awhile, because that surgery caused problems with my illness and I am surgery weary at this time. Maybe I will feel differently in a year or so.

    I will tell you that you need to be ready to do the work afterwards. The surgery while being painful is actually not the hard part. The hardest part is the rehabilitation. You must be prepared to work hard afterwards, but I will tell you if you do work hard it will all be worth it. As for your weight, some ortho's do require you to lose weight first before they will do the surgery, but not all.

    Anyways, there is another site that I found helpful for all the questions and fears those that need either hip or knee replacements might have. Its bonesmart.org. You might want to go check that site out too.

    Good luck!
    Posted 9/30/2010 10:04 PM (GMT 0)
    glad you got somebody nice. the one i got is a good surgeon but couldn't have cared less about my swollen foot and the resulting tendonitis problem. but they wanted more money so they are good at that part.
    Posted 9/30/2010 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
    I actually found the surgery and recovery to be easier than I expected. I'd had open shoulder surgery earlier, and the rehab for the knee was a piece of cake compared to the shoulder. It is important to move around as much as you can (I walked out of the hospital and to the car two days after surgery), and to do your PT exercises. I had 12 PT sessions, then continued rehabbing my knee at the wellness center.

    Good luck, and I hope your result is as good as mine.
    Posted 10/1/2010 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
    thank you all. enjoy sharing with you. Appointment in two hours. will have stuff to report to you later.
    Posted 10/2/2010 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
    How did your appointment go, darkdays?
    Posted 10/2/2010 5:46 PM (GMT 0)
    about what I was expecting.  The doc. was somewhat hurried and I would have liked to be talked to more. But when its all broke down,I got the exact same news that my local doctor gave.  When he put the new pictures up his comment was, "Oh God, your knees are bad, awful.  I have no working knee parts. No cartlidge, no fluid, nothing for shock absorbion.  Strickly bone on bone, and it is so worn that surgery is a last thing to do.  He said there are doctors who can do this surgery. Some with good results. a lot of bone build up and repair has to be done.  But there is a lot of major complications that go with it.  So yesterday he gave me a cortizone, my spelling is awful, shot in my knees.  He just wanted to try to get me a little relief.  And yesterday afternoon and last night i did have a lot better time with them.  I think some has worn off today but I still am not hurting when I'm setting . Usually the ache all the time.  He said it was worth trying, some got a lot of relief for a while and others got none.  I have not had them before.  The shots weren't bad.  No like I had thought.  More of a pressure for about five seconds.  My brain kept telling me it was pain but I kept telling me it was pressure and nothing else.  I felt a little sting when needle went  in, but I'd have them again.  I'm sure the not as painful and the Hyalgan treatments.   Has anyone tried those treatments?  He has given me orders for more extensive ex-rays, why i don't know. I ask when i needed to come back and he said when I needed to????  Told me to keep taking what I am.  Aleeve and tylenol.  Some tramadol and a few tylenol with codine.  He told my husband he was surprised I was not in a wheel chair.  So this is my thinking....I always am concerned that people think I am not in as much pain as I am.  Maybe I am just a whimp. Maybe I could do more and I am just lazy....But when doctors tell you they are impressed with what I can do then it makes me realize that yeah maybe I am hurting as bad as I think I am, and maybe i am doing all that I can. so, I will continue to get up each morning and say a prayer asking God to help me make it through the day, and do all that I need to do, and help make someone elses day better.  And I know that through God's strength he allowes me to do what I do , so I will continue to be thankful, and enjoy all that I can, and If oneday finds me in a wheel chair to get around, then I will.  People in wheel chairs are just the same as us all, it is life.  My son was in one for ten years before he died at age 19.  He was happy and make people happy, so I have a wonderful example.  I don't want it, but I can cope.  A strong healthy person may be in one before I ever am.  I'm not giving up, just looking at life realistic.  What I want to know is what others use for pain control, and what works best.  I feel that the aleeve is not doing much now.  I am thankful to find those who know what I'm going through with, and want to share .  Thank you' all for listening.

     

    Posted 10/3/2010 5:15 PM (GMT 0)
    I am confused, is he going to do surgery or not?? Sounds like you are a prime candidate. I need both my knees done, but as I said before I am a little surgery weary right now. So doc is shooting them up with cortisone every 3 mos till I get ready to go forward with the the surgery. By the way sometimes these shots take a bit to build up in the joint. Hopefully you will start to feel more relief soon.

    I take Percoset for the pain, but I also have chronic pain. Sometimes I add in Tylenol Arthritis if I need more umph for the arthritic pain, that an ice packs. Sometimes the ice helps more than the meds. Good luck!
    Posted 10/3/2010 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
    I'm also confused. I've never heard of knees too bad to operate. I had been bone on bone for several years, with constant pain and no one suggested I should do anything other than have the replacement.
    Posted 10/3/2010 9:46 PM (GMT 0)
    rolleyes  I too am a little confused. This was a highly recommended doctor, but I found him a little or I guess a lot vauge also......He has ordered more ex-rays, so I gotta get them.  I think when my family doctor gets the report and goes over it with me I will be better informed. That's a shame too.  He seemed to be in a rush.  He had decided to do the shots while I was still in ex-ray and had them prepared waiting.  Hadn't ask me or discussed with me. I found that a little odd also.  I am happy with the shots.  There is improvement.   Hope it last a while.  Although the shots were not what I'd called very painful, they do sting a little.  But if it last awhile I will do them again.  I am just starting with doctoring my knees.  Do they usually go thur all the pre stuff. Like the shots, then try the " rooster comb" injections, maybe thats it.  And remember we live in a small area and usually have to travel about five hours to vanderbilt  in Nashville to find well trained very experienced doctors.  But these doctors do a lot of replacements.  Have any of you been told that you have a good amount of wore away bone?  I am happy for your encouragement.  Thank you
    Posted 10/4/2010 12:16 AM (GMT 0)
    Hi darkdays -
    I had a hip replaced about 6 months ago, and I was completely new at the whole joint/ortho business before that - so I have some sense of how overwhelming it is. Also, I had a lot of questions about "is this really bad enough to do surgery on...?" - right up to my surgery date!
    I also had two of those cortisone shots in my hip in the months before the surgery. They helped me a lot and each lasted about 2 months for me. I believe they also put a novocaine-type thing in the the cortisone, so that might be what you felt wearing off....?
    That pressure feeling of the shot is sure weird, isn't it?! And I also bought some time with percocet. My ortho had told me to come back when I felt I needed to.... and basically, he gave me time to wrap my head around surgery. I came to the decision on my own and wen back to him and we got the dates set. One can't do cortisone shots "forever"....

    I knew several people who have had both knees done and have come out very happy.
    Asking questions here was a great start - keep asking those questions! Find out how many of these surgeries your ortho. has done, for starters... and if you check out Bonesmart, there are lists of questions and lots of resources.

    Keep us posted on how you're doing!
    Posted 10/4/2010 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
    What is the homemade yogurt I see you all talking about? You know it is a lot on you when every day people ask you, "Hows your knees"? and they have no problems. then they proceed to tell you what you ought to do, and to get operated this very day and so on. After awile I finally say my knees are about the same. They will not improve until I die or surgery helps. It seems that some think it goes and comes and it may just go away. The people that honestly ask and wanted to just let you know that they care are wonderful. They usually do not make any recomendations, just a sweet concern. I never get made at anyone for asking. But it's a long haul ahead when it starts out, Now if I was you! God love them I pray it never is.Now when you have been through it, or are going through you have real advise to give. When our son died, and people said, You have to get over it, cause life goes on, or I know how you feel, that kind of stuff hurts. But you know what, it is all for learning. It teaches me to try to listen more and be kind to every person as an individual. Every one so far on this forum seems to be so helpful. I beg you to be patient with me for seeming so confused and sometimes dumb. hope you can help educate me over the days. and my personal faith in God helps me a lot. I feel like that He allowes me each day to get up and do what I do, when I go to bed at night, I thank him for what He has helped me through for that day. Also are there exerices that we can do at home that helps with the stiffness . I know nothing is gonna take most of the pain away, but does anyone get relief from a exercise routine? And, please don't laugh, I am afraid to use the hot pad sinse I got the shots, wondered if it may do anything to lessen the effect. HELP?
    Posted 10/5/2010 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
     

     

    Hi darkdays,  I'm fairly new to these forums too. I can't really give you any worthwhile advice, but wanted to tell you how glad I am that you have faith in God.

    We share the same faith. Just think how hard it would be to deal with all these problems and challenges without him!

     

    I have alot of hip and knee pain too, just have not been able to see a Rheumy yet. There's only a few here and I can't see one till March of 2011. Unless there is a cancellation.  I have read up alot about TKR and THR and it seems like almost everyone who has had it done is nothing but happy they did.

     

    It sounds like you definately need this done, so ask God for His favor, with the doctors, surgeon, nurses, and anyone else who will be helping you get this done and He will help to see you thru all of this. He will! As i'm sure you already know. glad the shots helped some. 

     

    Will you please keep us posted on how things are going? That will help me so much, as I know it will not be too much longer till I'm the one facing having a replacement done.   I have said a prayer for you, and I know you will come out okay. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

    Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.  Psalm 31:24

    Blessings, Debbie 

     

    Posted 10/5/2010 8:53 PM (GMT 0)
    Thank you, Debbie. I ask a prayer daily for every one in pain, having test,being treated, or needing help. It surely will work out. Thank God for those who share their stories.
    Posted 10/26/2010 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
    i am a progressive Christian and feel God loves us all the short the fat and the tall. i was born with dislocation of the hip and the hammer toes mess. i do not like it when doctors say that i should not complain. wait till they get in trouble. when i was in rehab they turned the heat off at night. i live in the northeast and it was during december. they are a greedy group and are very rushed to make money. but consider the lilies of the field, they do not sow or reap and their beauty is a reflection of God.

    hope you feel better and i am praying for you. please pray for me too. your son is waiting for you in paradise.
    Posted 10/28/2010 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
    Thank you for your message. Jesus promised that he would go with us through the rough times. I have found him faithful in that promise.  I will continue to lift all suffering people up to

    God.  Greed is indeed well and thriving in our world, and let us all strive not to join in.  Heaven is my home and yes!!!!one day I will be united with all my loved ones who have gone home to soon.  Chin up, and carry on, thats our goal.

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