Knee replacements

[Keevo52]

Hi Dot

I had suffered with a crook knee for five years and as I was then 55 the specialist said that I was too young for a TKR so I put up wth it, along the way I had an arthoscopy and a syn disc injection and numerous quatazone injections, all the while in constant pain, this limited my activities to no end, along with a crook knee I have a bad back which I had surgery on last April, My thinking was that while I was recouperating from the back surgery my knee would have a chance to come good, this was not to be and I succeeded in getting the specialist to agree to operate on the knee in November.

I was in Hospital for three weeks initially in the surgical ward then shifted down to the rehab unit, I must say that I was in very little pain due to the programme of drugs I was on( some of it was pretty heavy stuff), they got me up the next morning and had me walking using a frame and while in bed I had mild exercises to do, they had me showering myself on the first day, after a week I was then shifted to the rehab unit where they had physios and a hydrotheray pool, the excercises, pool and the physios had me up and about walking with the assistance of a stick, after the three weeks I was discharged and went home.

I was refered to the local rehab unit at Toronto and I am due to be discharged from that programme next Wednesday

How do I feel after 10 weeks?

Firstly the constant pain that I was in has gone, I am still having difficulties sleeping at night this is due to tight muscles in my calf and the odd pain in the knee joint, I am told this will go in time.

I can feel improvement in the knee as I become more active, I get an tightness in the knee at times but this soon goes after I have sat down for a while.

I happy with the new knee?

Overall very happy, the thing I found was if you put the time in doing all of the exercises and take notice of what you are told to do all will be well. I have a very good scope of movement and am 3 degrees off straight which is similar to the good knee. walking long distances is still an issue but that will improve in time.

Last word
I do not know how some people get both knees done at the same time, I am not saying that my operation was without pain and discomfort but having two done, to me would be unbearable.

My quality of life has improved and soon I will be as good as I am going to get, I had to get the back and the knee seen to so we can travel and enjoy that time time on the road.

A bit long winded for me I am sure that there would be plenty of others on this site that have had similar experiences, I hope they have had the same overall result as me.

Cheers

Chris

[BruceS]

Good write up Chris but everyone wants to know if you can catch her any better now?


It'll be good to see you really out & about but might pay to leave the Big Rock out of your climbs?
More and more people are having knees & hips done now days.

[Kelvin12]

Hmmm Dot, I know who you are referring to....Lol. I am a big sook, I know it and admit to it. I also hate pain. Actually the knee is getting better, I think, either that or I am living with it and been really busy on the bus so probably not thinking of it as much and feeling sorry for myself, maybe.

Chris, that really was a good write up, your problems, back and knee, sound identical to me. Thing that worries me about the knee replacement is its limitations, can't kneel on it, limited ability to squat down. At the moment I have to squat down to do low level work as bending from the hip kills my back something fierce and has me laid up for a time. If I get the knee done then as I see it its going to stop me squatting down to work. Even now I try to avoid that as that's hard on the crook knee. I had the arthroscope thing done and some trimming of the cartilage recently and the end report wasn't good, hence the recommendation for the TKR . Wishing now that I had left well enough alone. Anyhow 12 months to decide what to do about it unless I give in to the pain.

Dirk

[norman]

Had my left knee done Dec 2010. The first day after surgury was ok not much pain( thats the drugs still working)BUT second day man have never felt such pain before... In hospital for 3days, second day had to get up and walk with 2 crutches round the corridors and up and down stairs also exercises on the bed....let you go home if you can get 90 degree bend... Did that and they sent me home..After a week I disarded one crutch and two weeks no crutches. Now I have full movment and can kneel on it, but not for any length of time.. So am I glad to have had it done...unqualifyed YES.....

[Kelvin12]

Your as bad as Dr. Dotty......Lol.

Dirk

[Dot]

Go for it before you get on the road you bloody big coward, if the sheepman can do it then god knows anyone can
Thanks Chris for that great write up,maybe some will have taken notice from a first hand experience. If your knees are crook that just makes your back worse due to the compensating all your muscles are doing...

[Kelvin12]

Maybe the tail end of this post about broken down old hacks should be moved to the medical section. We seemed to have hijacked the towing post.

Dirk

[BruceS]

Yes you're right!
I'll get Dot to split the off-topic ones off.
It's so easy to wander off the beaten track sometimes.

[Kelvin12]

Yes Dot made us do it.....

Dirk

[Dot]

OK Dirk, I shall accept the blame if you go and have your knee assessed again Now I also hear that one of the ladies who's husband is a member here is having her knee reconstruction done soon and she is not scared (But her husband is, of the housework, cooking, shopping, washing etc etc)