My mom has severe osteoarthritis of the knees and is being told she needs both knees replaced. I think she's afraid to have it done.
Has anyone else had the knee replacement surgery? Can you tell me your experience? Was it extremely painful? How long did it take to recover? Were you glad you did it?
Ok I haven't had my surgery yet but boy do I look forward to it. I have heard it is a totally new life after replacement.
Here is a website for you to take a look at that is specifically geared to women and knee replacements. http://www.kneereplacement.com/DePuy/index.html
I have heard recovery is about 6 weeks and involves a great deal of physical therapy.
As far as the pain goes...for me...the pain of surgery that goes away is far better than what I am going thru now. I'm sure your mom's docs will make her comfy regarding the pain.
Good luck to her and I wish her a smooth surgery and a quick recovery.
I haven't but just went thru it with my Mom. She put it off and put it off because my dad told her it would hurt. She was bone on bone at the end.
Try to get a sports ortho (just her experience was great that way). She was in a lot of pain, and I mean a lot. Kept saying she's never do the other leg. They put her thru rehab and she had a PT that kinda pushed her around - and she really started to recover fast because of him. Then she was able to hang out with the other ladies having knee replacement and started comapring 'war stories'. Apparently Mom's scar was too big. LOL
Recovery is a LOT longer than 6 weeks. And they CANNOT drive until they can put full weight on the leg - ie 'you're in an accident and have to slam on the brakes.' The docs gloss over that fact. It's usually 6 months down the road.
Things to look out for. There are a lot of infections in nursing homes. Any sign of redness and the incision is infected. They had to put mom on ABX because of it.
Pip
P.S.
The surgery for the second knee is in August. She really is a TON more mobile.
I will have left knee replaced day after tomorrow and the other knee replaced 6-8 weeks later. I am frantic and scared. It's normal but it's something that has to be done if I want to walk on the beach, golf, and exercise. I'm living on Lortabs so I can get around. I can't even drive. My independence is gone and it really makes me angry.
Look at the site that Liz posted and google knee replacements. I saw several orthopods; I wanted a 2nd opinion. Both orthos recommended total replacements not partial. I have no cart. left, it's bone on bone.
My orthopod's surgery time is an hour. Am having spinal and amnesic drugs IV. Will be in the hospital for 3 days. They will have me up that evening taking my first steps with a walker.
Physical therapy is grueling I understand and will continue everyday for a month and then a couple of times a week. PT and home health care will come to the house for the first 3 weeks or so. I'll be using a piece of equipment that bends my leg/knee on a continuous basis all day. Everyone said that I'll develop a love/hate relationship with the physical therapists. Also, I have a friend that had a total knee and she wasn't compliant with PT and is still limping, using a cane, and in pain 8 months later. Another friend is golfing 6 months later and bike riding. I've talked to dozens of people that have had replacements and for the most part everyone was happy. The main complaint was insomnia.
Because of possible complications they won't do bilaterals at the same time on me. I don't think I would have both done at the same time. Too much for me.
I'll post more when I get home next week.
Forgot a couple of things, look for a orthopod who specializes in knees. My ortho only does knees. Nothing else. Practice makes perfect or so I've been told. I'm an ex surgical nurse of 20 years and it took me awhile to make up my mind to have surgery and to find a surgeon who fit my criteria.
My surgeon puts his knee patients on antiobiotics post op and I'll be on anticoagulants. They take great precautions to stop complications from occurring. There will always be the odd complication that will develop no matter what precautions are taken. Blood clots and infections are my main worry and I just have my fingers crossed. Like I said I've talked to a dozen different people that have had a TKR at this particular hospital and they came through everything ok. One person had a blood clot. The local senior center is a good place to get information on knee replacements. If your mom goes there, has coffee or lunch she might run into someone who's had a TKR. I volunteer at the local senior center and that's where I talked with people that had had TKR.
Tell her not to worry so much about the pain, she can take pain meds for that. She should plan on not being back to 100% for about 6-8 months. Lindy
Hey LinB...just wanted to say good luck with the surgery. It must be kind of exciting knowing that in a matter of months your knee will be good as new with NO MORE PAIN!! I'll be praying for a excellent outcome and a quick recovery, and some peace for you as you prepare to go "under the knife"
Linda
Lin,
Don't be frantic and scared! I probably wrote it all wrong. Mom is very glad she got it done and wishes my Dad hadn't been...Dad...and scared her for decades. She wishes she would have done it sooner. We're planning on going antique-ing when she can handle garage sales again! She said she wouldn't do the other leg but when she saw her progress, her ability to walk not hunched over, etc, she scheduled it without being even done with PT.
And my hubby jokes that she's taller now. She glows at that! (She is not taller, just not hunched!)
Pip
I've had both of my knees replaced. Best move ever!!!
Look for someone who specializes in knees and does nothing else. Speak to lots of people who have had surgery, ask them who they had and if they were happy or not. Also do lots of physio BEFORE the surgery for about 6 weeks, and walking in a heated pool. The stronger your legs are the quicker you're back on your feet and the easier the post op exercises are. Post op physio hurts. DON'T let that stop you from doing it faithfully.
I was up and going within about 5-6 weeks and I've never looked back.
If you can talk your mum into having the surgery I know she will be a new person once it's done and she will wonder why she put it off. Best of luck.
I agree, i was considered young to have it done at 48, but others are younger than me, arthoscopic took 1/5 of cartiledge out, and didn't help. It was bone on bone..The next day, was up, out of bed, and that terrible pain was gone..walked a feew steps, and by the third day was walking more.I had my knees replaced 7 years ago. It was one of the best moves I ever made.
As has been pointed out finding the best surgeon you can, one with loads of knee replacement experience is one of the most important things you can do. Don't get too worried about the type of prothesis. Despite advertising there really is not a lot of difference in them. Surgeons become experts using 1 or 2 different kinds and its their skill that makes for the success not the type of implant
Active recovery takes 6-12 weeks generally though age, overall physical condition and pre condition of the knee/muscles will influence that.
Its a tough surgery and for the first 6-12 weeks most people wonder why they did it. Post op success requires a dedication to the rehab which is intensive and painful. Sleep is hard to come by in those early days also. If someone isn't ready to make that committment then they aren't ready for surgery no matter how bad the knee is.
Once the knee has recovered it can be life altering. No more cane, the ability to walk and move again. Its great
I was young to have it done (42) but it as enabled me to live my life virtually pain free (as far as the knees go) for the last 6 years. When I was in hospital doing physio they would have all the 'knees' go in at the same time. I must say, I was the youngest by about 25 years. I was also one of the few that persisted with the exercises, some of the older folks didn't want to do them because they hurt. When I saw some of them 6 weeks or so later at the surgeon for a followup, I was off crutches and cane and pretty much walking normally. They were still using walkers and crutches and it was mainly because they were afraid of the pain of physio and didn't do it. I admit age probably had something to do with it but not as much as just plain not doing the hard yards of physio. Like buckeye says, it takes committment and isn't for the faint hearted, but truthfully, life as you know it now will never be the same once you are back on your feet (literally).Thanks everyone for the posts. My mom has been through three back surgeries and she's afraid of having more pain. Her knees are bone-on-bone too and she is pretty much confined to her house.
I think when she reads how people are more mobile and happy they had it done, it might be more appealing to her. She is just so fixated on what the surgery and PT pain will be like, she can't see beyond that.
High there. My mom had hers done one year after her hip replacement. She did both knees @ once. Reason: PAIN. But she needed it and is glad now. But hells bells the recovery time is long. If you can have her home after surgery instead of rehab, do it. Those places are germ central. Not to mention the care isn't that great @ those places. Bless her heart. I hope all goes well. Keep us posted.
Sincerely, Monk
I had total knee replacement done last fall. In my case, I waited too long before having the surgery done. My right knee was at a 35 degree angle and it was bone on bone. There was alot of damange. When the surgeon opened the knee, it fell apart. My surgery took longer than planned as they had to fix more. My ortho doc was surprise that I could even walk on my right leg before surgery.
My recovery has been slow but steady. Finally walking soooo much better on my cane and can take steps without the cane. I try to keep active and do things.
Yes, it hurts, when I push my range of motion but slowly I find that I can do more.
One last thing, if you're placed on a pastive motion machine after knee surgery, make sure that it's fitted to you. Mine wasn't set up right and I had to keep readjusting. I would lay there 2hrs. at a time letting it do it's thing. Watched alot of TV.
To all, who are thinking about knee replacement, do it!!!! I wish that I had done mine sooner.
Hi marisa!! Where ya been??Lindy...good luck with the surgery. My thoughts and prayers will be with you.
Hi,
I did have both my hips and my knees replaced when I was 12 yrs old. I remember that the knees hurt more than the hips did but nothing that wasn't manageable with pain medication. It worked out well for me. Prior to the surgery I was in a wheelchair most of the time. Within a year, I was walking without the aid of a cane or crutches. I'm 37 now and still have the same parts from my operation.
Good luck to your mom.
I had no choice .. Had my first bi-lateral hip replacement when I was 25. Bi-lateral knees when I was 31. If I ever wanted to walk again.. so I had no other options.
My advice if you need it get it done-if not wait. It's painful but in the long run it's worth it. Hope this helps.
Thanks!
I was told a week or so ago that I would need a total knee replacement - having op on Tues. 18th September. That didn't give me much time to think about it, but X-rays show "bone on bone" and I was in a lot of pain so just said Yes - then realised I didn't know just what was involved. Went hunting on this site under 'knee replacements' but v. little found in past year; I dimly remembered something written by LinB, so did a search for her name and knee - and hey presto! all this info came up.
Everyone's comments have been most helpful. It seems that if all goes well, I'll have a knee in reasonable working order and very little discomfort, but first comes the pain after op and the hard work to get everything moving again. Have been told I will prob. be in 5 nights which includes the night before op (prob. because op could be scheduled for first thing next morning), but there is a shortage of beds and medical staff in Oz so I won't be surprised if I am turfed out earlier. Big question is - how long was it before you all could tackle stairs? I have 14 steps at front of house and same at the back to get down to laundry.... that will make life interesting lol!
Lorraine
Our mom had her knee replacement and she is 76 yrs. old and over wight, both of her knees need done but she decided one at a time; she too was bone on bone.
Once we got the potassium levels straightened out and her diabetes she did fine then had a mishap and broke her tibia. Keep in mind thta she has some mental and emotional issues as well and was really acting out.
When she got her tibia fixed along with another knee replacement and all was repaired ( her ortho surgeon is brilliant and a wonderful man), she spent her healing time in a nursing home for PT and OT and they kept a close eye on her diabetes and her potassium which she still has trouble with. It has taken her more than 6 weeks but she had several complications an da bit of an infection but as far as my brother and sis and I know, she did quite well considering her age and complicaitons. She plans of having her left knee done next year....my sis an dI need a break though, that is why we are waiting and the fact that her surgeon wants her completely through all this because she is one to heal slowly.
The only probs we have now is that she wants the same service na dattention sshe recieved in the nursing home...NOT GONNA HAPPEN HERE>>>I AM TOO OLD FOR THIS !@#$
I researched the prothesis and surgery and saw one of the knee replacements at the Dr. Office, it is simply amazing how they perform this surgery. The scar is just a bit of a line and her mobility is 100% better. The pain was difficult for her initially but they make sure it remains as low as possible and allowed her plenty of meds.
Good luck with the surgery..if my mother can manage it it anybody can! Actually, I think the entire ordeal was more difficult on my sis and I than it was for her...besides the pain of course. * she got meds, we didn't!*
jode
Lorraine, you won't be sent home from hospital without physio showing you how to do stairs with your crutches. You will be doing this for about 4 weeks or so. By 6-8 weeks you will be able to go up and down stairs with RELATIVE ease. Certainly with much less pain than you are in now.
Good luck with the surgery. Let us know how things turn out.
So long as it can be 'trained' to do what it has to do and my life a little easier and less painful, I won't worry
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com