Anybody had knee replacement?
 

My left one is causing me great grief.

I had a "clean up" about three months or so ago and it felt really good for about a month. Since then it has gotten worse and worse and now it hurts when I'm trying to go to sleep and when I get up and when I sit or stand or walk. It really sucks and the only relief is ibuprophen and that is not very effective.

When I went back to the surgeon a couple of weeks ago he acted as if I should have known it would be like this (WHAT?).

He says at 59 I'm too young for a replacement as they only last about fifteen years and the second time usually does not work as well as the first.

Unlike the hip, no ceramic is available, only plastic and stainless steel.

I just googled it and found a lot of slick advertising.

Tom W

my grandmother had her left knee done 5 years ago, and her right one like 2 years ago....


She walks faster than ever now, and she says no more pain from her knees.

My granny and gramps have titanium knees. Improved their lives quite a bit.

Ask him about carticel. If he doesn't know find another surgeon.

Yes.
My right one was done at age 16{Necrotic bone and tissue from a gun injury}Maybe I'll scare Mistress with a pic:D
And my left has bad degenerative osteo-arthritis,no damn cartilage.The result of too much living and not enough relaxing.Another 3 years they say.

My wife has had both done. She is still shy of 60 years old.
One was the complete joint, and the other was the half a joint. In her experience, the total knee was a better job.

My mother (75) is going to get both knees done this winter.

I need them done as well, but I am holding off until they really don't work anymore.

TOM,

Like anything else that I spend over $20. for, get a couple of opinions. My sister has had both knees replaced at 55 years old. She has had problems with them since she was 14 years old.

The first one went bad and had to be redone. The second went OK. She says she hurts but not to the extent before when things were worn out and she had to have them done. Check with your friends and their friends, who have had it done for the right Doc, and the rehab course (s)he will want you to follow.

Some have them done both at the same time and get it over with. I don't know if that is your case, I think you said that it was one, that was giving you problems. Too much double - clutching? :D

I have a friend of mine here at Masonic, who had both done at the same time. The only surprise he had after a year of healing was that they still hurt, and he has to take tylenol daily for controling the pain. The Dr. told him that if they still hurt after a year, then that's the way it is. You either will or you won't hurt, and will have to take meds, if you do. He said, they didn't tell me that before the surgery.

An important thing after the surgery is that you excercise your knee for it's range of motion or angle you can bend it. If you don't it will set up and you will be stiff legged and limp when you walk. Good Luck with it!

YIA...Paul

Well I do prefer sticks!

Thanks for the pointers.

Thanks to every one who has responded.

Tom W

An important thing after the surgery is that you excercise your knee for it's range of motion or angle you can bend it. If you don't it will set up and you will be stiff legged and limp when you walk. Good Luck with it!

Absolute Truth! ( Can't say that around here too often.)

Yeah, I know about that.

I did the exercises and have full range in my right hip replacment. Its working great (except for the little detail about making that leg 1/2" longer).

I think with a knee its more stringent, though.

Tom W

Howie,

I just googled Carticel and read their information about it and found it is not indicated for Osteoartheritis which my doc says I have along with the torn menescus.

My daughter, the pediatrician, says that her maternal granny who is in late eighties had some kind of viscous injections which helped for some years but eventually had totals.

Tom W

Not me, but my boss had his left one replaced in late Feb. (at 62 due to degeneration) after putting it off and popping Vicodin for well over a decade. Let's just say he doesn't exactly have the highest pain tolerance either.

After 2 weeks he was saying he wished he had done it sooner, within a month he was at about 85% when he had to have a hernia operation which set him back a bit with his rehab. By June he was ready for his Alaska fishing trip and he just got back from fishing in British Columbia so I'd say he's back to and passed his previous fighting strength.

It went so well that he's scheduling his right knee for this coming spring (of course our busy season again :mad:).

One of my father's buddies didn't do the therapy sessions the first time around because they wouldn't let him smoke :confused:. It got to the point where he was in more pain afterwards than he was pre-op. The therapy needed to get him headed back in the right direction was less than pleasant from what he's told me.

Zerk fitting. :D