KNEE ARTHRITIS - Changing the forces through the joint :

Finally Maybe The end Is In Sight! - - Posted by Chief1 (Chief1), 25 July 2003

 After suffering for the past three years with terrible left knee pain and after being told time and time again that "you are too young for a TKR" a MD at the VA medical center told me that a tibial osteotomy maight be my answer to getting rid of most of my terrible pain.

However, there is a problem!  I also have diabetes and my concern for post-op infection if quite high.

Is there anyone who has diabetes and has had an osteotomy performed?  I'm so exicted about having the procedue performed, but I have reservations as well.
Posted by Jennie (Jennie), 25 July 2003

I do not have diabetes, so I cannot help you there, but I just wanted to say congratulations for an end in sight hopefully, and I really hope and pray everything goes great for you, and this is your answer!!

Love, Jennie
Posted by Chief1 (Chief1), 26 July 2003

Thanks Jennie for your response and kind remarks.

It is so good to have a support group that one can turn to.  I have spent 20+ years as a Registered Nurse and another 10+ years as a Paramedic/Firefighter and over the last three years my life have changed from super active to almost nothing.  I never thought that my mid-years in life would be like this.  

Once again, thanks.  You lifted my spirits.

Tom (Chief 1)
Posted by Lizzie (Lizzie - UK), 26 July 2003

Hi Tom

I have been told that as I am only 35 - still only feel about 26!! that I am too young to have a TKR.  

My OS has said that I also need to have a HTO and to be quite honest, I really don't want to have him break my tibia, as I have never broken a bone in my life - only soft tissue injuries, which take forever to heal!!  

I don't have diabetes but I guess that your OS will have taken your diabetes into the equation and he wouldn't be doing the procedure if he didn't feel confident that he could do it, or that  you wouldn't  get anything from it, or even at worse end up far serious than you are now.

I do know that whenever there is surgery on a joint, the OS and his nursing staff will pay particularly attention to you to avoid any post-infection as diabetic patients are particularly susceptible to infection.  I expect that they will give you pre antibiotics to prevent any infection.

I wish you good luck and know that if you do have this surgery, we will all be thinking of you and sending you postive and healthy vibes and the religious KNEEgeeks on here will also pray for you.

Take care mate
Lots of love
Lizzie xxx
Posted by enuff81020 (enuff81020), 26 July 2003

Hi!

I, too, heard many times that I was too young for a tkr--and it was only when my os finally scoped the "other" knee and saw how nasty it was that he was moved to do something else.  He took my history and presented it at some ortho conference and hashed it out with other docs.  About half of them said that they'd keep me "on narcotics and crutches" for 10 more years.  Then my doc started explaining the quality of life issues for me--a then 46 year old mother of 8 (all at home) with a full time career.  He came back ready to do the tkr--my birthday came, we did the left knee with no major issues.  I love it.  when they got in there, they were amazed that I was actually still standing and walking at all.  After my 4 week check up, he looked at  me and asked--"When do you want to do the other one?"  Well, that was 12 days ago--I'm having a rough go of this right now, but it is still so very new--and he found pcl damage that hadn't existed a year ago.

As a "victim" of this "too young" talk--I think it is shameless.  It is a quality of life issue and we should be the ones to have a decisive vote on that.  I told my doc that if I was going to eventually end up unable to walk, I needed that to be later--not when I have a 5 year old bundle of energy--and a 7 year old and an 11 year old...and a career that I love and am very good at.  I'd choose that for later if it has to be.  He did understand.

As for the diabetes, I do not know specific answers for that either--but I know that tkr's are being done more liberally these days as common sense takes over--and I'm willing to bet they have strategies in place for diabetic kneegeeks to get the procedures they need and to heal and feel better as well.  Maybe it is time to consider another opinion--a good question to ask might be why do the other procedure when we are pretty sure this is where we are heading anyway, what will it get for me--besides buying some time?

I hope you do get what you need, what is best for you and some relief.

Take care, Sylvia


Posted by lizl (lizl), 27 July 2003

Hey, Tom!

WELCOME to Kneegeeks!

As an RN and a paramedic, you certainly know that diabetes creates special considerations--so, of course, you would be interested in hearing from other diabetics who have undergone the procedure. I hope there are some around here who can help you.

In the meantime, I just wanted to say, "Hi!" and send along good wishes.

LizL

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