KNEE ARTHRITIS - Total Knee Replacement :

T K R at 43 - - Posted by sportsmad (sportsmad), 23 November 2004

Hi all
    Not bee on this site for a while. Had a tkr on 18th october and am now 5 weeks post-op. The oxinium knee is available in this country( well i hope that is what i had fitted) IT took a lot of persuasion to get one fitted but i hope it will be worth it in long term.Am doing lots of physio, which is hard work but the new knee already feels 100 times better than the old one. Have about 98 degrees of bend and am hoping to pick my golf clubs up again soon. Anybody who considers themselves to young for tkr must think long and hard about their qualityof life before going ahead.All i can say is from my point of view it was worth it. JUst to walk without pain is a blessing in itself.
Posted by missmyknee (missmyknee), 24 November 2004

Hey sportsmad

Glad to hear you are doing well post op from your replacement. I like hearing success stories. I'm having my left TKR done Jan 26th. I'm getting the rotating platform implant. At 48 , I was told I was told " too young" but the doc doing my TKR is is all for giving quality of life rather than wait so long that I don't care about  the quality of my life.

Pam
Posted by grannynan (grannynan), 24 November 2004

Hi!
I'm 51 and was told when I was 49 that I was too young and would be for about 10-15 years.  I changed surgeons and now I'm scheduled to have my RTKR on December 7th.  I can't wait to get on with my life.  I have a metal allergy and am hoping for an oxinium knee as well.  My surgeon normally uses the rotating platform.  It's great to hear from somebody who is doing so well so soon after surgery!
Nancy.
Posted by travis50 (travis50), 24 November 2004

Great news to hear how well you are doing..I too had TKR on 26th Oct..I am 50..I can't begin to say how much better the new knee is..I too have had the rotating platform fitted..Anyone who is told they are too young to have TKR should change thier OS..As you say Pam it's quality of life that is important..I am finding recovery a bit of a struggle at times..It's hurts so much in physio..Having said that I have 95 degs  and on the exercise bike..Keep it up Sportsmad and godd luck with your TKR Pam..
Posted by missmyknee (missmyknee), 24 November 2004

HI Travis

I was wondering how you were getting along. Physio is very hard work after TKR that's for sure. Keep up the hard work . Thanks for the well wishes for Jan 26th.

Pam
Posted by teach4 (teach4), 26 November 2004

It's nice to see someone younger than me (4 has had a TKR!  I just posted in the post-op section.  I must say that I was extremely optimistic prior to surgery and I'm not yet able to say it was worth it.  Recovery has been much slower than I expected.  My surgery was 6 1/2 weeks ago on Oct. 12.
 
My biggest problem is not being able to straighten my leg when I walk.  At PT and at home, I've been using weights on my ankle when I lie on my stomach.  Any other ideas?
Posted by teach4 (teach4), 26 November 2004

I keep typing 48 and that smiley just takes over!
Posted by sportsmad (sportsmad), 26 November 2004

Hi Teach4
          All i can say is to keep at the physio, the hard work will be worth it. I have got the same problem,my leg doesn't straighten. My accident played a big part in this, i have limped for the past five years due to the fact that my leg only straightened to about ten degrees. My OS told me that during surgery he got my leg straight and that now it is up to me to work on it. When i first started physio my leg was at nine degrees, now it is at five degrees.I'm hoping that with hard work and some pain that i will get there. Dont give up. Be optimistic, stay positive and work hard. Good luck
Posted by SuburbanLife (SuburbanLife), 18 December 2004

I'm 44 and I heard all that "too young" crap too. I get my TKR March 4 and can't wait. Quality of life is the issue that turned my OS around. He had been telling me I was too young, but the knee kept degenerating to the point I think he just felt sorry for me. Regardless, am glad to be getting it done. Doing my homework. I like reading here, you get really what people are going thru and that helps!
Posted by Stevejw (Stevejw), 12 January 2005

Interesting reading the various emails and also pleasing to note that many have achieved good results despite being 'young'. I had a TKR at the tender age of 37 (am now close to 40) and agree with all those that dismiss the 'too young' crap. Quality of life is the key, and whilst the prospect of revsion surgery 8,9, 10 years hence is not great its better than 8,9,10 years of pain!

Steve
Posted by Jules (Jules), 20 January 2005

HI ALL,
WELL THIS POST HAS GIVEN ME HOPE. I AM 10 WEEKS POST ACI ON THE RIGHT KNEE. I HAVE GRADE 4 OSTEOARTHRITIS IN BOTH KNEES AT THE TENDER AGE OF 38 YEARS NOW, I HAVE BEEN IN EXTREMELY BAD PAIN FOR THE PAST8 -10 YEARS. I'VE HAD 8 ARTHROSCOPIES (4 ON EACH KNEE) AND NOW ACI. BUT I WENT TO SEE MY OS IN OSWESTRY YESTERDAY, AND I AM STILL HAVING VERY CORSE GRINDING. ITS NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR ITS SUCCESS. I WAS TOLD I REALLY NEEDED A TKR, BUT WAS FAR TOO YOUNG.
IF THIS DOES NOT WORK, I AM HOPING I WILL FIND SOMEONE WHO WILL DO IT, AS I NEED BOTH KNEES DOING. IF NOT I WILL END UP LOOSING MY CAREER AS A MIDWIFE, AS I WON'T BE PHYSICALLY FIT TO DO THE JOB!
I SEE MY LOCAL OS IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, WHERE I WILL BE ASKING THE QUESTION, SO I WILL HAVE TO SEE WHAT HE SAYS.
JULES.
Posted by sportsmad (sportsmad), 20 January 2005

Hi all
      Just a quick visit to let you all know how i am getting on. Am now 3 months post op and couldn't be happier. Im not saying its like having my pre accident knee back but it's not far off. Doing lots of physio still and joined local gym.Have started to notice that all of the muscle wastage i had is improving and i now have a calf muscle again!! Playing golf without pain and am a lot happier in myself. Know a tkr was the right thing for me but still have this nagging puzzle in the back of my mind if i am overdoing things and wearing the knee out to quickly. Oh well i must enjoy things while they last.                                                                                         P.S Seeing os tomorrow for X rays. Just to check things haven't moved. Fingers crossed. Hope alls well with all who've posted here. I love success stories.
Posted by missmyknee (missmyknee), 21 January 2005

Hey Sportsmad

Great news from you ....we don't get many happy stories on TKR. Keep up the good work and enjoy your new found freedom of movement. My TKR is in 6 days and I hope I can post a successful story.

Pam
Posted by SuburbanLife (SuburbanLife), 21 January 2005

Glad to hear you are doing well, and we sure don't hear too many success stories. My best guess is that once there is not so much to fuss about people move on and stop posting? Very disappointing to me. My TKR is scheduled for March 4 and I want to hear some good, have some positive posts to give optimism, not to breed pessimissum. I have high hopes like anyone would, but also so curious as to what it feels like, how it feels, just anything!
Posted by missmyknee (missmyknee), 21 January 2005

Hey Suburban

There is a website just for knee replacements called

delphiforums.com/onourfeet/jointreplacement

There are many success stories on there and alot of helpful people who have had replacements and getting ready to have one.

I found it a very informative website for replacements

Pam
Posted by sportsmad (sportsmad), 23 January 2005

Hi all, Just a note to wish missmyknee lots of luck with her TKR this week. Hope all goe well. Had X rays on friday and all looks well with my knee at present. Suburban life asked how it feels and for me it feels the same as my good knee. You certainly dont feel as if there;s a foreign object in there.It works as well as the other knee but as yet is not as strong. I think that it was the best thing i could have had done.                                
Posted by missmyknee (missmyknee), 23 January 2005

Hey sportsmad

I'm glad you continue to do well. I'm glad you posted about.. if it felt like a foreign object.....I was wondering about that. I've had a rod, plates and screws in this leg but was wondering how the implant would feel.

Thank you for the well wishes. I will keep you posted and hope I can join you with a successfu story......I know there are successful stories with TKRs

Pam
Posted by SuburbanLife (SuburbanLife), 25 January 2005

Now see, that's some useful information! Glad to hear you can't tell the replacement is in there. Now we can hope that is the way it will feel, but nice to hear it. Those are the things I wonder about, like will you set off metal detectors? If you whack your knee with a spoon will it clink? You can search the internet and get all kinds of info, but it's the important stuff that they leave out!
Posted by missmyknee (missmyknee), 25 January 2005

Hi Suburban

Yes, you can set off the alarm at airports. I did it at Logan airport in Boston with the plate and screws in my leg. I know people with hip and knee replacements who set it off. It depends on how high the sensitivity is. Some docs will give you a card to carry stating you have an implant. Be prepared to lift your pant leg for a search. I had to lift my pant leg and let them search and wand my brace.

Keep asking questions

Pam

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