Stories About Knee Replacements
 

I'd like to hear your stories about knee replacements. If your Orthepedic Surgeon has recommended one, and you've decided against it, I'd like to know if you've been successful with an alternative treatment.

If you've had a full knee replacement, I'd love to hear your story. I figure there is a wealth of information available from members.

Were you in pain prior to the surgery?
Did you try Celebrex or another Arthritis med?
Did you do exercises prior to the surgery to strengthen your knees?
Are you glad you had the surgery? Has your mobility greatly increased?
Did you have an epidural?
Did you require pain Meds after the surgery? What kind?
Did you take blood thinners before and after the surgery?
If so, what kind?
How long were you in the Hospital?
Did you do Physio starting on Day One?
Did you continue to do Physio after leaving the hospital?
If so, how often, and for how long?
Did you go home or to a Rehab facility?
Did you need crutches or a walker when you left the hospital?
How long did you have to take pain Meds?
How long before you could drive?
How long before your knee felt "normal'?

I've had arthroscopic surgery twice, cortisone shots, etc., and I'm running out of options. But a knee replacement sounds so major and invasive, yikes. I would be very appreciative if I could hear some experiences. Of course, if you don't want to share on TOTV, a PM is fine. Obviously I have some decisions to make, and I'm skeered. :cold: (shaking from fear, not from cold!)

1. Terrible pain...was using a cane.
2. Took maximum dose of celebrex for 2 years. Lessened pain, but did not alleviate it. Had Synvisc 3 times. First time lasted about 15 months. 2nd time lasted about 8 months. 3rd time lasted only 6 weeks or so.
3. Went to PT 3 times a week for 3 weeks before first surgery.
4. Glad that I had the first surgery on the left knee. Had it done in NJ by a great doc. Leg was placed in a passive motion machine immediately after surgery. Went home the 3rd day with the machine. Had PT at home for 1 week while using a walker. Then went to PT as an outpatient for 2 months.
5. Used the walker for a week, then went to a cane for 2 weeks. After that, I was able to ambulate on my own.
6. Took the pain meds for the first 3 weeks of PT, then no longer. Was able to drive after 3 weeks because it was my left knee.
7. Knee felt normal after about 10 weeks.
I had a great surgeon in NJ.
Then I moved to TV and needed a right knee replacement. Did a thorough search for an ortho and thought that I found the right one. WRONG! The butcher that did my knee here did a terrible job. It's been 2 years and the pain never has gone away. The PT here was done by a facility that he owns and it was nothing like I had in NJ. I kept going back to him because I knew what the process should have been, having been through it before. The timetable was off and I was miserable. Now, 2 years later, I need a revision. It's interesting that in the last 2 years, I have met 14 people who had a knee replacement done by the same ortho within a 2 month period of my surgery and ALL have had to have a revision. He apparently uses only one type of prosthesis. I begged him to use the same one that I had at first, but hew showed me all sorts of studies that this new one was gender based and would be better. Like an idiot, I listened to him. Now I suffer. He apparently did not use enough cement with this prosthesis which has caused it to move out of alignment.
I could tell you a lot more about him and the prosthesis that he uses, which consumer report rates at the lowest. If you would like the particulars, PM me.

docs are tied to one system so thats the one you get....the guy with the knife is what makes the difference

Can anyone who has had knee or shoulder serg, recommend a doc who they have used with good results?

Sorry not in Florida .are you having a partial knee..average stay is 1 to 2 days, and average going back to work in two weeks..no cane, again it's the guy with the knife...the new robot is interesting but want to see a few thousand more before I would say yes

Knee Replacement
 

I had a total knee replacement 3 years ago, prior to replacement the knee
was very painful. The last months I could not sleep, or sit for any length
of time without extreme pain. I was on pain medication daily, but it stopped working. The last few weeks before the operation I could not walk more than
20 feet. ( I tried everything I could think of to avoid the operation, it was my last option). I entered the hospital at 6:00 AM, operated on at 9:00am,
and woke up at around 1:30 PM. I can tell you that whatever pain I had
from that point on was less than when I went in. I went in on a Tuesday, and was released on Thursday, with a walker. I had home therapy for 2 weeks, and was using a cane after 1 and 1/2 weeks. I will tell you that
the therapy (a total of 8-10 weeks) was extremely painful and difficult, but
you MUST do it and is well worth it. The people who slacked off, did not have the range of motion that I had due to my constant exercising. Once you get the replacement the REST IS UP TOYOU. After 2 -3 months I could do just about anything. It will take about 1 year to feel like normal. By that I mean (in my case), the nerves on the side of the knee are cut, and the feeling in the area is numb, but starts coming back. Now the replacement knee is painless, and I can flex it as good as a normal knee. I need a replacement on my other one, but will wait until it gets to painful to walk.
I guess my advise, as my Doctor said, when your quality of life suffers, and nothing else works, it is time. I would do it all over again, and will, in the next year or so, to my other knee. It was worth all the pain and therapy you will go through. Just one more thing, do your exercises you will receive
religiously and sweat through your therapy, and you will be rewarded.
I had my operation in Michigan, the next one will be here in the Villages, do your research to find the best Doctor, and the rest is up to you.

total knee replacement
 

I had total knee replacement April 2 in Boston. In hospital 3 days came home with walker for 4 days then cane. Had epidural, no pain, vicodin every 6 hours. Had passive motion machine in hospital and home. Took ice machine home also. Visiting PT came in for 2 weeks then outpatient. Drove after 2 weeks, left knee. Did investigation before choosing doctor. Doctor uses robot computer assist called "Praxim Navigation Computer Assited" at Quincy Medical Center, Boston area. St Michaels in NJ, and Broward medical, Ft Lauderdale. Google it. I am still in Pt, met at least 6 or 7 others at this facility in the 70 age bracket, that had surgery weeks before me and I am much further ahead of them. Try to do PT ahead and get exercise bike from Craiglist or Amazon sells a stand that you can use for exercise a regular bike about $50. PT is no walk in the park. Only thing painful is the flex back which they have to force. Reducing swelling and breaking up scar tissue it gets easier. Best of luck

i had dr. james duke, in ocala, do mine. a highly skilled surgeon, west marion hospital in ocala is rated in the top 50 in country. i always worked out, so getting ready was already done. surgery on tuesday, out on thursday, cane after 7 days, it will be gone next week. pain in managed by tylenol. no swelling, no pain, 105 degrees of flex on day 8. all pt done at home. most of the factors are dependent on the individual. i will be golfing in less than 10 weeks. pick your doctor, prepare your body in advance, and maintain a positive attitude. research spinal anesthesia, affects different people in different ways.

Thanks for posting......I am considering a knee replacement too. It was recommended several years ago, and I went to a knee surgeon last year, and he said it was needed (kneeded?) anyway. I'll be following your thread with interest!:clap2:

Had my first knee done at the age of 53 and the second knee done at the age of 57. Did not have them done in Florida as I lived in New England at the time. Had many of a combination of what everyone else posted. Everyone can handle different types of pain so I don't think pain meds would be the same for everyone. With the first one I was alot more careful during my recovery as I was unsure of what was happening but the second one I flew through therapy and recovered much faster as I was braver. Would I do it again as I am now 60 years old and absolutely and probably sooner. I don't think of my knees as being artificial I actual don't even think of them and they never stops me from trying anything. The miracle of medicine in my case was wonderful as I would not be doing what I do today. I am so grateful !!!

My right knee was replaced seven years ago in Boca Raton. The surgery only took 40 minutes. I had a spinal with femoral nerve block. At one point I heard hammering and sawing during the procedure but then drifted back off, thank heavens.

Leading up to the surgery, the knee wasn't particularly painful until I had to step up or down and then it was weak and very painful. The surgeon, who does several knees per week said I was a good candidate as I was very healthy and the operation would for me be a "piece of cake". He said to bring street clothes to the hospital as his patients were always up walking the next day. He recommended some kind of tonic and some expensive vitamins for two weeks prior to the operation which I took.

Just after the surgery I felt fine and was doing a crossword puzzle. All of a sudden I became very nauseous and it was a struggle from then on for the remaining 4-day stay. I couldn't do the therapy or even sit up due to low blood pressure. My hemoglobin count went way down and I had a transfusion. My doctor claimed his patients "do not go to rehab" but finally offered me the choice to go home or to rehab. I elected to go to the facility for a week to take the burden off my husband. As it turned out, going home would have been better because the facility was a nursing home and there was very little time for rehab patients. The only good thing was that I had a private room, the knee massager machine, and really good food.

The physical therapist who visited me at home was much more competent, and he instructed my husband how to do the manipulations which had to be done every day. It was very painful but so much better to be home. A nurse also came every day to administer an injection of blood thinner in the abdomen, which didn't hurt at all.

However, I continued to feel ill, lost several lbs. off a slight frame, and ended up with an ulcerated esophagus. This condition prompted another admittance to the hospital.

In the meantime, the knee healed very well. It was swollen and a little painful for six months but ever since has been pain free and functioning well.

Thank you all for the responses. Very interesting and informative. Although the responses are varied, they give me some hope for a positive outcome. (Although I have to say that Carla's story about temporarily waking up and hearing hammering and sawing is my worst nightmare!)

I got some very good suggestions from your posts. I spent the afternoon trying to find rental agencies for Passive Motion Machines and Ice Machines. Thank you for your comments.

I also had my knee replacement done by Dr. Duke in Ocala. Post op pain control in the hospital was excellent (IV Dilaudid). I was ambulating with a walker on day 1. PT at home for about a month. Pain control at home with Percocet for the first couple of weeks, then not needed after that. Constant, but slow improvement over the first 5 weeks, but then rapid improvement afterwards. Now, I consider the replacement knee to be my "good" knee. While I try to avoid it, I can run for the first time in 15 years. I have no trouble with walking up or down stairs and I golf 6 days a week. I highly recommend this Doctor. He went to medical school at Univ. of Florida and also took his internship, residency and fellowship there. He is a surgeon at the height of his powers, and his skill has let me enjoy TV to the fullest.

Knee replacement
 

I am Dr James Duke's # 1 fan!! He operated on both of mine at once in August 2005 and my life has never been better! I suffered for over 5 years, trying everything mentioned in previous posts. He is the greatest! And now they have the female size replacement that should work even better. Good luck to you.

What great success stories! I'm sorry that I'm not having surgery in Florida as Dr. Duke sounds like a fabulous surgeon.

Question to Barry and Sunny ... Did either of you use a Passive Motion Machine after surgery?