2 weeks away from TKR and having doubts

Posted , 9 users are following.

I had my pre-admission appointment and it has left me wondering if I am doing the correct thing by going ahead with this. The doctor says 1 in 3 are not happy with the result. Talked about loss of movement in knee which doesnt sound like progress. The inplant will be stainless steel. I have been reading online about titanium and all sorts of other space age sounding materials. This may have been in the States I guess but this stainless steel sounds old fashioned. The justification is that its tried and tested but that approach would have us still using leaches. I need both knees done but approach is only to do one intially. So I am facing 3 motnhs incapicitation, off work etc with the same thing to follow in the next couple of years. I was also told that as I am only 53 I will need to repeat the procedure later in life. Sorry - reading this back I sound like I am whinging. Does anyone know anyone who has been through this and it has improved things? Just the doc painted a pretty bleak picture.

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  • Posted

    Hi roger,

    I had my right knee done 10th April this year. At first I didnt think I would ever get better. But now I am nearly painless and have total movement. Its still numb but mobility wise I am almost back to normal. I am having the other knee done in Oct because this is now giving me a lot of pain. Dont be put off this is worth going through.

    • Posted

      Thanks Joan, as I said to Carol it is really good to hear positive outcomes. Can I ask a couple of questions? You have mentioned totatl movement - is this getting back to what you had before? If so what kind of range did you have going in? Can I ask what is numb? Whole leg/knee/scar? Do you know what type of implant you had?

      Sorry to do the 20 questions thing.

      Roger

    • Posted

      Hi roger,

      I can almost move as well as before which wasnt bad considering the pain.

      Now I can do most things except kneeling down. I had the steel implant.

      The outside of my knee is numb but not sore.

    • Posted

      Thanks, Joan. That is really helpful. Hope it continues to improve.
  • Posted

    well, it depends how badly you need this operation. I hardly could walk. Now I can walk pain free. It is  a terrible , visious operation, with lots of pain and possible complications, but I had no choice. i was told in yeat 2000 that TKR is needed. I lasted until year 2014, but both knees needed doing. will have second one hopefully in December. I asked for Genesis II Zirconium implant and got it.   I delayed operation by going to the gym, doing a lot of leg exercises, being on a bike for one hour at the time.    
    • Posted

      Grace, Hi, good to hear that you have had improvement from your op. I have delayed this by 4 years since first diagnosed, but your 14 years is impressive. Were you ok for walking during this time?

      Also, if I can ask, what made you ask for the Genesis II implant? How did you know about it and what made you want that one? Also were you NHS, or private?

      Apologies if I am prying.

      Roger

    • Posted

      for lots of reasons would prefer to reply to our question Roger directly, please give me your email. just to tell you I am a genuine person, will not bother you afterwards. if you have an email which you do not use much, you can gime me this one. Or id you prefer to ring me, office hours ask for grace.  then you do not have to give me your email address.
    • Posted

      Hi Grace.  I'm waiting for a post to be moderated too.  I'm pretty sure it's when you include a 'link' in the post (or an email address).....Mine contained a link.

      I would have thought 'moderation' of perfectly innocent stuff wouldn't take as long as it has.  I'm a moderator on a forum in Sheffield, so I know how it works.

    • Posted

      Dear Peter, how interesting, Is it your job to be moderator. I am an old school, came to compiuters at the age of 50, so I am still in ave of anything "more than email's knowledge"
    • Posted

      Hi all,

      I have deleted posts with personal details in and edited phone numbers etc out of other posts. We do not publish these details, if anyone wants to contact each other out of the forums please use the Private Message service.

      I have also removed the direct link to the blog here and in the other discussion by Pete and information about other forums. Once again, use the PM service to exchange these.

      http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398316-adding-links-to-posts

      http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages

      Regards,

      Alan

      Emis Moderator

  • Posted

    Hi Roger. I had mine done nearly two weeks ago and I am also 53. I was told the same as you and so put up with the pain for the last 6 years. I know from reading all the responses etc that it is going to take a longtime and is really painful.  It is painful too!! In the end though I had it done as I have missed out on so much of my life through not being able to walk far or go out with my family.  I have to believe it will be better in the long run although I know there is a lot of hard work to do between now and then.  Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
    • Posted

      I have (half) read Pete Morris's blog linked in his reply above. I found it really useful to see past the operation itself. You might find it useful in terms of the convalesence period. Thanks for sharing your experience. I hope all goes well.
  • Posted

    Hi Roger, I had left TKR in March 2010 aged 53 & ended with all sorts of problems afterwards, which took a total of 16 months to sort out. I had stainless steel & plastic implant, which for some reason even at my 6 week post op check up felt loose & was rattling & banging about all over the place & just didn't feel right, wasn't sure how it was supposed to feel as this was all new to me, the surgeon that performed the op told me if it wasn't giving me any pain then not to worry about it & I should use it as a party piece?? Not really what I was hoping to hear, at that time I had very little pain but as the months went by the pain & the instability increased dramatically, I was then referred to another surgeon who advised me that I needed to have my patella resurfaced as this was not not changed during the original surgery? Had this carried out which made no difference at all to relieve the pain or the instability, I was then referred to another surgeon who told me the poly liners in my joint would need to be changed to a differnt size & this would then cure the instability, you guessed it, no difference again, it was finally decied in April 2012 that I needed revised surgery on my left knee as nothing else seemed to have worked? It was explained to me that the new joint (again stainless & plastic) had a bar fitted to the bottom part of the joint & a hook on the top part which would interlink & would be virtually impossible to work itself loose, this is as well as having steel rods inserted into my thigh and shin as is common practice on a revised surgery, oh dear, seems they were wrong again? I still have exactly the same problem with this joint, in between all this my right knee needed replacing & I had that done in Oct 2012, no problems for the first 3 months but would you believe it, this joint is now loose, went through the same old crap as before, having the liners changed again but still no joy, I've had 3 surgeons in 4 years & not 1 of them can explain why these surgeries have failed so drastically or why the joint "Stretches out" as they put it, I've now been told the only way to aleviate all this is to have revised surgery on both knees yet again, it seems the new joint is called a Zimmer & it's a hinged prosthesis that comes in 1 complete part & operates as a hinge would on a door & apparantley very little chance of instability with this joint (de ja vue) due to ruptured tendons & quads I have now had 7 major surgeries in just under 4 years & still in pain every day with both knees, I'm now 18 days post op after having my left hip replaced & so far so good, all being well I'm having the right hip done within 3/4 months? The hips also diagnosed with arthritis are apparently another reason for the pain in both knees? I'm hoping that if the pain vanishes after the hips are fully recovered, I may just put up with rattling knees & give further surgeries a miss? Sorry if this all sounds so nagative as I know quite a few people that have had great success stories after TKR's, I was told originally that 4% of people don't benefit in any way from having a TKR either with reduced pain levels or improved range of movement, how unlucky am I? Hope you make the choice that's right for you Roger as it's totally down to you? Good luck question  
    • Posted

      dear Tom, oh my God, poor you!

      Where did you have the op? we will be avoiding this hospital.

      By the way , I also had a torn quad.   still not OK, blamed on too vigourous exercise.

      I have done extensive checks on surgeons, implants, told hospital what I wanted to have. requested consultant do do the operation , was lucky with hospital, must admit.

      If you ever need another op, ask to be send to Stanmore in London. specially revisions should be done by very eXperienced surgeons like Prof T Briggs, Mr Carrington etc.

    • Posted

      Jeees...Toms experience is awful....But thankfully not the norm...Crikey, and I thought I was hard done by...hahaha...

      The hospital I went to was Barnsley General Hospital, and as I've said, I couldn't fault anything they did.  I fear that when something goes wrong with an operation, the profession tend to 'close ranks' and don't give you the full story of what went wrong, for fear of litigation....Or am I cynical old sod?

    • Posted

      Tom, thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like the nightmare we would all want to avoid however it became real for you. I guess it is important to be realistic about the outcomes. Sorry to hear of what all you have been through and many thanks for taking the time. I sincerely hope that the hip work you have is effective and you are able to get some comfort,

      very best wishes

    • Posted

      Hi Grace, foolishly I did very little to check out surgeons, joints or anything before going for my surgery (not the best idea really?) Had mine done in Milton Keynes Hospital, the guy is actually a professor of Trauma & Orthopaedics & lectures all over the country? Can't fault the hospital as aftercare & stuff is faultless, My friend had both her hips done at Stanmore & she had great results both times, I did exactly the same with my tendon & quads , ran before I could walk & then ended not being able to do either, hoping after my hips are sorted out things might be a bit different in the pain levels & I won't have to bother with the knees again? Take care Grace biggrin
    • Posted

      Thanks Roger, I'm keeping everything X'd that the hips sort the pain out in the knees & I can call it a day? Take care & good luck biggrin
    • Posted

      Hi Peter, you're right about it not being the norm, think I'm just extremely unlucky with the way it's all turned out for me? I had my surgeries on the NHS & have asked the question about whether I'd have gone private, would I have had the same joint fitted? Obviously their answer is yes, not so sure about that 1 if I'm honest? No I wouldn't say your a cynical old sod at all wink Good luck to you in the future
    • Posted

      I didn't do any background checks on my surgeon, but everyone at the hospital...Nurses etc said he's brilliant at what he does....I was in and out of theatre within the hour....(which if you ask about is unusual..it's normally an hour and a half)....He also had some students in there, and I could hear him explaining everything to them as he was working on me)
    • Posted

      I am down for Mr Lawson at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh if anyone has any views of experience.

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