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2 weeks away from TKR and having doubts

Posted , 9 users are following.

roger09530
roger09530

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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  • nicky14342
    nicky14342 roger09530

    Posted

    The question to ask yourself is "how bad is my knee?" I had TKR in Dec '14 and although initially things looked good by 3 months, I developed a nasty pinching pain in the back of my knee. Initial X-ray and scan showed everything seemed normal.the pain continued and I have pain that wakes me at night,difficulty getting up from sitting and going upstairs/downstairs. I soldiered on until just recently and yesterday saw the consultant. An X-Ray showed I have formed bone spurs on the back of my tibia and this is pinching soft tissue! Because there are many nerves,blood vessels and ligaments it isn't considered safe to remove the bony growth. So, I have to live with it!
    • roger09530
      roger09530 nicky14342

      Posted

      Nicky, thanks for sharing your experience. Sorry that this has not gone well. It sounds bad. Are they offering you anything to sort this?

      My knee is bad. I don't walk though I can but you pay for it - sore at the time, sorer thereafter, sore overnight.Usually away by the morning though stiff and swolen. Then you start the cycle again.

      I walk like a man of 80, but I can walk (standing is a bigger problem). Am trying to balance the benefits . . . and finding it hard. Hysterically I just had a call from my hospital asking if I wanted to go in tomorrow as they had a cancellation. Not an option.

  • debbie02705
    debbie02705 roger09530

    Posted

    hi roger , most of what people are saying are as they found , and every one is different all true  , ive just had tkr no two , the first was in feb this year ,was done with a spinal ,again was worried but went along with it ,and you really dont care what is going on your very relaxed no problems at all ,and no pain , i had stainless and plastic ,within 3 hours iwas sat up in bed with my dinner , feeling on top of the world , no pain what so ever , how wrong was i , i didnt get much sleep due to pain , and the exercises were hard , i went home on day4 and carried on with what i was told to do , 5 months on and were neaarly normal ,i still have a little numbness on the side of the knee ,most of which has gone now . and now ive had the other knee done every thing was the same , its a hard opp but for me well worth it and now looking forward to work again prob in october , ive been of work since may 2013 a long time . i am also 53 and felt i was missing out on so much ,family time ,walking ,work ,even house work, shopping , i couldnt sleep ,and most of all a social life and human contact out side of the home .although i still have some pain in the first knee ive been told could take up to 18 months , i can manage with that and after only two weeks from knee no2 ive been out and about even walked my 6 year old grandson to the park ,i now feel there is light at the end of the tunnel .it wasnt an easy road but im so glad i did it . 
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