44 yrs old... I have 4 weeks until my TKR- I'm scared to death
Posted , 22 users are following.
I am 44 yrs old, I've had tons of shots etc in the last year, and I am finally scheduled oct 14 for TKR, I had one doc tell me I needed a partial, and one tell me total. I figured do the whole thing, instead of part now and total in 10 yrs. My dad has had both his knees done in the last year. When he went in for his first surgery, I wondered what they did with the ligaments etc, so I made the mistake of youtubing TKR surgery. And now I cant get those images out of my head. But I've been putting it off for so long. I am not participating in life like I usually do. My question is, is there anything I can do to prepare myself? I go to the gym everyday, doing the bike and row machine. Is there anything specific I can be doing to make sure I have the strength? Realisticly, how long will i be on pain meds? They said 6 weeks ! Is that true ?
1 like, 65 replies
lors23 Keli_44
Posted
Hi keli
I am 43 had my 1st knee replacement just over 4 weeks ago. I think you have done everything you. can to prepare yourself keli and tbh your body will decide itsself how fast it heals.
I have had my 2 hips replaced and one knee in the last 9 months. I seem to heal quite fast. I did with my hips but the knee is a much harder than the hips. l am sure your dad will have told you. I am back driving again and my movement is getting better everyday but it does take a good 3 to 4 weeks before you start to notice a big diffrence. I still get a lot of pain and ice my knee a few times a day ànd it can get really sore some days. I am still on pain medication and will be for a few more weeks then l will start tappering myself off. I still have the other knee to get replaced but l am having a break inbetween now as thats 3 major surgeries l have had in 9 months.
I am sure you will be fine keli as you are as prepared as u can be. I was at my 1st physio for my knee on thursday and she was really happy with my movement and said l was at 90 degreee's. And that l was well ahead for the amount time since my op.h
I can't even feel l have had new hips now but l dont know if its just that my knee is feeling everything now.
Its not easy keli but you can do it you need the pain meds after it as it is very painful and they are the only things that make it sufferable.
Be strong if its going to give you a better quality of life.
Good Luck
Laura xx
leah1969 Keli_44
Posted
Keli, you said you play kickball, I'd ask your Dr if you'll be able to afterwards. My Dr told me NO running or jumping afterwards. all though I have run short distances, but I'm afraid of damaging something and having to have another surgery. cause I've heard people say " oh your new knee will only last about 10 years then you'll need another one. " but my Dr. says it should last me the rest of my life if I take care of it. ( I also was 44 yrs. old when I had my TKR, I'm now 47 ) so I don't want to abuse it ..lol
Keli_44 leah1969
Posted
If I play, I will limit the life of the knee
CHICO_MARX Keli_44
Posted
Had my hip replaced in 2009. Told the doc I wanted to get back on my skates and keep playing hockey. He told me I could skate easily but no more hockey (after 44 years of it).
Basically: a. Give up hockey, the hip will last 20-25 years; b. Keep playing, 3 years if I was lucky. Tough news. Well...not really. Sold all my equipment the next day.
After any joint replacment, people have specific lifestyle choices to make. One is a good, long-term, healthy path...the other, mostly admitted to in retrospect, is very dumb. Those people get revision surgery and live the rest of their life in varying degrees of unnecessary pain.
Back in the 50's, the show Romper Room featured Mr. Do-Bee and Mr. Don't-Bee. Which Bee will you be?
pat71856 Keli_44
Posted
I go to pt with a lot of people who are doing great The one thing they all have in common is that they don't smoke, dont drink a lot, dont drug a lot and aren't that heavy. IF YOU MEET ALL THOSE REQUIREMENTS YOU WILL BE ABSOLUTELY FINE 99 OUT OF 100 SURGERIES. BELEIVE ME I HAVE STUDIED THE ODDS I just happen to be the one in 100 whose haven't worked perfectly
Oldfatguy1 pat71856
Posted
After all these years and all the people I've met going through the process I honestly don't believe the odds are that good......on the other Han notvsue I've ever met that many folks that were that wholesome and pure and without sin. I do think people that are very active in athletics are more at risk for early replacements but being overweight to the extreme makes rehab more difficult.
abfro Keli_44
Posted
Hi Kelli,
I think there are many good replies but I wanted to share my experience as an ecouragement. I am also young (although not as young as you) for a TKR, I am 55. I also got to the point of not being able to participate in daily life because of the pain. I had bilateral TKR almost 13 weeks ago.
I honestly say it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The nurses were amazed at my ability to raise and bend my legs in the hospital immediately after surgery. I could get in and out of bed totally on my own. I had home health therapy for the first 2 weeks (I think I qualified for 2 weeks because I had both knees done at the same time) and was measuring 120 and 0 (bend and flex) by the end of the 2 weeks. Off prescription pain pills at this point as well. I then went on to go to outside therapy as was to continue three times a week for 4 more weeks. They only had me come 2 times a week because was progressing so rapidly. They finally told me there wasn't anything else they could do for me by the time I was 5 weeks out and I could bend over 140 degrees on both legs.
I have a little ache in my left knee from time to time but am not limited at all and feel 100% better than I did before the surgery.
I am not telling you all this to make anyone feel bad about not healing as fast and of course no one can tell you how you will heal. I have always healed very quickly. I think it's genetic, both my parents were the same way. However, I wanted to let you know that there are those who heal very quickly and easily from this surgery. You might do as well or better than I did so don't stress! I don't want to sugar coat it either. It is a hard surgery and you do have to be patient! Just give yourself time, do your excercises and hopefully you will feel better every day and be back to your active self in no time!
A couple of things I wish I had known:
1. The worst part for me was the constipation from the pain meds! Yikes! I would recommend that you take all the stool softener they will give you. East lots of fiberous food and don't let it get ahead of you.
2. Sleep is difficult. My dr. told me that you don't realize how much you move around at night until it is hindered. Since I had both knees done, it might have been worse for me. Felt like I was dragging two tree trunks around the bed each time I tried to turn over. Got significantly better around 6 weeks. I took benedryl or unisom to help.
There are others, but they have been covered well in other posts. I think these were the two things I didn't expect.
Good luck to you! I hope you have as easy of a time as I did. You have age on your side and are already in good shape. I think you will do really well!
dave63380 abfro
Posted
Sounds like you are doing really well, I'm glad to hear someone else had a relatively pain free Knee replacement, and both at the same time. Some doctors will not do both knees. I had both knees done 3 months apart, been about two years. Really had no serious pain, swelling and soreness, but that's all. Almost felt guilty with all the people here in so much pain ! I was in PT for a good year regaining leg strength and flexibility. Never let up on walking every day, about a mile with the dog. And then the right hip went bad, about 5 months ago. No hesitation RTHR 8 weeks ago. Not much pain, more like uncomfortable but doing well. Getting back to normal.
Don't stop doing exercises even if your not in PT anymore. I feel like daily work out is part of a new lifestyle that goes with the new knee or hip. Speedy recovery to you Abfro.
abfro dave63380
Posted
You are right about some doctors not doing both knees at once. I actually had to go to a few before I could find one that would and he told me he only does them occasionally for certain patients. He felt as though my age, health and eagerness to do the excercises made me a good candidate.
I think there are probably a lot more people that have fairly easy recoveries than it would appear on this forum - since those who have no issues are not as likely to visit a forum. I read here quite a bit before my surgery and was pretty nervous. I decided that I should come back and encourage those facing surgery so that they can see that there are people who heal quickly!
Best of luck in your continued recovery as well
Keli_44 abfro
Posted
Oldfatguy1 abfro
Posted
You are absolutely correct about the percentage of quality healings overall than on here......for one basic reason...if you are healing in a text book fashion, you have no reason to look up a forum dealing with problems. I couldn't imagine taking time out of my life to look for answers if I didn't have questions.
dave63380 Oldfatguy1
Posted
Everyone has some pain and discomfort at first OFG. My doctors office connected me with the patient forum/ I didn't go looking for it. Did concern me how many issues people were having, you're right it's not an accurate cross section of all hip or knee replacements.
CHICO_MARX dave63380
Posted
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/the-tkr-experience-or-wish-i-had-another-kidney-stone--524499
See if this helps set your expectations...
Oldfatguy1 dave63380
Posted
There are so many things you don't hear of prior to surgery and most are spending so much time in such awful pain from whatever got them to the point of having surgery all they can think of if getting relief from the symptoms. Months or even years of bone on bone can numb the mind from reality. Five weeks ago tomorrow my 79 year old wife had to have a partial hip due to a fall that snapped the ball off of the femur. The fall was directly related to her advanced stages of Parkinson's disease. With that she was very fortunate as she hit her head on the cement patio. 5 weeks prior to that she had a fall in the kitchen, hitting her head in the same spot on the hardwood floor. Her progression from the surgery has been amazing. A total of 4 very low dosage hydrocodone pain pills and Tylenol for the 1st 10 days BUT.....the anaesthesia was one of the most frightening experiences we had ever gone through as a family. She thought the hospital staff were an evil cult and were somehow turning her family against her and joining them. She accused one of the RN's, younger than our granddaughter, of making plans to steal me. He eyes were absolutely filled with fear and anger. The staff told me it might take a while but she would come out of it without remembering any of it. Today its as vivid as it was that night. Then I found out a fellow church member had the same surgery for the same reason and was in ICU for a week and didn't know anyone for a month. With my wife they blamed it in part to the high doseage of Parkinson's meds (carbidopa/levidopa) and with him, some of his heart meds. Again, some off the more difficult aspects have nothing to do with the slicing and dicing and grinding and binding but the body and brain rebelling in other areas. Our nephew is an infectious disease specialist doing research at a state university medical school. He is a very kind young man who got into medicine for the right reasons, to heal the sick. Surgery was his least favorite of all the rotations mainly because of dealing with the egos of the surgeons. He said he had never had been insulted and called so many names in his life as he was by staff surgeons.
Hope all is going well for you these days.
cheryl90571 Oldfatguy1
Posted
You and your dear wife sure have been through a tremendous set of challenges over the years. We take vows "for better or worse, in sickness and in health", but at the time we never really understand what that CAN mean.
You and your wife inspire me every day. As my husband and I deal with our own challenges it is a very special thing to hear about all you have handled in such eloquent and thoughtful ways.
Thank you.
You are a very special voice on this site.
Sending prayers of strength to you and your dear wife tonight.💟
Oldfatguy1 cheryl90571
Posted
Very much appreciated. Every time she starts worrying about how much extra work this creates for me ibremind her that we agreed to take the marriage vows seriously before we ever jumped into it nearly 59 yrs ago. On the other hand, every time she thought she had raised me to a point of thinking I could be responsible enough to be left alone by myself I did something to prove her wrong. She did a great job of raising 4 kids but I've continued to be a work in progress. I've said for years, the greatest advantage my kids had in life was me being gone over half the time because of work. That alone made her work load much lighter.
cheryl90571 Oldfatguy1
Posted
Sounds like a pretty even partnership. She provided the GLUE to keep things together during the kid-raising years for the both of you, and you are providing the GLUE to hold things together now as you both deal with her illness and your own health challenges.
Like I said...INSPIRATIONAL!💟💟