Exhausted from other surgeries, Hard time going on to TKR

You want to live (without pain?) or you don't. My friend has freckle melanoma. I told her I was depressed after my sister's death, bilateral knee surgery, a close mate who I love who's got aggressive prostate cancer, a family of whom many members couldn't give a toss about me or anyone but themselves. There's a choice. Grab it! Or don't. I care about your suffering. But it's up to you my fellow human. xx

I would suggest you talk to your primary care doc and have a full disclosure discussion. Youu aren't "bothering" them and they have heard it all. A good family doc will assess and advise.

I have been on this forum for some time boring all who will read, with my tales of woes. I always try to use the disclaimer that my troubles all started with a rare (1 in 2 million) tumor.

You will have to keep in mind that people who use this forum are the tiny percentage that have unusual or ongoing issues. Occasionally the individual will come on here thinking they are having major, life changing issues. Shortly they find they are the norm and say thanks, and good by.

My suggestion is to talk to your surgeon and have a list of questions that you want answered. Find a sports medicine physical therapist and have the same discussion. Explain you are neither a coward or hypochondriac, you just want to know the + and - and his expectations of you will be during rehab. Fear of the unknown is horrible and most reasonable people can deal with honesty and I expect you will too. This is a great forum. You will gain much insight into abnormal and some terrific help aides. One poster, Chico Marx, has written several terrific tutorials regarding recovery. They are worth your time and I believe they can be printed for easy reference.

As for me, you can look some of my stuff up, its not as neat, organized or as technical at chili's but I've been through 11 surgeries and 5 complete rehab plus some unusual complications all related to the tumor called PVNS.

I understand your concerns and can have both sympathy and empathy as we've had a long and complicated health history, most of it starting at age 65 and my wife and I are past 80 now. Keeping asking questions till you feel comfortable.

I would delay TKR and look for other remedies because trauma to the quadriceps muscle could trigger an MS attack

Seems wise to wait. you need good upper body strength and time to set yourself up mentally. Sorry to hear things so bad. Sending good wishes and prayer.

I am another that has had multiple surgeries the one exception they have all been on the same knee. So far I have had 17 surgeries 5 of them were TKR's 1 was due to Mersa and now I am pretty sure my summer is ruined before it even gets started. I had a bone scan done and found the last implant is failing and the implant was not aligned properly and the best part due to all the surgeries I have significant amount of bone loss. In 2 weeks I see  Bone Cancer specialist to find out when this can be scheduled. I agree with everyone its hard enough dealing with what you are recovering from you really do not need to add any more frustration at this time. I would suggest pain meds and lots of ice for your knees until your ready to take on a TKR. Hope this makes some sense and please it s not meant to be rude, when things are really bugging me I at least try and think there is always somebody who is worse off then me. It does not change my situation but it does put things in perspective. I wish I could wave the magic wand to everyone so all of us will be free of all out issues but unfortunately there is no such thing. I do wish you the best and try to stay comfortable.

Norm

There are ergobaum half crutches with elbow supports developed by an orthopedic doctor which have adjustable hand grips and a spring in the tip to absorb shock from knee and wrist. These will help take stress off your knee and make walking more stable . Consider using an electric cart or wheelchair in the meantime so you can still get around without the knee pain of walking bone on bone. I used a transport wheelchair to scoot myself around my home and an electric cart at the grocery store. Intitially I was embarrassed but once I realized I could use the cart to see the entire store instead of calculating how much pain I could tolerate before leaving, I didn't care about my pride. Your body, mind and spirit need time to recover before knee replacement surgery. Assistive devices to get around will be temporary and you will eventually be able to walk without pain.

?Best wishes for continued healing...