Knee replacement surgery

Absolutely correct.  You will notice pretty quickly that beyond the post-op pain, your original knee pain is completely gone.  Once you've fully recovered, ALL the pain is gone.  It takes time, patience and effort but the result is worth it.  At 14 months, I have zero knee pain.  Yes, kneeling is still "interesting" but I think that the nerve pain involved will subside over time.  Just kneel on a cushion.  

Chico - you are a inspiration for all of us. Before my surgery the surgeon did not explained much. I wish that I knew about this forum because when you ask someone that already had it done they don't tell you the thruth. I like your style you tell us like it is. You sound like you are from the same state that I am. The big apple. I am 7 months post TKR and I still having problems bending to 120. I do go to the recreation center ( I only pay $25.00 a year.) every other day and ride the bicycle for 30 minutes, do stretching, bend my knee and use other machines to make my knee and leg stronger. My doctor told me that I would be fine in 2 months - that's not so - for most people it takes a year to be pain free and get a bend. Thanks for your positive attitude. J21370

I'm a Sicilian from Brooklyn.  We "leave the gun...take the cannoli".  Some people don't like to hear "the truth" but you have to give them a dose of reality and let them set their own expectations.  They accept it or learn from their mistake.  Yes, there are those very few who escape the horror but that's not a likely scenario.  The fact is that doctors DO NOT prepare us for this or promise delusional results.  All you have to do is read and respond to a thousand posts on here to get a clearer picture of what this is really like...I try to save people the trouble of doing that. Take it or leave it...but that sooner or later, most of us run into The Wall of Reality and wish we had taken the advice a lot earlier.

I sometimes think, though, that perhaps there are loads of people out there who have had Chris's experience with the TKR . . a fairly pain free recovery, and that they have not needed to find a forum like this.  In many ways, the people on this forum are probably those who have had the most pain, trouble, and worries, which is why we  have looked for a forum.  I have an 80 year old sister in law, who is usually a total hypochondriac, and she has had both knees done without really a great deal of stress.  I just don't want people ahead of the TKR to assume that they will definitely experience what we have. . although I absolutely agree that a more realistic approach by the surgeons would be a good idea.  I had no idea what was waiting for me. . 

Better to be prepared than devolve into a blubbering mass of protoplasm.  Just sayin'

This was a discussion I was having with my pharmacist a few weeks back Martinavelo.  He said to me that most people who he knows (he serves their meds) don't have that awful a time of it at all, and he wondered if people having problems are more likely to find a forum.  I think the problem is, if you warn people about everything that could happen then some of those who really do need the op won't get it done because they'll panic.  Some people are more afraid of pain than others and some have a lower pain threshold than others.  Yes, we definitely want to know reality, but that reality can vary hugely with different people (and different legs on the same person), so we do need a balanced view.  There have been many times where I've felt slightly uncomfortable because I have sailed through the first TKR with nothing that I'd describe as pain apart from when I thought I had impingement and that came as a shock LOL!  But with the physio telling me to take the bend easy for a couple of weeks, within a week it was sorted and fine again.  I've felt so bad saying what an easy time I've had when I know some have truly suffered though.  My thoughts have sincerely been with them!  But like any operation, recovery can vary so much, so as with anything, we have to go into it hoping for the best:-)))))  There's no point working ourselves up 'in case'!

The thing is though, Chico, does going into something like this expecting the worst, actually help?  I'm not sure it does!  But then maybe I'm an optimist and believe in positivity.

It can be a problem..fear😯 I agree it is worth bearing in mind that forums often reflect the more difficult aspects...I was glad I researched a lot before surgery, but I had to make a conscious decision to say to myself...this can happen, but I don't need to expect it to happen. I can expect a good experience, while not being ignorant of the difficulties. It's a balancing act. But beware of fear and anxiety about what might happen.

Yes, I think there has to be a balance. scaring people too much is not a good idea.  OK, for most of us it is pretty painful, but fear of the pain to the extent of stopping people having the operation is definitely not a good idea.  Reality, in terms of knowing that this is not likely to be sorted in four or five weeks, is useful though.  I had considered going on a cruise around week 9 before the operation, and I am so glad that I did not book it.  i could not even have considered going. . . I would have liked more information about sensible ways to prepare for the op . .I have to admit to have being a bit foolish in that I didn't research at all, but just signed on the dotted line on Monday, and had the operation on the Friday . . no time to think about it!  And don't feel bad about having had a fairly easy recovery!  We can all hope for that now when our second knee needs doing!

That's true!  I remember I had a hospital appointment for something trivial, 10 days after the op, and an hour each way in the car, and was advised on here to put it off, and I'm glad I did.  I was still very much at the 'resting, icing and elevating' stage then!

YES!  Definitely a good idea to hope for the best for the second knee:-)))

I don't believe that I'm telling people "the worst"...I think it's more like "the average".  The worst would be:

- 18+ month recovery

- requiring surgical manipulation to achieve your ROM

- never really recovering and limping in pain the rest of your life

- having the pain meds not work in the first place

Get the idea?  That kind of stuff is "the worst"...the far right side of the bell curve.  To expect that you'll skate through this and be back at work full strength in 12 weeks is just plain delusional.  I'd say better to prepare for what most of us go through (a lot of pain, PT and a 9-12 month recovery) than to expect anything less.

It has nothing to do with being positive or negative.  It has to do with preparing for the most common reality of what will probably happen.

 I'm pretty sure you'll be OK!  Hopefully, your body is the sort that loves TKR's???