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Knee revision

Posted , 7 users are following.

nicky14342
nicky14342

Hi....has anybody out there experienced TKR revision surgery ?

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • irish_linda
    irish_linda nicky14342

    Posted

    yes i have had a revision TKR i had one last august  mine was because of a failed TKR the knee was only in over a year it was miss alighned  it has been a very long hard road because of a messed up knee but in saying that my revision has improved my life thank god im now in a much better place this time last year i was very low and scared its not easy when things go wrong  the revision went fine the recovery is getting there  having so many surgerys in under 2yrs takes it toll on muscles so if your having a revision its not so scary its been good for me
    • nicky14342
      nicky14342 irish_linda

      Posted

      Thank you for your imput,Linda. I had the first op Dec'13 any hasn't been right since. I can only bend it through 90 degrees,it feels wonky and I still have as much pain as before the op. The Consultant has offered me a revision but couldn't promise an improvement in bend,only pain levels. Whilst advice and support for primary TKR is covered well on these forums,I don't seem to find much for revision.

       

    • irish_linda
      irish_linda nicky14342

      Posted

      hi nicky my first op was dec2012 it was bi lateral and during op one of the kneees he fractured my shin bone witch resulted major problems it was impossible for me to put my foot to the ground and because of both legs done at the same time the other leg had to support me thank god it did and i can honestly say i ignored that leg it just had to get on with it and it did ive only just got over 100% on that one and perfectly straight  which will do fine for me the other was completely bunched not only did he break my leg less than 3mths later i had crunching noises and the leg was giving way it was scary so i had to get xray and it showed up as broken cement which had to be taken out so 4wks later  i had op to open up the entire wound and clean out the cement and replace the white cartilage part and recovery had to start again during the rest of the year i had unbearable pain and could not bend past 70% physio kept pushing it and only with very hard work could i get near 80% with severe pain i then had an MUA under anestetic to bend it he had to go in keyhole to cut scar tissue my bend was better for about 3mths even with physio twice a week and it slowly lost the bend and i was back to 70% i was so fed up and depressed and no one would listen to me i had every test under the sun mri ,bone csan, xray ,blood tests you name it i had it and it all came back no reason for me not having bend and no reason for pain it was such a lonely place i thought i would have to go out of the country to get help because surgeons kept saying you could be worse .i was not satisfied it surely could not be the end for me  i was by then 57yrs for gods sake ,then i went to this surgeon he looked at my files and also said that it didnt look like anything went wrong but agreed to do a revision and told me it could go either that you will be the same or it could improve he gave me a 15% chance of improvement  i took it and was terrified but knew he was good and went for it when the op was over he came to my bed and said that the implant was slightly off and that my kneecap needed to be resurfaced and also took out the bolt that had been put in during first op to repair the break  since the op now 10mths ago ive improved alot it was slower than the first op but my bend is close on 100% and my straightening is 6% which is not too bad and it has given me a better quality of life i hopes this will help you ,my physio did say that after a revision sometimes you could have problems with bend and straightening where the first one its usually one or the other but both can be improved sorry for going on but i thought you might want to know how it was for me
    • irish_linda
      irish_linda nicky14342

      Posted

      my pain levels definatly improved as i was on alot of meds after original op  its been worth going back plus with all my ops im glad to say ive never had infection thank god up shot is im glad i did go back otherwise id always be saying why didnt i try my gp also told me to take the chance as he felt  i was too young to live this way
  • mary0606
    mary0606 nicky14342

    Posted

    I am glad you are improving now, mine is 16 years old, and for the most part is still okay, but I know that day will come sooner or later and I don't like the thought of it.
  • sarah87162
    sarah87162 nicky14342

    Posted

    I had TKR 3 years ago. No revision was necessary. However, I hope you don't mind I have forwarded this e mail to a friend of mine who had a revision of hers. She may be a le to help you.

    Sarah

  • mary0606
    mary0606 nicky14342

    Posted

    Surgeons are mostly keen to operate but one of the questions I now ask is what will you do for me if there is a complication or something isn't quite right..because they too frequently say nothing is wrong.

    ive had this happen a few times. My metal on metal hip was supposed to be okay but I had a lot of groin pain, any way I found a surgeon that never used that type as they are  full of issues, and when he revised it the metal cup was full of shards. So if it doesn't feel right you have to keep going until someone listens to you, it shouldn't be this way but sadly it is. 

    When my shoulder revision went wrong, my surgeon was right onto it and was amazing, that's how they should be.

    i feel very fortunate that after 14 total joint replacements, I've never had an infection...one thing to be thankful for.

  • veronica91735
    veronica91735 nicky14342

    Posted

    I had my TKr on 21/10/2014

    It too never felt right, & with my GP's help, sought a 2nd opinion. After numerous x-rays (normal/long leg/& ultra sound), it seems mine is misaligned, to the right (it's a right TKR), by 6mm. I have a lot of faith in my new consultant, who has said the same to me - i.e., that the knee may never be 100%, but I feel they have to say that. I also have weird lumps, so I have had all the pre-op tests now for two theatre proceedures, 1) will be day surgery, just to make sure there is no hidden infection causing the lumps, 2) will be a complete revision. He has told me the whole thing is coming out, & he will be using a different type of prosthesis. To be honest, after nearly 9 solid months of pain, sleeplessness & no energy (probably due to being down over the whole business) - I can't wait. At least I know what to expect, how hard to push myself, & believe me, once it's done again, I will push myself! I want my life back. A life of pain is no good, maybe you should ask for a 2nd opinion too?

    • nicky14342
      nicky14342 veronica91735

      Posted

      Hi Veronica,thank you for your reply. I have already had a second opinion (I too cannot live with pain and loss of normal mobility) and the Consultant left things open for me to decide wether to have revision surgery. I have an appointment at the end of this month to tell him to go ahead. He is a different surgeon from the one who did the original surgery. When do you have your surgery?
    • veronica91735
      veronica91735 nicky14342

      Posted

      I have had all the pre-op tests, but goodness knows, as I am now on the waiting list. I have to have the aspiration in theatre first, & he said that would be within 6 weeks (4 weeks ago!!) - so hopefully that will be very soon - BUT, I can't plan anything - no breaks away etc, as I am also on the cancellation list. The 2nd hospital is still on Red Alert, which means it is slowly going down all those that were waiting whilst it was on Black Alert! My guess is that it will at least a full year from the 1st primary TKR, to the revision. They told me at the hospital that the ECG etc, lasted 4 months before they had to re-do the tests. Not fun is it?
    • nicky14342
      nicky14342 veronica91735

      Posted

      Definitely not the way to live your life! I feel like I'm on hold the whole time. It would be great if we could afford private health care....mind you,my original TKR was done at a local Private hospital under an NHS scheme in this area where the orthopedics list is kept down by giving work to the private sector. I had the surgery within a month of first consultation but the surgeon was very  dismissive of my post op concerns and told me to go away and live my life! I would rather wait now. Even working for the NHS as a midwife for 17years doesn't bring any perks ;0)
    • veronica91735
      veronica91735 nicky14342

      Posted

      Ahh...I remember now, - you & I have conversed before! As soon as I know I am going in for the revision, I'll let you know.
    • irish_linda
      irish_linda veronica91735

      Posted

       i also got a different prostheisis for my revision  as well as the new knee he put steel rods on each end to support the new knee he feels it keeps the new knee solid  so glad your going for it good luck
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