meniscal tear

Posted , 5 users are following.

Hi I ave been diagnosed with a meniscal tear and oa left knee. Unlikely to be fit for surgery as on warfarin.

Has anyone any advice please. Feel at my wits end with worsening pain.Scared of becoming crippled.

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi. Have you asked what your options are? Nothing can't be fixed, they say!

    • Posted

      No I haven't. I hate these drs who leave us to suffer

    • Posted

      Well in Australia, where I live, they try not to let us suffer! I put off my bilateral replacements for 5 years. It was me who delayed my treatment. I suggest you enquire how soon you can have your problem fixed, warfarin or no warfarin. Best wishes to you.
  • Posted

    Hi, warfarin isn't a reason not to operate, they'll just give you a different regime for the duration. Go get it sorted!!!

  • Posted

    G'day delirious,

    I'm 71, on warfarin for life, had a partial knee replacement in Nov 2015 - no sweat !

    I stopped warfarin for a week before surgery, got my INR down to 1.0, went into surgery, partial done, no sweat.

    Came out of surgery and was given two doses of Fragmin, a bridging anticoagulant, then at my normal dose time in the evening, I went back on my normal dose of warfarin. 

    From the moment I stopped warfarin to when I got back to my normal, usual INR was 29 days. 

    I repeat - no sweat !

    No reason for Warfarin to be used as an excuse not to operate - thats a load of crap.

    May the force be with you.

    John

  • Posted

    Hi delirious,

    im on blood thinners for life.  Been on one kind or another since 1991.  I'm 59 now but when I was 54, I tore my meniscus, very painful.  With the X-rays taken, showed both knees bone on bone. They fixed the tear and " cleaned" up any debris.  I was told I was too young for knee replacement so struggled on for 5 yrs.  last October, I had bilateral tkr's.  A week before the operation, I stopped the warfarin and had to inject my belly twice a day with clexane, also a blood thinner.  Did this until operation day.  Next evening, I was put on exarelto, a somewhat new blood thinner.  It means no more regular blood tests, yay!  But down side is, there's no reversal if I should have a bleed.  Don't quite know what that means.  I know when on warfarin and there's a bleed, they inject with vitamin K.  Doesn't work on exarelto.

    im going to be honest and tell you that I did have a bleed after the operation on one knee.  Had a blood transfusion, they over loaded me, both lungs collapsed and I ended up with hospital pneumonia.  I'm not saying the blood thinners caused the bleed because I'd had an open hysterectomy a few years before.  Same procedure with cleaned etc and no problems at all with bleeding.

    so you see, you shouldn't worry about anticoagulants and operations.  There's ways around it and they're very clever these days.  I'm sure you're going to be fine.

    best wishes xx

    • Posted

      .....that's " same procedure with CLEXANE darn typo's.

    • Posted

      Thanks Sue you and John have cheered me up. xxxx
  • Posted

    You're very welcome.  Keep reading the forum, lots here to help you.  Ask questions and don't suffer on your own, we might be able to help and give advice on what works for the rest of us.  Xx

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