Well Sh&#*^t! It's my Knees!
I am an orthopedic surgical nurse. I KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. This is what I do for a living.
BUT......I want and need your input. If you have a Total knee.....or a UNI knee. Please let me know your progress, situation, and anything else you want to say.

ONE QUESTION.......WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN???

Please answer this question first.

I am 61.....super active. You know the rest of the story.
Funny isn't it.....This is what I do every day - and can't seem to make a decision.
p.s. I am a candidate for a Uni.

I had a total knee replacement on Feb. 11 and have been rehabbing aggressively. I'm a 62 yr old veterinarian and was back at work in 3 weeks for half days and full-time by 4. Went off- roading in far west Texas 10 days ago and turkey hunting this morning.I've got an Az. antelope hunt coming up and a mule deer hunt in Nevada in Oct.and an elephant hunt next April in Dande. Point is- rehab is everything!
If your knees are hindering you, go for it.

quote:

Originally posted by bwana dogo:

If your knees are hindering you, go for it.

I have not but have met a lot of people who have - and never heard one person say they regretted it!!! That says a lot I think.

Good to hear, my left one is getting pretty bad.

bcolyer:
Email me via my website at <calpappas.com> and I'll give you the complete story. I had a partial on my right in 2008 and not a problem or twinge of discomfort since. I had a complete done on my left on March 6 of this year and plan to walk 8-10 miles on May 6 to celebrate. Do everything the therapist tells you and more and keep the knee moving and mobile--even when you are not in the mood to work--and you will be thankful you did it.
I would suggest you NOT do both knees at once unless you are strong enough to move yourself around on a walker on arm power alone.
To see a pic of my knee in a tray (what the doc took out) and the resulting scar with staples, find the pic on the double rifles page here under Cal's booboo. (started by a friend in Anchorage).
Email or call anytime.
Cal
PS. I was walking the halls of the hospital the evening after the op., and off to Africa for a pair of buffalo, hippo, and plains game on June 8 (carrying a damn heavy .600 double rifle!.

bcolyer,
At the risk of sounding like Cal, I will tell you my experience. I had a partial on the right knee in 2010, and a full replacement on the left knee in 2011. I am currently 64, and still working fulltime in a strenuous job that requires me to be on my feet all the time. Three years ago, my life was a cycle of excruciating pain and cortisone shots. I now have my life back, and can do anything I want to do. Did a 2-week safari in Chewore North last year. If you've been there, you know it is hilly and rocky country, with lots of deep sand washes. No problems at all. Two things: Keep your weight down, and do EVERYTHING the PT folk tell you to do. Good luck.
Tim

Pretty much been covered by everyone. Had a total replacement of my left knee in August 2006 at 55 years old. The surgeon said I would probably need to have the right one did within a year or so after the left.

Went thru the surgery, went thru the therapy and at my one year check up, he stated that I might never have to have the right one done.

That has been almost 7 years and I have no pain in either leg. The important part is doing the therapy.

Not me, but my Dad had both knees replaced at the same time several years. His only regret, not having done it sooner.

Same with my dad!

My right knee, more than once!

Not me, but a friend had a total knee replacement about two months ago. The post-op pain for him has been much worse than expected, and he has had a rough time regaining the range of motion his therapists want to see, so today he is undergoing an MUA -- manipulation under anesthesia -- to break up the scar tissue. If this doesn't work, they will have to open him up and clean it out. He is a tree surgeon and has to have his knees to do his job, so a lot is at stake. That said, everyone else I know who has had the procedure has said it changed their lives for the better.

I had my left knee replaced (total knee) on Aug. 8th, 2012 and went back to my desk job, part time on Aug 13th. My knee hurt less that day after surgery (with no pain meds) than the day before the surgery.

This was my 8th knee operation and I'm just glad that that's finally over.

At the ripe old age of 47, I had a total replacement done on my left knee in July 2009. I followed it up with a uni medial replacement on the right knee in Feb 2011.

I had a small problem with the uni replacement during rehab where muscle pulled a chunk of bone away just below the lower implant. Yes, it tickled and I, justly, demonstrated the depth and breadth of my vocabulary to the PTs (also known as the Princesses of Pain). I recovered and was totally happy until this January.

I was jaywalking on K street and went down in a heap in front of a DC taxi with good brakes. After changing my underwear, I saw my orthopod and this is what was fished out during orthoscopic procedure:




Hopefully, the uni will last until the plastic bits of my full need replacing. At that time, we'll do a full replacement on the right because I want to knock them both out at the same time (which is what I should have done in 2008).

Wanted to hunt Buffalo and my PH said I couldn't walk good enough. I had a new right knee put in 12/04. Hunted Buffalo in the Omay in fall of 05. Any one that has hunted the Omay knows it ain't flat walking like Tanz. Mine was a long story started in 04/04 and between four different surgeons it was finally done in 12/10/04 and I was back in the office before Christmas. Do the therpy as told not over doing it. Still go to the gym 4 days a week. Going to challenge it with Mt Nyala in Oct.

I had a double, total knee(s) replacement almost 4 years ago at age 65. I did the PT religiously...the key to a good outcome. I now have my life back....happy I did both at the same time, would do it again for sure!

I have not, but my mother did a couple years ago and it improved the quality of her life immensely. She still tells me that she wishes she'd done it sooner. Now, she is having a hip replacement in a few weeks and she can't wait as she knows how much better she will feel after it is done.

You already know this but, PT is the key to a successful outcome. Do everything the PT says to do.

i had my right knee done a couple years ago. left one is just about ready. it does take awhile to come back completely. in my case it was about a year. i sue is nice to be able to walk without hurting though. there is a new surgery out in which they take a detailed mri and send it to the people that machine out the replacement caps to match the old ones. my nephew who does this surgery said it cuts the recovery time way back, bu he didn't tell me how much more it costs. you will not have the flexibility that you had before, but probably will not really miss it to much. wish i could say the same about spinal surgery, but that's another pain completely

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Not me, but my Dad had both knees replaced at the same time several years. His only regret, not having done it sooner.

Same with my Dad.

And if both knees are equally bad (as his were)...he would also recommend both at the same time.

Hi Brennan,

Before knee replacement...we would leave the house to walk down to his barn to do his chores of the evening. I could not walk slow enough. I could almost go ahead and get all done before he even arrived.

Now...he can almost keep up with me walking.

Both of mine a year apart. Go for it!

I'm off to Africa in 2 months and can WALK!

I had my left knee replaced 3 years ago. I am happy but I have noticed pain if I stand straight legged. I also can not walk as fast but can still walk good. When walking I sometimes can not tell how far I have picked up my foot and will trip but now I lead with left so I can see better. While good I do not feel like it is as good as my real knee before injury but I would do it again if I had to

I would do it again, without doubt. Nine months after a full knee replacement, I was hunting bighorn sheep in the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho. Can even run again!! The first three weeks after surgery were hell. I couldn't do the PT as the rest of you did. The PT's son smoked dope and I'd had him in jail. The PT was still mad and wouldn't treat me. :-) The downside of a remote small town!

Stryker is supposed to have a new knee replacement that is lifetime. My 12 year old replacement is starting to get a little tender. Best advice is do some exercises to build up quads before surgery. My doctor is sending you home now the day after. I spent 8 days in the hospital 12 years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by LJS:
Stryker is supposed to have a new knee replacement that is lifetime. My 12 year old replacement is starting to get a little tender. Best advice is do some exercises to build up quads before surgery. My doctor is sending you home now the day after. I spent 8 days in the hospital 12 years ago.

My new knee is supposed to go for 20 years. In 1987 my ACL replacement had me in a cast for 20 weeks.

It's good to hear all the positive results. I'm 52, have had 4 knee surgeries to date, and am staring a double replacement right square in the face. The obvious dilemna for me is that I'm waiting as long as possible because I don't want to do it again, ever. Some days I wish I'd go ahead and do it now. I'm just doing the synvisc. cortisone, etc routine right now. I did lose 25lbs over the past 3 months so that has really helped. Thanks to all for the testimonies.

At the risk of going off topic slightly has anyone had a hip replacement & if so, how did they do afterwards please?

Sadly, I have way to much info on hips and knees.

One grandpa had both hips replaced. The one being full of bomb debris from WWII. He had it done in his 80's and flew through it.

My other grandpa, grandma, and mom have all had total knee replacements. Was it a hard couple of months afterward; absolutely, would they do it again. Absolutely!!! My grandpa actually got younger after the surgery and acted 10 years younger. He can now get around.

I have had 13 knee surgeries over the years and had a partial done last year. The Dr. did not want to do a total yet since I am still under 40. I honestly wish I would been able to have the total as the recovery is the same. Given the choice, don't do a partial, do a total!!!

Justin

GENTLEMEN: Now that most of you have had the opportunity to chime in......Please allow me to say a huge THANK YOU. To this AR Brotherhood and Sisterhood.
You have encourage and bolstered me in making this hard decision.
Who the hell is it that says positive, constructive, non-critical information and advice cannot come from this fraternity.
On more occasions than I can count I have been the recipient of GOOD info and advice. This is just another example.
THANK YOU........................

I'll keep you posted on the progress. AND, sometime this week I will send in my deposit for an Elephant hunt in 2015.

One rule - get the best doctor. No side trips to third world countries to save money. Also, Stryker products are the best.

One of my best friends worked for Stryker and got to sit in in multiple surgeries and look at cases that doctors had to fix from third world countries.

He said the best doctor he ever saw was in Sonoma, CA.

I am an orthopaedic surgeon. A knee replacement is a great operation for the right indications. If you are a unicompartemntal candidate, that is wonderful as you will keep your Anterior cruicate ligament and your knee will feel more natural. You should be able to return to near normal activities. Rehab is critical for a good outcome. You also have to remember that this a mechanical device, not what God gave you. Also, your surgeons experience and volume of procedures is important as well. As for the Stryker comments, they can't be backed my science. I like the Stryker product, but no knee has been proven to be better than another. Otherwise all surgeons would switch to the best product. The stryker knee data was performed in a testing machine. The only way we will know how well it will perform and last is to wait 20 years and see how well it has performed in people. Longevity of knee, shoulder and hip replacements is based on many factors including patient ages, weights, and activity levels. We know now that the joints we are placing in patients' knees have over a 90 percent survival at 12 years. We think we are making positive changes, but we won't know for sure until we look back on our results and see how our patients have done. I hope this helps.

Out of curiosity, with no insurance, what would a full knee replacement cost in a good hospital in the US?

Martin:
Four years ago my partial replacement was 60K in a hospital (including 25K in misc. charges[!]). In March a total replacement on the other knee at an outpatient facility was about 1/3 of the prior figure. I'm from Alaska and prices may be more here. I'm sure I could have lessened the charge had the surgery been done in Zim!
Cal

There is a huge difference between what is charged and what is accepted. If you have medicare in the US. for a full knee replacement, medicare will allow the facility, ie: the hospital about 14000 and the surgeon about 1400. you still have to pay the anesthesiologist. maybe about 1000 USD. The charges for the whole thing may be about 40k from the hospital and about 6k from the surgeon. The whole system is fouled up. Depending on contracts, Blue Cross insurance is probably 25k for the hospital and 2k for the surgeon. If you really wanted to do something you could negotiate a cash price with most facilities. Orthopaedic surgery in RSA and australia is very well respected world wide. There are also many places in Europe as well. I don't know where you live, but there certainly may be very viable options closer to home for you.

The total bill for my double knee replacement 4 years ago was around $80K with the hospital about 75-80% of the total. Between Medicare and Blue Shield, approx. 60% was paid and accepted by all the participants.