Knee Replacement / s

[AngerManagement]

Have made the call previously; we often take our physical health for granted and then reality hits home.

For many of us there is no Check Eng Light warning and or we ignored it for a tad too long and then we get caught out.

As we get older I am sure there are a few here that have had hips and or knees replaced. I have been in strife for a few years post lots of damage some 40 years ago and about 8 operations to date. And now I am advised that a replacement is the only option.

The Covid-19 relaxations have caused fun and games for the schedules and who has moved up and or down the priority list. See the man this Wednesday to set a date and time to have it done.

Interested in any first hand experience Re Recovery time and Impact on your Mobility, post a knee replacement - focusing on Camping and Detecting activities !!!!!

 

[BigWave]

Hey AM.
I had my left knee replaced around 3 years back (also following an accident around 35 years before).
As I'm right handed, I can still swing my GPX4500 coil on my right side, keeping it away from my knee when left leg is forward.
No big deal on standard sized coils, but larger coils pick it up more. You get used to it.
The GPZ7000 however is out for me.
It's quite a long operation (3-4 hours), so if you have an epidural, you'll likely get bored pretty quickly.
I asked to watch the op on a TV screen. Was the best bit of carpentry that I've ever seen.
Much physio needed before and afterwards, with some serious swelling for around 6 months, but we're all different.
My knee is still a little stiff, but painless.
You'll find kneeling is a weird feeling for a long time after - some never kneel again, but you can get used to it. As a prospector, I had to - but with knee pads.
You'll also have to watch out for bacterial infections for at least 2 years.

 

[Nightjar]

Had total knee replacement on 22/11/2019. Five months later still experiencing severe pain. Have 127 movement which is fairly normal but can not crouch without the pain. What Big Wave says about the 7000 picking up the knee is a real worry. Was hoping to get to our lease now travel is granted but that has to be on hold until pain eases.
My knee problems began 50+ years after a collision on the footy field. Was never able to play again. Finally osteo bone on bone brought on the only option. TKR! My surgeon reckons I have rocks in my head watching a detailed youtube operation.

 

[AngerManagement]

Yes: osteo and bone on bone and lots of floaty bits: causing pain and enlarged bakers cyst.

Also post my Giant Cell Arteritis and massive doses of steroids over the last 12 months. Bone density has dropped....

Doubt i could watch the work and not crap my self. Happy to see other surgery but not knees....

I do mostly beach detecting these days and maybe the odd little gold trip. So SDC2300 is ok. Ctx3030 and 17" coil: will need to watch the swing and step.

Enjoy my beach fishing and beach 4x4 so mobility is important . Do not want ongoing pain meds as they have added to enough other health issues.

I guess Wednesday I will know more and have a couple of options maybe ?

Some of the bloody floaty bits. Got a couple stuck at the moment and causing lots of pain and restricted movement.

 

[xcvator]

pm sent

 

[BigWave]

I was really just checking to see that the surgeon did everything correctly, and that the final computer laser alignment was spot on.
I reckon sometimes they crib a bit, and say: "near enough is good enough" - well not for me. My alignment was spot on :clap:
I tried at times to add a few pointers, but the nurses told me to shutup :argh:
They get damn bossy those gals.

 

[madtuna]

All the best AM.
Lucky I'm not there yet but I'd imagine I will be one day.

 

[Whisp]

Private or public patient?
If private stick around for the physio treatment it will aid your recovery much faster than if you try to go it on your own.

 

[user 5263]

I had both done at the same time. There was the usual pain etc after the op', but I was able to get up and around and start physio early while on good pain relief. Very pleased with the result I can squat, kneel and now free of pain. I was fortunate to have a very good surgeon. If you're able to, work on your quadriceps before the op' I think this also helped me. I used a stationary recumbent bike which meant I could do non weight bearing exercise.

 

[Nightjar]

Private or public patient?
If private stick around for the physio treatment it will aid your recovery much faster than if you try to go it on your own.

Private patient and the surgeon bulk billed.
All up cost me $30.00 for in hospital drugs.

https://www.canstar.com.au/health-insurance/knee-replacement-cost/

 

[bob]

Hi AngerManagement
I had a TKR at the end of June 2018. It was the result of thirty years of ongoing problems and deterioration of the joint. My knee was quite bowed and required some work to get it to sit down straight. As a result there was a lot of pain and swelling. My surgeon has a great reputation and consults to some AFL clubs and a few national and Australian international teams. Once my date was set I was given a physio program to do. Like Blocker I have a recumbent trike but not a stationary one. I take it on the road and I am also part of a recumbent racing team. Before my operation I did a lot of training for two events and continued to train almost right up to the operation. I had five weeks off the trike to go to South America and New Zealand. While I was away I managed to cut down to five smokes a day and finally quitting a month before my operation. Back from my trip and I had four weeks on the trike before my operation. The pre-op booklet suggested that smokers do poorly. They heal slower, suffer more frequent infection and are susceptible to lung infections. The first six weeks post op are very important and if you can get moving and do the physiotherapy the better off you will be. Work hard pre-op to get in the best shape you can. As BigWave said everyone is different. Down here in Vic it is not unusual for people to spend a week in hospital and then go to a rehab facility to get assistance with their recovery. I had four days in hospital following the operation and then went home. My surgeon had a recovery program printed out for me and the hospital physiotherapist took me through the program and taught me to use crutches. Because I was going home I had to meet some mobility targets before being discharged. My main problems were swelling and I did not tolerate the pain medications very well. I stopped taking them at about four weeks. I also craved a good night's sleep. I didn't start sleeping through the night until about four months. At six weeks post op I went to see a local physiotherapist for some extension work to develop more strength and to start work on stair climbing. By six months I had my last check up and got the all clear to resume riding on the road. In February and March(2019) I participated in two recumbent races. One was a six hour event and in March a twenty four hour race at Wonthaggi. To give you an idea of the recovery level by early March post op (nine months) I was riding about 100 kilometres a week. Detecting I was a real desperado. My first session out was around the eight week mark. I was still on crutches and limited to this flat surfaced area. I used one crutch to get to a spot, folded it up and put it in my back pack and went detecting. When I had to go back to the car I got the crutch out and hobbled back. I am glad there was no one around. Towards the end of November (five months post op) I could handle mullock heaps. By January 2019 (six months post op) I was back detecting very rough terrain at one of my favourite spots Mystery Reef. The terrain is very steep and rough. Your surgeon should tell you what to expect. I think it was good that my surgeon had sports experience as he had milestones for you to achieve as did the physiotherapist that I saw after six weeks. They were very encouraging. Almost two years on and the knee is going great. The virus has forced me back out on the road riding my trike and I am logging up about eighty kilometres a week. I use an SDC and a Eureka Gold with no problems. The knee occasionally sets of the detector when I am working the sides of steep banks. The knee is great and I cope easily with rough steep ground with no pain.
The main aim of the TKR is to improve pain management but if you are prepared to work hard on your physio you should expect your implant to function very well. Assimilation to the Borg is inevitable. Resistance is futile. BigWave is right about the kneeling bit. I can do it on a cushion but it does feel really weird. When l am sorting out a target I use a knee pad and kneel on my right knee only. When I detect I only need one knee pad because I know I can't put my left knee down. Camping is no dramas there either. Pre-op I would struggle to sleep after a whole day detecting because I would be so sore. Good luck, work hard pre-op and post-op and in time you will be glad you went through it. Tonight I went for an hour walk along the river bank for exercise. This time two years ago I would have stayed home as the journey would have been too painful. Good luck.

Cheers Bob.

 

[Manpa]

The wife has had both knees done in the past four years, the only words of advice i will give based around her experience is build up your muscle tone beforehand, make sure you have a comprehensive exercise regime afterwards to keep mobility and flexibility. Be prepared for a swollen leg for an extended period 6- 12 months is not uncommon. Try not to fall over in the first six months.
Good luck.

 

[Wishfull]

My wife was due to have her knee replaced beginning of April but because of the covid 19 it was put off the week before the opp.
Seems they are going to start elective surgery up again here in S.A. she's in a lot if pain poor girl. Hope they ring up soon.

 

[BigWave]

Best Wishes to your lady Wishfull.
I hope she's exercising that knee as much as possible.
It's important to build up its strength before the op, and keep up the physio afterwards.

 

[Nightjar]

Out of bed just hours after operation, showered myself using walking frame. Physio on 3rd day revealed 120 range, up and down stairs with crutches.
Home on fourth day. Walked unaided into surgeon one month later and he was very impressed. 125 range.

I queried what all the fuss was about TKR, he informed me with a wry smile that I was now coming off the real pain medicine and will definitely notice the change.
How right he was! Swelling, pain and more pain and 5 months later, a couple of hours in the shed or garden knee swells and more pain.
Looks like I'll be one of the patients who needs the 12 month recovery.
Very frustrating, would have been heading to our lease now restrictions are lifting in WA. Looks like 2020 will be a complete right off.
To add to the misery the bedside radio comes on each morning and I now immediately hit the sleep button.
Ads leading up too and after news, all Covid related, news, nothing other than Covid, road deaths, murders rapes, sooky footballers whinging about pay cuts etc etc.
What a miserable world this has become!
What we wouldn't give to be wandering around the outback, swinging detector, flora and fauna abounding, campfire at night discussing today and tomorrow.

[video=480,360]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s[/video]

 

[Jaros]

Had to play that tune-great isn't it.

 

[Searching]

My knee story is a bit different. The right knee has troubled me for years and the GP just said to get it done when I couldn't stand it any longer. When the left one became painful the GP sent me off to a specialist where I was told I needed a full replacement in the following 6 months. A very thorough surgeon sent me for a chest xray before operating which showed a shadow on the lung. Long story short - I had a small lung cancer. I have never been a smoker and had absolutely no symptoms! The knee was replaced and tests and preparation for lung surgery continued while recovering from the knee. The top lobe of my lung has been removed and chances of cancer returning are low. I probably have the urgency of the knee replacement and a careful surgeon (apparently not all surgeons do a chest xray before operating) to thank for saving my life because I would have postponed replacement in favour of more years detecting without metal in my knees. Now to answer your question AM - the result has been great. I could walk around the house without crutches the first day home from hospital. There was more pain when the pain killers were reduced but it was fine after the first couple of months. As others have said physio is vital for regaining mobility. I can use the GPZ with only slight interference. I need to double check any faint signals. I will have no hesitation in having the other knee done (only partial replacement) as soon as corona virus settles down.

 

[BigWave]

Nightjar, sounds like you may be quite average in your recovery.
Probably a good time to be in lock-down - just keep up the physio mate.

 

[Wishfull]

Yep 2020 is a write off. Got that right.

 

[AngerManagement]

Well the Surgeon was a tad concerned that while my knee is in bad shape; the sudden change from being a tad of an inconvenience to total disability, implied some further investigations.

MRI has indicated an 18mm object in a place that it should not be LOL. As to, if this is the whole story; doubt it but gives us something more to look at.

My un educated guess is that maybe another Arthroscopy of the knee could be an option.. Could buy me some time OR more crap could just break away and back to a TKR.

PS. I am starting to go a tad stir crazy as I am limited to just upstairs... My wife does not want me to take a tumble and cause more problems...

Thus movement is between Bed / Bathroom / Kitchen / Lounge (which is between the bed and bathroom) am over the crappy TV and books. Can only read so many books b4 the formula is obvious...