knee replacement

I can't remember having oral morphine after the first day post op'.

I was given co -codamol for a while and gradually tailed that off. I used crutches for about 2 weeks , then 2 sticks ,and then 1 and stopped using any other support after about 5 or 6 weeks. I have had replacements on both sides.

Suey did you have a check up after a year and did you tell them that you were still having problems ?

Everyone recovers at a different rate but as others have said doing the exercises (yes, they are painful at first ) can make a huge difference. eleven months and 16 months after my op's , I still do them all every day.

My GP was at first reluctant to refer me to the hospital but I insisted something needed to be done and x-rays revealed that the joints were bone on bone.

Suey, If your second knee is causing you a lot of pain you are probably putting a lot of strain on the knee that has had the replacement.
I would say that you need to have the second knee replaced.
You also mention using a crutch, I came out of hospital with two sticks, and after a week was using one, I'm sorry I can't remember how long I used the one for, but I do know one shouldn't be in too much of a hurry to dispense with it. The knee does need time to recover.
I can't emphasise enough how important it is to do the exercises
regularly. They are painful but if not done you won't get the full benefit of the operation. I hope this helps.

I could not agree more Luckygirl. I am dreading having my other knee replaced because post op all that was on offer was morphine and I have a nasty reaction to it. I eventually saw the Pain Control nurse and all she could do was to shrug her shoulders. I was taking Tramadol, they are morphine based but I had to have something. I am going to have a tattoo on my forehead- allergic to morphine.

You were treated appallingly and one never forgets.

She needs a second opinion nina - I could name a few surgeons who would take a very different view, and I am sure there are others in her area.

A friend has been home from his knee surgery for 3 weeks and is in agony. He was sent home after 3 days with just paracetamol to take - crazy! Knee surgery is painful - ask anyone on here who has had it - and proper pain relief is both necessary and available. It is a disgrace. His GP has now given him codeine which will hopefully help, but most people come home on oral morphine which is then tailed off gradually.

I can remember having a tumour removed from my tongue and they had to cut in deep and all the way across from one side to the other to make sure they had got rid of it all. The surgery was of course painless as it was under local; I was then sent off to drive myself home with no pain killers. I do not have the words to describe what it was like when the local wore off. I could not even swallow my own spit. It makes me very cross when the right treatment is available but no-one has the imagination to provide it.

That's shocking Nina, poor girl.
I'm having an arthroscopy on my knee next week, the surgeon has already said I'll need a new joint soon.
My dad had arthritis/cartilage problems in both his knees for years but managed with only the odd paracetamol until he died at 93.

All very interesting. A friends DD who has had two knee ops is in constant pain and walks with a crutch and on bad days two crutches. Was told on Monday that they won't do a knee replacement until she's at least 50 because it would need doing again in 10 yrs.
The poor girl is 27

Earlier knee replacements were not meant to last more than 25 or so years- so at 59 would have meant, on average, that you would be totally crippled at 84. A difficult choice. I was strongly advised to wait until I am 65 early next year. The surgeon told me he was really upset at operating daily on people who have waited far too long, and get knee replacement in their late 70s and 80s. He says they so rarely have the physical condition and strength- and emotional/psychological will to fight for sucessful recovery.

My GP thought I was too young for knee replacements at 59 but it seemed stupid to me to wait till I was really crippled before they were done. As it was I recovered quickly and got back to work with no regrets.

I think we're back to the post code lottery over when you can get a joint replacement. They certainly don't make you wait until you're really disabled here in Sheffield. But NfkDumpling you are absolutely right about waiting too long. It's quite hard getting everything working again and, as a number of people have said, the exercises are really important!

That's bad Charleygirl. It annoys me that so often we're advised that it's best to get these replacements done before things get too bad and more damage has been done; that it takes so much longer to recover and the replacement is often not as successful when your leg has become deformed and the tendons stretched out of shape. But in actual fact the criteria is that you have to be in so much pain that you're applying for disability allowance before they'll consider a replacement. I've been told this is nothing to do with cost, but more the life of a replacement joint. Not sure I completely believe this!

NfkDumpling I think that you were lucky that the arthroscopy sorted out so many problems and as you said, has given you a few more years without major surgery. The crunch point for me is that the pain in my knee wakens me at night now.

Baubles I thought I needed a knee replacement. Couldn't walk far, painful, needed a stick, stairs becoming impossible and it had a tendency to give way randomly and for no apparent reason. That was the key symptom apparently - the giving way. It seemed a replacement wasn't applicable. Instead I had an arthroscopy. Wonderful! It was keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic and recovery was rapid. I still have moderate to bad arthritis and it will continue to deteriorate but having had all the loose and tatty bits of cartilage removed it no longer gives way unexpectedly, most of the pain has gone and I can now walk about three miles before pain and stiffness hits in. The knee joint is still wonky so stairs continue to be a challenge but it's bought me a few more years.

Would it be an idea for your husband to ask what the alternatives are?

The exercises really make a difference. It takes a real effort to keep on with them, especially at first when it hurts, but it is so worth it.

I had a total knee replacement 3 months ago and it has been brilliant. Very stable, no pain, 110 degrees flexion, stairs fine, walking fine. My surgeon impressed on me the importance of doing all the exercises every day and really pushing myself no matter how much they hurt at first. Don't know if that was why it was such a success or whether that was coincidence. He also said that it would continue to improve for up to a year or more.

If there is any activity that is probably still a bit of an issue it is standing still for long periods e.g. I was standing for a couple of hours recently doing a charity collection and it left both knees stiff the next day.

Yep, phoenix think so. Reported.

I wish I had never had mine done, painful and never feels really secure, I can have it re-done but worried it might be just as bad, it was a total replacement, and I found out later that they are not always successful, John Cleese would agree.
The other one needs done but i am afraid it will be the same as the first one.

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It should take approximately 6 to 8 months to recover completely. You should consult your knee surgeon to make sure there aren't any complications.

I would think then that your husbands knee is not yet at the point of needing to be done. Before I had mine done I could barely totter around the house without pain let alone play golf. I would have thought that getting rid of the pain would mean one was more mobile. It certainly has in my case. This morning I walked 3 miles with no trouble and often do more..
You have to wonder about advice given sometimes. My surgeon was very sure that once the pain had gone my mobility would certainly increase (why wouldn't it if the pain had gone and there were no other mobility problems? ) In fact he said it was important to be as mobile as possible. I must know many of the 2/10 that are thrilled with the difference the 'op has made to them. Maybe we have very good surgeons here in Milton Keynes.

Sorry to hear that you're still in pain suey

Last week DH had an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon to discuss the possibility of having a knee replacement. DH has used a stick for walking for about six months after several near collapses when his very painful knee joint gave way.

The surgeon was thorough in his summary of the pros and cons of the op and told us that 8 out of 10 people who had had the op would still experience some pain even after the recovery period. He told DH that it may just replace one type of pain for another and to think about leaving it for a while yet. Apparently the main reason for having the op is not to improve mobility but to reduce the pain when it has become unbearable.

DH will see GP about better pain management but I'm not sure how much longer he will cope. He still plays a little golf but often just 9 holes, I guess that may be his benchmark.

Sorry to hear that Numberplease and surprised that you have not insisted on seeing someone about it. I hope that it can be sorted out when you have the check this month.

I had my knee replacement in September 2013. At first I thought it was marvellous not having the pain anymore, just a dead, heavy feeling, but now that`s worn off there`s a fair bit of pain whenever I do even a small amount of walking, and I still use a stick outdoors, can`t get around very well at all without it. I`ve had the 6 month and yearly check ups, am due for another one on August 26th. I think my other knee needs doing, but won`t bother unless it gets as painful as the other one used to be.

I would certainly get it looked at. Once the actual operation wound had healed I rarely had any discomfort.

Elegran did you have the knee done before the hip? I've been told I can't have the knee done until the hip is sorted.

I had me knee replaced in April 2014, and it is still slightly painful going upstairs. Apparently, the kneecap is a bit arthritic "But we can replace that if needed, later." Not yet, oh Lord! A bit of Ibuprofen gel sorts it out.

It doesn't hold me up otherwise, I can walk quite a distance now and that's after a hip replacement last January!