Knee replacement surgery in the am
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: lewis
15-Jul-19
Here we go 7:00 am tomorrow morning in Knoxville about to finally get it done.Postponed from last year because of sinus surgery.A new journey begins.Lewis
From: Dino
15-Jul-19
Good luck 2 u!
From: Southern draw
15-Jul-19
Good luck!!
From: midwest
15-Jul-19
Good luck, Lewis!
From: goelk
15-Jul-19
good luck
From: Boreal
15-Jul-19
Good luck Lewis!
From: bowbender77
15-Jul-19
Hang tough Lewis ! Good luck and speedy recovery.
From: Trophyseeker
15-Jul-19
Good luck!
From: Ron Niziolek
15-Jul-19
Good luck!!
From: Jake
15-Jul-19
My brother had both knees replaced. No substitute for doing a serious rehab. He is doing fine now. Best of luck with yours Lewis.
From: TwoDogs@work
15-Jul-19
I had my right knee total replacement done on 2-19-18 and my left knee total replacement done on 2-26-19. I am now able to do things that I could not do for the last several years. I will always set off a metal detector, but that is a small price to pay. Do your rehad as instructed and you will do great. Of course there will be some discomfort but mine was not very bad on either knee. Good luck.
From: APauls
15-Jul-19
Good luck Lewis! Cool to think that months from now you'll have a new knee in the dirt beside a tennessee buck as you field dress eh?
From: Mark Watkins
15-Jul-19
You got this Lewis!!
My 69 year old brother has had them both replaced...his second one was done just 5 weeks ago. He did his PT to the "T" and is moving around almost normal!!!
Mark
From: lewis
15-Jul-19
Thanks all for the support and good wishes APauls that has a good ring to it Lewis
From: IdyllwildArcher
15-Jul-19
GL
I thought February was "Elective Surgery Month."
From: Bou'bound
15-Jul-19
thoughts with you.
From: Dale06
15-Jul-19
My brother also had both replaced, several years apart. His advice, do the rehab stuff, all of it! He said post op for a few days was tough, but best money he ever spent.
From: Screwball
15-Jul-19
Good luck! Do your PT as instructed no more! Had both mine done in the last year and a half. Best thing I could have done, No pain anymore.
From: Franklin
15-Jul-19
The sinus surgery will be worse than the knee replacement...lol. You`ll be upset you waited so long....piece of cake!
From: goyt
15-Jul-19
I had one knee replaced on 4/17/2019 and the other replaced on 6/4/2019. The pain management is really good now days so the first week or so is not that bad . Just got home from therapy which is really pretty easy for anyone who trains to hunt mountains. I am already in less pain after the surgeries than I was before the surgeries but I waited way to long to get them done. Good luck.
From: hawkeye in PA
15-Jul-19
Prayers and good luck.
From: Chuckster
15-Jul-19
Good luck. Had my left knee done 03/2014. Best thing I had done. Right one is giving me trouble now because I can push my training.
From: Bigdan
15-Jul-19
Good luck buddy next year at this time we will be planning our 2020 Arizona Elk Hunt
From: Mule/IN
15-Jul-19
Had both knees replaced 11/26/16. Followed my PTs advice to the letter and ice packs were my friend! After the first 2 weeks things progressed quickly, but the first 2 weeks were rough. It was well worth it. Follow the doc's and PTs instruction and you will be fine!
From: brantman
15-Jul-19
did mine total 3 years ago therapy is a bitch but u got to do it ,its worth it in the end. it will never be the same but a lot better than the pain u have now
From: Bob H in NH
15-Jul-19
Love the clicking along comment. Those of us with metal knees understand
Do pt, dont over do pt and you'll be fine
From: Brun
15-Jul-19
Good luck. I had both replaced at the same time 9 years ago. Can't agree with anyone who says the PT is easy, but you will get through it and be much better than you are now. I wish I had of done it sooner because I'm certainly in much less pain 9 years later than I was before the replacements.
From: t-roy
15-Jul-19
Prayers for a successful surgery and rehab, Lewis!
From: Scar Finga
15-Jul-19
Prayers your way brother! God willing all things go very well!
Scar.
From: Shawn
15-Jul-19
Yup, get it done!! I had a total shoulder replacement April 12th this year. Shooting 60#s for the last couple weeks now!! Best of Luck! Shawn
From: Bowboy
15-Jul-19
Good luck!
From: sleepyhunter
15-Jul-19
Good luck to you won't regret getting it done. I had both my knees replaced in 2015 and glad I finally got it done. Take the pain meds after surgery and do the rehab.
From: Chuckster
15-Jul-19
Even though I only had one done, doc said say he doesn't both at the same time. You guys that had both done at the same time, how was it and why were both done together? I know it was a bitch the first 3-4 weeks post op for me. Curious.
From: HUNT MAN
15-Jul-19
Good luck
From: Brun
16-Jul-19
Chuckster. As I understand it most Drs. aren't doing doubles anymore. At the time I did mine my doc suggested it because I was relatively young for replacements, in excellent shape and both were so bad I wouldn't have even known which one to do first. Other positives are only one hospital stay, so less exposure to infection risk and it was also much less expensive because it was considered one surgery and therefore only one deductible for insurance. It also doesn't take twice as long to do the rehab. The negatives are the surgery is twice as long and a lot more blood loss. Plus I think some people who did doubles had pretty big problems with the medical part of the recovery. I was lucky and tolerated the longer surgery and trauma well, but I have a couple of friends that struggled more and had to stay in the hospital for a full week after surgery. I think the greater risk from the surgery is the main reason more Drs. are shying away from doubles now, but I'm not completely sure about that. The hardest thing for me was the rehab. I would get some painful treatment on one leg and instead of being finished I would know the same thing was coming on the other. That was pretty brutal for me. I also really struggled with sleeping for about a month and I expect dealing with two at once contributed to that. I suppose the post surgical pain was worse also, but I took the meds they gave me and tolerated that reasonably well.
From: BULELK1
16-Jul-19
Damn Lewis
Hang in there man
Good luck, Robb
From: Pyrannah
16-Jul-19
Good Luck with your surgery today!!!
From: BigOk
16-Jul-19
Good luck
From: Chuckster
16-Jul-19
Thanks Brun. A friend of mine had both done 3 years ago but they did them 2 weeks apart. I bet PT day had to suck for you knowing what was coming.
From: Will
16-Jul-19
Heal well!
From: mattandersen
16-Jul-19
Good luck man! I had a partial replacement on my left knee 2 years ago. I was only 36 when I had it done. It's better than before but it's not great...don't mean to discourage you as most people are extremely pleased. Keep us posted!
From: Bigdan
16-Jul-19
I just got this from lewis wife everything went ok
From: Bob H in NH
16-Jul-19
When I had mine done Oct 29, 2018, I thought I would need both, talked to the Dr about it and he said the main reason not to was the risk of you having issues during surgery. He said it was something like 1:25000 have cardiac issues on a routine knee replacement. On a double it drops to 1:1000. Enough for me to stop asking about it.
Since then I've been hiking MILES pain free where a 1/2 walk on roads used to put me in pain.
From: Bigdan
16-Jul-19
Hes up looks like his nurse likes what she sees
From: Rocky
16-Jul-19
I had the rotating platform knee inserted because of my extremely physical lifestyle and activity of which I was not going to give up at any costs or discomfort. As I was going through re-hab I put out a "hit" on the surgeon who talked me into doing this. I am talking about HELL. My wife removed all dangerous items and firearms from the house including butter knifes. Fast forward 8 weeks. The absolute best advice I was ever given and if my surgeon was a woman she would have received the greatest bouquet of flowers ever devised. As it was he said a simple thank you would do. I can now do 85% of what I my good knee is capable. No pain, nothing. The rotating platform knee mimics the exact mechanics of a biological knee. All those stupid years I lived in pain out of fear. I still can't catch my 13 year old grandson but I am a helluva lot closer.
This will be the best move you ever made. RE-HAB sucks believe me but the reward when all is said and done is simply off the charts.
Good Luck and God's speed...
The Rock
From: lewis
17-Jul-19
Thanks all for the prayers and thoughts I’m home pretty sore but not much swelling very optimistic the pt and ice has begun Lewis
From: midwest
17-Jul-19
Good news, Lewis!
From: dnovo
17-Jul-19
I had both knees done on 11/29/17. Everything went very well except for my needing a pacemaker which the surgery uncovered. I walked into my house 2 days later with a walker. Less than 2 weeks later I was on just a cane. The girls at my surgeons office all tried to talk me out of doing both at once. I’m in good shape and weight. I didn’t want to double up the rehab time by doing one and then the other. The girls were just amazed when I walked into their office after only three weeks. The new knees are not as good as original equipment but way better than the old worn out knees. I think the clicking comment is funny. Just last week my wife asked me if they click cause she had a patient who was talking about it.
From: goyt
17-Jul-19
Great. Now it is just one day at a time. Do not try to gauge your progress against what anyone else has said on this site. I had two done 7 weeks apart and they progressed differently. I hope it goes well for you.
From: Turk
17-Jul-19
Best off luck on a speedy recovery!
From: Jaquomo
18-Jul-19
Good to hear, Lewis! Now the fun part (rehab) starts. Git 'er done!
From: Caughtandhobble
18-Jul-19
Good luck... I got my left knee replacement in November last year.
I didn't go to PT but I pushed myself pretty hard. I walked into my Dr's office for my 2 week checkup. The doctor smiled and said that he'd never seen anyone walk in for the two week visit.
Be sure to walk as much as you can handle. Remember ice is your friend.
Good Luck, Ben
From: ELKMAN
18-Jul-19
The next 6-8 weeks will be difficult, but just bite down and grit your way through it. (sleeping is tough) Then stay on the conditioning and range of motion for at least a year. (Really for life) I was climbing in the Andes last week on my new knee and it was better than the other one...
From: GhostBird
18-Jul-19
Best of luck with your recovery Lewis.
From: Brotsky
18-Jul-19
Wishing you a speedy recovery Lewis! Glad to hear things went well!
Ben, is that an ACL repair in your other knee? I have one that looks a lot like that!
From: Bob H in NH
18-Jul-19
I'll second the ROM work! I backed off after PT ended, that was a mistake. Keep working it.
From: Caughtandhobble
18-Jul-19
Yes sir Justin :)
From: Rupe
18-Jul-19
Best of luck and a speedy recovery.
From: lewis
18-Jul-19
Thanks for all the warm wishes did 2 sessions of pt today plus some walking with my walker Lewis
From: rallison
19-Jul-19
Best decision I ever made. The first couple weeks were TOUGH, but I did all the rehab and continued at home. I did discover, those first 2 weeks, that I could sweat through my eyeballs! :)
My doc said a year for 100%...I did it the first week of January, and went for a woods walk after our snow melted and I was feeling pretty chipper...wow...the unstableness of walking on ma nature rather than man made surfaces was readily apparent! But by fall I was good to go...that was 4 years ago. Fast forward to last weekend, and I had a security metal detector go off in passing. After showing the scar and explaining the titanium knee, they laughed and let me thru. First time that ever happened...lol.
From: Bob H in NH
19-Jul-19
Can you lay on your back and lift that foot up wiht a straight leg? Man that was depressing to not be able to, but once it started to kick in the muscles woke up and progress went fast. Within a day I was lifting it effortlessly.
Stick to the PT, listen to what they want and follow it perfectly, WORK ON BENDING that thing, the PT will get it to bend over the next couple weeks, with or without your help!
From: huntnmuleys
19-Jul-19
Good deal. Most everybody I know that had a knee replaced, is much happier for it.
From: Southern draw
19-Jul-19
Good news and wishing you a speedy recovery.
From: Caughtandhobble
19-Jul-19
It's good to see you're up and about. Keep up all the walking you can handle. You look tough as nails, you'll be fine my friend:)
From: JL
19-Jul-19
Glad to hear the surgery went well and the PT is doing good. I always wondered how I would do if I had to cross that bridge with a knee or hip replacement.
From: Habitat for Wildlife
19-Jul-19
Excellent! Keep going.
From: ELKMAN
20-Jul-19
Have your PT guy use some electric stim to get your quad firing again as soon as possible.
From: lewis
20-Jul-19
My pt “guy” is a very hot looking young lady with a phd in pt but I will inquire about that elkman she is sweet but very tough thanks again all for the thoughts Lewis
From: Rocky
21-Jul-19
Elk, They don't detach the quad muscle anymore. Speeds recovery 5 fold. Mine was detached. One reason my surgeon put me on a burnout lower body workout BEFORE the operation. Specialized knee brace (Same as NFL QB's wear coming off ACL surgery) and a Percocet and it still killed me. My quads, hams and calf's were all up. Came back quick though.
The Rock My quads, hams and calf's were buff when I went in.
From: Livereater1
22-Jul-19
Knee Revision
Knee Revision
Make sure you keep your incision clean and covered until all scabs have fallen off. I had a knee replacement last December and all was well until the fifth week. Somehow my incision got infected with staff bacteria and my knee started to so sepsis quickly. They tried to save the implements and conducted surgery to clean out. I went on IV antibiotic treatment for six weeks afterwards and was told I had a 90% chance of recovery. Two weeks after IV treatment, my knee went sepsis again and I was rushed to the hospital. I was told that the bacteria went between the implements and the bone and the last treatment could not have helped. So another surgery to remove the original metal implements and replaced with an antibiotic impregnated cement spacer with another six weeks of IV antibiotic treatment. It took 11 weeks before I was cleared again for revision surgery. Had revision surgery on 3 July and recovering well but will not feel out of the water until the incision is completely closed and you should not either. I have been out of work all but two weeks since 10 December, this has been a nightmare.
Know that now you have the knee replacement you are very susceptible to infections that will quickly go to your new knee. Any nicks and cuts you get from everyday life have to be treated quickly to keep from getting into your blood. This is something that I have learned but not emphasized by caregivers.
You don't want to have revision surgery as they will drive rods further into your bones and your range of motion is less with the revision setup. You can see that they use a huge spacer to make of for loss of bone from the original surgery.
From: Jackaroo
22-Jul-19
Ouch! liver eater that’s just a terrible run of luck for you. I hope it goes better for you from here on out.
From: lewis
22-Jul-19
Whoa nellie livereater I can’t imagine going through that but thank you for the update I have been careful but that adds some urgency and the ordeal Lewis
From: Chuckster
22-Jul-19
When I had my knee replacement I was told there was a 1 in 1000 chance that what happened to livereater could happen to me. I was very nervous during the healing process and luckily recovered well. I wore them compression socks faithfully LOL. Sorry you had to go through that. Nothing no mess around with.
From: eBike John
26-Jul-19
Speedy recovery Lewis!
From: ELKMAN
26-Jul-19
That is a nightmare Liver. Sorry that happened to you. (Or anybody) Be strong and plow through. Hopefully all will still end well.
From: lewis
26-Jul-19
Hey guys just got back from PT pretty painful morning so far but I guess that’s part of the process this is the tenth day out.Have noticed a clicking sound in my surgical knee just noticed it this morning.Hope everyone has a great weekend.Lewis
From: Screwball
26-Jul-19
Clicking is the norm Lewis, slow down shorten the step, but they click! No pain though after healing.
From: Bob H in NH
26-Jul-19
clicking is a sign the swelling is going down :-) Keep at it, it's all improvement from here, don't ya just love when they bend/straighten your leg for you? My main issue was straightening, that hurt
From: lewis
06-Aug-19
Head to the surgeons office in the morning for the 3 week checkup doing pretty good been doing pt religiously wish I could sleep better but so far so good Lewis
From: Whocares
06-Aug-19
Good! Keep working on it Lewis. It will pay off.
From: Scar Finga
06-Aug-19
Great news brother! Prayers and best wishes your way for a fast and complete recovery!
From: Charlie Rehor
06-Aug-19
So who’s pickin the veggies in the garden?? Good luck!
From: Flahunter
06-Aug-19
Good luck...not to brag or anything but I just had this done...cool huh?
From: JB
06-Aug-19
Lots of good advice here. Best of luck in your recovery!!
From: bowhunter24
06-Aug-19
Looks like an alien next to your spine!
From: lewis
06-Aug-19
Good one Charlie I do have that covered Lewis
From: Jasper
06-Aug-19
Prayers for a speedy recovery!
From: Bob H in NH
06-Aug-19
Sleep will come. Try a pillow supporting that knee. Worked for me
From: midwest
06-Aug-19
Good news, Lewis....positive thoughts your way!
From: Caughtandhobble
07-Aug-19
Keep up the hard work and sleep will come, eventually :)
From: Rupe
07-Aug-19
Hope recovery is going well.
From: lewis
07-Aug-19
Got a good report from my surgeon range of motion 120 degrees which is good for 3 weeks in plus the knee straightened out to his liking made me feel pretty damn good Thanks all for the support Lewis
From: Flahunter
09-Aug-19
Hope you’re coming along well
From: Scar Finga
09-Aug-19
Awesome News Lewis!
Livereater, Prayers your way brother!!!!
From: Bob H in NH
09-Aug-19
Lewis, 120 is the "line" for what they are happy with!
Keep working it! I stopped after PT and I probably don't have 120, but I'm back working on it. Do it now rather than later, harder later!
From: Heat
11-Aug-19
Hang in there Lewis! Keep working.
From: lewis
17-Aug-19
A month in my knee replacement seems to be going well but then I got the news about Bigdan we were scheduling our Az hunt together next year.Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mel,April and the grandkids.Just such a shock.Go for it don’t put anything off .Lewis
