to want knee replacement/op/whatever NOW?

[marjproops]

im 48, not 88. Im told Im too young for knee replacements,they only last 20 years. ok. in 20 years, if I live that long Ill be 68.

i want to be able to walk NOW, i can get a scooter thing at 68.

was talking to a friend today also in this predicament. shes 57. in 20 years shell be 77.

shes told shes too young to have one now.

the cashier in a shop also the same. shes 61. 20 years time, 81.

there seem to be so many younger people around with walking sticks.

so why????? if i could afford to go private would my knees be done then?

any docs out there? what is young then?

id like to walk/run/play sports NOW, while I CAN.

[julieann42]

I work in a private hospital and we do knee replacemtns on younger patients like yourself. Admit idly most of our patients are older but recently we have had some 40 and 50 year olds being done! It's possible but again I know they are not keen but given your poor quality of life I think they should re consider.

[digerd]

DoubleMum
Due to the arthritis in my lower back, I have to keep changing from kneeling to crouching and bending over to do chores. The reason I had the Arthroscopy on my cartilage done was to be able to kneel and crouch to save the terrible pain I got bending over. I also have knackered hamstrings from bending over, after I tore my cartilage. with straight knees, which I was proud I could still do and enjoyed the feeling, until they decided they'd had enough went permanently on strike with the small of my back in cahoots.

Having a replacement knee means I can never again kneel or crouch. The knackered hamstring will also cause problems with the metal knee.

And this year I have been having pain in around my hip/groin. The knee is behaving quite well though .

[Casperthefriendlyspook]

I'm sorry to hear so many people have had problems with replacements. My dad has had both his done with partials, and then one redone, 11 years on with a full replacement as the partial had worn out. He was only 51 when he had the first partial done, and had to go private but it was the best £5k he ever spent, so he says!
Seriously, he's had absolutely no problems with any of the surgeries - he wears kneeling pads for doing any work, but other than that, it's like a new lease of life for him. 4 rounds of golf a week, DIY, and looking after the grandchildren. He was absolutely religious with the physio and exercises tho. Good luck!

[Bingdweller]

marj if you can, do your research on the NHS surgeons to find the best regarded knee surgeon you can. My suggestion would be to locate your nearest private hospital (most of them do private work too) and look at their hospital website. Check out the orthopaedic profiles for the knee consultants and get as much detail as you can. Phone the hospital for advice, ask them who are the surgeons who deal with complicated knees - I guarantee there will be names given to you. Once you have the info, approach your GP and ask to be referred to their NHS list. This will hopefully avoid you going on to a generic orthopaedic list. PM me for further details if needed.

[DoubleMum]

Digerd I don't have the issue of not being able to kneel since I couldn't kneel or crouch for years before the op anyway unfortunately - I could do very little and by the time I had the op done I could do almost nothing.

I would like to emphasise that it's a major operation and very much a last resort, but I couldn't look after my children, I couldn't go out except in a wheelchair, I was in constant pain even on the strongest painkillers. Now I have no pain unless I overdo it and I can live a relatively normal life. There's still plenty I can't do, like kneeling, getting down onto the floor and up, having a bath, getting out of the car in a tight spot. I will never have a good bend in either knee. But it's nothing to what I couldn't do before, and it's given me my life back and my children their mum back.

[marjproops]

bingo thanx. will do that.

I always think even if it did go wrong or whatever, im going to prob end up in wheelchair anyway at some point and id rather have tried than not at all?

[digerd]

DoubleMum

I met a lady yesterday who'd had a knee op which went wrong. Her whole thigh was swollen like an enormous balloon. . She was in her 60s I reckon. Forgot to ask her which surgeon in our area had done the op. .

Pleased that you have your life back and it worked for you.
.

[hiddenhome]

It's ridiculous. If you need a replacement when you're young then you should have one.

I'm a care of the elderly nurse and we have a significant number of residents who had replacements (hip and knee) late in life and they end up never walking again because they're too old to get used to them or they have other health problems.

[waikikamookau]

if you are in London see if you can get a referral to the royal national orthopaedic hospital, they are in Stanmore and also in W1.

or if you want private, some of the rnoh bods work privately ,
knees aren't easy,
is there another knee operation that can be done? an osteotomy, rather than an actual total knee replacement?
are you an ok weight?
and yes strengthen the knee muscles.

[CMOTDibbler]

Knees can certainly be revised, but apparently they loosen faster in younger patients, and so where a 60+ patient can expect 20 years with their knee, a 40 year old is looking at more like 10. And the bone round the implant is progressively weakened, so after the first revision things get really hard.

DH is putting off a knee replacement as long as he can - at 41 he has bone on bone arthritis, a leg swollen from ankle to mid thigh, and his bone spurs have cut through his ACL - and his bone density probably won't support more than one knee replacement anyway. So he might get 10 years and then face amputation according to several surgeons he's consulted now

[marjproops]

waikiki yes Im an ok wieght, i do exercises every single day, knee exercises included, have done for years, all physio advised ones yet theyve never ever worked.

[SauvignonBlanche]

Whereabouts (very roughly) do you live OP?

[marjproops]

south east London- ish.

while im here, where do you call/write to to get mobility help? i get some for DC but im needing it now too, especially for the car, although theyll want medical evidence which i intend to get.

used to get stuff like this through local job centre but they're not very helpful at the mo.

[Snowdales]

Hi yesterday finally my consultant has agreed to replace my knees I’m 46. I’ve had a diagnosis for 4 years. I’ve had to clear outs, 5 injections and take a cocktail of drugs. I come from a family of arthritis suffers two that we’re dead before the age of 60 because of problems of mobility and medications. Finally the drugs I take are affecting my digestive system. Me and my consultant have argued the pro’s and cons. I’ll be honest he’s doing this grudgingly but after what I’ve beeen through I’m prepared to take the risk. It will be NHS. Keep pushing if you haven’t already had it done. We all know NHS is under strain we might not have a chance when we are 60