Knee Surgery Advice?

[BillieCan]

DW has Osteoarthritis, her knee has been extremely painful for 2 years but has now given way twice in recent months, agony to walk on and can manage only extremely short level walks, less than 100yds yesterday when it gave way again. Has been doing the physio exercises but knee is getting more painful, can’t rely on driving and is becoming trapped in the house unable to do simple usual tasks.
Her quality of life has plummeted, can’t see a way forward.
Pre-Xmas knee injection didn't work, so looking at surgery options, but read that arthroscopic surgery is no more beneficial than exercise.
Does anyone have any advice or experience of knee replacement surgery or other suggestions?
Hugely worried about what to do and how long it might take.

FIL had knee replacement. He said the resulting absence of pain was amazing!
He was up and about in no time and off crutches pretty quickly.
He did then decline to have his second knee done but, by then, he was in his 80’s & MIL had health issues/he didn’t want to be in hospital away from her etc.

Knee replacement surgery has worked very well for various relatives but the wait is long. Ring your GP on Monday and get the ball rolling. Also book an appointment as clearly the current treatments aren’t working and she needs a reassessment

I would also book to see a consultant privately, if you can, do double check the GP is giving you all the options

I had 4 arthroscopies before an ACL replacement 13 years ago. Have no issues with my knee now. Recovery was hard work, 2 weeks house bound and then another 6 weeks of hobbling around with two then one crutch.

Does she definitely need a full knee replacement?

Poor woman. It is isolating.

Thanks- did the arthroscopies not work for long? Would you go straight for the ACL replacement if you were doing it all again?

I understand how she feels as I became trapped at home as every journey was a risk management exercise. Steps, distances to walk, slopes etc. I had a total knee replacement 2 weeks ago. I'm in my 70s and both knees have Osteo and Rheumatoid damage and bone on bone. I started with NHS nearly a year ago. Sent for xrays then sent for ultra sound then sent for aspiration and steroid injections. That took 9 months. I was unsure of what would help so paid to see private orthopaedic consultant just before Christmas. He told me not to have steroid injections as he wouldn't operate for 6 months due to possible infection. They were due the following week so I cancelled them. He also did NHS work and said I was looking at 18 month to 2 year wait where I live so decided to pay privately. Two nights in hospital but when i returned home I had dreadful nausea for two days from the drugs so I stopped taking painkiller. Just had 2 week physio and consultant checkup. I'm doing well. Good movement etc in knee. My knee is a bit sore and worse after exercises but not painful. The first 3 days out of hospital I needed help. I was on 2 crutches so carrying stuff and making food difficult but you can plan for it. Im on one crutch now. It's early days but after 12 weeks I should be able to do most things but not strenuous stuff. Consultant said takes a year to fully heal. I'm on NHS list to have the other knee replaced. Because she's in pain now she probably wont find it too painful. We all have different experiences though. Good luck.

Listening2U, thank you very much for that; it does make things sound more possible.

I had a knee replacement done 4 weeks ago and it’s without doubt the most painful medical procedure I’ve ever been through. I had it done a few years earlier than planned because I had an unusual reaction to the Hylaronic acid injections I’d been having for years and I became housebound over night. I don’t live in the Uk and a 2 year waiting list for government surgery made me decide to go private.

Quite honestly the experience has been horrendous but saying that I’m coming on in leaps and bounds when it comes to recovery and what I can do with my knee. I was in hospital a week and on Day 3 could lift my leg up off the bed to make it easier for the Dr to change my dressing. He was amazed by it and being able to do that meant in theory I didn’t have to wear a brace but he asked me to still do so, so I did. I got rid of my walker days after surgery as I felt it was dangerous to use and went on to one crutch and I’ve now been walking without a crutch for 10 days. I use a little walking stick for safety when going up and downstairs even though for the last 4 days I can go upstairs face on the normal way. I just hold it but I don’t really let it touch the stairs. It’s there just in case.

I was a regular gym goer before my op and my PT would come to me before my op to work on my upper body strength and more importantly, my quads. And I think that’s what has made such a difference to my recovery - I have good leg muscles. I was back at the gym a week after surgery for my physiotherapy and though it can be taxing I love doing it. I also do a home based session twice a day on the days I don’t go to the gym.

Honestly, This has been so difficult. Even more difficult than the huge staging laparotomy I had done two years ago for cancer and one thing my surgeon repeated to me over and over again is that everyone reacts differently to knee surgery. Some people get up hours afterwards and can go home the same night whilst others can take much longer to recover. And Drs don’t who are going to be in which group.

I had the surgery done with an epidural, a nerve block into my groin and light sedation and it took 3 days to get my pain well and truly under control once back in my room. Eventually intravenous tramadol was added to the mix along with something else and it was only then I was comfortable. I also lost 1.3 litres of blood but most of that was from the drain I had in following the surgery.

I also woke up twice during the surgery when the surgeon was hammering the new knee into place but I didn’t feel anything and immediately went back to sleep. It was just like hearing a noise when asleep at night and coming two for a few seconds. I thought it was funny and still do.

I think my only advice for you is to make sure you’re daughter is as fit as she can be going into hospital as it really will help her, but to also remember that some people find this surgery excruciating and debilitating, others find it very painful and some others don’t have much pain at all.

Will I have my other knee done in future? Honestly? Right now the answer is no but Who knows how I’ll feel when this last month is just a distant memory.

Sorry I’m soon to be 65 and my knee was bone on bone with my right knee just a bit better than that.

Sorry again - I went from the Hyluaronic injections to knee replacement because I wasn’t going to be wasting anytime getting back to my normal life.

Thank you, DesertRose64: it's really helpful to read such honest detail! Much appreciated.

I had a right knee replacement at 55, due to an actual injury that displaced my kneecap. I was in hospital for 3 days (as it was done under GA), then on sick leave for 3 months; as my job involved a lot of standing. I was on PCA morphine while I was in hospital, but just paracetamol and dihydrocodeine once home. It was a couple of weeks before I could move my leg, as I had to wait for the nerves to knit, but the pain relief was immense. I wouldn't hesitate to have the other one done if necessary.

I had a partial knee replacement done at 46 for severe patellofemoral arthritis. My other knee will need to be a total knee replacement when it is done. The surgeon said I was born with the wrong shaped knees and I have had knee issues since my teens.
I had a number of conversations with the surgeon before I finally had it done, wondering if I was being feeble and just not trying hard enough to push through the pain (it had been six years since an initial MRI showed moderate - severe cartilage loss). But it was by then full thickness cartilage loss in places and life was quite miserable. I had stopped exercising, was often grumpy through pain, had put on weight and had generally had enough. Two steroid injections previously brought relief for 3-4 months at a time but the surgeon was of the view that he didn’t think it was wise to give too many.
I was someone for whom it all went pretty well - general anaesthetic, out of bed the same day, surgeon (who was excellent) was very firm that taking rehab seriously was key to a good outcome and so I did all the rehab exercises I was given. Lots of ice packs to reduce the post-operative inflammation, four or five weeks on two crutches and then a week or two with one. Physio for four months after and now (almost a year on) I can comfortably run for short distances if I need to.
I also did what pre-operative exercises I could to strength my leg muscles as someone else mentioned.
The operation made an enormous, remarkable even, difference to my pain levels on that side (plus the surgeon did some patching-up of my other knee at the same time to keep it going for as long as possible) and I couldn’t believe what life was like without the pain I had been in.
Your DW has all my sympathies and I think it would be entirely reasonable of her to push for a referral to a knee specialist. It sounds like it’s horribly debilitating and limiting for her and painful for you to see her that way.

@DesertRose64 you make my experience seem like a walk in the park and I found my first few days horrendous but nothing to what you have had. It’s so good to hear of actual experiences though as no two are the same. I underestimated the recovery period, but I manage. Nearly 3 weeks post op and only been outside to hospital but manage 3000+ steps around the house. I ice every couple of hours and try to exercise 4 times a day and still very tired so with meals and drinks and loo trips the day soon goes. Frustrated at things I can’t do and also scared of damaging the progress I’ve made as I pulled a muscle in thigh during the first week. I’m trying to think about me pre op. My knee isn’t as painful. I can get up and down from sitting easier and can manage first step on my stairs without pain. It was excruciating before so I’ve had a stairlift for a year which helps me carry things upstairs and at least I can safely make a cuppa in the middle of the night. My physio said it all depends on luck, surgeon, your health and determination. You can’t do much about three out of the four!

My mum is 80, is it still worth considering a knee replacement surgery at this age? Will ask the doctor obviously, but keen to see what people's personal experiences are like. A year to recover fully seems like a long time.

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread @PumpkinParent do you mind me asking where you are in the country? Just been told by my knee consultant that there is nothing he can do for me. I am 44 with a buggered knee and not really much information! He said there might be a support group for patello femoral OA but that I need to find something other than running to keep fit. Anybadvice would be gratefully received
.

I'd also like to join the thread as my knee pain is now becoming unbearable at times.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a support or brace I can wear whilst walking to try to ease the pain on the inside of my knee?