Husband knee replacement

[Nanalovesnature]

My husband has had knee problems for 20 years and had x-ray done back then advising him that he had bone on bone arthritis and would need a knee replacement. He didn't fancy that and has been surviving on masses of pain killers since then. He is 68 and retired now and a year ago he decided to do something about it. Saw GP, had x-ray, was put on waiting list for knee replacement, told waiting list was 4 years. Out of the blue a letter arrived from hospital last Friday telling him he had an appointment with consultant at 7.40 pm today. He is just back from the appointment and the consultant just tried to persuade him not to get knee replacement and to come off waiting list. Is this what they are doing now to get waiting list down? We are in Scotland.

Is that what he's telling you or is that the truth? He sounds scared to have the op. My Dad had his in his 70s, no more pain, able to live his life again.

It is the truth, he is not scared to get the op, he is desperate, he has been in pain for decades and agony the last few years. The consultant was advising him against knee replacement saying there can be nerve damage and that knee replacements don't work but we know loads of people who have had them and not one single person has said it didn't work, they are all so glad they got their knees replaced as they are pain free and able to move again.

Did you go with him? The consultant will have needed to make him aware of the risks. These are definite risks, but likely to be outweighed by the benefits. Has he just listened to the risks and got scared?

Sorry what? A FOUR year waiting list? That is totally insane! Absolutely do not come off the waiting list. If he then decides to do it at a later date it will be even longer. Sounds like the surgeon is trying to get his waiting list down!

Yes my thoughts exactly and there is no way he is coming off the waiting list, we are both just absolutely shocked that the consultant would be trying to dissuade him from having a knee operation when it's been a well established fact with various GPs over the last 20 years that he does need one, hence the reason he takes huge amounts of ibuprofen and co-codamol every day just to get through the day. I do believe that this is the latest ploy to get waiting lists down.

surgeons love operating - it's unusual for them to advise not to have surgery when it's indicated so I would take their advice seriously. I wonder if it's possible that spending 20 yrs walking on a knee that was damaged enough to need replacing then now means that a straightforward primary isn't going to be possible and the risk outweighs the potential benefit? Knees aren't an particularly nice operation to go through even when the expected outcome is good. It may be worth him seeing what the clinic letter says when it arrives and if it doesn't make sense then he could ask to clarify then. (doi: not an orthopod but have anaesthetised for more knees than i can remember).