I don't mean to be nosey but why did you have to have all those surgeries? I am on my second surgery and can't walk without a cane, even with it i am very slow going.
the first Nov. 19th 2007 was because of torn cartilage and a bakers cyst. never walked properly after it. kept telling the doc my knee was buckling, finally after 4 months and another mri discovered i had a dislocated kneecap. second surgery a lateral release april 16th. 2008 still not walking. now i'm waiting for an authorization for a second opinion from a knee specialist.
why i am asking this is because i am thinking i may need a new knee and wondered how or when they decided to do yours. anyone else out there i would love to hear your story. when do they finally decide you need a new knee? after not walking properly for so long did you walk okay with the new knee?
emzee some do it when the pain keeps you from sleeping at night and others when it affects your life style. My bi-lateral hips in 1991 was due to pain 1st and mobility #2. The left hip revision in 2006 was due to the steel socket ripping loose with only one screw still hold. The 2007 left knee scope was #1 for pain and #2 for mobility. Same for the right shoulder scope in 2008.
Same for me: poor sleeping, very curtailed lifestyle. I showed my doctor my calendar for the month before, all the stuff I had planned, and all the X's thru items cancelled due to pain. He sent me to orthopedics. They explained it all, showed me my X-rays (almost no cartilage), made a recommendation of surgery, and said that the decision was totally mine.
I went away for a couple of months and tried a bunch of other stuff (yoga, physical therapy, losing weight, different meds) without improvement. Talked to many folks who had had total knee replacement and ALL of them said that their only regret was that they had waited so long to do it. I made my decision to go for it, spent several months on the surgery waiting list.
My surgery was on July 11. Now, less than 6 weeks later, I already have less pain and more mobility than before. I'm not yet back to hiking, but soon!
Gale and tiger thanks for the responses. Geesh Gale you've had your share of grief my goodness. how are you doing now in the pain and mobility department?
Tiger i have heard so many people say that they wished they had gone ahead with their surgery years ago. i just don't know what other steps i can take but to push for a new knee. i hate the thought, it scares me as i have had 2 surgeries in the past 8 months. i am able to hobble around the house and i do get out with the help of the walker or cane but that sucks.
one thing i do notice, and maybe one of you know something about this, after standing on my feet for a while my bad leg turns purplish blue. i told the doc, he said it's a physiological somethingoranother? i was thinking blood clots but i guess its okay. i say that with hesitancy, if that's a word lol.
I pretty much depend on fish and onion oil for pain because over time the pain meds messed with my mind. I find it best not to talk about it or think about it much and get on with life the best I can. Being 57 and our kids being 10 is a driving force. There would be no MH if they had not asked for one. I would not have went down a long and fast water slide last month if not for the daughter or did the three caves had it not been for my son.
Life is exciting even if I am stuck in low gear. It helps one to take in the view one passes daily if you are stuck in low gear.
Offline
