Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Upcoming Knee Replacement

Hoping all goes well. Doc told me I'm a candidate, left knee is shot.. Also said at 63 perhaps too young as they last on average 15 years. Went the expensive route for now, Stem cell injections. Not covered by my insurance $1600.. It has helped, but still not anything close to what it was before. Will see and might be sooner than later on the replacement. I know the ORTHO is going to say more Stem cell shots.. The knee replacement is covered by insurance. It is truly sucking to start getting old.

Sir, this has nothing to do with my fallibility -- of course I am. And God knows I am not Him! but the conclusions you have come to are incorrect and to make pronouncements that might cause confusion and distrust among some here who might be facing these anesthesia procedures on the advice of their providers are wrong.

Please stick to what you know. I don't know trucks and truck drivers so will refrain from lecturing others on the same.

JG I hope things are going well.

Edit: for clarity.

A couple of people at work have had it done. They all say they should have done it sooner.

I've not met anyone that has had a TKA say that they wished they had waited longer.

I didn't think age was that much a factor, anymore. I had both mine done in March of 2006, and I was only 52. My local Orthopedic guy was putting me off, saying I had to wait until I was older. So I went to Dartmouth-Hitchcock in NH, and the guy there said I had the knees of someone 75. He said the parts of the artificial knees (at least back then) are replaceable, and it's not like you need total replacements when they start to wear out. You need to do some research on Orthopedics outside your immediate area. I can't imagine that anyone now would say 63 is too young? Good luck to you.

Thanks again fellas. A few thoughts so far:

1. Yes, lots of ice is good
2. Yes, PT sucketh, bad, but it will lead to good things
3. When it comes to a quality of life thing, like it did to me, I was eager to make some changes, even at 56.

4. Whatever "block" they gave me was injected above the knee cap in front, and affected only the front of the joint. When it wore off after a couple/three days I think I may have invented a few new words.....shazam that was painful.

5. The back and sides of my knee are very bruised and swollen all over. Docs at PT say it is a very "violent" procedure to say the least.

I'm anticipating great things out of this. Once again, I appreciate all of your positive responses.

The knee block is a wonderful thing.
It may swell so much that you think the skin will burst during PT, but it won't.
The bruising will go away soon, relatively thinking.
Best wishes.

JG, I just turned 60 and have had both done. Played football and worked on my feet for many years. They are not as good as the real thing but the pain will subside and if I can tell you one thing it is do EXACTLY what the Pt and docs want. I can't tell you in words how important it is. I know many that didn't and the do not have the range of motion that you will want. I have 120 degrees with both and hunt and fish etc. I have walked 14 miles deer hunting last year one day and could not have done that with the bad ones with all the Vicodin in the world. The bike works great for stretching scar tissue buy lowering the seat as you warm up. I promise it gets better and you will be off pain meds to do normal stuff. Good luck

I have had both done. They put my knees in a 70lb hydrolic bending/straighting machine right off the bat.keeps it from stiffening up.
Do the phyisical therapy,follow the at home instructions and you ll be fine.i get around pretty good now,as compared to hardly being able to walk before.best of luck.

JG take care of yourself and listen to the Dr's.

I had a friend that went to engineering school, when he graduated he started working for Howmedica in the 70's. He was the chief engineer and I guess witnessed a lot of knee operations. That company was a pioneer in joint replacements and were eventually bought by Pfizer. Let's just say people that have them done now are lucky compared to the earlier experiments.

I hope I never have to get that procedure done. Hang in there

I was surprised how much the anesthesiologist got for 'letting me sleep without dying' when I had my knee orthoed. Then again, I suspect one might rather not hire the lowest bidder for that role either.

Glad to read sound thoughts and advice on this topic as the inevitable looms.

If one does not have a strong stomach, don't watch the TKA procedure on youtube.

The tongue-in-cheek name for orthopods is 'carpenter'.

JG played pro baseball and was a catcher.  Come with the territory.

It's a reason I did a sciatic nerve block also along with the femoral because as the latter blocks the front of the knee, the sciatic blocks the back of the knee. A third of all knee patients will have serious pain at the back of the knee without this block. I would insert catheters next to both nerves and bump in local anesthetic for a day to day and a half. I then added a general anesthetic for the procedure for control and patient comfort -- the time flies as they say.

But it's important to understand as in most things there is more than one way to skin a cat and there are many other approaches to getting it done so I am not saying my way is the only right way, just the process I came to rely on generally.

I had one former NFL player, tall, lanky, muscular who wanted a "straight vanilla" general -- no nerve blocks. Said he could deal with pain and man he could; rehabbed like a man possessed but it was generally in line with his approach to all of life.

It's true it is a "violent" operation. Orthopedists are basically bone carpenters with saws, drills, and hammers. Before the new goes in the old must come out.

What is the 'knockout", they use for the colonoscopy?

Primarily Propofol -- a great drug-- though there are a few other "tools" in the kit.

Of course even a great drug can be used in the wrong way as Michael,Jackson would tell you.