Im 49 and facing the first of two knee replacements next week. I've become knock kneed, my patellas have moved from the centres to the sides of my knees, I'm overweight from childhood and have lymphedema in both legs and thus am prone to cellulitis.
4 years ago I went to a surgeon who refused to operate, instead suggesting I lose an unrealistic amount of weight (without being able to exercise safely) and then he would consider breaking both my legs to try to straighten them to give me more time before knee replacements. I was very disheartened, having lived with pain and lack of mobility since my teens and I ended up putting on more weight instead of losing it.
6 months ago I visited a different surgeon after tearing a meniscus while trying to exercise to lose weight on a new weight loss programme. Looking at the xrays from 4 years before, he told me I couldn't have done the extent of the damage to my knees that existed (I had blamed several knee injuries from judo in my teens) and told me that my bones grew in the wrong direction in childhood. He said that knee replacements were definitely on the cards but he would try to put it off as long as possible, 3-4 years maybe. I was happy that now at least replacements were on the horizon. However, he ordered new xrays when he did the meniscus surgery and afterwards told me that the amount of degeneration in the four years between xrays was appalling and surgery was required ASAP while there was still a structure within the knee to hold the prosthesis.
So I'm facing one replacement next week and the other any time after 3 months depending on how I recover from this one.
Im excited to be getting it done but naturally im nervous too. The fact that its an epidural rather than a general anaesthetic terrifies me. Im also dreading having to take so much time off work afterwards as I don't cope well with being idle. Whilst I work in an office, I am expecting to be advised to take 12 weeks off with each as the same surgeon made me take almost two weeks off after simple laparoscopic surgery because of the extent of damage within the knee.
4 years ago I went to a surgeon who refused to operate, instead suggesting I lose an unrealistic amount of weight (without being able to exercise safely) and then he would consider breaking both my legs to try to straighten them to give me more time before knee replacements. I was very disheartened, having lived with pain and lack of mobility since my teens and I ended up putting on more weight instead of losing it.
6 months ago I visited a different surgeon after tearing a meniscus while trying to exercise to lose weight on a new weight loss programme. Looking at the xrays from 4 years before, he told me I couldn't have done the extent of the damage to my knees that existed (I had blamed several knee injuries from judo in my teens) and told me that my bones grew in the wrong direction in childhood. He said that knee replacements were definitely on the cards but he would try to put it off as long as possible, 3-4 years maybe. I was happy that now at least replacements were on the horizon. However, he ordered new xrays when he did the meniscus surgery and afterwards told me that the amount of degeneration in the four years between xrays was appalling and surgery was required ASAP while there was still a structure within the knee to hold the prosthesis.
So I'm facing one replacement next week and the other any time after 3 months depending on how I recover from this one.
Im excited to be getting it done but naturally im nervous too. The fact that its an epidural rather than a general anaesthetic terrifies me. Im also dreading having to take so much time off work afterwards as I don't cope well with being idle. Whilst I work in an office, I am expecting to be advised to take 12 weeks off with each as the same surgeon made me take almost two weeks off after simple laparoscopic surgery because of the extent of damage within the knee.
Comments
No Comments
Story List
