Next Step, Knee Replacement

[JEBar]

OK, pardon requested for beginning this thread with a pun ..​ .. for the last few years I've had problems with a heart arrhythmia and arthritic deterioration of my left knee .... shortly after last Christmas the arrhythmia was taken care of by cardiac ablation surgery .... next month (August 21st) I'm scheduled for knee replacement surgery .... getting to this point has taken a bit of effort .... over the last few years that combination made it increasingly difficult to move around very much .... as a result, I put on considerable weight .... by April 12th, when I had my first appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, I'd ballooned to 330 lbs .... during that visit he told me I needed to drop 55 lbs before he could safely do the surgery .... I told him I would do so by my next appoint which was today (July 13th) .... he offered to refer me to a doctor who specializes in weight loss but I declined .... today when he walked into the exam room with my chart in his hand, he was clearly amazed that I'd done what I'd promised and had dropped 55 lbs .... following another exam where he quickly but his thumb directly on the spot in my knee that hurts the worst, we begin talking about the replacement .... its an interesting process .... he commented that if I continue to drop some weight between now and the surgery, it will make the recovery process easier .... that sounded good to me .. .. next step ( to end this post with another pun ) will be to attend a "Knee Class" next Tuesday

[BrokenolMarine]

Thanks to my careers, I've had nine knee surgeries. ALL on the right knee. A couple points I can make here.
...pay attention when the doc is talking and if you don't understand, ask questions. Take notes if you are like me, and forget.
...write down questions that occur between visits... so you don't forget THEM.
...do the presurgical exercises if the give you any, they will help during recovery.
...give as much as you can in post surgical therapy... no pain no gain really applies here, to a point. Don't over do it.
...if they tell you don't do something... don't do it. My surgeon was very hot one day.. another patient, six weeks post total knee, skydiving... duh... blew out the knee on landing and tib/fib break. Look up D/A in the dictionary... see his picture.
...just a tip from uncle Jim... if you can, when you can... range of motion work IN a hot tub... seriously. Lol.

[BrokenolMarine]

Btw... great job on the weight loss, try and maintain after the knee surgery.
I went from 270+ to 230ish after my fall in Sept by watching what I ate. I am stuck there for now... love to see 200 again, but would be very happy with 220.

[JEBar]

your suggestions based on personal experience are most welcome and appreciated .... I'm sure they will cover a good bit of such info next Tuesday in my "Knee Class" but having input from someone who has been there is invaluable .... decades ago I had to have shoulder surgery .... unfortunately, the surgeon ended up in drug rehab a few days later, never saw him again after the operation .... he messed up the surgery which negated the post-op therapy .... I asked the fellow who will be doing the knee surgery if he's on drugs and he assured me that he isn't .. ... hopefully things will go better this time ..

[Bish1309]

I asked the fellow who will be doing the knee surgery if he's on drugs and he assured me that he isn't .. ... hopefully things will go better this time ..

Pretty sad state of affairs when that has to be a question at all.

[Les]

Great work on the weight loss, JEB - that's really impressive!

I'll be having my right knee replaced a few days before you - on the 15th. I had both hips replaced in 2007, so at this rate I'll be like the bionic man soon. All I really need now would be a brain transplant, so I can remember the things I've forgotten to remember.

[JEBar]

Great work on the weight loss, JEB - that's really impressive!

I'll be having my right knee replaced a few days before you - on the 15th. I had both hips replaced in 2007, so at this rate I'll be like the bionic man soon. All I really need now would be a brain transplant, so I can remember the things I've forgotten to remember.

if you get a line on a doctor that has good results with brain transplants and can remember it, please let me know .. .. I've been told that hip replacement operations are much more involved than knee replacements .... kind words about the weight loss are appreciated, I hope to drop another 10 - 15 lbs before the surgery .... in theory, after the surgery with all of the physical therapy I should be able to loose some more .... hopefully, reasonably shortly thereafter I should be able to walk much more than I can now .... that also should make it easier to lose more weight

[CT_Shooter]

I'll be having my right knee replaced a few days before you - on the 15th. I had both hips replaced in 2007, so at this rate I'll be like the bionic man soon. All I really need now would be a brain transplant, so I can remember the things I've forgotten to remember.

Just out of curiosity, what did it cost you for your hips and what will it cost you for your knee? Health care is currently a huge issue in the states, as you might know.

[BigAl52]

Congrats on taking the weight off Jim. Thats not easy I did much of the same thing but I wasnt 330 when I started. Im not where I once was but I have been cycling for the last 5 years steady and have put on some leg muscle as my legs were already on the larger side. In the summer Im at 150 miles plus a week. I feel good for not far from 65. But believe me that weight loss thing aint easy its work and dedication. Good luck with continuing to lose more and get those knees fixed. Al

[BrokenolMarine]

Al,

I hope to get back riding my recumbent, I had been doing very well, and a series of health issues put a crimp in that. The fall in Sept raised a lot of questions, but things were looking up, but since the recovery... lots of severe pain in the right knee, and pain in the left. I still plan to try before summer ends. It will either reduce the pain... or make it worse. If it reduces the pain and I can continue to ride, I should lose weight as well. Win/win.

[BigAl52]

I wish your luck Marine. I see alot of those recumbant trikes on the 21 mile trail I ride to Ft Collins. There is a small group of people that are Im thinking in there 70"s that ride those things. There is like 3 of them that have the lime green color trikes. You can see them along ways down the trail and I like that color. My clothes are that color so people texting in cars might see me shortly before they run me over. There is about a 5 mile ride to the trail that I take along the road. I think those trikes are kinda neat myself. They all have flags on them also. Who knows maybe someday I will want one for more comfort but for now as long as I can its 2 wheels. Just finished another 51 miler today have 153 for the week. May need a whiskey tonight. Al

[BrokenolMarine]

Don't want to hijack the thread... watch for a new one.. lol

[Les]

Just out of curiosity, what did it cost you for your hips and what will it cost you for your knee? Health care is currently a huge issue in the states, as you might know.

We are blessed in the UK with having the National Health Service (NHS), which means that any health issues - including knee/hip replacements - are done free of charge. The cost is mainly covered by contributions that are taken from the salaries of working people, and the rest is subsidised by the government.

The contributions are known as National Insurance (NI) contributions, and they also cover things like the state pension scheme, maternity costs etc etc. The amount of contribution is taken as a percentage of a persons salary. People who earn up to £866/$1121 per week pay 12% of their salary, and people who earn over $1121 pay 2%.

There is the option to go privately, in which case you could be looking at a bill of around £12,000/$15,550 on average.

[Pitchman1968]

Glad you were able to get your weight down. I have had total knee replacement on both sides, and one additional procedure which is euphemistically named Knee Revision Surgery. I, too, am heavy, having weighed 260 - 270 lbs over the last 15 years. I am 74 years old, and can walk 3 miles, play golf, manage a 3,000 sq. ft. vegetable garden, and be a driver on an upstate New York deer hunt. The best advice I can share with you is be true to your post surgery physical therapy. My Mayo Clinic surgeons have told me that virtually all of the very few patients that do not have good results from knee replacement surgery, have cheated on physical therapy. If you keep losing weight and the docs continue to stabilize your heart, you should enjoy quite a good quality of life.

[Sir Henry]

I've known two people that needed hip replacement and lost weight like you did. Then when they were slimmer they didn't need the surgery. I have good hips and knees but lost 40 pounds anyway.

[JEBar]

we just returned from a "Knee Class" required by the orthopedic surgeon who will be doing my knee replacement surgery .... it turned out to be something over a hour well spent .... one revelation for me was after the replacement how serious an infection can be .... I'll have to take antibiotics prior to all dental procedures (even cleaning) from here to eternity .... further that an unmanaged infection of any kind of any kind can attack the replacement which can require serious surgery .... they said to expect it to take 6 - 8 weeks to regain 80% of normal and a year to regain the additional 20% .... after a careen in NC's Prison System in which I witnessed the devastating impact of drug addiction, I hate taking pain killers .... frankly, I'm very uneasy about some of the ones that I will be taking but it appears I have little choice .... in addition, should I go through a metal detector, it will go off .... sounds like a great reason not to fly .. .. two more pre-op visits between and now and the surgery scheduled to take place on Aug 21st

[RanchRoper]

Hats off to you on the weight loss. Best of luck with the knee. I've known several who have had knee replacement, all successful. While you're healing up is a good time to park yourself at a shooting bench....

[JEBar]

if things go as planned I'll be on a range in the morning (hopefully before the heat and humidity set it) and will be able to send a couple of hundred assorted rounds down range .... I can't do much for a few days after surgery but reloading them shouldn't be a problem

[JEBar]

just checked and have passed another milestone in weight loss .... I'm down to 270 so since April 12th, I've now lost 60 lbs .. .. with 4 weeks left prior to surgery, I'm going to see if I can get down to 260

[BrokenolMarine]

If you forget to take your meds that hour before the dental procedure, you might find your dentist keeps a supply in the office and will have the nurse give you a couple while they are prepping. (Xrays, bib, and the like.) The pills will just be added to your bill. Of course you would probably have been able to refill your prescription for the cost of the two pills.