Question
I have two things I'd like to ask. In 2000 I had knee surgery. He removed half the cartiladge. Now it seems I have torn more. I am scheduled for surgery on November 4th. He told me I have bone spurs and grade 3 arthritis as well. What are the odds I will need a knee replacement? He said he won'tknow until he's in there. I know I will need it replaced eventually but if it's going to be soon I'd rahter have it done now than go through another surgery in a year. I have also pinched a nerve in my shoulder (so much for using crutches) I can't seem to make it feel better. I am in agony most of the time. The doc prescribed vioxx which doesn't help at all. I am also taking pain killers for my knee which don't help the shoulder. Can you reccomend anything to help? Thanks for listening.
Answer
I had another surgery done prior to a replacment.
What they did was take cadaver donor parts, (cartilage and ligiments) and replaced all the damaged parts.
I did well with this for about 4 years before the arthritis and my weight required a knee replacment.
When I did finally opt for the replacment, they installed what is called a unicondular knee. It is a partial replacement essentially. I used a walker to get around post-op.
Cortisone injections helped a great deal with the pain while I was stalling on the replacment surgery.
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Answer
Had my knee surgery last week. All went well. He took out more cartiladge and some arthritis. Said I do indeed need a knee replacement but he won't do it cause I'm too young. When did 44 become young? lol Anyhow I'm on the mend and doing well.
Answer
And can only be done twice. Therefore they usually wait until you are mid 50's whenever possible.
I got a lot of temporary relief with Cortisone shots and anit-inflammatories, but those are hard on the tummy.
I finally got a new procedure called a UNICONDULAR knee replacement. They essentially only replace 1/2 of the knee instead of cutting away good bone to replace the whole knee.
It was such a new procedure that my ortho Doc had the manufacturer's rep in the OR reading him the instructions. I know this because I opted for spinal anesthesia vs. general anesthesia. I was awake and alert thru the whole operation.
However, I would NOT recommend this for the faint of heart. You can hear them sawing and hammering and you can smell the bone burning as they saw thru it. Not nice.......
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Answer
I would however opt for hearing and smelling the whole thing. I have a rough time being put to sleep. My asthma makes my waking up period miserable and more often than not I end up in the hospital longer than needed getting treated for my breathing. Do they know if the procdeure you had done will last any longer than a full replacement? I can have cortisone shots on my knee and my back but as of yet have avoided them. I hear they are horribly painful. True? I take athritis meds and go to physical therapy three times a week for my back, neck and arm. It's he** getting old huh? have a great day.
Answer
But the pain for me was brief and the lasting effect was great. Supposedly the partial replacment is just as durable as the total replacement.
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