Knee Replacements

August 2, 2002

OK a,

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!!!!! All this talk

about knee replacements, I am feeling like a failure! Do you think I should

give up football? I really got a good contract from the Miami Dolphins for

this coming year. But if you say that it is bad for these poor pitiful knees

of mine, I will throw it all away! LOL.

I had been told around 15-20 years.....I guess I am just an underachiever!

Geepers, I am feeling so ashamed!!!!! I thought I was treatin em

right......I even told Ron no more of that kinky sex on ceiling fan (one more

spin please).

All kidding aside, I am sure once they tweak me just right, I too will be in

that same club as a and the rest are!!!!

Feeling lonely in Florida...................

Debs

August 2, 2002

a - What wonderful news about the synvisc.

Everytime I get the series of shots, I ask my ortho if

he can inject it into all of my joints. He said that

they were trying to get FDA approval for the hips.

Pills sound a whole lot better to me! This is a great

day for good news! Iris

--- a <paula54@...> wrote:

> Carol,

> From what I1ve read, it depends on each person as to

> how long they last. If

> you1re out there playing football, they won1t last

> as long as someone

> sitting at a desk. Overweight people will wear

> theirs out faster than

> someone not overweight. My MIL has had hers for

> 16-17 years and they are

> still going strong. She walks them a lot and is

> overweight. I1m praying

> for mine to last 20 years. Mine will be 6 years

> old!!!

>

> I have no bone on bone pain, but they still are

> stiff after sitting and

> sometimes they swell. From one to ten I give the

> pain a two, down from a

> ten. Now if only they had successful ankle

> replacements.

> I1d we walking almost pain free!!! One day it will

> happen.

>

> My ortho told me that in about a year they will be

> coming out with a pill

> containing synvist. Synvist is now given by

> injections. This pill will

> lubricate ALL the joints in the body!!! Pretty

> cool! I1m surprised I

> haven1t read something about it. I1ll be looking!

> Hugs,

> a

>

> > a, that’s wonderful! It’s great to hear so

> many good things in one day.

> > :-)

> >

> > Just out of curiosity, how long are knee

> replacements expected to last? Do

> > you get pain in the joints you’ve had replaced?

> I’ve just always wondered.

> >

> > Love and hugs,

> > Carol

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

__________________________________________________

August 2, 2002

I wanted to just let you know I have had my 4th shot of

supartz(synvisc)today. These shots hurt like the dickens to get but I have

seen such improvement in my knee ....I have to get one more next week. These

are basically the same as Synvisc except made from different animals and

supartz is 5 shots ,1x a week over 5 weeks , and Synvisc is 3 shots over 15

days.Anyway, I can now get down on the floor and push myself up again using

that knee.....and it only hurts a little bit....I may actually be able to go

back to taking tub baths soon.The dr told me today that you can get these

injections again as soon as 9 months if needed , but hopefully they will last

for a year....

I too had my rt knee replaced in 11/98 and when my ortho saw it for first

time since 3 months post op ...he was happy as he said it looks as good as

new (I ,too, am overweight)and my range of motion is great. The only thing

that has ever bothered me since my tkr is I cant kneel on it on hard

surfaces...but I wore a leg brace(mid thigh to mid calf) for 18months from

time of my arthroscopy till the TKR ....and so I wonder why I waited so

long....

They were just testing out the injections when I had my knee replaced in 98

so I am glad these exist now...and I hear they are testing a thing called a

" unispacer " now to put in the knee tween the bones to hopefully help people

keep their original knees ....maybe that will get done and be available...who

knows? JUdy in AZ

August 2, 2002

a, I worked in Vet med. for years off and on. Hey... they DO have a

pill for this! Only it is for Dogs! But usually any " pill " or discovery

was used in Vet Med. first. So I guess if you see something being used

on Dogs, you know it won't be long until it is used in Humans.

" Frequently Asked Questions about Winston's Joint Formula

Q. Will it work on humans too?

A. Yes it will. All of the ingredients are of human grade quality. "

http://www.healthyhealing.com/MI-WinstonJointFormula.html

Dogs suffering with joint diseases such as arthritis, bursitis,

osteochondrosis (OCD), hip dysplasia and other degenerative problems

with the shoulders, elbows and hocks can now experience immediate and

long-term relief without drugs. This joint formula provides many of the

raw materials essential for the synthesis of the joint-lubricating

synovial fluid as well as articular cartilage and connective tissue.

Included in Winston's Formula is a natural anti-inflammatory compound,

long used to relieve the pain of arthritis.

Susie

a wrote:

> Carol,

> >From what I¹ve read, it depends on each person as to how long they

> last. If

> you¹re out there playing football, they won¹t last as long as someone

> sitting at a desk. Overweight people will wear theirs out faster than

>

> someone not overweight. My MIL has had hers for 16-17 years and they

> are

> still going strong. She walks them a lot and is overweight. I¹m

> praying

> for mine to last 20 years. Mine will be 6 years old!!!

>

> I have no bone on bone pain, but they still are stiff after sitting

> and

> sometimes they swell. From one to ten I give the pain a two, down

> from a

> ten. Now if only they had successful ankle replacements.

> I¹d we walking almost pain free!!! One day it will happen.

>

> My ortho told me that in about a year they will be coming out with a

> pill

> containing synvist. Synvist is now given by injections. This pill

> will

> lubricate ALL the joints in the body!!! Pretty cool! I¹m surprised I

>

> haven¹t read something about it. I¹ll be looking!

> Hugs,

> a

>

> > a, that’s wonderful! It’s great to hear so many good things in

> one day.

> > :-)

> >

> > Just out of curiosity, how long are knee replacements expected to

> last? Do

> > you get pain in the joints you’ve had replaced? I’ve just always

> wondered.

> >

> > Love and hugs,

> > Carol

>

August 2, 2002

Aw Debs, I¹m sorry you had to be in the small percentages of problem TKR¹s.

Sorry but I don¹t think your problems have anything to do with anything you

did or didn¹t do. Even kinky sex on the ceiling fan with a well healed

successful replacement shouldn¹t bother it.

Don¹t forget that the skill of the surgeon has a whole lot to do with the

outcome. Then there were all those knees and hips that were recalled. We

had a member here that was not properly fitted with the right size, her

replacement was to big for her.

Isn¹t your basic replacement in good shape? They didn¹t replace your knee

cap. If the kneecap isn¹t lined up properly, it can cause the problems

you¹re having, which is what I suspect happened.

I just keep praying for you Debs. Why don¹t you hop a plane and some see my

doctor? He¹s a Hopkins trained doctor and very good. I¹ll see if I

can find some Atlantic City cabana boys to entertain you while you¹re here

Hugs,

a

> OK a,

>

> If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!!!!! All this talk

> about knee replacements, I am feeling like a failure! Do you think I should

> give up football? I really got a good contract from the Miami Dolphins for

> this coming year. But if you say that it is bad for these poor pitiful knees

> of mine, I will throw it all away! LOL.

>

> I had been told around 15-20 years.....I guess I am just an underachiever!

> Geepers, I am feeling so ashamed!!!!! I thought I was treatin em

> right......I even told Ron no more of that kinky sex on ceiling fan (one more

> spin please).

>

> All kidding aside, I am sure once they tweak me just right, I too will be in

> that same club as a and the rest are!!!!

>

> Feeling lonely in Florida...................

>

> Debs

>

August 2, 2002

Dear Judy, I'm so glad that the synvisc shots are

working so well for you. I have had the series 3

times now because the DR said it's either that or

surgery. It has been a blessing to be without that

constant, horrible knee pain. The last two series

have been with a different substance but I can't

remember the name of it. I take two pain pills, have

the shot, go back to work and put an ice bag on my

knee off and on through the afternoon. This really

minimizes the pain of getting the shots.---

JHend65291@... wrote:

> I wanted to just let you know I have had my 4th

> shot of

> supartz(synvisc)today.

__________________________________________________

August 2, 2002

Debs,

What I riot-you are not a failure but the ceiling fan!!!!

I love my new knee and hip but it's only been 10 months for the knee and 4

months for the hip. Now if they could fix my shoulder I'd be a happy

camper. Seeing a new rheumy today-reccommended by the orthopedic surgeon.

Although I think my meds are as good as it gets-enbrel (no more shortage)

and lodine. The shoulder is the only really bad thing arthritically. My

asthma is really bad at the moment, seeing a new doctor for that next week.

All this tal;k of weight loss has me hating myself-when my arthritis was

really bad I lost 40 lbs but put it right back on-really ned to lose 80 lbs,

have failed at every diet imaginable!

Temple

3 Fox Haven Way

Chelmsford, MA 01824

dat2352@...

www.homestead.com/kuddlekrittersfarm/index.html

www.homestead.com/kuddlekrittersdairygoats/index.html

www.homestead.com/kuddlekraft/index.html

Re: [ ] Knee replacements

August 3, 2002

Good Morning, a,

I think that I am a victim of several things with my poor knee caps. When he

did the first original TKR, he said at that time that my knee cap did not lay

properly in the channel and he had to bring it over so that it would track

correctly. Although, on previous arthroscopies from his associates, the op

reports would always say that the patella " tracked nicely " . So who to

believe???? The other thing that has been mentioned is that the tendon on

the lateral side of both knees was pretty tight and apparently, in my case,

too tight. So he has gone in on both knees and performed lateral releases so

that the tension on the patella was not so great. He did this originally on

the left knee when I was complaining of so much post op pain and instability.

This was performed on my right knee in May when he did the first repair of

the patella so that I would not have any more trouble by too much tension in

that area.

When you receive a TKR, there is a plate that they screw into the back of the

patella. However, this plate is smaller than the actual patella (on all

patients) and is affixed to the medial part of the patella where all the

weight bearing is. The thinking is that if you are going to fracture your

patella it is going to happen within usually the first 3 months as then it

would indicate that the surgeon shaved it too much during the TKR to get this

plate affixed to the patella. Now I am just a few months short of 3 years

post op so this is definitely a rare occurrence. Now all indications that I

have received to date, indicate that he is doing a partial or total

patellarectomy. The question that comes up is can you live without a

patella. One of the ladies at the hair salon says that babies don't get

patella's until they are 2 years old! My thinking is that he will probably

leave the portion of the patella with the plate behind it as it is part of

the original TKR prosthesis. This question will be answered prior to ANY

surgery being performed.

Thanks for your support and I KNOW that I will be a member of your club

someday soon!!!!!!!

Gentle, tender, angel hugs,

Debs in FL

January 13, 2007

Hello Betty,

I am 61 and have been told I need both knees replaced, I have not done so for

fear of the anesthetic, as it appears I have little tolerance for the

medication.I now look like the letter x when I stand as my knees meet. I too

would like info on anyone who has had this done at my age and no I do not wear

orthotics but earth shoes (like)

Joyce

January 13, 2007

Thanks for the reply Joyce. My Knees also look like the letter X and I do wear

AFOs and really can not walk much without them as my legs are very weak.

Basically from the knee down they look like sticks. I rely on my quads pretty

much and so far they are pretty strong but I am kinda hesitant about when they

cut into them to do the knee replacement if they will regenerate to their former

strength. I did have both hips done recently, one a year and half ago and the

other one two months ago and everything went pretty smoothly in my recovery. I

don't do well after surgery as far as my blood pressure dropping dramatically,

not sure if its due to the anesthesia or not and the docs do not know either. I

am 52 years old. Hopefully, someone might have first hand knowledge.

Betty

January 14, 2007

Hi Betty,

You sound pretty tough to me. Both hips and you and doing great, each time I

think I am ready for my knees they update the procedure It's like the computer,

I am waiting for bionics. Are you going to have your knees done also?

Joyce

January 15, 2007

Hi Joyce

I had no intention of having the knee done but about a month before my hip

surgery I fell twice within a week and landed each time smack down on the middle

of my knee. Ever since then it has been hurting pretty bad and I finally bit

the bullet and had it looked at last week by my ortho that did my hip. The

exray showed absolutely no cartlidge left between the joint so basically it is

bone rubbing on bone. He put me on anti-inflammitory drugs to see if that helps

calm things down. I will try and wait till next year to have it done because I

don't think my body can take two operations in one year. If you decide to get

yours done before then please post your outcome. Thanks.

Betty

January 15, 2007

Hi Everyone,

I started having trouble with my knees recently and went to my ortho. He said

my knees were worn out and needed to be replaced.

I am 51, wear AFOs use a walker, and also overweight. He feels that with my

calves and thighs are atrophied too much to do knee replacements. He feels that

I will be worse off after surgery than I am now. He gave me cordisone shots and

Ibprophen 800's. He hopes that will keep me comfortable. He can give me the

shots 4 times a year. I use a scooter for going any distance when shopping.

Connie,

P'burg, OH

January 16, 2007

Hi Betty,

I too am bone on bone, I have tried different drugs, but to no avail. I will

certainly advise when I am brave enough to undergo replacement. Let me know if

any anti-inflam. works for you. Thanks for the response.

Joyce

January 16, 2007

What happened to my knee may not apply to you since I don't have CMT. I had

three steroid injections over several years. When I went back for a fourth,

the doctor referred my to another orthopedist who injected Synvisc in my knee

three times, a week apart. At first my knee was really swollen, but this

injection has lasted a lot longer than the steroids. It has been more than a

year, and I am still better than before the injection.

Another caveat: I don't think my arthritis is as bad as yours, but I guess it

wouldn't hurt to ask your doctor about trying hyaluronic acid injections.

_http://www.hss.edu/conditions_14582.asp?refName=Viscosupplementation & refUrl=c

onditions_9695.asp_

(http://www.hss.edu/conditions_14582.asp?refName=Viscosupplementation & refUrl=con\

ditions_9695.asp)

Elinor

January 16, 2007

Hi Joyce,

I had my yearly checkup at Hershey Medical Center yesterday at the MD clinic and

I asked my neuro if he had any CMT patients that had knee replacements and how

they made out. He said he had a couple and said they seemed to do fine. He

then checked my quad strength and he seemed to think I would be ok in recovering

from a knee replacement. I will keep taking the anti inflammatory's and see how

that goes. My goal is to try and wait one year from my hip replacement to give

my body some time to recover fully. Now whether I can stand the pain for that

long remains to be seen. I will be sure to keep you updated if and when I go

thru with the surgery. Thanks!

Betty

January 16, 2007

Thanks for suggestion Elinor!

Betty

March 27, 2007

Jill, hello.

I am curious why many surgeons will not do knee replacements on CMT patients? I

need a knee replacement and have seen an orthopedic surgeon and he knows about

my CMT and has done two other CMT patients and he has never mentioned the above.

Betty

March 28, 2007

Hi Betty,

What I think the problem in the UK is the cost i.e for the length of time I

would get from a replacement does it justify the cost? Luckily as I said, my

old surgeon has retired (but he was lovely) and the new one is more forward

thinking. They say the reason is that due to the muscle wastage the new knee

would soon start moving about but - hey hoe, you get nothing in life without

trying eh ha ha. Love to all.

Jill

March 28, 2007

Betty, first off ... did you ask the orthopod why?

Without going into a great deal of excruciating and gruesome detail, a

total knee arthroplasty can be very disruptive to the tissues (muscles,

ligaments, and tendons) supporting the knee. Rehab - even for a non-

neurologically impaired person - can be challenging.

There likely has not been a great deal of research on the post-op

success of TKAs on folks with CMT. A grand idea is 'Primum non

nocere'; I am guessing that some surgeons may be hesitant to make a bad

situation worse. While the operation itself might be a rousing

success, the overall outcome may be poor because our CMT-impaired

musculature cannot respond to the surgical insult.

On a positive note, I have heard of newer, less invasive surgical

approaches. I have not seen one of these (or a video or any of the

product literature), but these may be available in your area.

Dan

February 18, 2008

hi

...interesting article in the NY Times about women waiting too long

for knee replacements

nancy

Women More Likely to Postpone New Knees

Women appear to delay knee replacement surgery longer than men, and

often show up far more disabled by the time they undergo the procedure.

The gender differences among knee replacement candidates is cause for

concern because far more women than men suffer from osteoarthritis,

which can wear down the cartilage in knees and leave sufferers with

bone-on-bone rubbing and agonizing pain. Patients are typically

advised to delay knee replacement as long as possible because

titanium knee parts eventually wear out too. By delaying the

treatment, the patient ideally will die a natural death before

replaced knees wear out again.

But doctors now say they may need to rethink that advice because

women appear to take it to the extreme.

In a <http://www.ejbjs.org/cgi/content/abstract/89/11/2327>study

published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery last fall,

University of Delaware researchers studied 95 men and 126 women who

were about to undergo knee replacement surgery. All of the patients

took part in various tests to measure such activities as climbing

stairs, walking and getting out of a chair. They also compared them

to similarly-aged men and women who didn't have knee problems.

They found that even after controlling for expected gender

differences in strength and agility, the women had reached far higher

levels of impairment before opting for surgery than the men had, said

Lynn Snyder-Mackler, professor in the department of physical therapy

at the University of Delaware.

" If your surgeon is telling you, 'Wait until you can't stand it

anymore,' most men will decide that is the point when they can't

really get out of the house anymore,'' Dr. Snyder-Mackler said. " A

lot of the women didn't make that decision until they were unable to

function inside the house.''

The problem is that if a patient waits too long for the procedure,

she will have a more difficult recovery and is less likely to regain

full function. " How much dysfunction you have when you have knee

replacement predicts how well you're going to do,'' Dr.

Snyder-Mackler said. " The more debilitated you are at the start,

there is a point of diminishing returns.''

The lesson for doctors is to rethink whether to tell patients to wait

until they can't stand the pain. " We're throwing up a warning light

that this type of instruction to women is making them wait too

long,'' Dr. Snyder-Mackler said. " If they are having difficulty with

stairs and difficulty getting out of the house and around, if they've

become housebound, they better get their knee replaced. You don't

wait to become completely debilitated because it's very hard to get

that back.''

November 19, 2010

Hi all.

Today I met a lady who used to work for a company that sold the knee replacement

parts. She said that the best one is made of titanium. She said that some knee

replacement parts were recalled. We discussed my need for knee replacement, and

she said that unless I can't walk don't do it.

She said that new things are coming out each year , and she would wait it out

and continue doing what I am doing. I haven't ordered the knee brace that I

mentioned, but will. I heat my knees in the morning, take 2 liquid green

advils, then do knee and back stretches for an hour. After that I do errands.

Each afternoon I do a different activity. These include tai chi, arthritis

water class, water yoga, and bicycle. I find that these are helping me.

Since the insurance company covers the knee brace that I mentioned , and one of

our members said that it helped and she would recommend it, I say Go For It.

Try everything before doing knee replacement.

Sandy

November 19, 2010

To all knee pain sufferer I found too that taking glucosamine-chondroitin(Triple

strength) joint fluid supplement have helped me to relief pain. It will take few

weeks to feel the difference.

T

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

[ ] Knee Replacements