Major Surgery

[Calamity Jane]

Has anyone here ever had major surgery? How about a new body part put in?

I'm looking at having to have knee replacement surgery within the next year if 1) the physical therapy doesn't help and 2) i don't stop riding.

we all know i'm not going to stop riding, and the PT isn't going to help all that much.

so... i'm kinda scared. scared of being unconcious for hours, scared that i might not be able to ride after surgery. the pain is intense when i'm on a horse, like nothing i've ever felt. but then my leg goes numb and i'm fine. but if something happened and i couldn't ride... i'd rather deal with the pain.

The docs are being really vague about recovery time, and lifetime of the titanium knee... any ideas there?

 

[morninggirl5]

Sch00lteacher has had hip replacement. I think he's gone right now recovering from his second replacement. If you e-mail or PM him, he'd probably be able to answer your questions when he returns.

 

[Fly_On_Wall]

I've had 2 major surgerys before and like you i'm batteling withmyself weather or not i should go for my knee surgery.

there is a chance the pain will stop but there is a bigger chance i won't be able to walk properly again, (let alone ride my bike anymore) so your not alone. I've been refuseing to go through with it but lately the pain is just getting so bad i can't do anything but sit and do nothing.

 

[freakygirl]

The only major surgeries i had, were body part removals..

appendix was the first when I was 15

then i had four c-sections.

My daughters baseball coach had knee surgery in early June, he was up and around by the end of June. He said he had some discomfort but it wasn't the worse pain he has been through. But each person responds differently

Good luck.. hope it all turns out well

 

[Guest]

Cowgirl,
I've never had any surgery other than oral surgery. I tore my ACL years back during a soccer game. It's never been the same. I had the option of surgery but my orthopedic surgeon told me, because I have one leg significantly longer than the other, it was quite possible to injure it again. *Damn, I am such a freak.* The money and the fact that there was no guarantee that I'd be able to play again was not worth the risk of surgery, in my case.
If you are in so much pain and there is the chance your knee will be in much better shape, do it! With the medicinal advancement in the last decade, I'd bet you'd be ready to ride quickly and pain-free.
I'd do it, if I could. Arthritis sucks.

Good luck, hon.

Bright blessings!

 

[Angel]

I also may need knee surgery sometime in the not so distant future. I had been hoping that it wouldn't come to that, but as my knee is once again flaring up I am being forced to think about it.

Now, if I could only continue avoiding my doctor, I'll be okay.

 

[Calamity Jane]

My biggest concern, other than not being able to ride my jumpers is the longevity issue. I've heard that the joint is only 'good' for about 10-15 years under normal active use. I'm guessing that spending 5-6 hours a day on a horse is beyond that usage level.

i'm 28. i don't want to have surgery every 10 years for the rest of my life.

 

[estevie]

Not to freak out you knee surgery people, but that was the most painful experience of my life. I have had 2 children and my wisdom teeth out and knee surgery was the worst. On the upside, the pain didn't last for very long, about a month. I won't ever do it again unless it is absolutely, without a doubt necessary!

 

[Shy Tall Guy]

No replacements, but a pretty good reconstruction of some severely crushed bones in my foot due to a motorcycle accident. About a year after that (about six months after I was walking again) I twisted the knee on the same leg (again riding a motorcycle) and went back to the same surgeon to see if I would have to have it worked on, but it cleared up after a few weeks.

My daughter had two knee surgeries (one each knee) to pin things inside back together cause they kept popping apart and she is still doing fine with that over ten years later.

 

[Bitch_Goddess]

I've never had a knee replacement, but I did have both of my ACL's done at the same time. My doctor told me when they were done, they would be stonger than the original ligaments, and he was right. I had them done 5 years ago and never had another problem.

As for recovery time, some people also heal quicker than others, and that can change everything. So does attitude. I had my surgery at the end on March, and played in a sand soccer tournament 4th of July weekend.

I am amazed at the advances that have been made in knee surgeries in the past 5 years. Everything sould be fine. And titanium should hold up forever. I hope mine does, I have 6 screws and about a dozen pins!!

 

[Shy Tall Guy]

Not to freak out you knee surgery people, but that was the most painful experience of my life. I have had 2 children and my wisdom teeth out and knee surgery was the worst. On the upside, the pain didn't last for very long, about a month. I won't ever do it again unless it is absolutely, without a doubt necessary!

Hand and foot surgery is very painful, due to all the nerves there, but knees are no fun either from what my daughter said. I ca nremember almost passing out from the pain the first few days when I would get up on crutches to go to the bathroom, and all the blood would rush back to my crushed foot - and that was with enough pain meds to almost put me out involuntarily. Of course, the foot not only had been operated on, but it had been crushed by a 300 pound motorcycle falling on it at speed. I swelled up to the size of a football.

If I ever find the XRay I have laying around I will take a photo and post it. It was taken after the surgery while still swollen and the pins were still in - it is cool looking!

 

[Calamity Jane]

This isn't a reconstruction, I wish it was. There is almost nothing left to repair (i've been told I needed surgery since high school). This is the surgery they show on the discovery channel... cutting off the bone from about 3 inches below my knee to about 3 inches above, and replacing it with metal.

of course, maybe i shouldn't have watched that show, it figures pretty highly in the reasons i'm scared.

 

[miles]

call me bionic

I've had three back operations, orthoscopic knee surgery, and an appendectomy. I'm not counting the time I had my head removed from my ass. That felt kinda below average.

 

[christophe]

knee replacement

this is right up my alley... total knee replacement sugery granted is generally very painful...with narcotics post operatively the pain should be fairly controlled...i would reccomend a PCA pump (patient controlled analgesia) it will allow you to give yourself small doses of iv demerol or morphine every several minutes. this is nice because it avoids having to wait for pain medicine and also no needles in the arm or tooshie.
as far as the type of knee they will give you will be largely up to the surgeon. youu can explain to him/her the type of activities you do and then a decision can be made as to what will be in your best interest. many people do need to have further knee surgeries this is true, but prolonging the inevitible can also be just as bad and possibly will result in further damaging your knee.

if you are not happy with your doctors advise remeber there are others out there...ask around physical therapists , i am sure will be abel to give you an idea of who they would go to as well as any nurses or former patiens you may know.

the key to a speedy recovery is to try and progress your activity and not baby the knee. people tend to di this but it is actually in many cases dertrimental. i hope this helps you out....btw i work in a hospital

 

[Shelby]

I had ACL and ICL surgery done last year. My mother received 2 new hips last year. I know squat (Bad pun) about knees.

Angel, talk to me.

Bitch-Godess, Though I am happy that yours are working...I disagree with your Dr's statement that Acl's will be stronger than new. They can't be as they are replaced from other body parts, usually a chunk of ligament from your front calf. Certainly check me if I am wrong. I wear my knee brace as a precaution. Do you?

Take care.

 

[Angel]

Angel, talk to me.

Yo.

 

[kiwiwolf]

Four major spinals, an appendectomy, and a vasectomy... The spinals were three laminectomies to remove cancer from my spinal cord, and a discectomy to take out two discs and fuse a couple of vertebrae.

With modern pain management, most ops are a piece of cake. I won't tell you it is painless but as close to as possible. I think you have more to worry about from hospital food and boredom.

My brother had knee reconstruction surgery on his right knee, and was back climbing after 7 months, (he's a climbing guide here in NZ).

 

[Xander]

I had Re-constructive surgery on my right knee.
And it hurts...I wont lie about that. But I'm so glad that I had it done....the knee may still be out of order, in about 20 years, but rather that, than having it go out on me at age 30.

The tough part is training it back up again, becasue for a while you ahve absolutely no feeling in it, even after they have pulled out the drain tubes and stiches and all that good stuff. Because they will have to cut through some nerves to repair it

It takes time and a pain in the ass. But well worth the surgery IMHO.

 

[Spinaroonie]

I had my wisdom teeth removed a week before Sept. 11 and have still not recovered.

Part of my lips and stuff are still numb and I kinda talk out of one side of my mouth now. I also bite my lip a heck of a lot and that's not fun cos when I do notice it hurts and then keeps hurting.

Someday i will be better.

 

[Problem Child]

PCG- I will need a replacement knee in about five years. I had tore an ACL about 18 years ago and never had it repaired, and the outer cartilige pad completely eroded way because my knee was so unstable. I had enough cartilige left on the inside pad that my doctor recommended doing a high tibial osteotomy, which is an operation in which they basically cut the tibia and fibula just below the knee and screw them back together at about a five degree angle toward the outside. It is not noticable, and it puts all my weight on the cartilige I still have and keeps the bones from rubbing together. I have been relatively pain free since the operation in '96.

I don't know if this operation is an option for you...I think I was a special case because I still had one good cartilige pad left. But what it did do is extend the time period until I do have to have the knee replaced.

Also...fake knees are made from titanium and a plastic called UHMW. The plastic is the part that wears out, not the metal, obviously.

My grandmother had both knees and both hips replaced, and felt 100% better after the operations and has been pain-free since. On the other hand, I have another friend that had both knees replaced and is always in pain.

I think the best advice I can give you is get the best doctor you can, and ask him a lot of questions.

 

[registered "^^"]

My brother had his knee replaced a year ago.....feels great and sorry he waited so long to do it.......full recovery time is 6 months.......

 

[KillerMuffin]

The Stud is looking at a lot of replacement parts, but he's saying hell no because they're talking about a short lifespan in the replacement parts and no real probabilty of re-replacing them in the future.

My suggestion is to have a doctor that is not afraid to answer all of your questions. If your doctor is hedging on you or being vague, don't let him/her do it. This is one of those things that you seem to only get one real shot at and it pays to not make that mistake.

You have time to make your decision. It doesn't have to be done anytime soon. Find out everything you can about it. Ask for consultations to specialists, check with centers who do that to see if they have literature, get plenty of advice. I wouldn't let them do anything to your body until you have full knowledge about what it is, what it entails, and you're comfortable with the idea.

Doctors are not infallible.

 

[Calamity Jane]

I don't know if this operation is an option for you...I think I was a special case because I still had one good cartilige pad left. But what it did do is extend the time period until I do have to have the knee replaced.


I think the best advice I can give you is get the best doctor you can, and ask him a lot of questions.

I don't know what other surgery options are available. It depends largely on what insurance pays for. I've been surviving on darvon, chiropractic care and glucosamine for years, but it's getting worse.

The deal with my knee is this... I have a condition with a really long name that is escaping me at the moment, but essentially, the outside of the bone of my joint is softening. This makes my knee cap shift to the mushy part of the bone, which pulls on the tendons on the inside of my leg, which leads to other problems. Added to this, is the fact that I rode jumpers for years, and have started to again. The angle my knee is at while riding aggravates the condition because it strengthens my outer thigh muscles, which pulls on my knee cap.... And then there's the temdom injuries... The teachers at the chiropractic college us my xrays as teaching tools of all the things that can go wrong with a knee... and all in one picture!

Anyway, I know I'll eventually need the knee, but at 28, I don't know if the lifespan of the joint is going to be enough.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm currently doctor shopping and living with the pain. I've been getting used to it for 10 years, so what's a few more?