Knee Replacement Timing

[treasure4two]

OP - I too think that the time frame is to close to your cruise, but as already mentioned everyone is different. The other consideration is that you're "assuming" that everything will go wonderfully. Unforfortunately, ship happens so be prepared.

 

Also, an ortho that wants to do 2 knees at once is crazy! Get a 2nd opinion.

 

Good luck:)

 

I am a female(had surgeries at 59) and had them done 3 months apart, The male doctor says he does not do both knees on a woman at the same time, but on the men, he does, as he said if a man has one done and it hurt too much, he will never have the other one!!:) That is probably why God made women the ones to give birth!! Otherwise, the average family would only have one child each!!:D

I would agree, that you can get off crutches fairly quickly about I would say at least two months, so you will be able to get around easily. Be sure to use that machine that you strap your knee into and keeps moving it back and forth. Important things are to be able to bend well and also, flatten your leg out. Also, do physical theraphy out-the ones that come to your home are great for the first two weeks but you need a got PT to push you knee and your recovery.

You will find that the knee replacements will give you back your life.

Your weight will be the biggest drawback, as every pound you weigh puts 3 pounds of pressure on your knees. I lost 30 pounds before my surgery and 8 years later, have kept off 20 pounds. If you would like to ask me questions, please feel free to e-mail me. I had great results and think it is important to hear positive results. djdeshaies@carolina.rr.com

[katiel53]

I've had both knees replaced, but not at the same time. There are many factors that influence healing time. I was in my 50's when I had the first one done. That knee has cement at both ends and within 2 weeks, I was out walking and doing everything and my knee could bend easily. It was my left knee and at 3 weeks, I was driving.

 

My recovery was excellent and I was surprised at how quickly I was back to doing things. The second one was 3 years later and it has cement at one end and the bone above the replacement grew over the replacement. I am not sure that I am explaining it correctly, but it's basically done a different way and not cemented at the top.

 

I have more maneuverability with the second one, but the healing was a lot longer and more painful. I don't think I was walking without a walker or cane for at least 6 weeks. Each knee was done by a different doctor.

 

Both times I had minimal physical therapy. The second one I did go to out-patient therapy for a couple of weeks whereas it was necessary with the first one.

 

I really believe a lot of healing is attitude. I didn't want to not be able to get out and about. I never used crutches, but used a walker at first and then a cane. Even though these were done several years ago, I have to say it's not the same as having "real knees." Trying to put on socks or pantyhose is very difficult.

 

I also have to say that there is no way I would ever have had both done at the same time. My mother had them done like that and I think it is unconscionable for any doctor to put a patient through that. I know there are those who say if they had to have both done, that's the only way to do it, because with all the pain associated with the healing etc. that they would never go through it again, but I totally disagree.

 

Good luck and I hope it goes well for you.

[GPoll189]

Maybe I can shed some light into this topic. I am a Physician Assistant in Orthopedics. During a week I can do anywhere from 5 to 20 joint replacements. Most of the patients stay in the hospital from 3 to 4 days. After this initial stay most of them go on to either an Acute Rehab facility or a Sub Acute Rehab facility for another week or two. Every once in a while we have a patient that does good with his/her physical therapy and are released to go home.

 

Doing both knees at the same time increases the risks that comes with surgery. Now that you aren more immobile your risk for DVTs increases. Also there is chances that you will need blood transfusions. Your rehab will be longer also. Most of the doctors that I work with that do both knees at the same time do them with patients that are younger, and in pretty good shape. From what you said about being overweight and not really active I would not recommend having both knees done at the same time.

 

If I could I would like to make some recommendation. First, go for a second or even third opinion. There are things like hylagan injections and steroid injections that can give you some more time before you need to have surgery. Also loosing weight will help with the pain and also with the recovery after surgery. For each pound you loose your knee will feel like 5 pounds have come off of it.

 

For anyone that says knee replacement surgery is simple it isn't. It is major surgery things can happen. However, osteoarthritis isn't cancer and you don't have to rush into surgery. We tell our patients that when you are unable to enjoy the activities that you like then it is the time to have the replacement.

 

Hope this helps, if you have any questions please feel free to ask them.

[mountaincruiser20]

I had my right knee replaced this Jan. 3rd and we did a 5 day on the Fantasy on Feb. 15th. I was still using a cane but managed everything but the steps. I had my PVP make a note that I may have some problems and we all had a great time. I am only 49 and it was my 2nd knee replacement but make sure and do your PT it will make recovery go much better.

[Lovefuninthesun]

I am 58 and had my left knee replaced last October. I used a walker for about 3 weeks and a cane for another 3 weeks. I did in-home PT 3, then 2 times a week for 6 weeks. I returned to work after 7 weeks, although I had to be sure to get up and walk around every hour. During this time I also did outpatient PT 2 evenings a week. The PT was a b**ch, I might add! :)

 

I was certainly functional after 6 weeks, but not back to 100% range of motion, strength, stamina for 6 months or so! Anybody that says this surgery is a piece of cake is nuts! It was doable, obviously, but hard, hard work! I also need the other knee done, and initially had wanted to have both knees done at the same time. My surgeon advised against it and I am so glad he did -- I can't imagine how much more difficult that would be.:o

[emelvee]

OP, this can't be fun. I don't know your age, but my boss' wife is going through knee replacement...she's looking at two+ months recovery time. But I think she's in her 70s. I hope the surgery for you is successful, with a speedy recovery that will allow you to enjoy your cruise fully!

[FlaGrl4Evr]

I work in HHC and can tell you that you will be looking at a bare minimum of at least 8 weeks. If you do everything right as far as rehab and therapy you may be able to make it for your cruise date but believe me, you will not be able to walk for long distances and for long periods of time without frequent resting.

 

Just follow your doctor's orders to a "T" and push through that painful rehab and therapy.

 

 

Good luck.

 

:)

[slybear]

My husband, age 59. just had his left knee replaced on Aug 21st. We are cruising on Oct 28th which will be at week 9 1/2. He is still using the walker most of the time at week 3 1/2 but is progressing well according to his therapist. He uses a cane short distances. Most of the swelling is gone & the pain has decreased. At this time he could mange the distance to walk up the gangway with the walker. His stamina is increasing slowly but steadily. We are certain that in another 6 weeks he will be more then ready to go. So we are going!!!! It is a great therapy incentive. Also do remember that everyone is different & it is a very major surgery. Up until the last couple of days he was still wondering why he had the surgery. He just said he will not get the other knee done until his affected leg becomes the stronger leg. Good luck!

Edited September 17, 2012 by slybear

[debster11]

My sister had double knee replacement surgery. It took a good 12 weeks to get to feeling normal. If you went in late Feb you may have pain but the worst would be behind you I would think.

 

Good luck at whatever you decide.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Call it a cruise for rehab

[buglver066]

My dad had his done 5 weeks ago- yesterday he went and walked around Busch Gardens with no cane- not wheelchair- etc. If you are familiar with Busch Gardens it has tonnnnnns of hills. He feels better now then when before he got it done. Everyone recovers different. I really think the key to it is exactly what they did with my Dad- get up and get going quick and your recover time should be painless. They had my Dad up the same night he got it done.

[tarjudy]

I had both knees done 6 weeks apart. my first one went great got home in five days. two days after being home, my hubby had a heart attack. i was driving a car 8 days after surgery. When they tell you to move your leg - do it. it was the best. I had the other done and it was a little harder - it was the worse leg. There is no way i would have missed a scheduled cruise. If I wasn't feeling strong enough, I would rent a scooter -www.scootaround.com - they will have it at the ship waiting for you - then if you don't feel like walking you take the scooter. Everyday gets better. Oh big thing for me, I went to Boston for mine. The surgeon I had - Bill Mitchell from New England Baptist. He went in from the side and did not cut the tendons. World of difference - make sure this is how they are going to perform yours. have fun!

[FloridaMimi]

Thanks for the responses. Wow, it can really vary, can't it? I'm 63, work at a desk job, pretty sedentary, overweight, so don't know how all that will factor in. But from the replies, I'm thinking I'm being over-optimistic about recovery time. I'd hate to go on the cruise if I had to be in a wheelchair. I realize it's very serious surgery with lots of risks, and the cruise shouldn't factor into when I have it, I do have travel insurance. Just wanted to get feedback from those with experience. And of course the doctor will have the final say.

 

 

It is amazing the different opinions from patients and physicians concerning this topic. My experience is this.. My 72 year old mother had double knee replacement surgery on Jan 20th 2012. Her Dr advised it would be best to do it that way because if she hadn't she would have to have the other done even before the 1st one was healed completely. It was the best decision for her. She was in rehab for almost 3 months getting physical therapy twice a day and the help she needed to recover. Even after she came home it took a while before she felt comfortable walking a distance. She is a thousand % better now. I am taking her on a cruise in October to celebrate her recovery because there is no way she could have gone and enjoyed it before the surgery. I agree with others... I think you are cutting it too close between the surgery and your cruise unless you will have a wheel chair and someone to help you. Those ships are huge.... Good luck with your surgery. :)

[deeluvs2cruise]

At age 54, I had both knees replaced at the same time on July 9 and returned to work full time on Sept. 6. It wasn't easy, lots of dedication to PT required, but it can be done. I didn't cruise until January of the next year, but that is my pattern anyway. Good luck to you.

Edited September 18, 2012 by deeluvs2cruise

[cruiseguy4567]

Maybe I can shed some light into this topic. I am a Physician Assistant in Orthopedics. During a week I can do anywhere from 5 to 20 joint replacements. Most of the patients stay in the hospital from 3 to 4 days. After this initial stay most of them go on to either an Acute Rehab facility or a Sub Acute Rehab facility for another week or two. Every once in a while we have a patient that does good with his/her physical therapy and are released to go home.

 

Doing both knees at the same time increases the risks that comes with surgery. Now that you aren more immobile your risk for DVTs increases. Also there is chances that you will need blood transfusions. Your rehab will be longer also. Most of the doctors that I work with that do both knees at the same time do them with patients that are younger, and in pretty good shape. From what you said about being overweight and not really active I would not recommend having both knees done at the same time.

 

If I could I would like to make some recommendation. First, go for a second or even third opinion. There are things like hylagan injections and steroid injections that can give you some more time before you need to have surgery. Also loosing weight will help with the pain and also with the recovery after surgery. For each pound you loose your knee will feel like 5 pounds have come off of it.

 

For anyone that says knee replacement surgery is simple it isn't. It is major surgery things can happen. However, osteoarthritis isn't cancer and you don't have to rush into surgery. We tell our patients that when you are unable to enjoy the activities that you like then it is the time to have the replacement.

 

Hope this helps, if you have any questions please feel free to ask them.

 

Good info.

 

I worked on an orthopedics floor for 5 years. I've taken care of many TKR's in my career with many different results. Factors effecting recovery are underlying health concerns (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.), age, weight, smoker, physical conditioning, pain tolerance. Also, from what I understand the degree of bone damage effects how much work the surgeon does which effects recovery time.

 

One of the reasons to do both knees at once and only being hospitalized once reduces the risk of post-op complications such as DVT, pneumonia and most important infection.

 

As Gpoll said, get more opinions. When you do, ask them what the post-op prognosis is, they should be able to give you a decent answer. My opinion is you may be cutting it close concerning the cruise. If you can tolerate the pain it may be better to cruise first then get the knees done.

Edited September 18, 2012 by cruiseguy4567

[zqvol]

I currently have a broken kneecap - no idea how that happened! - so I'm seeing an orthopedic specialist. He says my knee is worn out, no cartilage, arthritis, 3 big bone spurs, bone on bone, and that I'm a candidate for knee replacement surgery, probably on both knees. We haven't discussed any further than that, as he says I need to get my kneecap healed first.

 

He thinks it will be healed mid-October. We have a 5-day cruise on November 5. If I had double knee replacement after that, would I be in shape to go on a 7-day cruise February 17, which is already booked and paid for? I would like to know what people's personal experiences have been with recovery from knee replacement surgery and cruising.

 

Things are not going to move as fast as you think. You are not likely to be able to have surgery until after the first of the year, and when you do it is a minimum of 6 months of recovery. If you have both done the first couple of months you are going to be barely walking and rehab is very painful. Wait until after your 7 day cruise to even think about it, or cancel the cruise.

[nlktx49]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences with me. As you all have said, recovery time can vary greatly. I think I'll get another opinion from an orthopedic doctor who comes highly recommended, I know nothing about the one I'm going to now.

 

A good friend who had both knees replaced at the same time said she wouldn't do it that way if she had it to do over.

 

I think I'll see if I can't get some treatment that will help with the pain, and put off the surgery until after my February cruise.

 

Thanks for your well-wishes.

[eclue]

You seem to have your answer but will add our info.

Being in the medical field, I would never have two done at the same time, but definitely get the one that is worse done first.

My husband had his knee replacement on Aug 16th and 9 weeks later he was playing 18 holes of golf and headed to the deer lease. The key is very agressive physical therapy and bending and also a good surgeon. He was released from therapy after this b/c he was bending at 135 degrees.

My friend had her knee done by the same surgeon and also had a 10 week recovery. the first two weeks are hell but after that every day gets better but therapy is supreme.

eclue:rolleyes:

[MEOWSMURPHY]

Thanks for the responses. Wow, it can really vary, can't it? I'm 63, work at a desk job, pretty sedentary, overweight, so don't know how all that will factor in. But from the replies, I'm thinking I'm being over-optimistic about recovery time. I'd hate to go on the cruise if I had to be in a wheelchair. I realize it's very serious surgery with lots of risks, and the cruise shouldn't factor into when I have it, I do have travel insurance. Just wanted to get feedback from those with experience. And of course the doctor will have the final say.

 

You could be me...I had my first tkr at 62..June 3rd, 2008...I also was overweight and had a desk job...after the surgery I was back in my room at 4 and walking the hallway at 6 with a walker..since I have 8 stairs to get into my house they made me climb stairs at the hospital before I could leave..the first couple of Weeks were the hardest, but I was back to work fulltime the beginning of September and on a cruise in October jumping off a catamaran..with my surgeons blessing..I had such amazing results that I had the other knee done June 4,2009...again back to work the beginning of September and cruising in October...I am thankful every day that I had it done.put the first one off for 6 years as I had heard horror stories..so sorry I did..never realized how bad my other knee was until I was pain free from the first one...good luck with your decision as to when to do but as others have said everyone heals differently

Edited November 3, 2012 by MEOWSMURPHY

[Swampbaby]

. We have a cruise booked for May which she will have a scooter for just in case. Rent a wheelchair or scooter that way you will get around easier and be able to participate in whatever you want to.

 

As a thought, I needed to rent a scooter for a trip and went to a locally owned place to see how much. Surprise, they LOANED me the scooter. Needless to say, when needing anything to purchase they carry that place gets my business.

[GreatLakes]

I currently have a broken kneecap - no idea how that happened! - so I'm seeing an orthopedic specialist. He says my knee is worn out, no cartilage, arthritis, 3 big bone spurs, bone on bone, and that I'm a candidate for knee replacement surgery, probably on both knees. We haven't discussed any further than that, as he says I need to get my kneecap healed first.

 

He thinks it will be healed mid-October. We have a 5-day cruise on November 5. If I had double knee replacement after that, would I be in shape to go on a 7-day cruise February 17, which is already booked and paid for? I would like to know what people's personal experiences have been with recovery from knee replacement surgery and cruising.

 

 

As others have stated, it depends on your age and how quickly you heal. I am exactly 3 months post op from a TKR and have been walking without the aid of a cane for a month now. Never did use crutches - used the walker for about 1 week, and then only used it to hold onto for support so I could get in and out of my shower. It is not an easy surgery and the therapy is grueling. But if you persevere and do the therapy, you will be better off in the long run. I was discharged early from physical therapy at about 8 weeks after surgery but continue to do exercises at home. Sleeping was a problem until a few weeks ago; going up and down stairs is still a problem. Total recovery is 6 to 12 months. We are going on a cruise in March which will be 5 months after my new knee. My excursions will be limited (no snorkeling off a boat or no climbing the rocks to waterfalls) as I don't want to do anything that will jeopardize hurting my knee. Sitting for long periods of time is a problem as you have to outstretch the knee. Good luck with your surgery and keep your cruise as a goal to strive for.