A combination of arthritis and a bad fall caused pain and reduced mobility.Two orthopedic doctors recomended knee replacement .If anybody has experienced this operation and could give me informatiion. It would be helpful

I've had three. (one to correct a broken femur caused by a misplaced prosthetic in the second knee. My advice is to wait as long as you can. It is not a simple operation and the number and degree of things that can go wrong is endless. I had the first two done at the same time (big mistake) and the third a year later. Now I have one leg an inch longer than thee other which has caused no end of problems. I was trying to get to where I could walk while I still could and after three years the walking is worse than ever.

if you do decide to get it done tell your doctor you will handle your parkinson's meds yourself. Frequently regular staff do not understand the importance of getting the meds on time. I have not had any of ny Dr.s object.

Good luck whatever you decide and read the consent form, there are many serious risks that they tend to gloss over.

Knees are worse than hips, and that was bad enough.

You might want to consider asking for a copy of the consent form ahead of time so you can really read it without someone hovering over you, waiting to start your anesthetic. You might even want to think about taking it to your attorney for approval, but don't tell the hospital you did--just my view.

For PD meds while you're in the hospital, I have heard and experienced some very negative situations. As a result, I would (1) ask my neurologist to enter orders regarding your meds in your chart ahead of time, and to specify that you will self-administer PD meds. If neuro won't, ask your primary provider and/or the surgeon. (2) when you meet with the anesthesiologist, remind them that you have PD and take the meds. They wouldn't let me self-administer right after surgery, so we had my husband designated as the med dispenser. Since the orders were in the chart, the nurses had to bring them to me anyway, usually at the wrong time, in the wrong quantity, or with some missing. But most of the nurses gave me the pills to take home, to save me a little money on drugs.

Still, the authority to give meds at the hospital I went to was in the Floor Nurse, who, on the first morning, ruled that my meds had to be in their original prescription bottles (as if they would magically stay in the bottles and their presence there proved that they were what the label said). The bottles were huge because I get meds from a mail-order pharmacy, so I had printed out all my prescriptions from the pharmacy's web site. Not good enough for Ms. Floor Nurse. Fortunately, I had established a cordial relationship with the Chief Pharmacist on his rounds the evening before, so I called him, and he looked at my printout and said, "This looks like labels on original prescription bottles to me." He also made sure that the recovery room nurse gave me a Sinemet as soon as I was allowed to drink water.

I have heard that in an extreme case, where the PWP had no support from their own doctors, that they took in a statement of the PD drugs they were taking, signed and witnessed by their attorney, and presented it to the Floor Nurse with the comment, "For my protection AND YOURS, please attach this to my medical orders NOW." Cooperation is said to have been immediate.

Best of luck whatever you decide, accu200, welcome to the forum, and be brave for the physical therapy--most people are extremely glad they did it later on.

pkell, you have been through a lot! Sorry I haven't kept in better touch.

Jaye

Well for one wait as long as you can I mean as long as you can... My knee replacement 3yrs ago was bad after surgery rsd came along 11 months out of work and three times in pt put thru ungodly pain the worst ever.....I'm 45 had the replacement at 42, but could not walk so I had no choice....Now I have rsd in both my shoulders wow what some burning pain... But I have this tens machine first time today... we will see wish you luck.......

I had hip replacement and found water exercise invaluable. Once I was able to get into a pool, i began an exercise program which i practice to this day, 14 yrs later. It keeps me as mobile as I can be given the llimits experienced because of problems with the surgery. the best advice is to delay, delay, delay until you can no longer. madelyn

I am facing the same situation. Degerative knee followed by a fall led to arthroscopy surgery last December. The surgery was unsuccessful. I was told there was more ligament damage than the MRI revealed, and that a total knee was inevitable. It has been difficult rehabing the knee as I am unable to run or cycle without significant pain.

For the past ten months I have tried to strengthen the quadriceps thigh muscle in anticipation of the total knee surgery. The orthopedist's father had Parkinson's Disease and underwent a total Knee replacment surgery. He related that the outcome of the surgery was less than desired because they started rehab with weakened muscles around the knee, He advised me to wait as long as possiblle before considering the procedure. We have managed the condition with Syn Visc joint injections every4-6 months, NSAIDs,
exercise,and massage. I think the orthopedist gave me good sound advice based on his father's experience. If you are going to undergo the surgery have as strong musces as possible. I am a semi retired foot/ankle surgeon and am in no hurry to return to the operating room..

I believe the single most important factor in longevity is maintaining mobility. When we rely on scooters, wheelchairs, and other equipment to move our bodies, furher weakness eventually leads to additional falls,

Good Luck

Gary

The surgeon told me to exercise to build up my Quad muscles and put a 5 lb weight on my knee to straighten it.The pain was so intense I could do little exercise.Afer the operation the pain disappeared but the knee is so weak that I have trouble getting up.I have balance problems which is compounded by the weak knee.I have found out the hard way that pwp always have more complications than the general public

Having gotten through another year I am happier now with my knee replacements than I was a year ago. Getting my shoes built up has helped a great deal and serious rehab helps. I am still unable to walk at any clip but I sat on an air plane long enough to get from Little Rock to Glasgow without any pain, and that is something I simply could never have managed pre-arthoplasty. Still I would recommend waiting as long as possible. It's no picnic.

I have been having arthritis related problems with my knees for the past year and have done everything I can to forestall any kind of surgery. I, too, found that exercise (especially in the water) and massage are most helpful. Neither the cortisone nor the gel injections did a thing for me. What has finally given me relief and the ability to walk better (far from perfect) is Celebrex. Without so much pain, I can address the issues of posture and gait which have a huge affect on our knees.

Good luck,
Sheryl