Your all probably too young but Knee Replacement Op............

My fil had one not so long ago, fairly quick op, aftercare was fab, he was up and about fairly soon after the op too if i remember rightly. your mum will be fine, i think every operation is scary as it's the un-known ?

Hi

Wish I was too young to know..Im 37 now but have had both hips replaced and am awaiting my knees to be done.

Im surprised they are doing both knees together, it will be hard for her to get around though she will be able to walk with the aid of crutches, has she stairs?

Dressing will be hard especially underwear,can someone stay with her for a few days following the op?

They tend to have you up and walking withint 36 hours of surgery and the usual stay is about 5 days

Google is your friend msotly for info on this.

My OH is an orthopaedic surgeon. He mainly specialises in lower limb arthroplasty mainly hips but does do knees. He is still at work at the moment (joy) but I will check out your questions later.

It is very unusual for them to replace both knees at once.

Ok, my hubby says that he is more than happy to replace both knees at the same time on a patient who is overall fit and well. Hospitals tend not to like to do it though as they don't get as much money for it.

The first 3 days are usually quite rough for the patient, but they do tend to recover and do very after it.

My father had one of his done and it gave him back so much mobility he was really grateful for it......mind you, he had to pay for it to be done privately or wait 3 years for the op on the NHS.

My MIL had hers replaced a few years ago. She was 75 at the time and I was utterly amazed at how quickly she recovered.

She was up and walking within a day or two. She had a fair amount of physio exercises which she needed some help and support to do properly but otherwise, she coped really well.

She did use a stick when out but only for a few weeks and the scar healed fabulously too.

I did a 6 week placement in a hip and knee replacement ward, also watched one being done. She will probably be up the next day providing all goes well and will have a lot of physio to do. The main thing to remember is that the more she puts in the more she will get out of it, replacement joints are only effective as the work and exercise put into it.

Thanks everyone its good to get a clearer picture.

wodger_woo I'm a little scared for my Mum now from your comments sounds like she could be in a lot of pain.

I didn't realise it was unusual to replace both at the same time.

Also someone metioned google, I have looked on there I just wanted a more personal interpretation.

FWIW, one of my colleages on my corporate side had a knee replacement op less than 2 months ago...he admits that he only walks with a limp if he remembers to.........it went well.

Yes but did she have them both done?

He only said that they are a bit rough as whereas with one knee replacement patients can start to get around easier because they still have their unoperated knee to take most of the weight on, patients with bilateral knee replacements don't have that so the initiial mobilisation can be a little tricky for them. However he would much rather do them both at once as the results are very good and they get all their recovery done at once.

The very fact that the surgeons are doing both knees at the same time means that they think that your mum if fit and well enough to cope with the operation and the recovery

Try not to worry about her being in pain ? she will be given the pain relief that she needs. Its not actually more painful having the 2 done at the same time its just a little more difficult for the patient to get up and about and this can make them feel a little more rough than you would expect.

It's years since my Grandad had his knee replaced, probably 10 years or more now and he's 87 and unless walking further than pottering distance doesn't use a walking stick and that's only been something recent in the last year or two.

It gave him so much mobility back I doubt he regrets it all. I think the worst bit was seeing the staples in his knee afterwards, mind you his legs never see the sun so they're not a pretty sight anyway ?

Wishing your mum a speedy recovery ?

Thanks everyone for being so kind, we haven't actually got a date for surgery but consultant said it needs to be done, guess the waiting is the worse.

any more info still welcome, its nice to know about everyones recovery ?

My Mum has had both knees replaced although not at the same time and she would agree with this statement. Your Mum must do her exercises!