good news and bad news for BBB

My knee replacement was one of the early surgeries and had bad results. I was told at that time that my prosthesis would probably only last for 10 years. I nursed it along for 32 years and it wasn't easy.---BBB

The history of knee replacement:

Total knee replacement in some form has been practiced for over 50 years, but the complexities of the knee joint only began to be understood 30 years ago. Because of this, total knee replacement initially was not as successful as Sir John Charnley's artificial hip. However, dramatic advancements in the knowledge of knee mechanics have led to design modifications that appear to be durable.

Significant advances have occurred in the type and quality of the metals, polyethylene, and, more recently, ceramics used in the prosthesis manufacturing process, leading to improved longevity. As with most techniques in modern medicine, more and more patients are receiving the benefits of total knee arthroplasty (TKA).[1, 2] Approximately 130,000 knee replacements are performed every year in the United States.

CONTINUE:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1250275-overview

I hope your doctor is a miracle worker, BBB and that you can get the infection cleared up soon!

Sounds like you are in good hands and have the latest in technology - Good Luck!!

Good luck, BBB!

More stress for both of you, BBB and BFN, but this might all be for the better, I hope.

Crossed fingers for your doctor and you two.

Wishing you a good outcome. Throwing in a ouch and an oy.

Be well, BBB.

All in all, it sounds promising, BBB! I hope they get the infection resolved quickly.

Got mah fangers crossed for you.

Checking in here to let you know I'll be following your progress closely.

Be well.
Joe(soon)Nation

Good news from my doctor yesterday. My knee is not infected!!!! What a relief because this means I won't have to have two difficult surgeries, which I dreaded.

July 11th is the scheduled date for my knee surgery. It's a long surgery, between four and five hours. My 32 year old prostheses will be removed and a new one installed. All of the terrible mistakes made by the doctor in 1980 will be corrected. My recovery will be long and difficult, but it will be worth it if I'm able to walk and without the severe pain I've had for such a long time.

Some of the tests I've had in the last two months indicate that my heart and arteries are in very good shape, so the risk is less than I feared because of my age. What's funny is that I will turn 82 on July 13th and will have a new knee on July 11th. That's my birthday present!!!

BBB

Good to hear, BBB.

Wonderful news! Progress...at last!!!

Wow, that IS good news! Best of luck !

Very glad to hear good news, BBB. Keep hanging in.

Hang in there BBB ! You can have the knee redone and with any luck the rotator cuff problem then won't be so critical. I have had both surgeries and know, as undoubtedly so do you, that a lot depends on how aggressively you pursue the post op physical therapy. For kneee surgery this is often critical in restoring range of motion. Stubborn persistence is the key, and something tells me you won't find that aspect of it too strange or difficult.

Good luck !

Thanks for your good wishes, George. If you know my history, you will understand my challenges.

My biggest worry is that my age and muscle weakness, etc. will make it difficult to restore my knee flexibility. My leg was badly damaged by the terrible doctor mistakes in the 1980 prostheses surgery. It effected my spine as well as my leg. It resulted in the lower part of my knee turned to the right instead of forward. My tendons were stretched so badly that my right leg is nearly one inch longer than my left leg. I had to have my shoes fitted with a lift to avoid spine damage and pain.

The Kaiser Hospital doctors finally gave up and said they couldn't do anything more to correct the damage. I sought other opinions and was examined by specialists at Stanford University to learn what could be done to correct my leg damage. The surgery was very primitive at that time and they determined it was too risky to attempt removing the prostheses and redoing the surgery. So I struggled to be able to walk for 32 years, even when the pain got worse through the years.

I had to change my profession eventually to have a job that didn't require a lot of walking. I was the architectural administrator for 14 years at Harbor Bay Isle in Alameda before I retired in 2002. It was a great job for me. I could ride 1/4 mile on my scooter to my office. My 1990 Volvo today has only 56,000 miles on it because I used my scooter so much. I take good care of my Volvo and it will probably still run long after I'm dead.

Now that I live in Albuquerque, my scooter it hardly ever used and I have to drive every where. Now that my daughter Butrflynet came to live with me, she does most of the driving and other things I no longer can do. I hope the new surgery will change my abilities.

I've been trying to lose weight to improve my new prosthesis results. I'm down to within 20 pounds of my desired weight. So I'm doing my best to be able to walk again.

BBB

Well we were nearly neighbors. I live on just off Grand St near Franklin park in old Alameda.

With any luck the knee surgery will markedly improve your current condition, enabling you to get around with Butterflynet without pain. Perfection is the enemy of good enough in this area as in many others.

You are indeed a tough old girl, and, even though we don't agree on much, I respect you for it.

Best of luck to you!

Good news 5/26. My physician did all the numerous tests needed to determine if I can survive the knee surgery on 7/11. When she gets the final blood tests at the end of June, she will give my surgeon the green light to proceed with my surgery. One more requirement passed OK.

BBB