Yet another knee surgery thread

[ivinsfan]

I don't know if this would help anyone with knee replacements, but could help those with knee issues pre knee replacement.

I went to my holistic dr for blood work check, etc. I explained that I had sore knees, etc after running, biking, hiking. She recommended Xymogen Synovx DJD.

I quit running, and Ive been taking 2 of these pills a day for the last month and knee pain is gone, baker's cyst is gone. Dr said that taking this could extend the life of one's knees.

Just thought I'd throw this out there.

Where do you buy this supplement? I could google but prefer to know where someone who has seen improvement buys, sometimes that matters.

 

[SumDay]

Got my hair cut really SHORT today, so that it will need as little care as possible while in the hospital and in recovery.

Also checked the house again for minor falling hazards. Everything is about the knee these days.

I cut mine really short too. You'll be glad you did it. Somedays it was all I could do to just get it wet in the shower.

But today, 4 weeks post-surgery, I actually washed & styled it, put on make-up and went for my follow-up appointment with the ortho. They were very impressed with my progress. No cane, no walker, no opiods. I don't have to go back for two months! I'm crediting not only the surgeon but the 12 years of yoga I've been doing, and some pretty serious strength training and biking in the months leading up to the surgery. My bend is at 115, and 120 is the goal, so I'm now clear to get in our hot tub and I'm going to do some squats in there each night as I star gaze.

I had them look at my right knee, since it's been honking at me, but they said they might have trouble getting insurance to pay for it as it's not bad YET. We'll keep an eye on it. While I'd love to have it done this year since I've met the deductible, I'm relieved. I'm just starting to feel like a human again, and I'd like to enjoy it for a while. I'm even considering some travel this fall, and I don't even like to travel.

I hope yours goes as smooth as silk W2R. Looking forward to hearing from you after.

 

[W2R]

I don't know if this would help anyone with knee replacements, but could help those with knee issues pre knee replacement.

I went to my holistic dr for blood work check, etc. I explained that I had sore knees, etc after running, biking, hiking. She recommended Xymogen Synovx DJD.

I quit running, and Ive been taking 2 of these pills a day for the last month and knee pain is gone, baker's cyst is gone. Dr said that taking this could extend the life of one's knees.

Just thought I'd throw this out there.

Also, any failure of this supplement to help would probably contribute to the documentation required before Medicare will ever approve TKR surgery. They require a lot of other measures to have been tried and to have failed, including:

1) various medications (in which this would probably be included as well as NSAIDs and prescription meds);

2) weight loss

3) physical therapy, ice, elevation, etc.

4) intra-articular injections

5) braces, orthotics, or assistive devices such as walker or cane

This list is just my summary from memory, but you can Google and find the official list and discussion on the Medicare website which is where I got it. I am feeling cranky and don't want to google it again.

Anyway, this type of required documentation is why reputable surgeons keep trying and documenting various other treatments first. TKR surgery is pretty much the last resort AFAIK.

 

[Ronstar]

Where do you buy this supplement? I could google but prefer to know where someone who has seen improvement buys, sometimes that matters.

I bought through the Xymogen website. And I needed the physician code to buy it. So it is somewhat like a prescription.

 

[ivinsfan]

I bought through the Xymogen website. And I needed the physician code to buy it. So it is somewhat like a prescription.

Good to know Thank you for sharing

 

[W2R]

[...]and went for my follow-up appointment with the ortho. They were very impressed with my progress.

That's great! Glad to hear it.

 

[MarieIG]

Best wishes for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery!

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Best of luck to you on Tuesday, W2R.

 

[omni550]

W2R,

You've done all you can do to prepare. I'm impressed.

Sending you positive thoughts for a terrific outcome from your upcoming knee surgery and a speedy recovery with minimal pain and a full range-of-motion outcome.

omni

 

[bolt]

My research has suggested that there's aggressive knee replacement currently.
There are many variables.

 

[W2R]

Thank you so much!!! You all and others here are the greatest online friends ever.

Just 35 hours until I am supposed to report at the hospital for my surgery, and 37 hours before it is scheduled to begin. This is scary but could mean a huge improvement in quality of life, for me. So, I'm ready and determined to get it done.

I got a lot more preparation done today so tomorrow I will just be winding up the details.

Don't worry if you don't hear from me for quite a while after Tuesday morning. The surgery will take a couple of hours, and then after that I will be stoned on heavy pain medications like Chuckanut was. I admire him for being able to post on those meds, but I really don't know if I will be able to do that. I suspect that I will be high as a kite and in no condition to be posting. We'll see.
____________________________________________

"D*** THE TORPEDOES, FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

--- Admiral David Farragut during the battle of Mobile Bay, paraphrased

 

[Calico]

Thank you so much!!! You all and others here are the greatest online friends ever.

Just 35 hours until I am supposed to report at the hospital for my surgery, and 37 hours before it is scheduled to begin. This is scary but could mean a huge improvement in quality of life, for me. So, I'm ready and determined to get it done.

I got a lot more preparation done today so tomorrow I will just be winding up the details.

Don't worry if you don't hear from me for quite a while after Tuesday morning. The surgery will take a couple of hours, and then after that I will be stoned on heavy pain medications like Chuckanut was. I admire him for being able to post on those meds, but I really don't know if I will be able to do that. I suspect that I will be high as a kite and in no condition to be posting. We'll see.
____________________________________________

"D*** THE TORPEDOES, FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

--- Admiral David Farragut during the battle of Mobile Bay, paraphrased

Good luck on Tuesday! You are as prepared as you can be, and you are strong and determined. I'm sure you will come through the surgery with flying colors. Here's to a speedy and uncomplicated recovery!

 

[Moemg]

You will ace this . If they ask you about a knee block the answer is YES .

 

[W2R]

You will ace this . If they ask you about a knee block the answer is YES .

Thanks, I will!! My surgeon said that he and his team customarily use general anesthesia for total knee replacements, oh fooey! But if they ask me about it, I'll definitely vote YES for a knee block.

 

[W2R]

Good luck on Tuesday! You are as prepared as you can be, and you are strong and determined. I'm sure you will come through the surgery with flying colors. Here's to a speedy and uncomplicated recovery!

Thank you!

I appreciate the nice words and good wishes being posted on this thread, so much.

 

[Dtail]

Good luck W2R. You have lots of friends on this site wishing you the best.

 

[W2R]

Good luck W2R. You have lots of friends on this site wishing you the best.

Thanks. I can use all the good wishes I can get. Elective surgery sounds like a rash thing to do at my age (71), but I have heard that this particular surgery has a good rate of success. If so it would add so much to my quality of life.

 

[MissMolly]

Best wishes on your surgery tomorrow! Here's hoping for a speedy recovery!

 

[W2R]

Best wishes on your surgery tomorrow! Here's hoping for a speedy recovery!

Thanks, MissMolly!!!

 

[mamadogmamacat]

Again, best wishes for success tomorrow, and as peaceful and stress free an experience as possible.

Interesting new avatar, by the way.

So far, the only joint surgery I have had was for wrist tendonitis, and had a general anesthetic for that. With all the tugging, pulling, etc, that is part and parcel of joint surgery (knee even more than wrist), I think a local would be disconcerting, but your Dr has the experience and knows best, obviously.

 

[MRG]

Good luck on the surgery and a full recovery.

 

[W2R]

Again, best wishes for success tomorrow, and as peaceful and stress free an experience as possible.

Interesting new avatar, by the way.

So far, the only joint surgery I have had was for wrist tendonitis, and had a general anesthetic for that. With all the tugging, pulling, etc, that is part and parcel of joint surgery (knee even more than wrist), I think a local would be disconcerting, but your Dr has the experience and knows best, obviously.

Good luck on the surgery and a full recovery.

Thanks, everybody!

I found the avatar graphics yesterday, by searching on "knee" in Google images. I have no idea what it actually is, but to me it seemed like a nice illustration of knee pain.

I also added a new signature line which reflects how determined I feel about this surgery.

Although I was hoping for as little anesthesia as possible, for safety's sake, we will tentatively be going with a full general anesthesia. This is the preference of my surgeon and his team, and they are used to doing this kind of surgery together, so I will go with that.

While I was writing this, the surgeon's assistant called to tell me everything is going ahead as scheduled. I am to report to the hospital by 7 AM, the surgery is scheduled to begin at 9 AM, so if all goes well I should be out of surgery and coming out of anesthesia by around 11 AM. But it may be days before I post after that, depending on how the pain and pain meds affect me.

 

[Chuckanut]

I am writing this message as I sit back in my recliner icing my knee. A morning of making breakfast, doing the dishes and then washing up and shaving has left the poor knee wanting some relief.

FWIW, have a good ice machine ready to go. I do believe that I spend more time each day icing the surgical knee than I do anything else, and that includes sleeping!!! For the record, I have just completed four weeks since the surgery.

 

[MissMolly]

Yeah, I don't think you want just to be marginally anesthetized. This is a serious surgery that you do not want the possibility of waking up in the middle. Go with what your doc recommends.

 

[W2R]

I am writing this message as I sit back in my recliner icing my knee. A morning of making breakfast, doing the dishes and then washing up and shaving has left the poor knee wanting some relief.

FWIW, have a good ice machine ready to go. I do believe that I spend more time each day icing the surgical knee than I do anything else, and that includes sleeping!!! For the record, I have just completed four weeks since the surgery.

Thanks for the great advice and comments; I really admire your honesty and your strong efforts progressing through this difficult recovery.

My ice machine is right at my elbow, and I have been using it 3-5 hours daily already this week, even though I have not had the surgery yet! Usually an hour or two in the morning, and 2-3 hours later on in the day. It does help a lot with swelling and pain even now. Yesterday after three hours of icing I was able to walk two steps without my walker and even put some weight on the leg with the torn meniscus to do those two steps, something that has been completely impossible for me to do since May 13th. Of course, doing that caused it to swell back up..... But the ice machine does help. I am sure I will need it to a tremendous extent after tomorrow.

I just finished re-reading your posts from the days just before and then just after surgery, and thank you so much for posting all of that information.

Yeah, I don't think you want just to be marginally anesthetized. This is a serious surgery that you do not want the possibility of waking up in the middle. Go with what your doc recommends.

I think you may be right; that's probably why he wants to use a general. My TKR surgery is expected to be a little more difficult than usual due to various factors that would be boring to discuss. Oh well! As long as I wake up from it after the surgery, I don't care one way or the other.

I'm doing more laundry at the moment although F said he would launder the king sized comforter for me so that will require another load to be done later. It fits in my oversized washer but I can't imagine getting it from the bed to there very easily with a bum knee. The hospital requires all newly laundered bedding after surgery.

Other than laundry, I think all I have left to do today is
(1) pack my little overnight case, and then
(2) take my required shower with Hibiclens antibacterial soap.