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TKR out of the question when you've got PN?
Neuropathy | Last Active: 1 hour ago | Replies (13)Comment receiving replies
Hi, @joanland
When you say, "If possible have support at home after surgery for longer than you think you'll need it," I heartily agree. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone here at home to support me. When I got my first TKR, my partner, who lived two miles distant, moved in with me. And she was a huge help! Sadly, she has since died. The notion of a TKR and weeks of critical recovery but without a helper here at home weighs heavily on me, making think a second TKR is to be avoided if at all possible. In any event, I'll pow-wow with my orthopedic doc next week to hear what he has to say. I can't imagine I'm the only person who's met with him and who faces the obstacles I'm facing: 80 years old, PN-related poor balance, a bone-on-bone knee, and living alone.
My very best to you!
Ray (@ray666)
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@ray666 , I hesitate to suggest this because you sound like you've already been through the wars, and all the stuff that helps us defer the TKR is stuff that you've done, but I have to say that the single most useful thing I went through in regard to buying time was fixing my gait. I've lost weight, had knee injections, contemplated and may try acupuncture, been through PT to work on strength and found that I am also limited by the pain and balance. All of that helped. However, the years I bought by working with a therapist trained in observing and improving gait (he focused normally on dancers, which I emphatically am not) were striking. Took maybe a year, because how you walk is a big habit to change, and included bracing my hip for a few months to reduce the torque on my left knee.
So...something to discuss with your orthopedist?