Good morning! I'm in the process of working through insurance requirements before surgery approval. My knees are bad. I regularly get cortisone shots. Anyone else have arthritic knees before the surgery? Did the weight loss help? Thank you.
Good morning! I'm in the process of working through insurance requirements before surgery approval. My knees are bad. I regularly get cortisone shots. Anyone else have arthritic knees before the surgery? Did the weight loss help? Thank you.
Yes!
I had terribly painful arthritic knees due to years of being overweight, having innately weak knees, and multiple athletic and other accidents that hurt my knees; I'd had previous treatments for knee pain, including laparoscopic surgery on one knee, rooster-comb shots (yes, that's a thing), cortisone shots, decades of daily doses of ibuprofen and then Aleve, and times when I used a cane for weeks or (once) months at a time. I'd long planned to have knee replacement surgery after age 70. My knees sucked!
Then at age 68 I had a VSG and lost 100 pounds. The last 15 pounds took 9 months to come off, and those 15 pounds made as much difference in how my knees felt as the first 85 lost pounds did.
For the past 15 months I've weighed 135 pounds. My knees hardly ever hurt! I do yoga twice a week, aquarobics and/or walking at least 3 times a week, and now "stroll" at 3.5 miles per hour. I can push it up to 4.5 mph if I'm in the mood.
My knees are just as full of "gravel" as they ever were. And I still can bend them both only about 90 degrees. But now they don't hurt. If I ever do have to have knee replacement surgery I know it'll be so much easier to recover / rehab from the surgery than if I were 100 pounds heavier.
That's my story. No guarantee, of course, that you'll have the same experience. But it's probably going to be better when you reach your goal than it is now.
Good luck!
Consult: 235 lbs
My and doc's preop diet: 216 -19 lbs
M1 postop 205 -30
M2 193 -42
M3 184 -51
M4 174 -61
M5 167 -68
M6 162 -73
M7 156 -79
M8 151 -84
M9 148 -87
M10 146 -89
M11 144 -91
M12 143 -92
M13 142 -93
M14 140 -95
M15 139 -96
M16 137 -98
M17 135 -100
First Surgiversary post
Second Surgiversary post
Third Surgiversary post
Yes and no. I had arthritic knees as a result of old sports injuries and a lot of extra weight. When I was 30 the orthopedic surgeon told me to come back in my 50s and he'd replace it. Fast forward 26 years and down 200+ pounds, the pain was still there, though not as bad and cortisone shots seems to last for shorter and shorter times. My leg was turned out at my knee changing my walk and causing back and hip pain. Last November I had my knee replaced. Recovery was a lot slower than I thought it would be, but I survived and the surgeon said my knee had a lot more damage than he expected. Both my PCP and surgeon said losing the excess weight made my recovery a lot easier. My leg is now straight and I'm an inch and a half taller.
Hey dear. Welcome!! I have terrible knees also. I've tried all the shots they could give me and they didn't work for me. My dr told me I need to have both knees replaced but I'm not too keen on the idea of going through all that til I absolutely can't tip toe around anymore!! My surgery date is April 25 so I'm praying to the good Lord that it helps my knees and back!! We're in it together so guess we will find out
I was so encouraged to read that the last 15 pounds made the most difference for you, Ann, because I have lost 43 pounds, and yes, my knees are improved; but I have been disappointed that there's still quite a bit of pain. I still have another 27 pounds to go, so I will keep up hope that my knees will be much less painful after that. If not, well, I was going to have to have knee surgery anyway, this way I WILL be in such better shape! Thanks
I had my right knee replaced four years ago and the left one was in just as bad a shape. Since surgery in August, i have been able to increase my exercise levels to the point where tonight a ran 6.4 miles on the elliptical in 50 minutes, without any pain afterwards. My joints are so much better now. I will likely still need my left knee replaced but maybe I can hold off for a few more years.
Having had both knees replaced i can tell you it's the best thing I've ever done--just had VSL today so might be bumped to #2! I'd been in an accident and spent 10 years trying to "walk it off." The last straw for me was walking down the stairs with a puppy in my arms. My knee completely gave out. I fell down 6 stairs and landed hard on hands and knees. The puppy went airborne. Everything was fine but I was totally scared. What if that happened on NYC subway?
I picked a surgeon who specialized in knees, did the pre-hab, took the hospital tour, watched the videos they sent, and was totally prepared. Rehab was about 2nonths. I live alone and did my rehab as an outpatient. Did the knees about 6 months apart. The implants last a lot longer now.
It is wonderful wake up without pain. Any Q pls PM me.
Thank you for the encouragement! I'm hoping for similar results. . You are all so helpful! I appreciate that because going through this process is overwhelming.
How are you feeling now?
Bookmarks