I have now been off work since the middle of July,when I had a Meniscus operation on my right knee.
I had the same operation on my left knee 4 years ago and was back to work in six weeks,however,after the op in July the surgeon told me that I have extremely bad osteo-arthritis in my knee (I already knew that after a scan last year,it’s in both knees and thumbs) and that recovery may take longer this time round.
I went back to see him on a monthly basis as the knee wasn’t getting any better,there was still pain and a lot of discomfort,and so,after three and a half months,he gave me the option of either continuing as I am and suffering,or have a replacement knee.
No contest,as in the middle of next Janurary I will have been off work for six months and so the health insurance money I receive will go down to 40%,so I need to get back to work.
I asked my physiotherapist some time ago what’s involved in a knee replacement,and he showed me a model of a knee joint where they cut the bone above and below the knee and fit a complete new joint,which looked pretty major!
However,I then asked the surgeon what is involved,and he said that things have progressed and they only do a complete joint replacement if the joint is totally crushed.
I am going in on 8th December and will be in hospital for a week.
In my case they shave a few millimetres of each face of the joint and fit a metal part on one side,and a plastic part on the other.
As it is usually older people that have this operation he said my recovery should be much quicker (I will be 55 in Janurary),but,from other people,they say it could be six months to a year before I feel fit again.
The problem at the moment is that my left knee,as well as my right hip,is giving me some pain,as I tend to put more pressure on the left side.
So,have any of you had this operation,and how long did you take to recover?
