If you find this website useful, please sign our guestbook:  click here to enter

MY STORY

I will not give too many details as I don't want to bore visitors to the website.    First of all I would like to thank all the staff at Kettering General Hospital who contributed to my treatment.  The surgeons did a marvellous job but it would all have been for nothing without the care given by the rest of the staff involved.  Without them I would  still be lying in bed and getting bedsores!

I damaged both my knees when I was 11 years old and at that time nothing could be done to prevent the subsequent damage resulting from the injury.  I have known for years that I would have to have both knees replaced but did not imagine that I would be able to have both done at once.  After many years of physiotherapy, A&E visits, consultations with doctors and surgeons, not to mention the thousands of painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid & other injections, and the odd arthroscopy, I was told that the time had come to get me into hospital.  I was surprised when it was suggested that I have both knees replaced at once but after the initial shock, I jumped at the chance.  After all, it would mean only one stay in hospital, only one anaesthetic and only one struggle to get back on my feet.  I also considered the impact to the other knee if I opted to have them done one at a time and I was not optimistic that it would be able to survive the extra load while I was recovering.

I was duly admitted to Kettering General Hospital and I have to say here that the treatment I received from everyone involved could not be bettered.  They were all dedicated to making my stay as painless and as short as possible and gave me the impression that I was the only patient that mattered (but I noticed that they offered the same service to every other patient). Before the operation I was fully briefed on what to expect on the day of the operation, during the operation and on the days following the operation.  I was given the choice of having a general anaesthetic or an epidural and had the pros and cons of both fully explained which allowed me to make an informed decision.  I opted to have an epidural and not to be fully asleep during the 4 and a half hour operation.  To say the experience was interesting is an understatement and at times it sounded as if I had stumbled into a car repair workshop instead of an operating theatre.  Nevertheless I felt no pain and while I could not say the experience was pleasant it was not uncomfortable and it was not stressful.  I was well drugged to deal with the pain of the operation and when I was returned to the Ward after the op, the first thing I realised was that the chronic arthritis pain I had lived with for decades was gone!  This was an entirely new feeling for me and to say I was euphoric would not be adequate.  At this point I should say a special thank you to the patient who unexpectedly came to my aid when I was most uncomfortable and who washed my feet with a hot flannel.  It was a very unselfish and generous gesture and one which mattered a great deal to me.

 Not too many patients had been in for bilateral knee replacements and so I was something of a celebrity  For a few days I was confined to bed and then was encouraged to get up to sit in my chair at first and  to get myself to the bathroom as the next step.  The physiotherapists were delighted with my fitness levels (thanks to the years of performing the exercises on page 2) and as soon as I could put on my underpants unaided, sit on the toilet seat and get up again unaided and walk up and down five stairs unaided (all tried and achieved on the same morning ... not bad, eh?), I was told that I was ready to go home. This took everyone by surprise as my husband and other family members had been told that morning that I would be in for a further  6 days at least.  Still, I was discharged that afternoon, with clean dressings (and a set of replacements), and my husband drove me home.  The first thing I did when I had entered the house was to visit the lavatory, where medical loans had installed a special seat with arms to help me on and off (they actually loaned me two of these), and then climb the stairs to the bedrooms.  I did these just to convince myself that I was able to cope at home - I was.  At first my husband slept in a separate bed as we were both worried about him inadvertently hurting my knees during the night.  However, I gradually gained more confidence and soon we were able to return to normal.  I spent a lot of time sleeping over the next couple of weeks, having been told to spend time lying on the bed with my legs elevated ... if I took painkillers before I lay down I could not stay awake but I think this was beneficial. I had been told I had to wait 6 weeks before having a shower but I am afraid I only waited a week and then had a glorious shower with my knees cling filmed to keep the dressings dry. 14 days after the operation the district nurse called and removed the staples in my knees (78 of them in total). One of my knees was still oozing a little and so it was dressed again but after a couple of days I was able to remove this too.  The scars were red and angry looking but I started moisturising them copiously (as advised) and soon they were beginning to fade and shrink.  

Each day I tried something more adventurous.  For example, the day after I was released from hospital I got in the car with my husband and off to Waitrose we went.  He got me a wheelchair (not very comfortable I must say) and we did a little shopping.  After about half an hour I was ready for home but at least I knew I could get out and about with the aid of a chair.  I am also very lucky in that we have a private park with a little lake and woodland paths and I was able to start having short walks there.  At first it was far enough to get from the house to the park gates but gradually I increased my stamina and distance, with the encouragement of all my neighbours, although one of my neighbours had an 18 month-old daughter who was more steady and faster on her feet  than me.

The first big milestone came when I phoned one of my co-patients (right-knee replacement) who lives about 3/4 of a mile away and arranged to walk up to visit her.  I was still walking with crutches outside the house at this time but I made the journey there and back without any real trouble.  

During this time I was in contact with the other patients who had been in the same ward and we all shared our knee experiences.  It was really useful to realise that others were having the same feelings and to be able to share tips and advice on how to deal with these.  Mostly, it was reassuring to know that we were not just imagining things or being weak and feeble.  Some of the others were attending physiotherapy as they had not known about the exercises before they their operations.  In total, three of us had physio on our knees before, knew the exercises and had carried on doing them when discharged from physio.  We three were the ones who were discharged from hospital with no need to have physio thereafter.  This shows the benefits to be had from having fit leg muscles prior to surgery.  If anyone reading this is due for surgery then I recommend approaching your surgeon or GP and asking to be referred for physiotherapy as soon as possible.

I duly attended my six weeks' check-up with the surgeon who was delighted with my progress, with my straight leg and my knee bend as well as how well I walked.  He even brought other surgeons in to see his miracle bilateral knee replacement patient who had surpassed all expectations in terms of recovery.  I have to say that the x-rays taken that morning were beautiful to look at, especially compared with the ones taken on admission to hospital where the films looked like they were taken in a dense fog (from all the ground-up bone particles floating around the joints).   I was told I no longer needed walking aids (after many many years of sticks this was a little scary, I must say).  I left my crutches behind when I came out (I knew if I kept them I would be tempted occasionally).  The expression on my husband's face  when I danced out of the consulting room is something I will never forget.

Since then I have been walking every day and after several months was able to walk about 6 miles before the knees started trembling.  I have a static bike and I cycle for at least 20 minutes and I do a full set of knee exercises daily.  I was still experiencing pain and numbness for about  months but the soft tissues healed and this level of pain was nothing compared to the years of agony I endured, and eventually it disappeared.  Obviously I still get the odd bit  of  stiffness, especially if I am lazy about doing my daily exercise, or if I do a particularly long (or mountainous) walk.    Having both knees replaced has been the best thing that happened to me in terms of health.  I can thoroughly recommend it.

The New Knee Club members have met up severally and individually many times now.  As a group we have been out for dinner often and get together for a  hilarious Burns' Suppers at my home.  We have coffee afternoons there are always other outings planned, not to mention birthday celebrations.  .  There is now a New Knee Club "Kneeslettter" which is published once every 6 to 8 weeks giving news, health updates, funny moments, recipes, etc.  We have formed a bond which will endure and despite our very different natures, we all get on really well.   Without the group my recovery would not have been so speedy and I would like to thank them for their support.