Maybe or maybe not a triumph but it feels like it!

jonr

I had a call with my Consultant today and have decided to cancel both my TKRs on the basis I'm leading an almost normal, active life now.

I'm not sure if that's a triumph or maybe even a daft decision but having put into practice all the things I've read about on this Forum I've gone from being unable to walk down the stairs of a morning 2 years ago to hiking to the top of Mount Snowden and down unaided last October.

Onwards and upwards!

Jon

stickywicket

Definitely a triumph, Jon, and a hard earned one.

Also one that will help any eventual surgery succeed.

You have done amazing 'upwards'. Keep going 'onwards'.

jonr

Thanks @stickywicket,

It was quite an insightful conversation as it so happens. The Consultant said a lot of the pain associated with Arthritic conditions is caused by inflammation, not just in the affected joints but from our bodies as a whole. A healthy diet and exercise combine together to reduce inflammation in the body with the side benefits of keeping weight down and strengthening the areas around weakened joints, so a bit of a win-win all round. It's been a hard journey and to maintain the status quo will mean continuing with a pretty intensive routine but if it means I can tolerate and cope with my condition and put off the risk of major surgery then I think that can only be a good thing.

Woofy

Def a win I’d say.

Hairobsessed123

Amazing !!!! X

swimmer60

@jonr

That's terrific and well done you. Without doubt exercise, a healthy diet, my daughter has put me onto daily kimchi, and weight loss is beneficial to everyone's health, not just people with arthritis.

But, and there's a but coming here, pain from arthritis is caused when the cartilage disintegrates and bone rubs on bone, this is what causes the extreme pain many arthritis sufferers experience. No amount of the above can do much about this in the long run, though of course you can delay it.

i felt sick when I saw my x-rays. Where the cartilage should've been there was literally nothing, just a kind of light cloud. On the other hip you could clearly see the cartilage, though you could also see it wasn't in great shape.

Lilymary

That's brilliant Jon, well done! I hope this inspires others! If you can defer your surgery as long as possible by keeping the joint well supported, that will really help you when you do eventually have it done.

A very outdoorsy friend, who was a ski instructor and alpine guide, wore her hip away to a nub but suffered very little pain. She was dog walking right up to her surgery (maybe not skiing though!), and made a really fast recovery as her muscles were in such good shape. I was at the other end of the scale and was in so much pain I couldn't get round a supermarket, so my muscles weren't up to much either, and it made for a glacially slow recovery. So yes, keep up the exercise and healthy living as long as you can. It's all to the good.