Anyone experience problems with blood clotting

[Cflower]

The reason I am asking is that if I have to have a knee replacement I recently found out (at age almost 60) that I have a protein S definicency which causes deep vein thombosis.

My MRI shows I have grade 4 congenative joint disease. I had knee surgery 20 years ago from ski accident so I guess things got worst. My left leg is starting to bow out when I walk and looks kind of strange. Anyway, I tried a cortisone shot two days ago for the first time. I hate needles with a passion but husband and doctor talked me into it. Anxious to see if that helps. Dr. has given me two options, I can do it sooner (now) and possibly have it redone at 75 which he says would be a harder surgery I guess to recover from or wait as long as possible. I feel like quality of life is more important now than at 75. I'm tired of limping and having leg flare ups over the last 8 years or so. Just the last couple of months I've noticed it being more uncomfortable after standing all day.

[Josephine]

Hi there, Cflower. I would focus on the word "possibly". It is being found more and more that whilst firms and surgeons are somewhat cagey about predicting a life span for these replacements and many that were put in 20 years ago are still going strong and just think how much the technology has improved in that time! So if your quality of life is getting poor and you are in constant pain, I would opt for it sooner rather than later.

Over in the Hip Surgery forum, I have just written up a newspaper article from last week of a lady who had her hip replaced in 1966 and is still going strong! 40 years at a time when we thought the best we could hope for would be about 10!

As for your blood disorder, the practice of using prophylactic anti-clotting medication is now pretty much routine. Daily (tiny!!) injections are used as are compression stockings and have reduced the incidence of post-op thrombosis in TKRs tremendously. Plus the anaesthetist will add stronger anti-clotting drugs to those given during surgery as this is the time of highest risk.

Rest assured, the practice of surgery nowadays is one of proactive, preventative treatment rather than reacting to problems as they arise. I am sure you will do just fine.