Margie's Total Knee Replacement Story

After years of adapting to worsening knee pain (apparently an epidemic of our baby-boom generation!), I was seen by a visiting orthopedic surgeon February 2007, and was surprised by his diagnosis. X-rays revealed that TKR (total knee replacement) was my ONLY option due to degenerative osteoarthritis in both knees. I was given cortisone cocktail injections in both knees (VERY painful) and told I would be put on a list to receive injections every 3 months, each time when the orthopod returned to Iwakuni. In a day or two, almost all pain had subsided and I felt better than I had in years!

In May, when the visiting orthopod returned and I got my second set of injections, I found out that I could only get 3 injections total – ever! – then I would either return to living with the pain or choose to have the surgery. I got busy considering my options. I was advised that military hospitals, because we’re civilians, would likely not be able to work me in, and of course ours on base is just a clinic. The closest military hospital is in Yokosuka, near Tokyo. I then researched and considered Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, one of the finest hospitals in the world, which was highly recommended. Or I could be referred off-base (probably Hiroshima) for surgery, so I checked with our friend, Hiroshi-san for his orthopedist who was also highly respected. My fourth option was was to return to the US for surgery.

One night, I asked our neighbor, who was a flight surgeon on base, what he would recommend for his mother. Without hesitation, he said there were many excellent places to have TKR, but I should stay at least two months after surgery before returning to Iwakuni, because of our clinic’s limited facilities. I would be in trouble if any complications were to develop. This turned out to be the best advice I received! Staying somewhere away from home for 2 months after surgery could be a lonely and expensive experience, and traveling by train within Japan would be tiring and difficult with a recovering knee. This information greatly limited my choices. It made more sense to return to the US since we go during the summer anyway. And Birmingham seemed to be my best option. I could stay with Holly and many friends there to help keep me company during recovery. When you get to the bottom of the page, click "Older Posts" (underlined below right) to see more of this story - photos too!