Hate to hear it. I work in Orthopaedics and am involved in several knee replacements each day. Get it done. DO THE REHAB. You won't regret it. If you are trying to get through to after season you could try joint fluid injections like Simvisc or Orthovisc. It could Possibly provide enough relief to get through season. Maybe you've already tried it but thought I'd offer it as a suggestion. Best of luck. You will feel much better after it.
Misery loves company
- Thread starter Tommytrees
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I hate to accept this but... After my left knee taking up the slack for my right knee (old LODI) it has reached the point where I can't stand let alone hunt. Have to go for scans, see Cardio, and the other ology's and hope knee replacement will occur before end of year. Anyway, long story short, I will miss everything this year and hope to be OK by my birthday (April) so maybe I can find a bear hunt.
I would appreciate it if some of you would post your hunt stories and pictures for this year on this thread. Kind of like sharing hunting campfire stories (success and humor) . I hope to share your success, that's the company part.
Be safe, be well. Good hunting !
tommytrees
Hi Tom, the support you have gotten here is tremendous, and hopefully encouraging for you. Even immobility doesn't mean the end of hunting for anyone!! I had two heart attacks at 54 (3 stents), got diagnosed with CHF/CAD at 56, have two rods and six screws holding my back together, and......I've been around the sun 73 times and in November it will have been 74 times. So...........that's the boring BS about my life. The important thing, at least for me, is to concentrate on the things that you can do, and not the things that you cannot do!! From what I have read here and what I have seen with hunter friends who have had knee surgery it's a walk in the park and recovery happens quite quickly after surgery. A number of years ago I blew out the gastro-bundle (calf muscle) in my left leg and was on crutches. It was just before hunting season and hurt like a SOB!! I didn't get a deer that year, but an tell you that crutches have pretty good traction in the snow, not so good on the ice though; that's the voice of experience talking. If you have some hunting buddies or a group who you hunt with perhaps you can go as the camp moral support person for the group, or just keep the fire going in the camp. Again it's important to look and do the things that you can do. Have you thought about doing a new build on a rifle that you will be using for your next hunting trip? There's lots of research that can be done, lots of questions about different options that can be done right here on the forum, and lots of phone calls to be made to line up parts,materials, prices and a gunsmith to do the build. IT doesn't have to be a $5000 rifle, unless you can afford one, I've got some really nice hunting rifles that I have put together of around $1000-1200 that work just fine for my hunting needs. Because of my back issues I cannot walk, however last year I found a deer outfitter in Maine who had shooting houses where the shots could be up to 300-400 yards. Perfect for me, shooting house, Buddy Heater, thermos full of black coffee, couple of PBJ and fluff sandwiches, and.......300-400 yards shots with the rifle that I built for just this type of hunting, a Ruger 77 in .270 Ackley Improved. I also black bear hunt in Maine, the shots are 40-60 yards I purchased and refinished a vintage (1978) Marlin 1895 in 45-70, and.....took a 170lb bear with it using Barnes 300gr TSX hollow point bullets. My son shot a 180lb black bear with his 35 Whelen with Barnes TSX bullets. I've attached some photos of the last hunt, the exit hole in one of the photos was from the 45-70. Good luck in your surgeries and recovery, again it's what you can do that counts, even in rehab!!!
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Wiley J
Member
As has been already stated. Get as fit as you can before your surgery.
Then more importantly, Do Your Rehab Religiously. If they say do 10, do 15 etc. The rehab is where it succeeds or fails.
Best of luck mate. Get amongst them soon!
Then more importantly, Do Your Rehab Religiously. If they say do 10, do 15 etc. The rehab is where it succeeds or fails.
Best of luck mate. Get amongst them soon!
Tommytrees, best of luck on a speedy recovery and sorry you have to miss a hunting season. This sight sure has a lot of support behind you.I have never had a knee replaced, but it appears a lot of people here have been through it in the past. I have had over 30 fractures and had my left wrist blown over half off in an accident. A half a dozen surgeries and a year of physical therapy and my hand works great again. As has already been said, do the therapy. I missed two seasons, because I could not support a rifle with the left hand. Hang in there, next hunting season will be here before you know it.
Hey Tommy,
I'm one of the guys that does knee & hip replacements for a living. Not every doctor that does those understands climbing up and down mountains. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want a hunter/surgeon's opinion on your options. There are things about the surgery that suck, but once you recover, life is generally pretty darn good again. Whatever you do, best of luck.
I'm one of the guys that does knee & hip replacements for a living. Not every doctor that does those understands climbing up and down mountains. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want a hunter/surgeon's opinion on your options. There are things about the surgery that suck, but once you recover, life is generally pretty darn good again. Whatever you do, best of luck.
Len,
You sir are a remarkable person. I've had many surgeries on my knees and can attest that if we work hard at it we can get back to full hiking abilities. But it takes work after the replacement.
Modern medicine is amazing. I'm sure you'll be up and going in no timeI hate to accept this but... After my left knee taking up the slack for my right knee (old LODI) it has reached the point where I can't stand let alone hunt. Have to go for scans, see Cardio, and the other ology's and hope knee replacement will occur before end of year. Anyway, long story short, I will miss everything this year and hope to be OK by my birthday (April) so maybe I can find a bear hunt.
I would appreciate it if some of you would post your hunt stories and pictures for this year on this thread. Kind of like sharing hunting campfire stories (success and humor) . I hope to share your success, that's the company part.
Be safe, be well. Good hunting !
tommytrees
Sorry to hear about your plight. Very frustrating I know for those of us who enjoy an active lifestyle. Fortunately modern medicine and surgery can work wonders. Hope they get you fixed up soon. You'll be up and running (literally I hope) in no time. All the best!
Vaughng
Member
I will say this but it will fall on deaf ears, even so I will recite my wife case she had reached a stage where it was impossible to go on.We had both been going to the Gym each morning she was using a machine that built up the muscles surrounding the knee and she had been doing that for 12 months prior to her operation. she had both knees done at the same time. After the operation she spent time with the physio and he was amazed at her movement . a week and a half after release from hospital she was on the ride on mower doing the shopping and generally having no issues at all with the proceedure. she did however have a serious blood clott in her lungs caused by an incompetent supervising physisician who did not prescribe Heferrin to prevent Blood Clots, most important!!!
After her release from hospital she was as right as rain, no pain whatsoever.
Moral of this story is build up the muscles surrounding your knee before the operation.
By Comparison a mate of mine ignored what I said had one knee done went into an eposide from the Endone was in immense pain for some months , you can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink
Vaughn G
After her release from hospital she was as right as rain, no pain whatsoever.
Moral of this story is build up the muscles surrounding your knee before the operation.
By Comparison a mate of mine ignored what I said had one knee done went into an eposide from the Endone was in immense pain for some months , you can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink
Vaughn G
A knee is childs play (lol. Had knees also)! Try a reverse total shoulder replacement. 6 weeks out and i could go on an easy hunt if i wanted. Its a miracle of science and technologyI hate to accept this but... After my left knee taking up the slack for my right knee (old LODI) it has reached the point where I can't stand let alone hunt. Have to go for scans, see Cardio, and the other ology's and hope knee replacement will occur before end of year. Anyway, long story short, I will miss everything this year and hope to be OK by my birthday (April) so maybe I can find a bear hunt.
I would appreciate it if some of you would post your hunt stories and pictures for this year on this thread. Kind of like sharing hunting campfire stories (success and humor) . I hope to share your success, that's the company part.
Be safe, be well. Good hunting !
tommytrees
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Not a monster buck, bull or Bruin, but a monster smile indeed! Not bad 7 years old he hung in there after a couple misses and got us some fresh venison! Proudest dad memory to cherish!! Lil brother wanted to help butcher it this morning!!I hate to accept this but... After my left knee taking up the slack for my right knee (old LODI) it has reached the point where I can't stand let alone hunt. Have to go for scans, see Cardio, and the other ology's and hope knee replacement will occur before end of year. Anyway, long story short, I will miss everything this year and hope to be OK by my birthday (April) so maybe I can find a bear hunt.
I would appreciate it if some of you would post your hunt stories and pictures for this year on this thread. Kind of like sharing hunting campfire stories (success and humor) . I hope to share your success, that's the company part.
Be safe, be well. Good hunting !
tommytrees
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Sort of like trekking through foot-deep snow for 3-4 hours and getting back to the truck only to find the largest track you've seen all day walked right past the back of the pick-up. I hate it when that happens!!!
Good advice. Finding a surgeon who understands active, athletic people is worth the looking. Connecting to a sports doc and/or people who are themselves some kind of athlete helps. My knee was a custom build to recreate the original natural angles. Swiss made. The new parts straightened out the pronounced bow that had developed over time. The knee is a more complex and heavily stressed joint than a hip or shoulder ball joint. After my (replaced) hip readjusted to the new angle, I found even my back felt better. Getting everything realigned was a plus.
My doc hunts elk too, so that was a plus; he understood what I needed to be able to do. He did tell me to back off the meat loads I had been packing, though.
Best of luck at the repair spa.
