Ok, who all have either had a knee, hip or both replacement surgery and......

[csziggy]

11. Had total replacements on both knees in 2012

My knees are great - the rest of my body is falling apart now.

The physical therapist they sent me to before they would approve surgery told me to get mine done as soon as possible, before I lost more muscle tone. I'd had the medial meniscus removed from the left one in 2001, the right one in 2005 and was bone on bone. With the pain I couldn't stand for more than an hour a day.

I had the left one replaced on May 20, the left on on July 26 - closer together than the surgeon had planned but I was doing so good he scheduled the second one when I went in for my first recheck.

With my weight and with two bad knees, my patient advocate got me into a rehabilitation hospital for nine days after each surgery. If at all possible, I recommend this. In a Medicare approved facility they do three hours of therapy a day and that gets you going much better than a few hours a week of home PT and trying to do the exercises on your own.

The worst problem I had afterwards was that with the wheelchair and walker my hands kept going to sleep. My doctor thought it was a pinched nerve in my neck but when the neurologist checked me I had severe carpal tunnel problems. So in November of 2012 I had my first carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve relocation surgery. The next year they did the other side.

Now my lower back is acting up - partly from an old injury. I have yet to do anything about it - no time for surgery! And while I like my doctors, I would just as soon not have to see them for a while.