Knee replacement

[Whitehair51]

I have ET and am concerned about getting knee replacement surgery and the chance of blood clots. I read that the average blood loss is 800 ml. Has anyone gotten this surgery and how did it go?

[hunter5582]

I have not had this surgery, but other surgeries with blood loss or significant tissue damage always have caused reactive thrombocytosis. I have never had thrombosis as a result. You are asking a very reasonable question. It is very important for your MPN Specialist to consult when considering a major surgery. That doc can best advise about the specifics of your situation.

It is common for doctors to administer heparin or other anti-clotting agents after some surgeries. The thing to be aware of is that with more elevated levels of thrombocytosis there is also risk of hemorrhage. Your surgery care team needs to be aware of this risk too.

Hope that helps. good luck with the surgery if you move forward.

[Arty16]

i had a hip replacement. Make sure ure surgeon and haemotologist have a conversation. My op was fine they monitored my bloods really closely. I did end up having a blood transfusion that was the only thing. It meant i was in for an extra day

[Aime]

Hi, I have had knee replacement surgery and although I have Polycythaemia and not ET, it went well. The surgeon sought advice from my haem and I had injections to thin the blood in hospital, then at home for 3 weeks. I also made sure I moved around every day, as much as I was allowed to/could do.

Hope this helps, wish you well for your surgery. It’s really important you do your exercises thoroughly after the surgery, so you get a good outcome. Apart from kneeling which feels a bit strange and slightly uncomfortable, I have no other issues.

Kindest regards Aime 😻😻

[Minu68]

Hi, I had my hip replaced last year. Haematology and hip consultant liaised over the operation. My platelets had to be under 500, and I took blood thinners for 4 weeks after the operation. It all went well!

[saltmarsh]

I had total knee replacement in March 2022. Surgeon wanted platelets down to about 300 prior to surgery so hematologist had me on hydroxyurea for several months. The surgery of course is not easy to recover from by its nature, but I had no issues at all and stopped hydroxyurea a few weeks after surgery. I am 75 and fairly active. Good luck with the surgery. Be as aggressive as you can be with the physical therapy.