Not sure

[ecgranny]

I had knee arthoscopy about four years ago. I have had two shots of Duralone; one of which helped for quite a long time and one which did not. I saw my surgeon in September and based on my x-ray and symptoms at that time we decided to proceed with knee replacement.

Since September I have been doing the exercises prescribed in the booklet for knee surgery and to my amazement my symptoms decreased significantly. I advised my surgeons office that I may wish to postpone and then went in vacation for a month. While on vacation walking became an issue as well as driving and sitting.

When I returned I confirmed I would proceed with surgery but since that date my symptoms have again almost disappeared. I do not understand how this can be and now am unsure as to whether I should cancel the surgery. My knee is starting to bow in and I am having more hip pains in the same leg but otherwise walking, climbing stairs, etc has significantly improved. Just so unsure if I should go ahead.

 

[Jamie]

Hi, ecgranny and welcome to BoneSmart. I'm glad you joined us and please know we're here to help you make the right decision for you regarding your knee.

Your story is a pretty common one. It's pretty obvious what is happening in your description. You did some pre-op exercises which do help strengthen the muscles around your arthritic knee joint and, in addition to helping with recovery, it can reduce your current pain. Then you went on a long vacation where you were no doubt doing more things than you would normally at home. The pain comes back because there is only so much that muscle strengthening can do. You have a bad knee and nothing will change that!

Then back home again and you're once again in your normal routine and the pain lessens.

You do have a choice. You could delay surgery until such time as your knee worsens (and it will) to the point that you are in a lot of pain. Or you could just get it done and move on with your life and not have to worry about when the pain might worsen to that point.

Arthritis does not get better....only worse. So your pain will increase. Plus, as you notice with your bowing knee and hip pain, a bad knee can impact many other joints in your body and cause problems there. The longer you wait to get yourself back into proper balance, the more likely you are to have additional problems.

Get the knee done on schedule. Move and and enjoy your life.

 

[Pumpkin]

ecgranny,
Many of us find a soon as we schedule our joint replacement, our knee starts to feel much better, and we thing oh, I can cancel surgery. As soon as we do our knee starts to hurt again.
I agree with Jamie, have your replacement before your knee is in really bad shape, limiting your life.

 

[Josephine]

When I returned I confirmed I would proceed with surgery but since that date my symptoms have again almost disappeared. I do not understand how this can be

I had barely any ongoing pain, just what I refer to as a 'stone in the shoe' pain which came and went erratically. Sometimes it lasted for an hour, sometimes for a week but I knew what caused it so let me share that with you.

Arthritis has the effect of making our joints crumble like an old concrete step.

It breaks down, creating lots of grit and debris. Generally this stays in the pouches at the side of the joint but every so often, a bit gets into the weight bearing part of the joint and then we get that extreme pain and can't bear weight on the leg at all! Pain killers do nothing, nor do things like braces. We are just conscious of this horrible burning pain that all of a sudden goes away!

It's every bit as disabling as the constant bone-on-bone pain so many others suffer and is a very good indicator that a joint replacement is needed.

To assess your need for replacement, print off the form in this link, read the instructions and fill it in
Score chart: how bad is my arthritic hip/knee

 

[ecgranny]

Jamie, you are absolutely right. Just looking for someone to confirm what I thought. Thank you!

 

[ecgranny]

Well showed up 5.30am for surgery. Went in the night before due to weather concerns and apparently my surgeon was calling my home to let me know she had viewed xray and had a concern.

Long story short there is a cyst under my ligament which has eroded an area approx ¾" depth on my tibia. Needs to be removed of course but now need complex replacement and no implants for same without nickel, to which I am allergic. Apparently this was not a concern with a regular arthroplasty.

Surgeon wants some test done to ensure I will not have a reaction but there do not appear to be any such tests in Alberta that I can find, i have already been tested for the nickel allergy about 30 years ago and the sensitivity has not changed since then. There must be some of these joints available that do not contain nickel and that can be used for what doc is calling complex.

Think this means a longer screw into tibia as the top of that bone has been compromised by the cyst. Getting frustrated!

 

[SusieShoes]

Oh dear, what a disappointing surprise. Of course you're frustrated! I hope the surgeon moves quickly to figure out how best to address your implant issues.

There are blood tests for metal allergies that are more accurate than patch tests and maybe your medical team can help you get access to one of these. I'm not familiar with Canadian medicine, but here in the States we often have to pay for this test ourselves because insurance will not cover it.

Are you home now? Let us know how you are doing.

 

[Josephine]

Think this means a longer screw into tibia as the top of that bone has been compromised by the cyst.

I think you mean a longer stem! Like this

And this device is from Aescalup and you can see by the gold on them, that they are specifically designed for patients with nickel allergies.

 

[Jamie]

Here is a link to the company that you want to do the testing:

https://www.orthopedicanalysis.com/

You order the kit (you'll probably have to pay for it yourself, but it's worth it to get the right information prior to your surgery) and your doctors can do the blood work for you and send it in. You want the Orthopedic Panel #2.

You're right that there aren't many sources to get the proper test done. We know this one works and it's been used by a number of BoneSmarties.

 

[ecgranny]

Oh dear, what a disappointing surprise. Of course you're frustrated! I hope the surgeon moves quickly to figure out how best to address your implant issues.

There are blood tests for metal allergies that are more accurate than patch tests and maybe your medical team can help you get access to one of these. I'm not familiar with Canadian medicine, but here in the States we often have to pay for this test ourselves because insurance will not cover it.

Are you home now? Let us know how you are doing.

The allergist tells me there is no scientific test for metal allergies by blood! Skin test all I can get in Canada. Maybe she needs backup in writing to justify getting a special implant without nickel?

 

[ecgranny]

Oh dear, what a disappointing surprise. Of course you're frustrated! I hope the surgeon moves quickly to figure out how best to address your implant issues.

There are blood tests for metal allergies that are more accurate than patch tests and maybe your medical team can help you get access to one of these. I'm not familiar with Canadian medicine, but here in the States we often have to pay for this test ourselves because insurance will not cover it.

Are you home now? Let us know how you are doing.

They do not appear to ship to Canada

 

[ecgranny]

Oh dear, what a disappointing surprise. Of course you're frustrated! I hope the surgeon moves quickly to figure out how best to address your implant issues.

There are blood tests for metal allergies that are more accurate than patch tests and maybe your medical team can help you get access to one of these. I'm not familiar with Canadian medicine, but here in the States we often have to pay for this test ourselves because insurance will not cover it.

Are you home now? Let us know how you are doing.

Here is a link to the company that you want to do the testing:

https://www.orthopedicanalysis.com/

You order the kit (you'll probably have to pay for it yourself, but it's worth it to get the right information prior to your surgery) and your doctors can do the blood work for you and send it in. You want the Orthopedic Panel #2.

You're right that there aren't many sources to get the proper test done. We know this one works and it's been used by a number of BoneSmarties.

They do not appear to ship to Canada

 

[Mutti3]

Do you have a trusted family member or friend in another country that could accept the package, then send it to you? Like in the states?

 

[Jamie]

The allergist tells me there is no scientific test for metal allergies by blood! Skin test all I can get in Canada.

Well, that allergist is just wrong! The test information I gave you is the "gold" standard for metal testing and it is the one you need to use. Skin tests are pretty much worthless when dealing with joint replacements.

They do not appear to ship to Canada

Did you actually call the company and ask? If not, give that a try. They might be able to work something out for you.