Max
new member
Hi,
**I have had arthritis in my right knee since about the age of 21 (I am 29 now) which involves a massive amount of fluid on the joint.
**This initially shifted with cortisone injections and for a while Methotrexate (I have also had an arthroscopy and a Synovectomy) Both these methods started having less and less affect and for the past year to 18 months I have had fluid constantly on my joint.
**As a result the cartilage has basically completely gone and I have the bone on bone situation going on which is getting more and more unbearable as is the ugly limp I have aquired due to my inability to bend or flex my joint properly.
That is my background and I have had TKR mentioned to me by my consultant (even though I and he recognise I am quite young for this to be considered) but would like to get some first hand answers to a couple of questions as my consultant does a good job of skirting round the issues!
* Is constant and plentiful swelling/fluid on the joint a common trait for you giuys and if so have you found any ways of controlling/dealing with it? (as an idea my right knee is about 3 inches more in circumference than my normal left knee)
* If I was to have a TKR would this mean the swelling of the joint would go and not return? This is one of the main reasons for not being able to fully move the joint as if I bend past a certain point it feels like the joint is going to explode!
*The muscles in my upper thigh and my calf have noticeable got smaller obviously due to the incomplete movement of the knee joint meaning they dont get used. Would a TKR mean I would be able to move my knee joint to the degree that I would be able to rebuild these?
Hopefully I havent bored you all to death with this I am just so relived to have found a site where it seems like I can get normal everyday responses from people in a similar situation. Thanks for any advice/knowledge you can give me!
Max
**I have had arthritis in my right knee since about the age of 21 (I am 29 now) which involves a massive amount of fluid on the joint.
**This initially shifted with cortisone injections and for a while Methotrexate (I have also had an arthroscopy and a Synovectomy) Both these methods started having less and less affect and for the past year to 18 months I have had fluid constantly on my joint.
**As a result the cartilage has basically completely gone and I have the bone on bone situation going on which is getting more and more unbearable as is the ugly limp I have aquired due to my inability to bend or flex my joint properly.
That is my background and I have had TKR mentioned to me by my consultant (even though I and he recognise I am quite young for this to be considered) but would like to get some first hand answers to a couple of questions as my consultant does a good job of skirting round the issues!
* Is constant and plentiful swelling/fluid on the joint a common trait for you giuys and if so have you found any ways of controlling/dealing with it? (as an idea my right knee is about 3 inches more in circumference than my normal left knee)
* If I was to have a TKR would this mean the swelling of the joint would go and not return? This is one of the main reasons for not being able to fully move the joint as if I bend past a certain point it feels like the joint is going to explode!
*The muscles in my upper thigh and my calf have noticeable got smaller obviously due to the incomplete movement of the knee joint meaning they dont get used. Would a TKR mean I would be able to move my knee joint to the degree that I would be able to rebuild these?
Hopefully I havent bored you all to death with this I am just so relived to have found a site where it seems like I can get normal everyday responses from people in a similar situation. Thanks for any advice/knowledge you can give me!
Max