Back again, 5 years on..

[Mizen]

Gosh how I long for a full nights sleep... so tired.. paracetamol and anti-inflamatories really not taking the edge of the night time pain - not to mention the pain (the take your breath away pain) while driving. I had to pull up day before yesterday and get out of car to relieve the pain - dont remember it being like this with knee number 1. Anyone else identify with these symptoms.

Today, If I was offered a cancellation I would be in like a shot for treatment

 

[Teri59]

I can relate to the pain in the knees while driving. My right knee is the issue right now. I have learned that setting my seat to the highest setting to stretch my knee out helps. I used cushions in the last car I had. I now drive with a higher seat and set it back as far as I can and still reach the peddles safely. I can move my leg around and stretch it a bit.

 

[Mizen]

So I thought I might leave myself a few reminders here of how awful living with an arthritic knee is and how it impacts on my life - just in case I happen to be the recipient of a miracle in the next 3 weeks and suddenly become pain-free and start questioning my decision to have surgery -

3 weeks tomorrow I will have my surgery. I have a date (June 28) for my pre-op assessment and all going well I will be the proud owner of a new second partial knee replacement - left one done in 2012

In the meantime, I need to put it down in writing here what my current knee is doing to me

1 I haven't had a full nights sleep in over a month - thanks to knee locking and cranking me out of sleep when I try to straighten it in bed, that then leads to restlessness and an awareness of the pain that is there - and no matter whether I lie on my left side, right side, back, front I usually have to get up and get an ice pack or pain relief

2 I have postponed travel

3 I have stopped all journeys where I am the driver because within in minutes my knee pains really badly - almost taking my breath away - so all trips to the city are off - even though I need to go - so only doing local journeys for now.

4 I have a journey to make tomorrow to the City to collect our new car, I am delighted to be doing that but absolutely dreading the journey I will be in agony the whole way there and back and for the entire day. It's a 120mile round trip - far too long for my knee to be confined to a bent position

5 By 5pm each day I am looking at my stairs and asking "do I really need to go up there ?" if the answer is yes, I have to do it like in recovery - up with the good leg and down with the bad. by the time bedtime comes I am holding on with both hands to the bannister to get me up... my stairs is 22 steps plus a half landing

6 All normal daily chores are a chore - simple things like closing the dishwasher door with my leg is out of bounds - can't do it.

7 And my face... well it's telling its own story to all and sundry, I am miserable, I can't find any pain relief, there is no hour of the day or night I am without pain and I keep asking the other half - "was I really this bad last time around" - funny thing is he says "yes" but I think thats just to comfort me and to make sure I dont chicken out

I can't sit, lie or walk for long before I am in pain, I am starting to develop a limp while guarding myself against the pain. The inside of my knee is tender to touch and the underside aches down my shin and every now and then I get shooting pains on the inside of my knee like I have been stabbed with something sharp making me want to hold my breath.

I am tired and want to sleep but put off going because I know how uncomfortable bedtime is.

So if I get a notion in the next few weeks that I am ok and don't need this surgery - please someone direct me back to this post.

 

[sistersinhim]

It sounds like it is time! Your relief is in your future!

 

[SusieShoes]

I think we all should write such a truthful, honest post about how our arthritic knees have impacted our lives. It's a good reminder to have at hand!

 

[Josephine]

Mizen, I'm sorry to have to tell you but you really ought to get a second opinion on your knee before you have any surgery on it. Because a partial is NOT appropriate for you. I predict that if you have a partial, within a year you will be needing a conversion to a total knee replacement. Sorry, but it's true.

The blue arrows show in medial compartment where the real damage is, but in the lateral compartment, the red arrows show the same damage.

I have just been hanging washing out and the said knee took a turn... ouch.. it almost went from under me

I can explain that. 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

 

[Mizen]

Thank you, Josephine, for your advice. These are the 2 other X-rays taken the same day, the one you commented on and have the arrows on was of me bending the knee in towards the x-ray plate and its when the knee is bent like this that I have the most severe pain (hence the trauma of driving) Standing upright isn't so bad - oddley enough

 

[Mizen]

Going to my GP this afternoon.... the pain currently is almost unbearable - July 3rd is a welcome date on my calendar.

 

[sistersinhim]

Good luck on your GP visit. I pray you can find some relief.

 

[Mizen]

Thank you @sistersinhim my GP was very understanding and has given me some stonger pain medication to take me to my surgery date

 

[sistersinhim]

Fantastic!

 

[Mizen]

I am starting my countdown today. Tomorrow fortnight is my surgery date.

Yesterday I did zero driving and I had a pretty ok day with the pain. Early this morning I was awoken by the Coast Guard Helicopter flying overhead, (it seems it uses our home as a point of reference before turning for the ocean) anyway that was 4.58am which meant I had a relatively good night sleep... so I have surmised that driving is the wicked witch of the west where my knee is concerned.

Today is Fathers day, it's a stunning day blue skies, sunshine, and heat. The family are coming to ours for dinner and maybe a walk by the sea after... but driving is off the agenda unless it's absolutely necessary

These coming two weeks are very full, next weekend we travel to the UK for a dear friends wedding, its a short visit just Friday to Sunday. The weekend after that there is another special wedding, I also have my pre-op, various admin tasks to complete, plus getting my home in order including food shop etc..

Over the last few days I have poked out my Cryocuff, it still had its 3 mini empty coke bottles in it for freezing, seems I had notions back then that I might need this contraption again in the future, I also ordered and received new gel packs which come with a wrap around sleeve for the knee, I have tried them out already and they are so soothing.

laundered the famous pillows for elevating, cleaned parts of the house that have been put on the long finger... and so it begins...

 

[Josephine]

I think that without a doubt this is not suitable for a partial replacement.
You have bone spurs all over the place (red arrows) and obviously have some varus deformity (bow legged) which a partial will not correct.

 

[Mizen]

8 days..... I'm in Birmingham airport waiting to return home after our few days here..knee was extremely well behaved..time to 're read my list of why I have decided to have this surgery and remind myself that the good days a few and far between...

Just thinking how will I be feeling this night next week..

 

[Mizen]

7 days

 

[sistersinhim]

You'll be on the way to recovery and a painfree knee! Arthritis only get worse. This will get better!

 

[Mizen]

@sistersinhim thank you.. today my knee is really biting . I have my pre op on wedneaday and have been rehearsing in my mind what I will be saying regarding post op medication..i didn't have a good plan last time around and wasn't confident enough in myself to ask for better pain relief plus I didn't know what was acceptable or normal 5 years ago..

 

[sistersinhim]

Will you go with the total like Josephine suggests? It's a shame to maybe have to have a revision in a year or so.

 

[kayak59]

I agree with Celle 100% about getting the surgery when your muscles and tendons are in good condition and strong. I waited too long to have my knee replacements, until I had no muscle tone and I'd lost my core strength as well. That probably was a major contributor to the severe back pain I had several months later. After my hip replacement about 7 weeks ago, I was in the pool doing aquatic PT and I also did upper body. My arms were pretty strong and as a result, although I had right thumb trapezium arthroplasty a week and a half ago, I am using that hand way more than I thought I would -- maybe more than I should but I can. I have accidentally grabbed some heavier items than I should have but as long as the strain was on the right side, the thumb side felt okay. I think this is true of ALL surgeries of any kind.

 

[Mizen]

@sistersinhim . I had a partial 5 years ago and it's been fantastic to date. It will be the surgeons call next Monday when he starts as to whether it is a full or partial I will leave that in his hands. He is young and full of great expectations of his patients and we get on well. I am sure all will be reviewed anyway on Wednesday at my pre-op.