TKR Everything Comes to She Who Waits

[Nana moon 27]

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow Carol @patient 99

broken link removed: https://board.jokeroo.com/debate/159554-personal-debate-6.htmlAll my love from Nana moon 27 xoxoxox

 

[Pumpkin]

I hope you find some answers tomorrow Carol.
Wishing you all the best.


Sent from my iPod touch using BoneSmart®
LTKR Sept 13 2011
Revision April 15 2014

 

[Celle]

Best wishes for your appointment tomorrow, Carol.

 

[patient 99]

I hope you find some answers tomorrow

Hi Chris, to my surprise I found the meeting with the consultant useful. According to the surgeon everything about my knee is fine. So of course I asked if that's the case why do I still have that awful tight band feeling. Guess what? he said he didn't know. I was delighted by his honesty. He went on to say that there is some evidence to show that people whose knee cap is lower than the norm do get the problem I am having. I didn't know I had low kneecaps (life is full of surprises).

I am being referred to a pain specialist because he thinks the right cream or injections will do the trick. I'm miffed this wasn't offered earlier, but that does seem to be the way of it.

I wondered if you or anyone else has experience of creams/injections for treating the tight band feeling.

 

[new knee in June]

@patient 99
A doctor who finally was honest & is continuing to look for answers for you
Sounds like a great appointment. I hope you get some answers from other "Bonesmartie's"
As far as the low knee cap, I can think of a few other things that may go low
Please keep us informed of your app. With the pain clinic.
All my Love, Always
Diana

 

[Pumpkin]

I wondered if you or anyone else has experience of creams/injections for treating the tight band feeling.

I use lidocane 5% patches, or Voltaren Jel on my knee, and Kinesio taping. I have the advantage that I can do Kinesio taping myself. They all help, I switch around, my knee gets smart and says, oh no that won't work today, try something else, so I do.
And Tylenol as needed, not exceeded the max. dose of course.

Glad to hear you finally got some answers and suggestions, about time. I do not know why the do not do this stuff sooner, even your GP could prescribe all of this stuff.

Lidocane is expensive here, guess I am lucky to inherit a brand new box from my mother.

In the meantime ask your pharmacist if there is any OTC creams you can try. I know in Germany Voltarn Jel is OTC, don't know about the UK.

Hope you find some relief,

 

[patient 99]

I can think of a few other things that may go low

This knee stuff definitely turns you mad in the end. I caught myself watching an animal tv programme this afternoon. What do you think I was doing? I was looking at the chimp's knees and trying to work out if they were `low' !! My knees are definitely higher than a penguin's.

 

[patient 99]

I use lidocane 5% patches, or Voltaren Jel on my knee,

Chris, do you get any side effects?

 

[Celle]

This knee stuff definitely turns you mad in the end. I caught myself watching an animal tv programme this afternoon. What do you think I was doing? I was looking at the chimp's knees and trying to work out if they were `low' !!

I catch myself watching my grandchildren and thinking: "Gee, I wish my knees still bent like that!"

 

[patient 99]

Gee, I wish my knees still bent like that

Hi Caryl, I know exactly what you mean. If money was no object would you ever have cosmetic surgery?

 

[new knee in June]

@patient 99
Same thing here...Whenever I watch Football or Soccer I cringe Then I think how
They will feel at 40. Carol, I'm so happy your knees are higher than a penguin
I'm sure you can dance better too....Off to Work, Please keep in touch
Love, Always & Forever
Diana

 

[Pumpkin]

Chris, do you get any side effects?

Sometime the lidocane irritates my knee. It is just be getting tired of having it on, there is no rash or itching, I just take it off and it goes away.
With the Voltaren No side effects for me.
Everyone is different, you won't know until you try them, or what ever your pain specialist gives you.

Everything else is going South, why not our kneecaps?

 

[patient 99]

Everything else is going South, why not our kneecaps?

Chris I was prepared for certain things to `go south', but never my kneecaps. I tell you I don't like surprises. I positively hate surprises. I have fretted since the age of 14.5 that I wont know in advance the day of my deathday. Surprises make me worry about what more surprises there are waiting for me. If I were Queen of the World I would pass a bill that made surprises illegal. Penalty for infringing the law DEATH - by 14 days notice of course.

Thanks for the info on the creams. I'm off to try some OTC stuff.

you won't know until you try them,

Hells Bells.

 

[Pumpkin]

that I wont know in advance the day of my deathday.

I think you can purchase a watch for your death date and countdown, and it give you a 14 day advisory.
Hope one of the creams works, at least you will feel like you are doing something.
I am perfectly predictable today, up at 6 make coffee, take meds, read the paper with coffee (no I am not dunking my paper in the coffee), now on line, then breakfast...and so on the rest of the day.
Take good care of those knees,

 

[patient 99]

up at 6 make coffee, take meds, read the paper with coffee

That's a very early start. Its still dark here at that time. Why so early? How many hours sleep are you getting now. Out of 10 how many would you give your knee now? Its still only 8 mths since the Revision (as if you could forget). Any noticeable improvement?

 

[Pumpkin]

That is just when I wake up, yes it is dark, I am a morning person. I get 6 to 7 hours a night of sleep, working on more. Funny you ask to give a 1 to 10 scale, my neighbor did the same. I would rate it a "6", my knee has improved considerably since September. I can now walk around stores etc without thinking "Oh boy I overdid it and am going to pay tonight". My knee is starting to have short periods of time when it does not hurt at all.
Next week I see the OS again, he is about 30 miles from here, so we go out to lunch after the appointment. It gives us something to look forward to.
The worst time of day is at around 3 am to 5 am when my knee just hurts, this seems to be a common pattern, and the cause of my lack of sleep. I am switching my Celebrex from AM to PM, hoping it will help.
At 8 months I figure I still have a ways to, probably another year before my knee fully heals.

 

[Celle]

Hi Caryl, I know exactly what you mean. If money was no object would you ever have cosmetic surgery?

No, I don't think so, Carol. I've had several operations that were necessary for health reasons and I don't think I'd voluntarily have one for cosmetic reasons. Perhaps I would, if I got badly scarred by burns, or something like that, but not for vanity.

Besides, I have a blood disorder that makes me bleed more than most people, so I bruise a lot. I don't think a plastic surgeon would approve of that.

 

[patient 99]

The worst time of day is at around 3 am to 5 am when my knee just hurts,

Thanks for the clear update. Its interesting that you say your knee hurts more at 3-5 am. Presumably that's when you are OFF your feet and resting in bed. Right from the word go my pain/discomfort was only ever when I was ON my feet.

It must be very uplifting to see actual progress and a reduction in pain levels. As you say another year and you could be reporting a 0 on the pain rating. I was speechless when I went to see the OS the other day. More so because I don't think he was bullshxxxing. He reckons my knee is still continuing to improve - 20 mths post op and still improving. It would be fascinating to know what the longest recovery has been from a straighforward/no complications TKR. I'm not angling for a medal , but boy at 20mths I must be in a select group.

I didn't buy the OTC voltarol. I got a bit scared. I'm going to wait to see the pain specialist. This is all totally new ground for me. I don't know what tricks he has in his bag to make my knee more comfortable, but hopefully I will find out.

 

[patient 99]

I've had several operations that were necessary for health reasons and I don't think I'd voluntarily have one for cosmetic reasons.

Very wise. I recently had skin cancer on my head. They removed the cancer but it left a small bald spot. The hair will never regrow. I have now noticed 2 further lumps on my head and am preying that they are nothing. If that's not the case I might have to wear a wig - I'd hate that with a passion. Old age can be cruel.

 

[Pumpkin]

I'm not angling for a medal

I can see both of us on the podium receiving our medals, longest recoveries ever!

Hoping the lumps on your head can be easily explained, and treated easily.
I am with you and Caryl, no cosmetic surgery for me, the surgeries we need are hard enough to deal with.

Understand your hesitation to try anything until you see the specialist, this is all new ground for you.