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THR first time posting, 3 weeks post-op

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I have been managing, off and on....3 inch heels. VERY STABLE 3 inch heels, and, lol, if I weren't using the cane, I couldn't do it yet. In fact, I told everyone that I'd do anything they wanted me to, I'd be the model patient, because I wanted to wear high heels again. I said it so much one of the aides wrote it on my white board as my goal in the hospital. My real goal is to go back and visit for Christmas, in heels, no cane. We'll see.
 
Things have been going really well--walking well, gait good, etc, etc, except for about the last four days I've been having a lot of trouble with the knee in the unoperated leg. Anyone else? I'm giving it a bit more time, then making an appointment with a knee surgeon whom I inadvertently saw on my quest for THR.
 
:rotfl: Gallows humor here---we'll all be together on the knee forum one of these fine days:rolleyes:
The farther I can walk without my hip hurting, the more my knees are bothering me.
 
Say it isn't so! After I had my hip surgery scheduled, I started feeling some pain in my knee and thought ohoh , I'm going down the slippery slope. However, it hasn't come back and maybe it was just the way I had been moving to try and compensate for my deteriorating hip.
 
Oh, John, we gals couldn't go get our knees done without you!:SUNsmile:
 
Wonder if there is a correlation between THR and deteriorating knees.
 
Damn! must be.. my right is constantly swollen and clicking painfully from compensating for the bum left hip. PT says it will be fixable once my gait improves. One thing at a time!
 
Sending best wishes that the knee quits bothering you just as soon as you get that gait straightened out.
 
Well. Turns out the knee man feels as though I have a new knee in my future. For the interim, I got a cortisone shot, which seems to be working quite nicely. I have been working out with a personal trainer--I got that as a Christmas gift--and that has been helping me enormously. She's very dedicated and went off and talked to one of the physical therapists to make sure that what she was doing was safe for someone with a hip replacement. Oddly, my non-operated leg is more problematic at the moment than the other one. A few weeks ago I was doing some work on the cable machine, and, famous last words, I pulled something--which was quite extraordinarily painful, surpassing the replacement by far, but the pain is gradually (and I do mean gradually) receding. And...for inquiring minds, I have been working steadily on my 3" heels, and today managed them for about 3 hours, and in that time, actually took a stroll that would be the equivalent of about two city blocks. Which I think is pretty okay, considering my age! Other than when I had the injury, the cane has been retired (knock wood) and other than aches from exercise--which feel good--no other problems.
 
Wow, we are so similar. I am finding that the knee on my unoperated leg is getting in the way of some of my attempts at hip rehab. In addition to crepitus on the outside of the knee I now have a new loud clunk and pain beneath the kneecap. I am going back to my hip OS next week to get it checked out. Before my THR I had lots of physio for what they assumed is patellofemoral pain syndrome, plus have been having my knee taped up to try and make it track normally. Nothing as yet. Before surgery, wearing a knee brace was helpful, now its just more uncomfortable. If he suggests cortisone, I'll go for it. Did you have yours done in the radiology dept or in the office?
 
I had it in the office, and other than feeling a lot of pressure in my knee, it was pretty much a non-event. There was a clunking beforehand, and now there's none, so that's good. Apparently results vary a good deal, though. I asked how long it lasts and the answer was, hopefully forever, but it varies from person to person. I still have swelling at the back of the knee, but I can do things like ride a recumbent bike with no problem. Also, after a period of time on my feet, it's stiff and takes a little while to bend (and this includes on the treadmill) but by and large, I'm happy with the results. I'm not quite sure if it's the knee hampering me with the rehab, or if it's the very fact that both my legs got locked into their "jobs" and didn't have a chance to move in other ways. I will be honest, and say that sometimes it's at the back of my mind that I might end up with another THR. That notion is in fact a lot less scary now, since I know what to expect, both from the procedure and from myself.
 
I'm completely comfortable on the stationary bike for 45 minutes at a time, my knee doesn't hurt at all, which I suppose is a good thing. So, it sounds like cortisone might also work for me. It didn't work in my hip but after 3 shots, it worked in my shoulder. I have been taking meloxicam for the swelling for about a year but am stopping as of today as it clearly isn't doing the job, in fact may be doing more harm than good. Thanks for the info.
 
Have you tried the cortisone shot? Mine still seems to be working and I had it in January. When I was there for my follow-up, they also told me there was a shot beyond cortisone, for when that didn't work any more, but the usefulness of cortisone had to be exhausted before insurance would approve it. So there's that....if I have a plan, it's to get a knee replacement before my H retires, but that's a ways off and things seem to be okay for the moment.
 
PlanetJanet My OS talks about Durolane being the next step...I'm told it works in 50 percent of cases. But there's a lot of controversy about how useful those shots are or if they are really any better than cortisone. So I'm still at the research stage.
 
The knee is still bothering me. I had a second shot in the summer...probably around July. I was trying to make it six months. I don't think I'm going to make six months this time, though. I don't want a replacement in the next year, since I'm planning a European vacation about a year from now and I'd rather deal with the knee I have, rather than rehab from a new one.

And yes, my trainers tell that that there is a correlation, since the "good" leg had to compensate so much for the "bad" one. Also, my right knee--the troublesome child--has had an injury or two over the years, which is probably not helping. In general I'm very happy with my hip, though, so that's good.
 
Janet, sorry to hear the knee is still a problem. I get occasional twinges in mine, so I asked my OS to xray the knees when I went in for my one year checkup.....just wanted to prepare myself for what might lie ahead. I was amazed and delighted to find out that my knees were fine and dandy. NO arthritis...not a smidgen. Wish I could do as well with soft tissue, which is my current bugaboo.

At any rate, since you want to stall a while longer, I don't suppose you'd ditch the high heels....just a thought....it boggles my mind to imagine they aren't hurting you in the long run. (You probably hate hearing this just the way a smoker hates anyone suggesting they quit!! Please don't hate me.)

Sharon
 
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