Gonna be long wait for me & others sagas as well - help??

[sheryl7]

I'm so sorry I missed this, Sheryl. But the answer to your question is that a lateral release can heal itself because mostly not the entire band of the lateral retinaculum is divided. This is because they are mostly done 'blind', meaning the surgeon inserts a guarded bladed into the area, feels where retinaculum is and pushes the blade along until he feels it loosen. So if he has only partially divided the band, then it can easily heal up again and cause the same problems it did before.

And the patella doesn't actually have a 'socket', just a groove on the front of the femur where it slides up and down within the quads tendon where it lives. That's why it is easily pulled out of place by a too tight band.

Thank you Josphine, answers finally, came up empty on google searches.
This expalians a lot to me, and I appreciate that, finally shedding light on my questions and possible conclusions, will discuss with os next week to see what we can do in additon to on going pt, maybe brace it for the time being, and know that at some point in time, i know i will be facing more surgy on my poor left knee. But so much else health wise has been thrown at me, I ahve to addresss the imporatnce of each one, no use of right hand, seeing nuero, aslo to rule i or out ms, and all signs are and gave been present for years. and now a lung/pulminary disease we are monitering closely, again thank you for finally shedding possible reasons for failed release
ps please excuse poor spelling and grammar left hand is getting too much use, as is tiring from taking up the slack.

 

[sheryl7]

Sheryl, have only just caught up with your new thread. WOW, I can see from your new photo just how much weight you have lost. You look amazingly good, girl - well done on the weight loss

You have been through so much and I really do feel for you when you get absolutely no support from your family (except perhaps occasionally from your son now). As said by someone else earlier, the three of them need a good kick up the butt and a few strong words. I would gladly tell them if I could, I can assure you. How selfish are they? You need to be more assertive with them and not let them dictate or walk all over you. It makes me so angry

I am so sorry you are not in the best of health. You must come on here regularly because you will get the support and comfort on here that you so deserve.

I can't offer you any practical advise as I'm no expert, but am here for you with moral support

Thanks for the kind support Kathy, I apprciate it, and will make it an effort to try to be on more often, not just for me , but to encourage others as well i miss welcoming newbies, and like to offer help where i can.Or just offer kinds words as you have offered me, this is the forum, I know and miss i brag on bonesmart all the time, was losing faith when i received no comments, thank you for reving that faith.
By the way, how are you faring it your tkr, or just tell me the name of your recovery thread, and i will check your story out there, and offer you support there, thanks again , i know i exhaust this smiley but he my favorite!
Ps yes i have loss 105 pounds, i am even much thinner now then current photo, i have been so sick, i cannot stop lsoing weight, have currently loss 10 pounds in less than two weeks, next dr is gastro to adress this, ex hub, is growing tire of my medical blls, and says i better get ssi, as i am putting him in the whole, its bad enough til i get ssi when we all move north GA, he will be paying my ren utilitis, internet, not tv. So he i being compassionatee in helping me but growing weary finicially..sigh..

 

[RestAssured]

Sheryl,

I do specific exercises in PT and Personal Training everyday but Sunday to work on my VMO, which is part of my patellar tracking problem. I am wondering though, did they release on the outside of the knee, causing your patella to slide inward, or he inside of the knee causing your patella to slide outward?

 

[sheryl7]

Sonja, he released the on the outside causing knee to slide inward, because that was the prob the slid out to the side, but now the left knee is once again trying to slip outwards again. But i have to put in on hold for time being, hoping OS next weeks braces it, to at least stabilize it and make it easier to do my quad strengthing to assist in the muscles strenghting enough to hopefully stabilize knee on its own with the muscle assistance. i do strengthing exercises daily the best i can. It predominately wants to slide out when going down stairs and the pain is blind sighting. And when i get in the driver's side of my car it kills me and want to slide out. Really only with my car??
I had braces, but enourmous now, so need to be re fitted for them.
Ok son screaming at me for getting for getting wrong mayo, does it ever end?? sigh!! ave a good weekend

 

[BarbieJ]

sheryl7, did you see your doctor today regarding your hand? Also yesterday, what did the lung doctor say? Wondering how you are.

 

[sheryl7]

Still have the lung disease but back down to level where I can moderate it. Hand and arm have worsened. I spilled tea in keyboard. Sorry for poor typing.
Will keep posted. Thanks for concern. Will see if son has extra keyboard.

 

[Orthodoc]

does it make a difference,is an open one more sufficient?

This depends on the surgeons experience and the patient's particular anatomy...

Orthodoc

 

[KathyH]

It sounds like you don't want/need to lose any more weight, Sheryl. You are being put through the mill, sounds like. I do hope many aspects of your life will improve, you deserve them to.

I too love the I am doing okay thank you. I've been one of those with a slow recovery, but am still glad I had the TKR. Getting a good ROM has been the problem. I had an MUA just before Christmas and that helped the bend enormously. Before the MUA I couldn't get passed 70 degrees, now at seven months out I can get 108. Slowly but surely with baby steps.......

Stay in touch, Sheryl

 

[sheryl7]

This depends on the surgeons experience and the patient's particular anatomy...

Orthodoc

Thanks OD. Will have to play by ear. Have worst problems than my knees right now. Thanks for your explanation

 

[sheryl7]

S

It sounds like you don't want/need to lose any more weight, Sheryl. You are being put through the mill, sounds like. I do hope many aspects of your life will improve, you deserve them to.

I too love the I am doing okay thank you. I've been one of those with a slow recovery, but am still glad I had the TKR. Getting a good ROM has been the problem. I had an MUA just before Christmas and that helped the bend enormously. Before the MUA I couldn't get passed 70 degrees, now at seven months out I can get 108. Slowly but surely with baby steps.......

Stay in touch, Sheryl

Sorry I missed seeing this post. Yeah you will get there slowly but surely. Hang in there

 

[sheryl7]

Just a quick update, again doc more concerned with my severe back problems than my knees. My CT scan read on many levels that there is severe stenosis and facet atrophy?? And of course herniated and bulging discs.

But he is most concerned with the stenosis, which he explained are severly choking the nerves so bad. That what is causing my severe sciatica on both sides, sometimes on both of them on the same day. The right side is way worse. It's very, very difficult to drive. He upped nuerotin, but it's not doing a thing. But he feels the CT scan is not telling the whole story, as he feels the stenosis is far worse than what the CT says. I cannot have an MRI, becasue I have a pacemaker in my bladdder.

He wanted me in to see neurosurgeon ASAP and feels I need surgey soon to un-choke the nerves or eventually I won't be drivng or walking.

He did say outcomes of the surgery are very good, and most people are back to functioning with no pain, once recovered.

So I have a neurosurgeon next Thurs, will keep posted.

Thank you for support.
Right hand still not working

 

[BarbieJ]

Sheryl, I know someone who had spinal stenosis surgery and 6 weeks later a TKR. He also had a hip replacement 3 years ago. He said the stenosis surgery was very tough and painful recovery. He thought his THR was pretty easy. I cannot imagine thinking that hip replacement is easy. I also am having stenosis and almost crippling ongoing pain. I am not sure if its from the stenosis.
I want to ask you, how do you manage the pain of IC and surgery such as that? I know I have a complex revision in my future but I cannot manage my IC pain so how would I deal with a difficult surgery?

I am having a cascade event of painful chronic conditions. I am not managing my gastroparesis too well. I wake up with such nausea.
When I had my THR I was healthy with no chronic conditions. It was horrendously painful. I have been in chronic pain since my THR and now I am losing my ability to walk. I went to my Primary doc on Tuesday and the grocery store, with my cane and spent the entire day yesterday in bed in pain. I have an appointment in one week at Mayo with an OS. I believe I have an infection and all of my doctors are having a difficult time diagnosing it.

What I am getting at is that one thing you can be grateful for is that you do not have a knee replacement yet. I wish I did not. It changes everything and if you have problems they find their way straight to your prosthetic. Crossing your fingers and hoping you don't develop a tooth dying or a UTI during the first few years didn't work for me. I got both at 6 month post op.
Take care of yourself. Just want you to know I am still following your thread.

I had a laminectomy 15 years ago and it was like preschool compared to joint replacement. I understand stenosis surgery is worse. The guy I know who had stenosis and knee replacement is doing very well now and is happy about the outcomes of his surgeries.
Keep us posted.
Still curious how doctors manage the IC during surgery. Don't you have to be off all meds for a couple weeks before surgery?
What about catheter during surgery?

 

[sheryl7]

Hey Barbie, I typed a real long post answering your questions and asking a few for you. But it got lost. I just got back from the grocery store and am burnt out. So when I am up to it, I will retry to post. Just wanted to let you know I did read your post and made a valiant effort to answer it. Til later take care.

 

[sheryl7]

Hi Barbie J, will try to recall what i wrote.

First you asked how to handle the nausea. Question to you..... Are you seeing a gastrologist?

Second I am not a doctor. I know this is off topic, but you need help, so I'm gonna attempt to tag Josephine: and orthodoc:

OK to tell for what helped me:

1) Eating 6-7 tiny meals a day. It helped me get off the reglan, as it is causing the same effect, quicker emptying of stomach. (I cannot recall. Do you take reglan? If not, talk to your gastro. It could benefit you.)

2. Do you have acid reflux? That may be contributing to night waking nausea. For this I finally found a proton inhibitor that works for me called Protnix has completely cut out waking during night nausea altogether. So if you are not on one or not sure if you have reflux ask your gastro. (I have a hiatial (sp?) hernia, but no doc seems to think its a big deal, so I guess if they are not worried then I won't be either.)

3. Have you been tested for gallbladder problems? There are two ways - ultra sound, and also what they call if memory serves me right, a hydascan. Ask your gastro. These are things you need to be tested for if you haven't been already.

4. Have you had an endoscopy? That's where they sedate you heavily and stick a tube with a camera down your throat. They can check for ulcers and see what condition your digestive tract is in, how your esophagus is doing, etc. Again if not tested these are things that you may need to be tested for.

5. You are probably already aware, but do NOT eat raw veggies ever. It will make you sick as a dog. I love raw broccoli but it kills me. Your digestive tract with the slow the emptying of your stomach. It just can t break it down.

6. I take papaya enzymes to help digest certain carbs, proteins, etc. But first ask your gastro if its ok. All of what I am saying is from my experience. You must double check with your gastro. If you don't have a gastro, and just have a PCP, you NEED to be referred to a gastro ASAP, so they can do further testing. Especially if you haven't already had these tests I had.

7. OK you asked how do I handle pain with the IC during surgery. Typically I take Lortab for the IC. They usually change up my medicine regular pain killer to a another one that my body is not used to all the time like Percocet or maybe dilauded or even Demerol until I have recovered from whatever surgery I've had. Then I go back to Lortab.

8. You asked about catheters during surgery. Again I am not a doctor, only telling you from my experience. If it's an out-patient surgery, they typically do not cath you. But if it's an extended stay, like when i had hysterectomy, they cathed til I begged and begged them to take out the cath and the morphine. I hate morphine and caths. They finally did.

So again hoping Josephine: can jump in her and explain more on what type of surgeries they will cath you for. Just an educated guess - something like a TKR, I would imagine at least for several hours they would cath you, especially if you had a nerve block. You can't walk to the commode. But as far as other different type of surgeries, I would think, again a guess, it would depend on how long you won't be mobile to get to commode yourself.

9. By the way, I am going on memory here, as I am in WordPad....in case my post gets obliterated again, I won't have to re-type, left hand typing alone is difficult. So you mentioned you had heard that the stenosis surgery very painful. As much as it scares me, and there always chance of paralyzation, I don't seem to have a choice. If the stenosis continues to choke my nerves, I won't be able to walk or drive anyway. So to me it seems I have more of a chance with the surgery, because without it I will definitely lose my abilities. With surgery I stand an excellent chance of making a full recovery, and once recovered, I have researched, there a a high rate of full recovery, and fully functioning much more than I am right now.

Ok I have to paste this to thread and see if i missed anything.

OK I see one last question again getting Josephine to back me up, as i am going on personal experience here, as I just had second interstim surgery done Nov 2012. I was told to be off any antinflammatories (NSAIDs). This would also include any type of blood thinning supplements as well such as any fish oil, omega3, cod liver, vitamin E, and I am sure there are others.

As far as I know you may remain on any antidepressants, narcotics(as long as no ibuprofen or such in it) and Tylenol should be fine. I can't think of anything else. Oh yeah, I was told to stay off the melatonin but not sure why. I know its a type of hormone.

But always ask your doctors before any surgery you have, as there may be more to the list that I am unaware of. But as far as narcotics, if that's what you are concerned about, have never been told to be off those.

I think I covered everything??

Now I have a question for you. What is a laminectomy? And how does it compare to stenosis surgery? And do you have any idea what they do in the stenosis surgery to un-choke the nerves?
Ok let's hope I dont lose this post again. You take care and hope you feel better...Sheryl

 

[BarbieJ]

Thanks, sheryl7,
I just wondered but I know all patients need a individual treatment plan.
You will be just fine after stenosis surgery. They scrape the bone but don't know much more than that. Like I said, my friends husband scheduled a knee replacement 6 weeks post op from his stenosis surgery. Crazy!
I had the herniated disc surgery called laminectomy on L5. I had sharp pain in my back for months after the surgery but it went away and I could walk great at that time. By one year I was pain free. Before my L5 surgery, I couldn't stand up straight at all and had mind numbing sciatica. My doctor told me that he wanted me to schedule the first available surgery because he worried if I delayed I might lose my bowel/bladder control. It all happened so quickly. I tend to not seek treatment until things are horrendous.
I have an appointment on Tuesday at Mayo with the hip OS and one at the end of May for my gastro and other stuff.

Since you have the unique experience of having IC and seek OS for ongoing knee pain, I just wondered if the surgery when catheterized is considered as something that is possible.

I just don't understand how I got this condition. I first noticed it after the catheterization from my hip replacement. Trying to manage it with just Estrace.
Let me know when your stenosis surgery is. Giving you hugs from the Midwest.

 

[sheryl7]

Thanks Barbie, hug back to you too. I won't know til I see nuero surgeon. I did get a brace for knee, so patella stays in groove. It's helping a bit.

I have already several time lost conrol of bladder and bowels, and will be discusing with surgeon next Thurs. Will keep you posted.

 

[sheryl7]

Just a little bit of an update and a question about my left knee.
I guess first i will ask question, my left knee, the one that keeps trying to have its patella come out laterally, has a big bony like thing sticking laterally out there, i have never noticed before? In the past there was always fatty tissue and swollen like sitting there, now is unnatural feeling and looking bony structure sticking out.
Any one got any clues to what, why, how this is?
I know i haven't described it very well, that's the best i can come up as far as description, it doesnt really feel painful, but bothersome, and wandering why it is like that, as it never as looked or felt this way before. And its def not the patella sticking out there, i can feel the patella sitting in it place right now.
It just maybe me feel weird, as it absolutely not like that at all on the right knee.
Any advice and suggestions are welcome. I will try to tag Josephine; and Jamie;

A quick up date, i saw neurosurgeon a couple days ago, he is sending me out for a ct/myleogram in 3 weeks, they would have done next week, but i couldn't do it.
He said the ct alone doesn't show the whole picture of my lumbar, while the ct does show severe stenosis at many levels, he still would like a better look.
I can not do an MRI as I got metal in my body, although I am told i could get MRI of brain though.
They are also referring to reg neuro who i haven't had appt with, for an emg on my arm to see where nerve is messed up to my wrist drop, been 3 weeks today( been doing my pt and online ideas, and have improved maybe 60% percent, but i think I have gotten as far a im going to get without intervention).
My appt is with him 5-1, but they cant do emg til June 24th, first it was 8-24, i was like why so long?
Thinking of holding off appt til June 24th.
Thats about it with me, for now, waiting for divorce to be finalized any day now, to apply for SSI.
Right now its the Interstitial Cystitis that will hopefully get me the SSI, as the urologist is the only one, besides my therapist who will stand up for me and fill out the papers,stating the severity of the problems, and why its disabling to me.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

 

[sheryl7]

A little more of an update. My hand and wrist are improving, but I have been putting a lot of effort in it.

I could not afford to see neurologist this week (which is just as well as they couldn't get me in for an EMG til 6-4-13. So made appt for a week after the EMG), had to cancel.
I tried to cancel psychiatric appt, and was quite upset about it too, as I needed meds. But they told me to come in anyway and once divorce is final (which should have been last week) I can apply for financial aid through Kaiser to help cover my co-pays and meds, as I still need many tests done.

The EMG on my arm was to see which nerve is affected. I'm guessing radial, but I got it from 0% to about 75% in 3.5 weeks with a lot of hard work and effort getting it there. The brace was hindering improvement, so I have ditched it unless I need to cut something or lift something heavy.

And I know an OS referral is in order real soon. If at the very least to do a washout, as I am guessing the the bony structure I mentioned in post #97 above, is a loose bone fragment that has worked its way to outside lateral part of my knee. I even made my husband feel it, and he agreed it felt not right.

It actually grosses me out more than anything. While it does hurt to walk, especially up and down stairs more than usual. And entering my driver's side seat hurts, not really sure why that is. I am going to guess by the feel and looks of it, it is about marble sized, and kinda jagged in shape, not smooth. So I guess I am looking for maybe Josephine or Jamie to please confirm if what I am guessing is probably correct, where a large piece of floating bone has worked its way to kinda protrude out the outside lateral portion of the knee.

And if so, is a basic washout needed? Or do you think something more involved is needed, as I still at this time am not in position where I can have a full blown TKR done. Maybe after I am awarded SSI benefits for disability, mainly due to the severity of my bladder issues and back. Then at that time, I can move into an apartment, as right now I will be living in a downstairs basement-like apartment. Not thrilled about it. It's ok and all, but while the landlady goes on business trips and stuff, I have to feed 6 dogs, and 7 horses, and she knows I am disabled.

So I have to move in the 15th of May for her to access what I am capable of doing. She can have it set up where the bale of hale is already layed on the ground, as there is no way I can roll a bale of hay. She will have it ready for me to just have to break off hay and lay it down where the horses eat. I'll make sure they have water. I just have to run hose to their trough.

Hoping the dogs will be easy enough to feed. I feed our current dogs every morning.
One thing is my cats have will have to convert to being indoor 100% of the time. The dogs are not cat friendly. So my boys will have to stay inside, which is just as well. Less fleas, less chance of germs etc. They are in most of time anyway, so hopefully they will adjust.

But as soon as I get SSI, I am out of there so I can be closer to my daughter and son and even ex. As it is my daughter doesn't like the lady, and I am scared she won't visit me.
So trying to hang in there, been rough.

So once SSI kicks in, I can move to an apartment close to my daughter. I am having a very difficult time coming to terms of her deciding to live with her dad. So hopefully when I don't have to do manual labor for part of my keep for cheap rent, then I will be in a position to have a TKR at that time. But if a mod or anyone can confirm what I am guessing is the problem with knee is correct, it would be great.
Thanks for all the support

 

[sheryl7]

I am having hard time remembering how to tag someone. Will try again josephine: jamie:, please help me figure out if what i am thinking is going on with my left correct in above post #98.
If so, is a a wash out enough, or should further steps be taken?

 

[sheryl7]

Ok I think i finally figured it out how to tag, by searching for how to tag. whew...