TKR Greda's recovery story<<

[Greda]

It has been snowing all day. Yesterday I had to run errands which I am paying for now. It was one of those things where I knew the snow was coming and we needed cat food and groceries. My husband has been working a lot like 8-7 all week. I knew it was up to me to get things done . We have another winter storm coming Sat. My knee is really unhappy. I tired to do everything right icing and using the tens unit before I left home. I iced all evening yesterday. I left all the cat food and groceries that didn’t need refrigerated in the car so my husband could carry it all in. Now I am going to try and baby my knee and hope it improves quickly.

 

[Jockette]

Oh, Greda, I wish I could fix things for you. I feel so bad that you still have so much pain and swelling.

My knee has not been a success, I still have a lot of discomfort which is beginning to cross the line over into pain, and no doctor will look past my good X-ray, but I don’t have the extent of pain and swelling that you do.

Tell me again when you saw your surgeon last and what he said.

 

[Greda]

@Jockette
I didn’t get to see the OS but saw the PA last Thursday. She said it appeared to be tendinitis. No x-rays were done but she did a thorough exam. Her recommendation was PT. I asked what she thought PT could do and she said “oh that’s right you don’t like pt”. I told her I wasn’t opposed to PT but wanted to know what they could do. She said emg therapy. I told her I have a tens unit and could do that myself. I have a follow up in 6 weeks. It just seems like PT is the pat answer to everything. I can’t do the tens everyday. I tried to and it started to feel like it was burning on the lowest setting. I have been using it every other day. I still think the steps are part of the problem,

 

[Jockette]

I would request to see the surgeon next time. All my post op visits were with my surgeon and X-rays were taken every time. (not that all those X-rays did me any good)

Do you take anything for pain?

When does Spring come to your area? I hope it’s early this year for you!

 

[Greda]

@Jockette
I go to a pain clinic for other pain issues. He told me to take 600 mg ibuprofen 3 times a day, I had been taking 200 mg ibuprofen 3 times a day. I already take 2 Tylenol 325 3 times a day and 1 Norco 10-325 twice a day. There are days when I take another Norco (like today) to help with pain. Ice really helps. I am hoping the tens helps. I am able to use 4 electrodes at a time and it is a square around my kneecap.
I hope you get some answers. Unfortunately from my other pain issues I have found there aren’t always answers we like. I had an accident in my twenties that hurt my jaw. I have had 5 jaw surgeries and have daily pain and get terrible headaches. There is nothing else that they can do for my jaw. It has become something I have to live with. My knee is annoying because when I am having a good day I want to enjoy it and my knee is making that hard. I did this to have more freedom and opportunities and instead things are not turning out as I had hoped.
As for the surgeon I do get annoyed because at this office you make the appointment with either the OS or PA. I always schedule with the OS but 1/2 the time I get the PA.
We just moved here last year so I am not sure when spring will be here. South Dakota is unpredictable. We are expecting snow Sat and again on Tues. we used to live in a condo so we didn’t worry about shoveling. My husband wanted a house and I don’t think he thought it through. He wants a snow blower now. Condo living wasn’t so bad.

 

[Momma-me]

I'm so very sorry to hear of your struggle with this! Pain issues are complex and beyond frustrating! I hope Spring comes soon for you... sunshine is so good for the soul!

 

[Jockette]

Headaches are awful. It is so hard to function with a bad headache. I’m sorry you have to deal with those, too.

I have a nerve issue in the foot of my non operated leg that makes it painful to wear shoes, or have anything touch my foot. I only have a couple of shoes it will tolerate, one of which is a sandal that I can’t wear socks with. Going out in the winter is not fun for me. No doctor knows what to do about my foot, so I just live with it.

So I understand multiple issues.

I hope more healing time and future warm weather will help you.

 

[Greda]

I try to do less then Mother Nature changes things. We had quite a bit of snow the last few weeks and over the weekend it warmed up. You would think that would be great but it starting raining. My husband came in and told me we had standing water around the house and he was afraid the gutters were still frozen (the ones on the ground that take the water away from the house). This was Sat so we went outside in the rain and took the portable sump pump out to get the water away from the house. He got the gutter extensions and they were full of ice. The only thing I could think of was to get a hair dryer and melt the ice out far enough that he could use the hatchet to split it. What a mess! While we were outside the rain switched to snow. The snow pack was about 6 inches. My knees are extremely unhappy. We are expecting 2-3 inches of rain the next 2 days. On Thursday the rain will switch to snow. I have tried to do less since the outside adventure. I just hope we don’t have a repeat of Sat. Since the gutter extensions no longer have ice I hope everything will be fine. So far no water has pooled around the house. The only good thing is the basement stayed dry.
My knees just need a break.

 

[sistersinhim]

What an awful adventure you had Saturday. No wonder your knees are fussing. Give them as much TLC as you can until they settle down.

 

[Greda]

Our basement is flooding. I have been using the shop vac. Have had to empty it 8 times. The good news is my husband is on his way home. The highway he takes home is flooded so it is closed. Instead of 30 minutes it will take him and hour to get home. When he gets home we will need to take the sump pump outside there is 2-3 inches of standing water around the front of the house. It is going to keep raining until tomorrow afternoon. Got a little ahead of the water downstairs so am icing and elevating for a bit. Please keep us in your prayers. There are river flooding all around. Our little issue is small compared to what others are going through.

 

[Jockette]

I have been using the shop vac. Have had to empty it 8 times.

Oh boy, do I know what that’s like! We built a house back in the 80’s. My husband did most of the work, often alone, it took 22 months to build. It was a log cabin, a dream of ours. Just a basic 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch, nothing fancy, but we loved it.

After several years we started getting water in our basement, late winter. Often in the winter it would warm up after a snow. This particular winter it seemed the snow melted right into our basement and kept coming and we wondered if the water tables in the ground had shifted.

We had to shop vac every 2 hours, just to keep the water in one area, for weeks! We even drafted our daughters to help at night, they were in jr. high. We felt our son who was younger was too young to be called upon during the night. I forget their exact ages. We could always tell when one of us slept through our alarm as when we opened the door to the basement you could see water at the bottom of the steps, if it had been 4 hours since the last shop vac.

Most of it fell to me, as my husband went to work and my kids went to school. I think we did that for 6 weeks that year. I was ready to let the water have the basement but my husband said it was worth fighting for.

It happened other years, too. It’s sad when a shop vac becomes your new best friend!

At least I was in my 30’s and healthy doing all that. I can’t imagine having to do that now with my knee and yours. I’ll be praying.

 

[Greda]

@Jockette
That sounds terrible. Our issues were not that bad. My husband was able to get off early on Wed. Unfortunately it was due to the highway he usually takes flooding. It took him an extra 30 minutes to figure out a detour. When he finally got home we did a recap of Sat with the sump pump. It didn’t stop the leak completely but slowed it down. He took over the shop vac. Wednesday night we found another place leaking that had never leaked before. Yesterday my husband went back to work. I took over the shop vac job. It didn’t rain as much and started snowing. Luckily nothing stuck but it seems like water is everywhere. Even when I went to sleep I dream about flooding. My knee is extra unhappy but I was much happier when I woke up and the sun is out. I am hoping for a day of icing and elevating. My knee is just exhausted as well as the rest of me. The tendons are hurting. No rain in the forecast for the week.

 

[Greda]

I was up most of the night with my knee hurting. I can’t understand why this is still so bad. I have been trying to not overdo but there are things I just need to do. I went to the grocery store with my husband last Sat. I could hardly walk by the time we got home. I see my OS on the 11th and am going to insist on x-rays since none were done last time. I think they will still say it is tendinitis but I feel like that should be improving by now. I am using my tens unit right now and it feels really good. I iced all night but my knee just kept hurting. Maybe partly the weather. I was disappointed to wake up and see over an inch of snow. I hope it is the last snow for this winter.

 

[sistersinhim]

I'm so sorry you are still in so much pain.

 

[Jockette]

 

[Motherbone]

Winter is particularly cruel to those of us with temperamental joints!

 

[Greda]

I saw my OS today. I was happy to finally see him and not the PA. I told him about the pain. He did an exam and was pleased with the movement. He thinks it is still tendinitis and soft tissue problems. He thinks I still need time to heal. He said some people just take more time. He isn’t worried yet but wants me to see him again in 6 weeks.
I saw my pain mgmt Dr yesterday. He thinks I should switch from ibuprofen to naproxen for inflammation. I am still icing and using the tens unit. I can’t always use the tens unit. I don’t really understand it but sometimes it feels really good and other times it feels terrible. I only use it if it feels good.
So I guess I will continue hoping....

 

[Jockette]

I’m glad you saw your surgeon and it’s some consolidation that he’s not worried. Some knees do just take a long time to heal. Hopefully the future warm weather will help.

My friend broke her arm last November. She did not need surgery. She told me the other day that cold temperatures make her arm hurt. I was really surprised as she has no metal in her arm like we do in our knees. It made me wonder if it’s not just the implant causing discomfort with cold.

 

[Motherbone]

A couple of years ago I broke my fibula near the ankle joint. My doctor shared a story about how he broke his wrist and how it aches now whenever the weather gets cold. He predicted my fracture site would be sensitive as well and he was right.

 

[Jockette]

I wonder why this is.