Happy realization! The knee is now a part of me!

[FrogFeathers]

I was at Wal-Mart with the husband. We did our holiday shopping (that I didn't do online already) and as we walked around, I was utterly miserable. If not for the cart, I would have hobbled and gimped my way along. They remodeled our store during my recovery-Spring/Summer, so I'm still learning where they moved everything.

I was standing to the side while the husband sifted through the five-dollar bin of DVDs and I realized something...

My knee DOES NOT hurt! All my pain today (and yesterday) is from my feet. (I have inserts from the podiatrist, but apparently they're not working well at the moment). I stood there, in the electronics department of Wal-Mart, giggling to myself (drawing strange looks, I'm sure). My feet are a mish-mash of tendinitis and bursitis and some plantar fasciitis thrown in for fun (I've had foot issues for almost 18 years).

I counted on my hand (twice to be sure) and I'm just past seven months out from my surgery. I don't know when the knee stopped bothering me and started feeling more like mine, but I didn't really notice it till today. There was no big epiphany or major break-through, it just happened. I've been walking up and down the stairs with this leg for a long while now, because I figured that was good muscle work. I don't even think about the stairs anymore.

My scar hasn't bothered me in a couple of months and only itches if the weather is particularly changeable.

Despite Steve Austin (my knee joint's name ) feeling like he's a part of me, I'm still taking my exercise slow and sure. I don't want to push it and relapse or anything. I just wanted to share that it happened. There is hope!

My knee is finally a part of me!

 

[ship4]

Patty,
Congrats! Now to get your feet squared away......

 

[Josephine]

yayyy! That's terrific!

 

[One NZer]

Hi Patty,
Isn't great! :wahey:

Mine happened middle of last month when I went to our annual A & P Show and came home complaining of sore feet ! :whis:

I note we had our surgeries a day apart. :D

 

[mtngal67]

Awesome awesome awesome!!! I LOVE hearing stories like this!! Gives me hope that someday my "new wheels" will stop being this other part of me and join in with the rest of my body and cooperate! LOL.... (got the hospital insurance settlement and this knee cost as much as a new car!... hence the "new wheels" title)

Glad to hear you're doing so well!

Gale
RTKR 10/5/09

 

[Pat29627]

That's great!! :thmb:

 

[FrogFeathers]

I note we had our surgeries a day apart. :D

Or we had them at the same time, since you're in the future!

:hehe:

I was discussing the foot pain issue with a friend yesterday (in instant messaging) and it hit me that its possible my feet seem to hurt more now because I'm up and doing more than I was before. I spent over three years staying off my feet, taking it easy, waiting for my knees to heal... and now I'm up, walking at the store, standing to cook dinner, the whole "real life activities" kind of stuff.

 

[Max Wallace]

I had to replace all of my shoes after the surgery. They did not appear worn but my feet hurt when I walked, I was at the mall with my wife two months after surgery actually going in the stores with her for the first time in 10 years and my feet were killing me usually it was the knees. Going to the next store I told her I was going to the shoe store when I put on a new pair and walked around the store for a few minutes all the pain stopped. Now I have replaced all of my old shoes and have no more foot pain. I realize that this was a simple solution that worked for me and I did not have any underlining problem with my feet as you have, but my shoes were worn from limping on bad knees for years.

 

[shelly52]

Patty, thanks for sharing your story. It gives me hope that in the near future my alien addition to my body will become family. Take care of your feet now or your knee will be talking to you again!!!
Shelly

 

[sykeRN]

My left knee has been wonderful since soon after my surgery--I totally forget about it most of the time--it's such a relief to not have the constant unrelenting pain! However----now that I am getting so active again--my feet hurt more--especially my right foot (I broke my tibia near the ankle in the 80's--wore a walking cast--so have had extra calcium "spurs' on my upper foot plus arthritis ever since)--at some point I will have to have it evaluated as my OS told me.

 

[FrogFeathers]

Max, I bought new sneakers right before I went into the hospital because I was under the delusion that I'd be up and at 'em within a couple months. I only wear sneakers when I walk for exercise. I wore them a few times during PT, but they weren't broken in and caused more problems than they helped. :hehe: So, I waited till I was more stable on my feet to wear them again. They're still practically new.

My Doc Marten's boots are new from October (my parents gave me cash for my birthday and I bought new boots as my old Docs were almost three years old).

My podiatrist said the inserts were "practically indestructible" and they wouldn't wear out like the store-bought ones (which I was replacing ever month). I'm not sure if my foot pain is from the plantar faciitis or from the other problems. They hurt ALL over at the moment, so I can't pinpoint the pain.

I'm wondering if amputation is the answer... But with my luck, I'd have those "ghost pains" and still feel the agony.

I don't really want to make another appointment with the podiatrist because I'm not sure there's anything he can do for me. I'm pretty sure the "fix" for the tendinitis is to "lose weight". (which I'm working on!).

I'm just glad the knee stuff is over (for the most part- I still get swelling now and then, but nothing serious).

 

[One NZer]

Or we had them at the same time, since you're in the future!

Of course ! It was a thursday evening about 6:30 - 7:00 pm here.

Interesting about the shoes and orthotics, this is definitely something to be investigated. I wonder how you manage with one shoe with an orthotic and one shoe without... better see the poddy (podiatrist) methinks.

 

[FrogFeathers]

Of course ! It was a thursday evening about 6:30 - 7:00 pm here.

Interesting about the shoes and orthotics, this is definitely something to be investigated. I wonder how you manage with one shoe with an orthotic and one shoe without... better see the poddy (podiatrist) methinks.

They're not true orthodics in the sense that they aren't custom-made for me. The ones I have are more custom than the store kind and much, much sturdier. I can also take them out of one pair of shoes and put them in another.

The day I went to his office was also the day of my 30-day surgical consult (I had to see the doc thirty days out from surgery, get the MRI and some blood work). I walked into the building using two canes. I left using only one. When he put those things in my shoes, the pain in my feet went all but away.

I had to use them in a gradual way because the podiatrist told me they could cause different pain if I jumped in and started using them the whole time. I used them for three hours the first two days, then all the time after that. :hehe: I didn't have any additional pain.

 

[Judles]

Great news!!! And Wal-mart is a real proving ground!!!:thmb:

 

[Jamie]

You know it could be that your weight is redistributed in such a way with your new knee and the orthotics that were right for you before surgery are not right now. You might want to have it checked out if you haven't.

I had orthotics also that sound like yours....not really custom, but specially fitted. I found that I no longer needed them at all in my walking shoes (new ones I bought) after the surgery. Have you tried going without them and just using the normal shoe support?