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Revision TKR Hmm. Not thrilled with the revision yet

Its been a week and a day since I saw the surgeon. I've completed the extra xrays and massive blood work he ordered. However, I've not gotten the MRI scheduled. I've called two times and been told "it take 5 to 7 days" before its scheduled.

I hadn't mentioned he raked me over the coals that in the evenings, (or whenever I'm seated) I'm to have my leg out straight on an ottoman. Let gravity help loosen it up, what how he put it. In the past when I've done that it just causes more swelling when I put it down and stiffness. You Bonesmart peeps said to not do it and I'd stopped. Now that I tried it for several evenings my swelling is even more - to the Huge on the pictures you have for examples. Not doing it anymore.
 
You are very smart to listen to your knee. Let it be the boss. Try walking with a longer stride, heel to toe stride. That's how I helped mine to come in.
 
If it’s causing all that swelling, it can’t be doing much good. Less bend, more pain. You’re being sensible to stop. I hope the MRI helps uncover what’s going on! Your poor knee. :sad:
 
Here is the next bit of news. I received back the blood work that was drawn earlier. Everything was in the middle of the "normal" range except the C Reactive Protein. It was way high - 7.2. (The range is to be 0.0 - 4.9)

What does this mean? I've looked it up and can mean many things - most of which aren't good. I'm hoping its just the swelling that's caused this high reading.

I'm calling the surgeon's office again tomorrow. Its now been 8 days and they still haven't scheduled the MRI. I wondered if he was waiting for the blood work to return? If he was it would have been nice to know that. Usually this office is super efficient - but not where the scheduling of the MRI is concerned.

One more blip on the knee recovery.................
 
I’m so sorry you’re having all these hassles. I haven’t had a good recovery either. All we wanted was to fix our pain, like the doctors said would happen. I am currently worse than I was before surgery. :console2:
 
I read your post on another thread about the CRP - and yes that is C-reactive protein. The normal range on the tests that I have had run in FL is less than 8. I don't know if there are different tests and therefore different normal ranges - that I can't answer. But an elevated CRP is a sign of inflammation, not infection. My PCP explained to me that for me the CRP indicated an infection in my TKR since knee pain was the only other symptom I had. If a person has RA, the CRP is high,but I don't have RA. There were a couple of other possibilities she mentioned but I didn't have the other symptom associated with them. My initial CRP was over 3x the upper bound of normal. Since I have had my revision, and been on antibiotics, the CRP has dropped dramatically. While I was on IV antibiotics, it was checked weekly and one week it ticked up and boy was I worried. My infectious disease person said it was probably due to doing more activity on a new knee. I don't know if any of this information is helpful or not.
 
Yes of course that information is helpful. I don't know if it's good or bad but I like information. I want to be informed about the things going on.

I saw my PCP today just to "chat" about the knee surgeon and what he's been telling me. Amazing how she was able to answer all, and I mean all of my questions. She said she's concerned about the elevated CRP but realize its a diagnostic tool. She said she'd schedule the lumbar MRI if the surgeon's office hadn't done it by 4:00 pm today.

I came home and sent the surgeon's office a very professionally written either order my MRI or my PCP will be glad to do it for you. Literally not 5 minutes later I had a phone call from an imagining place wanting to schedule it! 5 minutes, amazing. I ask when they'd received the orders "we just now received them." Anyway they had an opening this afternoon so the MRI is completed. Now to wait for the surgeon's appointment next week.

Oddly the surgeon's office has called me 3x's to see if the imagining place had called! I told her how I appreciated they are a very busy office, but don't tell me 5 to 7 days and its now 12. She couldn't get off the phone quickly enough!!

And now I wait. Will technically wait, elevate, medicate and ice. Thanks everyone, it does help knowing your not the only one struggling.
 
eaglemom said:
Oddly the surgeon's office has called me 3x's to see if the imagining place had called! I told her how I appreciated they are a very busy office, but don't tell me 5 to 7 days and its now 12. She couldn't get off the phone quickly enough!!
Click to expand...
Good job being a squeaky wheel!!:thumb:
 
Tomorrow I have an appointment with the surgeon who is going to go over all of my test results. I just have a gut feeling he's going to order something else and then wait another month to "discuss" it. That's not going to sit well with me. This knee has gotten significantly worse in the last month. I don't want surgery - it would be surgery #7 - including a revision. Something has to be done though.

I was very restless last night and knee was cramping so I was up hobbling around the house. Much to my surprise my hubby - whom had a leg cramp and was walking it off - we bumped into each other in the living room!!! I made a noise I've never made before, he jumped, tripped on a chair then stepped on a dog squeaky toy. So the dog came running and barking that someone touched her toy!! After we both realized we probably should have turned on a light we both laughed forever. That was it - we were both awake and the dog was squeaking her toy, so 4:00am was our wake up!!! Hoping to do better tonight.............

I'll report what I find out.
 
I hope your surgeon is able to give you some hopeful information and a plan for progress. If you don't want to be put off for another month, tell him so, and why!

I love your middle-of-the-night adventure story.
 
Celle said:
I love your middle-of-the-night adventure story
Click to expand...
That was hysterical! :rotfl:

I do hope you get answers soon. I can relate to a frustrated recovery and no help finding a cause. Mine 2 doctors wouldn’t even order any further tests.
 
I good laugh feels so good! I bet you felt better afterwards!
 
I had my appointment with the surgeon. He went into great details about my blood work and my C Reactive Protein being elevated. It's the only thing elevated but in being cautious about an infection he wanted to take some fluid off the knee for further testing. I've had fluid drawn a number of times, but this was different. I'm a very tough cookie and my goodness this was off the charts painful. He went into the four quadrants of the knee with the needle. In doing that he observed that this was one of the worst cases of scar tissue he's ever dealt with. He could barely get the needle through it without significant effort & force. I think I was gray when he was done, but he took 6cc's to have it analyzed. Results will be back next week for some, and 6 weeks for the other testing he's having done.

I wish I could remember the term he used when he was talking about the block. It was different than what he'd originally told me. He's referred me to a Pain Management doctor whom does these procedures for him. We'll do two blocks and if that hasn't significantly reduced my pain then he'll do surgery. I see him in one month and we will decide where to go from there.

Ironically my bend was much better (prior to draining) in the last month. The flexion is 7 degrees less. Which is what is driving me nuts. He also put me on gabapentin 100mg at night. This was because of the amount of tenderness around the knee. I've not taken any yet. He also said to take Tramadol 50mg.

He was in the room with us 45 minutes - answered questions and really listened. He said I'd be sore for several days because of how he jabbed the knee. And boy is he correct. I literally can barely walk and am miserable. He said ice as I want but make certain to take breaks to move around and let the knee warm up some. I'm feeling very confident in everything he said.

The only thing I don't like is the Pain Management office is quite far from us. I have imposing on friends to 'drive miss daisy' that far. They won't mind, its just difficult for me to ask.

What do you guys think? Are we on the correct path? I'm heading to ice. Bid I mention I'm miserable today?

Thanks everyone
 
I've had those knee drains and they are extremely painful. I can't imagine 4 sticks. Bless you heart. I think icing is the best thing you can do for your poor knee. I am going to tag @Josephine and see if she can you her opinion.
 
I can't believe how sore I am after that appointment. I'm needing the cane even around the house. After taking the gabapentin last night I think it has lessened some of the tightness. However it has been replaced by down right pain. My flexion is greatly affected.
 
@eaglemom, did he ever give you a muscle relaxer, like Robaxin 750mg? That worked well with my pain medication; plus Celebrex!
 
Are you taking his advice and taking the Tramadol? Gabapentin isn't actually a pain med as such. You need to take the Tramadol as well. And also boost it with 1,000mg Tylenol. They do make a very effective companion pair. If this isn't sufficient, you can can take 100mg Tramadol if you want to. I'll leave you with my chart of two routines I created for my TKR recovery

[Bonesmart.org] Hmm. Not thrilled with the revision yet
 
Thanks so much. I'm going to stick to a schedule for the medication.

As for a muscle relaxer I do take flexeral 10 mg @ bedtime. I can't have Celebrex because I take 2 81mg aspirin daily. I'm realizing I've got to get this under control and keep that routine. Luckily we don't mind being at home, so that's not a problem.
 
Some people are advised by their doctors to take a small dose of Aspirin daily, to prevent a heart attack.

Celebrex, being an NSAID, has other dangers, and I would not advise taking it.
As well as having the potential to cause severe gastric bleeding, NSAIDs can increase the risk of heart problems.
NSAIDs Diclofenac. ibuprofen increase risk of heart problems: new study
 
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