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Revision TKR Knee replacement is not nice to me...

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Coachie I feel for your pain. I am a teacher too and know the problems this all contributes to it. Hang in there. Sometimes it takes lots of looking to find the right doctor. I really appreciate your effort and comments. Hope and hugs to you. Ann :cat-kittyandsmiley:
 
I can't imagine how you are managing to do what you are doing now. I really hope things start going better for you. Have you found a cane or crutches that you can use? I have been using a cane, but I do not have to worry about stairs. I am not an expert by any means...however I know how finances can limit what you can do. I was able to borrow a cane from a relative who had knee surgery and successfully recovered 9 years ago.
I do hope the best for you.
Greda
 
I hate talking to my doctors in the morning as it just sets the "precedent" of how my day is going to be. I talked to my family doctor this a.m. and she doesn't think I should try to see a new orthopedic- that I should just go with what was said by the ones I have seen. She also does not want me to use crutches or a cane because it can mess up my gait and or other muscles. Well, I told her that I am already screwed in that aspect because I have been limping for a full year and lost major muscle in my right leg, so what difference would it make? She said it would change the way my body moved and then I would have two things to correct instead of just the one that I will have to eventually correct at some point. I am going to try lidocaine patches and will be going to a pain management clinic (again- but a different one this time) to see if there is anything that can be done.

It's frustrating. I don't know how to explain myself and be heard. I don't know how to keep fighting yet know when enough is enough. I sometimes feel like I am chasing something that just cannot be caught. I'm hopeful that I can catch it, but just as I am getting close enough to reach for it, it disappears again.

And this is how I started my work week :cry4:
 
I disagree about the crutch, cane thing. I had been walking with a horrible limp for years and this continued after my replacement. I was put back on 2 crutches until I could walk in a correct gait with no limp. Then I graduated to 1 crutch and did the same thing. That took a bit of time, but I eventually got it and moved up to a cane which I used for (I think) 2 months. I am now limp free, except when very tired and/or sore.

TKR recovery is as you describe. You think you are getting "there" and something pulls the rug out from under you.
I continue to have some issues, but have decided to push through them anyway after 3 OS's told me that nothing is wrong.
OK, so nothing is wrong and I still have pain. My PCP happens to "get it" and gives me somepercocet so I can get on with my life (though NEVER at work).
There is really no easy way out. For some of us, the road is bumpy and curvy, and occasionally we fall off a cliff. Just get back to the road and continue on trucking and even when you are ready to throw it all away, give yourself some time and then get back at it.

I am really sorry you are going through this, as this is what I went through, and to some extent, am continuing to go through. I force myself to do stuff that makes me feel 'normal'. There is really no other choice.

Best, Sandy
 
Coachie - I am so sorry that you are hitting walls every which way you turn! I am sending good thoughts re: the lidocaine patches and the pain management clinic. That said, I have to chime in with Trainwreck regarding the crutch/cane thing. PT told me on more than one occasion that if you cannot walk without a limp, then you need a cane or crutch to help you walk with less of/without a limp. It's the limping that is bad for your gait and the rest of your body, rather than the crutch or cane. Of course, when using the aid, you must pay careful attention to walk in a heel-toe manner with as normal a gait as possible. The crutch helps me walk more normally, and lessens my pain when doing so.
 
Sandy- where was the majority of your pain? Mine is under the knee cap in the process of standing and/or sitting as if it is grinding on something else. The knee cap was resurfaced with the plastic button- and I found from my surgical notes that the button is a size larger than my left one, so I wonder if that is the issue.

Once I get moving and walking, the pain is in the joint and I have a very hard time going up and down stairs or inclines. It feels very much like it did before my surgery- if not worse than before.
 
My thoughts on the pain management clinic is that it could help me, but the waiting list is forever. I guarantee that I will not get in to see anyone there until at least the end of July, if not August- and that will be just for an evaluation and not for help. I think that is what bothers me the most. That I am continually waiting and waiting and waiting and there is no relief while waiting and it doesn't seem to to matter to anyone.

I don't disagree with going to pain management or anything like that, it is just the whole idea of having to wait and wait and wait and wait...
 
I can only hope to encourage you. So many people here have offered so many suggestions and encouragement that there is little that I can add. Although I did not read this entire thread, you have been suffering for a long time. Perhaps you should just make the appt with the pain specialist and do what you have done best...wait!!!

I just wish that you had more options open to you. I assume you have tried taping your kneecap and/or using a knee brace to see if that will relieve any of the pressure pain. Perhaps this summer you will be able to get off you legs and take care of yourself...however it sounds like you are like most teachers I know...best at caring for others!!

Hang in there you WILL find the right combination...I am sure!:friends:
 
I had a nice long post ready to send and then all of a sudden lost my internet- so now I am starting over...

We have tried taping and bracing. Both caused a great deal of pain. The brace caused a lot of pressure on my knee cap, so the process of standing and sitting was extremely painful as if my knee cap was being ground against something else, so my orthopedic told me to not wear it. Tape caused the same sensation.

My evenings are spent with my leg iced and elevated- and yes, I do it the right way! :) I do not go for walks, do not do much other than some gentle quad strengthening exercises in the hopes that my muscles that are atrophied will come back at some point.

I know it seems as if I am not listening to people. I really am. I am listening and trying to figure out what is best for me at this point. I truly appreciate all the help and advice that everyone has given.
 
I am not in a position to offer advice, but just want to say that my thoughts and best wishes are with you Coachie. I hope your pain and problems will be resolved soon.
 
I have pain just like you, under my kneecap which has been resurfaced. It doesn't make sense to me that it should be there since all that is actually there is plastic and titanium.
The Ortho Nurse I see every week for adhesion management insists that it is actually referred pain from my hamstrings. I thought it might be referred from the quad, but she insists it is the hams. I am working on a program involving hamstring curls, and they are super weak. I compensate for it by having over worked quad and calf muscles. I'm needing to stop all quad work and just do the hamstrings. Very painful and not fun at all.
When I press on my "kneecap" I get pain in the back of my leg, so my masseuse might be right. At least, I hope so since I do not have anywhere to go after I'm done with her.
I despise my knee brace because it was too painful to wear, and I doubt it did any good. My knee is not unstable, just painful.
Best,
Sandy
 
Sandy-
My knee cap isn't painful to touch- just painful in the process of standing/sitting. It also aches under the knee cap while I'm just sitting. It feels so much like it did before the surgery that I often feel like I didn't even have any knee cap work even though I know I did.

The thing that gets most doctors confused is that I have good ROM- I think maybe 0-124 or so? I am not sure on my exact numbers, just that I have good bend and full extension. They can't seem to figure out why I still have so much pain when I have such good ROM because they say that usually when there is something wrong with the joint that the ROM is not as good.
 
Coachie, when UK members get this fob-off from their GPs, I've always told them to go back and politely but firmly insist "I hear what you are saying but if you don't mind, I'd sooner hear what this surgeon has to say about it." This based upon the premise that we (UK) have a right to a second (or third or fourth) opinion. Would this not apply in Canada too?
 
Coachie:
I also have complete ROM. I mean I can sit on my heels and everything.
I would consider soft tissue as a source for your pain since the X-rays look good and your patella has been resurfaced.
The soft tissue includes musces and ligaments, and mine were pissy prior to my knee replacement. I have been dealing with this for a year and it is tough going.
The massage (if you could even call this torture massage) has helped work some of them out, but my toughest ones are around the hamstring ligaments, and this is the only muscle in my leg that needs alot of work.
Too bad it is VERY painful to exercise it and I shove a bandana in my mouth and do my prone hamstring curls with my ipod set on the max volume to confuse my brain.
The pain management guy I saw was useless for the knee pain, he concentrated on my sciatica, which went away once I could stretch it out. He also was in the practice with my OS, who doesn't believe in adequate pain relief- so he was stingy with pain meds and I ended up at my PCP to get it. Ahh, Sciatica.... (I still get it sometimes as a reminder that it is still there hovering around)
Is there anyone where you live who would be willing to massage your knee? It mobilizes the fluids and swelling decreases, but I do not find it relaxing at all....It is the best thing I did (PT was BAD).
Best,
Sandy
 
I just had my third therapeutic massage on my leg. I can feel improvement but, like Trainwreck, I didn't think I'd survive the hour long session because it hurt so bad. LOL My TKR problems are not the same, but I am amazed at how the massage is making my leg feel and move better. Would your insurance help with the cost of therapeutic massage? Just another possibility...
 
Josephine said:
Coachie, when UK members get this fob-off from their GPs, I've always told them to go back and politely but firmly insist "I hear what you are saying but if you don't mind, I'd sooner hear what this surgeon has to say about it." This based upon the premise that we (UK) have a right to a second (or third or fourth) opinion. Would this not apply in Canada too?
Click to expand...

Jo....Coachie is in the USA. I believe she lives in Maine.
 
Yes I agree about the theraputic massage!:biggrin: My massage therapist is also licensed as a PT, and she is helping my knee out so much!

I am having kneecap tracking issues, and the problem is the muscles that are involved around the leg. I get a lot of relief after she does the deep massage on my leg!:wink1:
 
My brother-in-law works on my legs with massages and manipulations as he is a chiropractor.
 
That is so fabulous!!
Note that the healing isn't done in just a few sessions, as the damage occurred over a long period of time, the soft tissue might be angry for a long time.
I wish I had a family member who did this. My insurance doesn't cover it so I am paying out of pocket. It will be worth it if we can finally get this thing over with.
Sandy
 
Had a "so-and-so had his tkr just 3 months ago and is doing this and that" moment today. It took all I had to not respond at all, and I walked, well, limped off so I wouldn't have to talk to that person anymore.

It bothered me more than usual. Probably because I am coming up on my one year anniversary and am not anywhere near any sort of answer as to why my knee still hurts all the time.

Do people realize that instead of it being an inspiration or a goal for me to follow that it is pretty much like sticking a knife into my heart? I enjoy hearing people's success stories and am happy that people have done well, but sometimes it is done in all the wrong way and is very hurtful.
 
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