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new member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2006
- Messages
- 2
It's hard to explain to people who have never had knee pain especially when we're baby boomers and still feel young inside. I've had lots of problems with pain relief and used alcohol for a while until both family and friends realised I'd developed quite a bad drinking problem. Took me a while to deal with that one and then spent a couple of years on different narcotic analgesia with all the problems that they bring about.
Prior to my first knee replacement, I was on over 300mg Oxycontin which equates to 400mg morphine!! And I was still hurting. Had to have epidural for post-op pain! After op, worked hard with doc, psychologist, pain relief specialist and physio to get bask to normal. Had about 6 months of relatively good movement when my left knee started to "sublux" or semi-dislocate. My God, the pain was amazing, the closest thing I've ever experienced to childbirth! (I am a mother.)
I quickly learned how to push the patella back so the pain stopped. After x-rays which had been clear in August, in November large black marks were obvious under the patella. The dislocation continued up to 10 times a day, esp. when getting out of a car or chair. My surgeon gave me an arthroscopy which showed a "catastrophe" of a patella (his words) and like my other knee no cartilage left between femur and tibia.'My nemesis" were his words.
But he refuses to do a knee replacement as I've just turned 50 and he feels I'm too young to have both knees replaced. So it's physio, gym, hydrotherapy, diazepam for muscle spasm and narcotic analgesia for pain.
I'm a Deputy Principal in a large secondary school, although I've been on leave for a while. I hve a partner who is 10 years younger than me and a 16 year old daughter. So mi life should be rich and full of joy! Instead it's a process of dragging myself to bathroom, kitchen, doctor, chemist and physio! And that's on weekends, so imagine a working day! What can I do? I understand his reluctance as knee replacement is the final straw/solution. I'm taking glucosamine, ginger and celery seed as well as a drug which helps the narcotic work better:LYRICA (pregabalin) made by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. I'm also on a slow release patch for severe pain which is so much better than taking pills!
Thanks so much for your web site and to realise that others are out there who DO know what it's like and we're not malingerers or people with Munchhausen's Syndrome or simply people looking for a drug high!
Since I was 25 I've had surgery at least once a year(gynaecological at first) and after a hysterectomy, I was diagnosed with a form of a rare disease: RELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS which causes cartilage to become inflamed and in some cases break down completely. Enough. Off to prepare dinner and resume my quasi-life, cheers, Katharine
Prior to my first knee replacement, I was on over 300mg Oxycontin which equates to 400mg morphine!! And I was still hurting. Had to have epidural for post-op pain! After op, worked hard with doc, psychologist, pain relief specialist and physio to get bask to normal. Had about 6 months of relatively good movement when my left knee started to "sublux" or semi-dislocate. My God, the pain was amazing, the closest thing I've ever experienced to childbirth! (I am a mother.)
I quickly learned how to push the patella back so the pain stopped. After x-rays which had been clear in August, in November large black marks were obvious under the patella. The dislocation continued up to 10 times a day, esp. when getting out of a car or chair. My surgeon gave me an arthroscopy which showed a "catastrophe" of a patella (his words) and like my other knee no cartilage left between femur and tibia.'My nemesis" were his words.
But he refuses to do a knee replacement as I've just turned 50 and he feels I'm too young to have both knees replaced. So it's physio, gym, hydrotherapy, diazepam for muscle spasm and narcotic analgesia for pain.
I'm a Deputy Principal in a large secondary school, although I've been on leave for a while. I hve a partner who is 10 years younger than me and a 16 year old daughter. So mi life should be rich and full of joy! Instead it's a process of dragging myself to bathroom, kitchen, doctor, chemist and physio! And that's on weekends, so imagine a working day! What can I do? I understand his reluctance as knee replacement is the final straw/solution. I'm taking glucosamine, ginger and celery seed as well as a drug which helps the narcotic work better:LYRICA (pregabalin) made by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. I'm also on a slow release patch for severe pain which is so much better than taking pills!
Thanks so much for your web site and to realise that others are out there who DO know what it's like and we're not malingerers or people with Munchhausen's Syndrome or simply people looking for a drug high!
Since I was 25 I've had surgery at least once a year(gynaecological at first) and after a hysterectomy, I was diagnosed with a form of a rare disease: RELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS which causes cartilage to become inflamed and in some cases break down completely. Enough. Off to prepare dinner and resume my quasi-life, cheers, Katharine
