Hey everyone,
my name is Melissa, 42, have had severe osteoarthritis of both knees for as long as I can remember. My right was always worse than my left because it's my dominant side. I have femurs that turn out-femoral retroversion- that was completely ignored my entire life. I can't count the twisted ankles &torn tendons I've had in my life. My entire joint systems have been impacted by this & celiac disease. My left good knee finally quit on me last October and completely kicked out my entire medial meniscus 5cm outside the joint space. Combined with the insane osteophytes and lack of cartilage I had I lived with basically a giant tree trunk of a leg I couldn't straighten for 7 months or it would lock&it only took falling on my face in a grocery store to make me start freaking out on people that it shouldn't take 6 months to get this fixed!
After finally getting MRIs & surgery scheduled.... I'm now almost 5 weeks in & I reached the 'mental break down status' this weekend when my surgeon cut my pain meds off cold turkey despite telling my primary physician they'd cover them until July 11th.
Surgery went great-I have taken the same dose of pain meds for almost ten years for all the damage in my joints and disks in missing in my back&I've never filled early, never ran out. I have what my original anesthesiologist referred to as the rarest and hardest to see pain profile, the long-suffering type? So going into surgery he knew I would have a modified threshold for pain&was supposedly prepared. By a week after surgery I had 90° flexion- only 15°extension but , id also been walking on it at 15-20 degrees for 7 months&had some pretty severe swelling as I had a major effusion in this knee as well- it is like twice the size of my right leg! He was shocked at my movement on week one&2, then PT pulled my hamstrings & I spent like 3-4 days in crying level pain. I also have a 6 year old, am a single mom and my daughter was home and had a horrible cold the third week of my recovery. I only had help 4 days after coming home so by last week-I was so sleep deprived I definitely hit my mental breakdown point. I finally decided after skipping a week of PT and gaining more range of motion and the ability to sleep without it... why...I worked for a surgical center, I ran a physical therapy office for years.... yes I know fascia is a real thing, but to be honest... right now? I care less about a tiny bit of fascia if it means I'm not exposing my daughter to me in so much pain and able to function.
I can drive now, get around the house safely and confidently without my 4 legged cane-i still take it outside the house for stairs&uneven ground. I'm only able to really be up on it for about an hour or two at very most without it trying to turn into a melon again! This is the hardest limitation for me & my right knee is hanging in there but man is it about done pulling all the weight! lol
Ive read through all these forums the last few weeks and can I just say they are a lifesaver. Its like most doctors or PTs actually understand any of this! I will return to PT when I lose the ability to increase my own ROM on my own-I need being a mom to be what makes me sore-Not some over zealous PT trying to pull my hamstring out along with half my rectal cavity! I was literally purple across the top upper back of my thigh!
Anyone else felt like pausing was helpful?
when will my Knee stop swelling on the front of it? I have awesome range of motion...but the fluid makes it about as slow as molasses in a Minnesota winter! If Ive been up on it,itll take 20 mins to get back to 100°
I also can finally sleep on my stomach&the sleep Im getting is like gold!
my pool gets here next week and since it's the only truly fun summer activity I can do for hours on end with my little girl- I foresee a very wet summer!
also... I have short triangle thighs... best knee wrap. i know kinesiology taping but even the lymphatic drainage isn't really helpful cause it's trauma based healing....I might just have to order some neoprene & make one!
Thanks
bionic mom
my name is Melissa, 42, have had severe osteoarthritis of both knees for as long as I can remember. My right was always worse than my left because it's my dominant side. I have femurs that turn out-femoral retroversion- that was completely ignored my entire life. I can't count the twisted ankles &torn tendons I've had in my life. My entire joint systems have been impacted by this & celiac disease. My left good knee finally quit on me last October and completely kicked out my entire medial meniscus 5cm outside the joint space. Combined with the insane osteophytes and lack of cartilage I had I lived with basically a giant tree trunk of a leg I couldn't straighten for 7 months or it would lock&it only took falling on my face in a grocery store to make me start freaking out on people that it shouldn't take 6 months to get this fixed!
After finally getting MRIs & surgery scheduled.... I'm now almost 5 weeks in & I reached the 'mental break down status' this weekend when my surgeon cut my pain meds off cold turkey despite telling my primary physician they'd cover them until July 11th.
Surgery went great-I have taken the same dose of pain meds for almost ten years for all the damage in my joints and disks in missing in my back&I've never filled early, never ran out. I have what my original anesthesiologist referred to as the rarest and hardest to see pain profile, the long-suffering type? So going into surgery he knew I would have a modified threshold for pain&was supposedly prepared. By a week after surgery I had 90° flexion- only 15°extension but , id also been walking on it at 15-20 degrees for 7 months&had some pretty severe swelling as I had a major effusion in this knee as well- it is like twice the size of my right leg! He was shocked at my movement on week one&2, then PT pulled my hamstrings & I spent like 3-4 days in crying level pain. I also have a 6 year old, am a single mom and my daughter was home and had a horrible cold the third week of my recovery. I only had help 4 days after coming home so by last week-I was so sleep deprived I definitely hit my mental breakdown point. I finally decided after skipping a week of PT and gaining more range of motion and the ability to sleep without it... why...I worked for a surgical center, I ran a physical therapy office for years.... yes I know fascia is a real thing, but to be honest... right now? I care less about a tiny bit of fascia if it means I'm not exposing my daughter to me in so much pain and able to function.
I can drive now, get around the house safely and confidently without my 4 legged cane-i still take it outside the house for stairs&uneven ground. I'm only able to really be up on it for about an hour or two at very most without it trying to turn into a melon again! This is the hardest limitation for me & my right knee is hanging in there but man is it about done pulling all the weight! lol
Ive read through all these forums the last few weeks and can I just say they are a lifesaver. Its like most doctors or PTs actually understand any of this! I will return to PT when I lose the ability to increase my own ROM on my own-I need being a mom to be what makes me sore-Not some over zealous PT trying to pull my hamstring out along with half my rectal cavity! I was literally purple across the top upper back of my thigh!
Anyone else felt like pausing was helpful?
when will my Knee stop swelling on the front of it? I have awesome range of motion...but the fluid makes it about as slow as molasses in a Minnesota winter! If Ive been up on it,itll take 20 mins to get back to 100°
I also can finally sleep on my stomach&the sleep Im getting is like gold!
my pool gets here next week and since it's the only truly fun summer activity I can do for hours on end with my little girl- I foresee a very wet summer!
also... I have short triangle thighs... best knee wrap. i know kinesiology taping but even the lymphatic drainage isn't really helpful cause it's trauma based healing....I might just have to order some neoprene & make one!
Thanks
bionic mom