The jacket/coat is beautiful! You have quite a talent there! I'm so glad you could get back to it.
PKR My Drama Queen Patellofemoral Knee
- Thread starter Jockette
- Start date
OP
OP
@sistersinhim Thank you. I was happy to sew again!
OP
OP
9 month update!
Well, the good news is, I did well on my first trip since surgery.
Last week we went from Dover, DE to Akron, OH and spent almost a week there. Very little elevating my knee, at any height, during the day and my knee was ok with that. I took my elevating wedge and slept on it every night, all night. No icing was necessary. I haven’t iced since some time in October, but was prepared on this trip in case I had to. My knee was tired from the car ride the night I arrived, even with stops, but we planned better on the ride home.
Just the fact that I can sit with my foot on the floor comfortably, depending on the chair, is big!
The negatives at this point:
9 months ago I would never have thought I’d still have the limitations I do.
I don’t have stairs and in my house, so I rarely do them, so I don’t do them well when I have opportunity. I do not like the awkward feel of the knee when I step up with it, so I usually don’t. My mind will not let me even try to go down operated leg first.
My knee does not like to be cold. It almost hurts when I am outside, not that I’m outside much. And it was very cold in Ohio last week! Once I get indoors it settles down.
It tolerated the lightweight knit pants well enough, but not my new jeans that have a stiffer denim.
So I still have a ways to go before I am even as good as I was before the surgery. I have traded arthritic pain in the kneecap area for major discomforts of post surgery healing.
I walk faster than I did earlier in recovery but no where near as fast as before surgery. I did not have pain walking before.
I haven’t had any complications, for which I am very thankful, but at this point I am still sorry I had the surgery. I feel I am wasting time with this long recovery from a partial replacement only to do it again at whatever later date. I wish I had known what recovery was like and had waited until I needed a total.
I am very thankful for all the staff and members here at Bonesmart who tirelessly repeat the information over and over to help us through this recovery and give us a much more sensible approach to recovery than a lot of us get from our health professionals!
Well, the good news is, I did well on my first trip since surgery.
Last week we went from Dover, DE to Akron, OH and spent almost a week there. Very little elevating my knee, at any height, during the day and my knee was ok with that. I took my elevating wedge and slept on it every night, all night. No icing was necessary. I haven’t iced since some time in October, but was prepared on this trip in case I had to. My knee was tired from the car ride the night I arrived, even with stops, but we planned better on the ride home.
Just the fact that I can sit with my foot on the floor comfortably, depending on the chair, is big!
The negatives at this point:
9 months ago I would never have thought I’d still have the limitations I do.
I don’t have stairs and in my house, so I rarely do them, so I don’t do them well when I have opportunity. I do not like the awkward feel of the knee when I step up with it, so I usually don’t. My mind will not let me even try to go down operated leg first.
My knee does not like to be cold. It almost hurts when I am outside, not that I’m outside much. And it was very cold in Ohio last week! Once I get indoors it settles down.
It tolerated the lightweight knit pants well enough, but not my new jeans that have a stiffer denim.
So I still have a ways to go before I am even as good as I was before the surgery. I have traded arthritic pain in the kneecap area for major discomforts of post surgery healing.
I walk faster than I did earlier in recovery but no where near as fast as before surgery. I did not have pain walking before.
I haven’t had any complications, for which I am very thankful, but at this point I am still sorry I had the surgery. I feel I am wasting time with this long recovery from a partial replacement only to do it again at whatever later date. I wish I had known what recovery was like and had waited until I needed a total.
I am very thankful for all the staff and members here at Bonesmart who tirelessly repeat the information over and over to help us through this recovery and give us a much more sensible approach to recovery than a lot of us get from our health professionals!
phrog
senior
Oh, Jockette- it's good to read that you did well on your first trip since your surgery. It's huge to be able to get out and go places, even with some limitations. I'm sorry you are still in the place I am in terms of wishing you hadn't had the surgery. I guess there are a lot of us in that boat drifting away -and all we can do is believe those who tell us that our recovery will continue beyond the one year point and that we will continue to gain strength. I've had a rough time with stairs too - like you I have a single story house. The OS and the PT both told me to go up stairs leading with my "good" knee which did not have surgery - and go down on my surgical; knee (good leg goes up to heaven, "bad" leg goes down to hell!
). At first the back of my knee hurt a lot when I went downstairs, but at 9-1/2 months, I can suddenly go downstairs without pain. From the first time I did stairs after my surgery, I have not had front knee pain going down stairs on that leg (I did have considerable pain there before I had surgery). This is a long way of saying that maybe you should try going downstairs leading with the surgical knee. You may be surprised that that knee is more stable and less painful than you expect.
). At first the back of my knee hurt a lot when I went downstairs, but at 9-1/2 months, I can suddenly go downstairs without pain. From the first time I did stairs after my surgery, I have not had front knee pain going down stairs on that leg (I did have considerable pain there before I had surgery). This is a long way of saying that maybe you should try going downstairs leading with the surgical knee. You may be surprised that that knee is more stable and less painful than you expect.
OP
OP
Hi, @phrog I mostly don’t go down with the operated leg first because my bend isn’t great and I’m afraid it will hurt.
I am getting in and out of the car much better, though.
It’s coming. There are times when I can’t help thinking, it’s been x amount of months and I’m still only “at whatever point” and I sigh and remind myself it takes a year or longer.
Sometimes I tell myself, this isn’t what I signed up for! I signed up for a 2-3 month recovery. No one told me beforehand about the year part. So I whine a little, then get on with things and realize how much better I am now than I was at 2-3 months post op! Still, not as good as before surgery, even with the arthritic pain I had, but it is what it is.
I am getting in and out of the car much better, though.
It’s coming. There are times when I can’t help thinking, it’s been x amount of months and I’m still only “at whatever point” and I sigh and remind myself it takes a year or longer.
Sometimes I tell myself, this isn’t what I signed up for! I signed up for a 2-3 month recovery. No one told me beforehand about the year part. So I whine a little, then get on with things and realize how much better I am now than I was at 2-3 months post op! Still, not as good as before surgery, even with the arthritic pain I had, but it is what it is.
OP
OP
@Josephine I’m going to need to go to the dentist soon, I have a chipped tooth that needs to be fixed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns into a root canal.
I know you’ve said antibiotics are not necessary so I don’t want to take any. Why put something into my system that isn’t necessary. Should I tell them about my replacement or be quiet about it. Pants will cover my incision. I’m afraid if I tell them they will get insist on the antibiotic or refuse to treat me.
I know you’ve said antibiotics are not necessary so I don’t want to take any. Why put something into my system that isn’t necessary. Should I tell them about my replacement or be quiet about it. Pants will cover my incision. I’m afraid if I tell them they will get insist on the antibiotic or refuse to treat me.
funkymuse
senior
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2017
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- 464
- Age
- 67
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United States
Hi Jockette... I just took the time to read your entire thread and you have given me much hope!!! You were so scared to go and see your OS and it turned out to be ok. Me too.. I'm scared. I go in 3 weeks and am currently at a painful 71 flexion. But I'm working on the Bone Smart plan and I'm sure to see improvements as the days go by. BTW.. do you really feel you were only at 90 after your setbacks? I mean you hit 114 when you saw the doc which was fantastic.. maybe you had more flexion than you knew! How did he measure you? I hate it when they lay you back and ask you to heel slide to flexion. It seems I have more when I sit in a chair! It seems to me you iced, elevated and went about your ADL's including some bowling and that was it right?
Anyway.. I loved your story and I related to much of it and I'll be following along from here on out!!
Anyway.. I loved your story and I related to much of it and I'll be following along from here on out!!
OP
OP
@funkymuse My surgeon always measured me while I was laying down and HE pushed me to a painful spot he wanted and held it while he measured. However, I did not allow that at my 7 month check because I’d had enough of him pushing.
I agree, we get better bend while sitting in a chair.
When you go to your next appointment, don’t get on the table. Stay in the chair and tell him you want to bend it yourself. He can’t drag you up on the table, right? Make sure your husband is with you’
Even though my surgeon is very nice and pleasant I was still afraid of his “position of authority”. But all turned out well when I took charge of the appointment. But it took me 7 months to try!
If I have to do this again, I will not go to PT, and I won’t allow ANYone to force bend my knee. I’ve been reading Bonesmart for 8 months, and I finally “get” what they’re telling us. It takes a very long time to heal, relax and just go with it.
If our surgeons told us this we would be so much better off in this long recovery.
I agree, we get better bend while sitting in a chair.
When you go to your next appointment, don’t get on the table. Stay in the chair and tell him you want to bend it yourself. He can’t drag you up on the table, right? Make sure your husband is with you’
Even though my surgeon is very nice and pleasant I was still afraid of his “position of authority”. But all turned out well when I took charge of the appointment. But it took me 7 months to try!
If I have to do this again, I will not go to PT, and I won’t allow ANYone to force bend my knee. I’ve been reading Bonesmart for 8 months, and I finally “get” what they’re telling us. It takes a very long time to heal, relax and just go with it.
If our surgeons told us this we would be so much better off in this long recovery.
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OP
OP
I think the worst part of this recovery is the unrealistic expectations we get from others (except here on Bonesmart!) I was not expecting that
PegGar16
Former BoneSmart Staff Member
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2015
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- Phoenix, Arizona
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@Jockette Hi! When I had to have dental work done 3 weeks ago the dentist asked for a clearance from my OS. My last surgery was the end of September and the surgeon requires the antibiotics for the first year. Each OS has their own protocol for prophylactic antibiotics. with my history with infection it is better safe than sorry.
OP
OP
I’ve read on here that some surgeons say yes and some say no and vice versa for the dentists, about the antibiotics.
Sometimes antibiotics give me a yeast infection so I don’t want to take it if it’s not absolutely necessary.
Sometimes antibiotics give me a yeast infection so I don’t want to take it if it’s not absolutely necessary.
Often it's the surgeons, not the dentists, who insist on antibiotics.
MY surgeon said they were necessary, My dentist disagreed. I made my own decision and I took antibiotics for invasive procedures, such as root canals, for the first year, then I stopped. Since then, I've had several root canal fillings without antibiotic cover, and I have had no problems.
MY surgeon said they were necessary, My dentist disagreed. I made my own decision and I took antibiotics for invasive procedures, such as root canals, for the first year, then I stopped. Since then, I've had several root canal fillings without antibiotic cover, and I have had no problems.
OP
OP
I totally trust everything Bonesmart says.
I did just google this issue where I bookmarked 4 links that agree with Bonesmart, just in case my dentist needed additional convincing. The fourth link was dated September 2017.
Do you want the links I found?
I did just google this issue where I bookmarked 4 links that agree with Bonesmart, just in case my dentist needed additional convincing. The fourth link was dated September 2017.
Do you want the links I found?
jaschembra
post-grad
My OS gave me a questionnaire and it indicated I did not need the antibiotics. Questions like, had I ever been told I had a lowered immune system, did I have diabetes... However, I’ve been nervous about it since I speak to so many people where their OS still requires it. So, while at my dentist, I ask for them. After reading the info on BoneSmart and knowing my OS says I don’t need them, I may stop after a year.
