PKR My Drama Queen Patellofemoral Knee

[sistersinhim]

But I hope where you are, and with continued improvement, is much better than where you were.

Thanks Jockette. I was told back in the 90s that even with tkrs, I would still have pain because of all the tissue damage that I've had done to both knees. I have good days and bad days, but even my bad days aren't that bad, and I can do things I wasn't able to do for years!

Who knows if I wouldn’t have needed replacement if I hadn’t hurt myself like that.

Please don't second guess yourself. Many people ride bikes with tension and their knees don't blow out. Yours did, so it was probably already bad and would have shown up sooner or later. I'm just so sorry yours hasn't turned out the way you wanted it to yet. But, it still may!

 

[Jockette]

@sistersinhim Thanks

I am hoping and praying that in time I will be recovered. Lots of people take more than a year, so I haven’t given up hope.

Maybe my experience was so I could be helpful to others. I am a praying person and I pray for the members as I read about them. I feel so bad when members say they are scared, or they feel like failures ( for something they have no control over) or they’ve been so physically hurt by a PT.

And thanks for the comment that my knee probably had an issue which is why it blew when the other knee didn’t. They were both peddling the bike. I hadn’t thought of it like that.

I also take the ibuprofen 3 times a day. I know the risks but it’s the only thing that helps the arthritis in my neck, spine and other knee. And amazingly, the other knee which hurt almost as much as the replaced one has hardly hurt since the surgery. I’ve read that ibuprofen can slow down the healing of bone and I wonder if that’s a factor in my recovery.

 

[jaschembra]

My OS told me that often times the non operated arthritic knee feels better after having the TKR/PKR this may be your case with your right knee.
I liked someone elses thread that said - he stopped looking at day to day changes or good/bad days one after the next, but tried to look at changes by the week or month. I try to look for the changes and I do see them. They are just really small. But... they are changes for the good even if they are tiny.
May you see/feel those tiny changes as well.

 

[Jockette]

I do see positive changes of recovery but it’s frustrating that nothing is improved over my pre surgery state. At this point, I feel I was better off before the surgery. In hind sight, I did it too soon.

Oh well, onward and forward!

 

[sistersinhim]

Nsaids do slow down bone healing. I found that out after having been taking it after my ankle/foot breaks. I still wasn't all the way healed at 3 months. That's when I read how nsaids slow down bone healing. I tried to stop taking my Diclofenac, but the rest of my body hurt so bad that it made my quality of life not there! So, I went back on it. I then started reading up on herbs and minerals that help bone and tissue healing and starting taking those. I still do because it looks like I'm stuck on anti-inflammatories the rest of my life.

If you google bone healing, you can find some good products. I got mine from Amazon. I love that Prime free shipping!

 

[jboles]

I’m not sure what the differences are between the medication Lyrica and Gabapenten. My OS gives Lyrica immediately before surgery and while in hospital. I wasn’t sent home with a prescription for it. I’ve had burning pain that I assumed might be nerve pain. Not sure. I’m really sorry that you’re not where you want to be at 11 months. I really hope that you have a good and informative doctors visit.

 

[Jockette]

@jboles They did give me gabapentin in the hospital but did not send me home with any. I wonder what the point of giving it to me at all since I was only in the hospital a day and a half. How much benefit was there in that short time frame.

I just wonder with my knee continuing to be so upset with pants if it’s a nerve issue. It is most annoying!

 

[AThom10731]

@Jockette, I wear capris, roll my pants up above my knee, and cut holes in pants to get relief from the pants touching my knee. While at home, I am usually in my nightgown. The distressed denim jeans are trendy these days. Maybe we need to go shopping for jeans with holes in the knees. So sorry about your experience with the discomfort. Hoping we will be pain free soon!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Polkadot]

Hi, Jockette, I too have taken Gabapentin (generic name Neurontin) for nerve pain. Mine was relating to carpal/ulnar tunnel syndrome, and I had only moderate success with it. I don't take it any more. A brief stint with it after TKR didn't seem to help with the burning nerve pain I was experiencing; however, it's worth a shot because it does seem to help a lot of people deal with nerve pain.

Just a few days ago I watched a program that included quite a detailed segment on Neurontin. A few take-aways, in case you do "go for it": As @Suzette mentioned, a person should plan on withdrawing from this drug over a period of weeks, rather than just stopping. Interestingly, the researcher on the program also mentioned that a person should start with a low dosage and increase gradually, in order to assess how it will work with his or her body. Makes sense, but a bit different philosophy from measuring a person's body weight and then giving a standard dosage based on how much he or she weighs! A final tip they talked about was to stay in touch with the doctor. So often, I get a new drug, and never talk to my doctor about it again. The researcher said that with this drug, it's important to monitor side effects and efficacy.

 

[Jockette]

Thanks for that info, @Polkadot. I think if I do try it I will call my GP instead of my surgeon. I think she would have more interest in monitoring it. Thank you for pointing that out. I hadn’t even thought of asking her for it until now.

 

[Polkadot]

Good idea, Jockette! Everything has been transferred to my GP now. Your GP knows your entire health history more intimately than your surgeon does.

 

[Josephine]

I read on another thread you recommended gabapenten for nerve issues, so I’m sure you must think highly of it. Is is good for a long time frame, or just short?

I've never actually recommended it personally, I just said it usually used to treat nerve pain, that I've had it once and it was very effective for me. Which is was! Gabapentin: what is it for and how does it work?

 

[Jockette]

@sistersinhim
I just added the Joint Awareness Day link to my signature and I would like it to look like yours, but I can’t get it bold and I don’t know how to just have the words. Can you help?

 

[sistersinhim]

I don't have edit capabilities, so I'll see if I can get someone else to do it for you.

 

[Jockette]

Thanks! I saw where I could make the words bold, but I couldn’t get the link to look like yours. The way it is now isn’t very noticeable.

 

[Josephine]

Jockette, you need to edit your signature and insert the link on the last bit.
Let me know if you can't do it. It's about the only thing I can't do for you!

 

[Jockette]

@Josephine Thank you!

 

[Jockette]

@Josephine
11 months update,

here are my concerns:

My bend continues to improve, but...

Discomfort after leaning forward (below and to the left of the knee):
D LF4

Loading/unloading Dishwasher
Washing dishes
Brushing teeth
Making bed
Etc.

Also a pinching feeling inside the knee when I lean forward.

Sitting with feet on floor still somewhat uncomfortable.

Difficult to find a comfortable angle for my knee when driving. I’m more comfortable in the passenger seat where I can stretch my leg out better.

Very Sensitive to pants-not the incision, all inside the knee.

Sensitive to cold weather-it aches when I am outside in temperatures in the 40s and lower. The lower the temperature the more it aches and feels large inside and wooden.

Certain movements, like putting my leg up on an ottoman, or putting pants on, I feel a bit of pain, like my upper thigh bone is pushing into the pelvis, on the inside part of the thigh, not the outside. I guess I need a hip picture graph to show the location.

Can’t bend well while laying down, it’s better when sitting.

I can’t lay on my side for more than a couple of minutes, if that.

To be honest I hesitate to tell my surgeon about these concerns. When I saw him back in October at 7 months he told me to put aspercreme on my knee. ( ?! ). If the X-ray looks fine I think he will just give me what I call “bandaid advice”.

And maybe that’s all I need because all these things will sort themselves out if given lots more time.

 

[sistersinhim]

I'm sorry you are disappointed with your outcome. Hopefully, your knee will continue to improve as time goes on. Have you tried wearing a bandage on your scar when you wear long pants? I did that the first few times I had to wear long pants. Luckily, my tkr was in June, so I wore capris most of the time. It's too cold for you to do that, so maybe a bandage will help keep the pants away from it.

 

[Jockette]

It’s not the incision that is sensitive to pants, it’s the whole knee. When I put pants on I have an immediate feeling of something inside swelling up and becoming hard and wooden. It’s a disgusting feeling!

I remember that incision burning feeling I had earlier on. This is very different.

That’s why I am wondering if it’s some kind of nerve issue. It hadn’t always felt this way. I don’t remember when it started. I guess back in the fall when it got too cold to wear shorts.

I can’t imagine my surgeon being helpful in this area but I may be surprised. I’m sure he and his assistant will tell me none of their other patients have had this. And they may be right, I don’t think anyone on Bonesmart has ever had it.