PKR My Drama Queen Patellofemoral Knee

[Jockette]

Haha, try it with a real ball! I still can’t walk up and bend my knees as I throw the ball. I just carry the ball to the line and bend at the waist to throw. That’s one of my problems, I can’t put weight on the knee while it’s bent.

My ball speed is way slower than before surgery.

I hope you had fun, though!

 

[rubyyarn]

Hi, Jockette!

So sorry to hear that your knee is still giving you grief. At this point, it seems wise to get more opinions since something obviously isn't right. And think...at the end of it all you may just get the good knee you expected in the first place.

And you are a Forum Advisor! In spite of your pain you are able to bring help and encouragement to others. God bless you.

 

[Jockette]

Thanks, @rubyyarn! Yes, it’s been quite the unexpected journey. My partial was supposed to be “quick and easy”. Ha.

I’m so aggravated at this point I’m ready to call it quits and live with what I have and be thankful for what I can do with it.

And yes, I became an advisor in March. It was an unexpected honor.

It just breaks my heart when new members join and they are in so much pain from PT and/or shocked that no one told them what recovery would be like.

This site has been such a help and comfort to me I just couldn’t leave.

Best wishes to you as you continue to get better and better with your knees!

 

[HoneyB]

@Jockette – You’ve been living with your knee way longer than I’ve been living with my new right knee, but I questioned the alignment of my right knee today at physical therapy and just thought I’d tell you what my therapist told me.

I told the physical therapist that I’m having trouble keeping my right foot pointed straight forward when I walk. My right foot wants to turn out slightly to the right. I told him that when I force my right foot to point straight forward, it feels like my knee is turning slightly inward, and I wondered if my new right knee was aligned correctly.

My therapist said that this problem with my foot is caused by my right hip being slightly forward of my left hip. He had noted that during my pre-surgery evaluation. He said my leg looks like my knee is properly aligned and that the right hip forward problem is just a muscular problem that we can fix.

We started working on it today with a 15-minute stretch that will stretch my hip flexor muscles and will start getting my right hip into the correct position. That may sound way too simple for your problem, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[Jockette]

@HoneyB That’s interesting. I hope those stretches for your hip help you. It’s amazing how one part of our body can affect another part. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[MyTest]

Thanks, @rubyyarn

I’m so aggravated at this point I’m ready to call it quits and live with what I have and be thankful for what I can do with it.

Just tried out a new Dr and explained why I thought the opposite knee was hurting. His thought about the TKR was 'just live with'. I get why he is saying that BUT sometimes you know when something is off so if you feel the need to continue searching for an answer then by all means go for it I had to do that the first time around and yes something was wrong. Good luck!

 

[Jockette]

@Josephine I started the gabapentin on Sunday, today is Thursday, my knee does not feel any better and I am still feeling very “out of it” for an hour or two after I take each dose.

Should I still be having this side effect at this point? Should my knee have started to show improvement?

 

[Josephine]

I started the gabapentin on Sunday, today is Thursday, my knee does not feel any better Should my knee have started to show improvement?

OH you are impatient! It can take 3-4 weeks before the gaba gets going. Do stop expecting everything to work tomorrow!

Should I still be having this side effect at this point?

Yes - not at all uncommon.

 

[Jockette]

@Josephine Thank you!

Your answer made me smile.

 

[Celle]

I didn't know that Gabapentin takes as long as 3-4 weeks to start working effectively, until Josephine said that. Nobody told us that when it was prescribed for my husband. With most drugs, such as pain medications, the effect starts to operate within a short time span, like about 20 minutes. If nobody tells you different, it's understandable to expect the same of Gabapentin.

 

[Jockette]

I didn’t expect it the first day but I thought I would have seen a dent within a few days.

You know how long my knee has been so sensitive, so I figured feeling a lot better could take a while.

He gave me a 30 day supply and said if it helps he would refill it for another 30 days then send me to a pain management Dr.

My primary care physician has closed her office so I currently don’t have one.

 

[Josephine]

I didn't know either until I was put on it and went to my GP complaining it wasn't working. She told me to come back in 3 weeks and if it still wasn't working she'd up the dose, which she did. Personally, I think she could have upped the dose first time I saw her!

 

[Jockette]

I didn't know either until I was put on it and went to my GP complaining it wasn't working.

So, you expected it to work sooner, also!

 

[Hood1980]

Some days, do you just feel like quitting? No one prepares us for how long and difficult this process is. I’m like you, I may just have to accept things the way they are, because it’s not worth all this pain and frustration!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Jockette]

@Hood1980 You will find a surgeon who can help you. You have to keep believing that.

 

[jaschembra]

I came to your thread to check out how you were doing with the Gabapentin and wanted to share my first week experience with you but now you're already experiencing it. I was told that the "funky" feeling would go away after a few days by a friend. I was so glad she told me that as I sure was funky feeling. And yes, the funky feeling did go away and I functioned on it just as if I wasn't taking anything. After several weeks, it did make a difference. So much so, that I think I'm going back onto it. I do hope it helps you and makes a huge difference for you.

 

[Jockette]

Hi, @jaschembra, how are you doing these days?

 

[jaschembra]

jump over to my thread - I posted an update today.

 

[Jockette]

Ok, on my way!

 

[Jockette]

Well I’m 12 days into my 3-4 weeks before gabapentin could kick in. I feel awful. By the time I got home from grocery shopping yesterday, my back hurt, my knee hurt, my head had that heavy drugged feeling, and I was exhausted. I was gone about an hour and a half. Oh, and I was quite cranky. My husband gave me a lot of space!

I am so sick of this whole replacement experience.

On the up side, we are having company for lunch. Friends we’ve known for almost 37 years and moved away many years ago. We usually are able to get together at least once a year as they still have family in our general vicinity. But even if they didn’t, the best of friends tend to find a way to get together. I’m looking forward to it.