TKR My Journey as of 12/16/13 - Over 1 Year and Still Trying

[Jozilla]

@DogLoverx3. Just wanted you to know I just caught up with your thread. You are so better off without that Richard! What a coward is right.

I am glad you liked your new OS! I have been taking gabapentin for a couple of years for my neuropathy. Maybe it also helped with my tkr recovery! I have been fortunate with no side effects. It does make me sleepy so I take it at bedtime. My neurologist gave me a different muscle relaxer to try starting tonight. It's called amrix. I am planning on sleeping soundly tonight I hope!

Take care and keep us updated. A vacation in London sounds pretty darn good! Xoxo joAnne

 

[DogLoverx3]

Thanks @susie09 ! Interesting to hear from someone who's actually tried it. So glad it worked for your back and neck. Here's hoping it works for my knee! And that my (apparently crappy) insurance covers it! I'm sorry it didn't work for you knee, nor did the Orthovisc. I tried Euflexxa and had a horrible reaction to it. Actually think it made my knee worse if you can believe that. Needles jammed in my knee for nothing! As I've got all sorts of differing pains going on in/around my knee, I'm hopeful that the procedure will help with at least a couple of them! *fingers crossed*

More bad news on all the wonder cures Apparently Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona doesn't cover the compounding agent and the apothacary doesn't deal with cash clients, so I can't get it (she also said I'd probably have to sell a lung in order to afford it). I've left a message for my doctor's PA to see if there is anything commercial and comparable that my insurance might cover. I'm also waiting to hear if my insurance will allow the Lyrica and/or the nerve treatments. So bummed that all of these apparent miracle solutions aren't available to me due to insurance. I thought BCBS was one of the better ones, but I guess I'm finding out otherwise. This is turning out to be like my recovery. 1 step forward and 3 back....

@dogwheels ! I can't believe you suggested the poo in a paper sack! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the idea, I just don't know where he lives. Darn it.

@TexasTee ~ absolutely unreal that you got a 'dear joanne' (female version of dear john) from someone you had been in such a serious relationship with! Totally disgusting. I'm so sorry that you had that happen but so glad that you were rewarded with your wonderful hubby! As the saying goes, 'every day spent with the wrong person is one less day you're open/available to find the right one' ...... *sigh* after 46 years, I'm certainly putting that theory to the test.

@kneeper , thanks so much for checking in on me!! Yes, I'm very hopeful that IF insurance will approve the procedures, medications, that I will finally find some relief.

@Jozilla - so interesting - I wonder if the gabapentin helped with your TKR recovery! Such a wonderful bonus of having to take the medication.

Oh, and Chris, nice to know that my mattress has been thoroughly disinfected for my arrival!

 

[Pumpkin]

Ellen,
Glad you have some answers to you pain, sorry you are having so many insurance problems. OS should be able to prescribe something else, and you may have to settle for Voltaren .
Is this what he said is going on?
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/complex-regional-pain-syndrome-crps-or-rsd.21166/

As for the guy you were dating and the text message, at least he did not waste any more of your time.
We all had to kiss a lot of before we found our .

 

[DogLoverx3]

Hiya @Pumpkln ! How are you feeling? Nope, not CRPS. It was one 'medically' sounding word. I knew I should have written it down. Something between Fibromyalgia and Neuropathy (neither of which I can spell properly) and one of the 1st 'symptoms' is hypersensitivity. Remember when I used to have to wrap my knee in saran wrap because I couldn't stand anything touching it? Apparently that has something to do with the 24/7 burning sensation that is going on under & around my kneecap. If my stupid insurance would approve anything, maybe I could let you all know if the nerve block doc or the Lyrica helps any.

@TexasTee , I read up on Gabapentin this afternoon while I was avoiding working and darn if it doesn't have some creepy side effects! The messing with cognitive functions is the one that struck me the most. I took something once a couple years ago that turned me into an idiot savant (minus the savant part). I couldn't string 2 words together coherently to save my life and my memory was for you-know-what. The side effects of Lyrica don't sound all that pleasant either, but if it works, I guess I'll take my chances. Geesh, before my TKR I hated taking meds of any sort. Now I could open my own pharmacy. ;-)

 

[DogLoverx3]

As I can't sleep, I'll share with you my bone head moves of the week. I opted to decorate one of the plant shelves way up high in the new house. Heaven forbid I actually wait for someone to come over to help me, so I grabbed a ladder, climbed up and placed about 7 things way up high over my head all the while chanting 'please don't fall, please don't fall'. When my ex BF (no, not THAT one Ann ;-)) found out what I was doing he got mad at me and then proceeded to text me every 10 minutes to make sure I was still alive. When my friend came over and saw the luggage boxes way up high, she asked if I'd had my friend's son do it for me. When I said no, she got mad at me too. And when my friend's son was actually over and saw them, he asked me how they got up there. When I said 'I did it', he got mad at me too. I think they're all going to chip in and get me a life alert. Or a plastic bubble.

As if that wasn't brilliant enough, I decided I wanted to move my tv stand. As it's too heavy to push or pull, I decided to sit my big butt on the ground and use my feet to push it. Uhm, I'm unable to get down on the ground or get back up, so no clue why I thought this was a good idea. As soon as I plopped my big patoot ungracefully on the floor, I knew it was a bad idea. As I was down there anyway, I gave my tv stand a big ole shove with both my feet. Not too smart. Knee didn't appreciate that. And the stupid stand didn't even budge an inch. When it was time to get back up, I just kinda looked around like a moron. I can't kneel and although I can crank my leg back far enough to get up, my knee doesn't like such weight/pressure things so I was a bit stuck. I asked the dogs for help, but they were worthless. I ended up stacking a bunch of pillows (yes, I scooted around on my tush to collect them all) and kinda partially knelt on them to get up.

And that, my friends, is what NOT to do when you have extended knee pain. The end.

 

[bottomshollow]

@DogLoverx3, but some of us take a bit longer to get it than others. Just glad you didn't take a spill from the ladder. And I must say that the mental picture of you scooting around on your butt to gather up pillows is, to say the least, amusing . Why, or why, do we do these things to ourselves?

 

[susie09]

Hey @DogLoverx3 - I used to have BlueCross too! They are the biggest jerks to deal with! The first few times I didn't even realize that RFA required pre-certification. Suddenly I got all these EOB's denying the claims - yikes!! I think I owed (potentially) $22,000.00. I collected records from any doctor or physical therapy facility that had treated me, made lists of all the oral medications that had been tried, etc. and filed a claim to request a review. They did finally pay but every single time we requested pre-certification, they denied it. This is the important part - if that happens to you, make sure your doctor requests a peer-to-peer. My doctor did it automatically, but basically, your doctor gets on the phone with a doctor representing the insurance company and explains why he wants to use RFA. My doctor told me he was on the phone less than 4 minutes - he gave his reason, their doctor said, "Of course - that's what you need to do." End of conversation. And the next year we had to go through the whole thing again. By the way, I don't think they usually give you a hard time about the diagnostic block - just about the actual RFA. I was so relieved when we switched to Aetna, but they're just as bad in other respects. I no longer need pre-approval for RFA but I still hold my breath until I know that they've paid.

I've also had some experience with compounding pharmacies, so I do have an idea that might help you. The first time that my regular doctor decided to try one, he used a local pharmacy. I got there, discovered that my insurance (BC) wouldn't cover it and paid close to $100.00 for something that didn't work for me. Flash forward several years and my doctor came up with a different compounded product he thought might be useful. This was from a large company in the south - I want to say Alabama, but I'd have to look it up. He faxed the prescription to them and they contacted me. My insurance (Aetna) still wouldn't pay but the reason I'd suggest asking your doctor to go through this company is that they told me that as a cash customer they'd pro-rate the amount they charge me, but best of all - they shipped me a trial amount at no charge so that I could be sure it worked before I paid anything. If you're interested, I'll look for their info.

 

[kneeper]

Sounds like the one I used. Then one day when I called I got a recording saying something like they did not have certification to sell to my state. I looked them up and it turns out they got in trouble with the government for their business practices. Too bad b/c the pain cream w/ muscle relaxer was great for the fibro. :(

 

[TexasTee]

@DogLoverx3 - totally understand, I haven't even had the stupid replacement yet and I'm already getting lectured on all the stuff I should wait and have someone else do. Ridiculous! Well, of course, doing stuff anyway does mean that I'm most likely going to be out of commission for days on end but I loathe the feeling of being unable to do things like I'm used too.

Odd about the gambapentin - I didn't want to completely spook you but Lyrica did that to my friend as well, she gained 20lbs in about 2 weeks and I tried to have a conversation with her and she made no sense. It works by interrupting nerve signals and apparently - in a small amount of people - it effects thought processes. Not ideal but for the vast majority it works just fine.

 

[Phil75070]

If one listened closely to all of the side effects listed for just about any medication we wouldn't take any of them!

 

[Pumpkin]

Glad to hear you do not have CRPS's. Sorry about all the insurance challenges.
I took gambapentin for 3 days, each day I got loopier and loopier, and did not think it helped.
I know some people use it with great success, allowing them to move ahead with their life.
With all medications, if you are having side effects let the MD know, there are other choices out there.
I am feeling better all the time, with the usual ups and downs. Just have to remind myself this is a marathon not a sprint!
Call around to all the compounding pharmacies in your area, one may be able to give you a cash break.

 

[DogLoverx3]

I've got a call into my 'new' surgeon's office to see if there is a different compound/topical something that can be ordered or if the original can be ordered somewhere else @Pumpkln . I'm not sure what it's even called, so hopefully something can be done.

More good news (insert sarcasm here). BCBS deems the nerve treatment as 'experimental' for knees so won't cover any of it. What does that mean? It would cost me over $2,000. Since it's not a 'permanent' procedure either, it would cost me that much every year or for as long as I need it. Although the doctor would be willing to work with me and let me make payments, I just don't think I can afford that right now. I do have a consultation set up for June 2nd to discuss my options.

Quite sucky to know that there are treatments/medications that could help alleviate the pain I'm in, but that my insurance won't cover any of them and I most likely can't afford them otherwise. I was SO excited when I left my doctor's office on Tuesday .... not so much any more. I'm hoping, at the very least, that something can be done about the topical stuff..... *sigh* so annoying...

 

[DogLoverx3]

Thank you @susie09 ~ I'm waiting to hear back from my doctor's office to see if anything can be done but I'll let you know if I need the name of that company!

@TexasTee - poo, all I need is something else that's going to pack on the pounds. I'm already up more than I ever thought imaginable since the surgery :-(

@Phil75070 , I am usually the poster child for side effects. Apparently I've become very delicate in my old age ;-) I'm totally Murphy, from Murphy's Law.

Glad you're doing well @Pumpkln . I so admire you going through this again. I just don't think I could do it. As for the compounding pharmacies, I'll ask my doctor's office what the name of the product is so that I can call around....

 

[TexasTee]

Since you are calling anyway, you might ask your OS for a sample of Lyrica - no need to jump thru all the hoops for BCBS if it doesn't help?

 

[dogwheels]

Hi @DogLoverx3 - just popping by to say I know absolutely nothing about the drugs that have been suggested to you, so with nothing constructive to say I wont waffle on.
Just hope that you get something sorted that will help, really soon.
My knee hurt just thinking of you trying to move your TV stand - ouch and more ouch. Do take care and hope you get some results with your insurance soon.
XX

 

[Nana moon 27]

Ooh @dogwheels That's a new revenge one. I can't stop laughing here

 

[Nana moon 27]

Hi @DogLoverx3 just catching up on your thread and NO I am not going to say a word about the ladder climbing and telly stand pushing. I'd be preaching to the converted wouldn't I? Me the lawn mower, vacuum pushing gardener!!! Ellen I totally get why you did it. You want to get things done and you want to feel normality. Like me you try to be independent and dislike having to ask others. Trouble is we pay the price afterwards. Btw my eyes popped out on stalks when you mentioned your ex but then you put me right!!!! Lol xxxx

I hope something can be sorted out for your meds. I think it's awful the insurance won't pay out with all you have to pay in!

I do hope you are okay and not aching too much. I was in tears with the pain yesterday morning 4.30 am. Ridiculous x I've come home and it's tipping down with rain and my knees and hip are hurting. I have a docs appointment in the morning at 8.40. So I must get some sleep. I won't post until late afternoon as I have to go into work after the docs and take in my sick note x please take care x all my love Nana moon 27 xxxx xoxox xxxx big hugs x x x

 

[hopefaith]

@DogLoverx3 I just lost my post. Darn! I realize I am waaaay behind on your thread these past couple of days . So sorry! I hear ya about opening a pharmacy. Not a fan. (And I could too).

 

[DogLoverx3]

Hi @Nana moon 27 . I think I read you have a GP appointment this morning , so wishing you luck with that. Just because I'm predictable and a pain in the patoot, here's my usual plea to get him to take you off of the morphine. IT ISN'T DOING IT'S JOB ANYMORE. You've been on it too long and there has GOT to be another alternative sweetie. There, I said it. Again. xoxoxox

@hopefaith , sorry about the post. I've done that before. Totally annoying, huh?

@TexasTee , I didn't hear back from my OS regarding the compounding cream alternative, but when I do, I will ask about the Lyrica samples. You're right, of course ~ no need to jump through hoops in order to get a drug that may not even work for me.

@dogwheels , you're lucky not to know about my rainbow of pharmaceuticals. I wish I didn't. Thanks for the good wishes on something/anything working out with my new and unobtainable solutions ....

 

[Nana moon 27]

Hi Ellen, another month off work, he wouldn't budge about the morphine and now I have another tablet to take for my asthma. I now take three inhalers and two tablets. He was shocked my chest clinic appointment hadnt come through yet. I got the doctors name off him and I'm going to call them in a a bit.
Love Ann x x x post properly later x x x have a great day my friend xxxx