My post-op blog No 2

[Josephine]

Well, I was so chipper about my recovery. It went so well and I was running up and down stairs like a two year old! Then I don't know what happened but my left knee suddenly starts aching like crazy! I had my 10 week follow-up with the surgeon last week and got him to xray both knees as I was quite sure it was now needing a TKR as well.

But - no such thing. Knee is perfectly sound on the xray. He examined it and found a lot as very painful areas, around the tibial rim and in flexion. He is sending me for a scan.

But in the meantime, it slowly gets worse and worse. Now it's aching almost all the time whether I'm sitting, standing or walking. No pills seem to make it stop only Tramadol and that might be because it puts me to sleep!

My GP mentioned something about it being due to suddent drops in atmostpheric pressure but it's been scorchin hot here now for three days and it's made no difference at all.

I met someone today I haven't seen in a couple of years and she said "knee still bad?". I had to tell her the bad knee had been fixed and now the good knee is bad!

Oy vey!

 

[mdakota]

jo, i hate to hear that. i hope the scan shows whats going on. i hope its just the other leg having to relearn how to hold you when you walk. keep informed i'll be praying for you
monique

 

[stives]

Oh dear, poor you, and when you were doing so well up till recently. :cnsl: Perhaps Monique is right and the 'good' knee (that was) has just had too much to do recently and needs a bit of tlc. Hopefully the clever docs can sort you out soon. What sort of things might show up in a scan that wouldn't be evident in an x-ray?

Now that you have started this new thread, will we ever get to hear the latest in the 'tale of the sagging settee'? :pzld:

 

[Judles]

Oh, Jo! Maybe you've been overdoing it! Like you tell us to take it easy! Val brings up some interesting points? What woud be sifferent with the scan....a touch of arthritis? And yes....what is the next chapter of,,,As the settee sags???

 

[Sticker Lady]

Dear Jo--
So sorry to hear that you're having a rough time with "good knee". I, too, hope it's just been overworked during the past weeks and is staging a MINOR rebellion. In the mean time you know the drill: medicate, rest and elevate. Be good to yourself, Mother Hen!
Blessings,
Irene

 

[Josephine]

Well, thank you all so much! You're such sweeties. I do rest it - but there comes a time when a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do . And I do medicate so at least I get a good night's sleep but if I'm not careful, I also get a good day's sleep as well!

Arthritis would show up in the xray but it's clear as a bell! Scan will show up any soft tissue issues. Feels mostly at the back of my knee. I'm thinking maybe hamstrings or something.

 

[hollie9]

When my knees started hurting bad, they showed nothing on XRay. Only MRI showed the meniscis tears.

Is MRI the scan you are having?

So many things can go wrong with knees!

Hollie

 

[Josephine]

Yes, MRI

 

[JudyS]

Jo
I hope it is a minor quick fix for knee #2. It's just jealous.
judy

 

[brs0660]

Jo so sorry you having challenge. It stinks when the good knee becomes the bad. Sending prayers your way.
Barb:pray:

 

[Josephine]

Thanks, girls. I feel a bit guilty when I put out my miseries - I'm supposed to be here to help you!

And the settee saga - had a phone call followed by a letter from the store saying they stood by their original decision and there was nothing further to do.

The loan company on the other hand, got back to me and said if the store doesn't resolve it they'll 'see what they can do to help'! Not holding my breath but it will go to small claims, they better be sure of that!

 

[Jamie]

Good for you, Jo. I just finished helping a friend in Small Claims Court and we WON!!! Of course, collecting back rent from her deadbeat tenant will probably never happen, but at least she got the judgement. You will not have that problem with a store.

 

[backbay38]

Jo - the MRI will show any obvious things like a ligament tear. But it won't show something like a strain or sprain. You say the soreness is mainly in the back of the knee. If it were a hamstring pull you'd feel that down the back of your thigh mostly. I had a lot of them when I was running. a hamstring pull hurts a lot. A hamstring "tightness" can be felt in the back of the knee. However -- what if you had something like a Baker's Cist?(Which I had for some years and is very slowly subsiding now; I never had any pain with it) The doc should have been able to feel that in the back of your knee if it was present -- although if there is no arthritis there is probably no cist. It can, however, hurt and ache. Also of course bursitis. You've probably thought of all of these. or as Monique suggested -- just muscles and tendons screaming about overuse because you're walking totally differently and doing more of it. When do you go for the MRI?

 

[Josephine]

Thanks, backbaye! Yes, I had thought of a Baker's cyst. Was my first thought and I do know what they feel like. The surgeon did feel for that too.

No date for MRI yet - this is the NHS, you know!

 

[calling_all_angels]

Jo,
So sorry to hear that your left knee is giving you a hard time.
Hopefully the MRI will show you what is going on behind the
knee. Pain is such a energy stealer and at this time you need
your energy. I am so glad that your new knee is behaving so
well for you. I too hope to be pain free soon. take care Jo.

 

[ship4]

Jo,
Sorry to hear you are having issues with the "good" knee. I had a ruptured bakers cyst. Apparently baker's cysts are caused by torn meniscus........
Hope this is not the case for you, as I had surgery to repair the torn meniscus, but too much was removed and I ended up being bone on bone in that knee as well. That was why I ended up with BTKR. My bad knee was originally my left one after I had hit a tree skiing and broke the tibial plateau in a 3 cm width and depth (do the center part of the bone was floating within the knee in the weight bearing part). I wrecked my right by over using it, and over compensating for the left with the right. When it was time for the BTKR the OS was shocked at how bad they both were....
Having BTKR was the best decision I have made in years!

 

[loggon]

My left knee is taking a beating because of the RTKR. It use to hurt only once in a while. Very rare for it to hurt. Now it seems to hurt all the time. Hope the dang right knee gets better soon. You would think at 9 weeks I could get out of a chair with out a big deal and would be able to stand or sit for a while with out it swelling and getting stiff. Oh well someday. (At least that is what I tell myself)

 

[Josephine]

Well, good news, folks! I started having really bad indigestion with the naproxen so decided to quit that. Doc wanted me to carry on but double my daily lansaprazol (ant-acid) but I thought that doubling up in one med in order to take another was daft, so the naproxen is nixed! Later, as I was hobbling around the house, I went to my drug cupboard (I jest not!) and surveyed the contents thinking 'what can I have, what can I have'! Then I spotted my old pot of co-codomol which had been my staple pain killer for my back and stuff for years! I took a couple around 1pm.

Since then I've popped over to my friend to collect a couple of hanging baskets she was putting together for me, watered the garden with a watering can as my hoses are all split or leaking, assembled said hoses and checked them, most went in the bin. It's now almost 9pm and my knee is still good! Little bit of an ache but at least I can walk around without hobbling, stand up and sit down ok! Hallelujah!

 

[loggon]

Jo You are such a delite! Bet you keep all your friends and family in stitches.

So glad you are feeling better and your "pantry" had just the '
""food"" you needed for your Pain.

Have a great evening.

 

[lakelover]

Hi Jo, Talk about indigestion. Just as I was eliminating all my pain meds which was just Tylenol AR 1300mg no more than 3 x a day, I got what I posted here as the flu. Well now it has turned into bad heartburn and acid indigestion and nausea. This comes and goes and I have started taking Axid on a regular basis. I have to get an endoscopy on Thursday as all the other tests for various functions, liver etc and an ultrasound of gall bladder came back fine.

Tylenol is not supposed to irritate your stomach but I wonder if taking so much for so long did mine in. Anybody ever hear of that? I always had a touchy stomach. Will be interesting to see if they find anything. My neighbor who is a nurse, thinks that major surgery of this sort can set off various conditions in people.

Just looking for comments if anyone has heard of anyone goinf thru this.