Revision TKR Never give up, keep trying, don't settle - that's me, Bonnie

[patbike]

@RunA42K

Listening to you all talk about shoes makes me want to go out and buy some good ones. Last couple of years I was getting them for $50 from the factory stores or $25 from big 5. Now I think I have been mistreating my feet etc.

Does the 1 size larger suggestion apply to non-runners who want a good shoe for walking/ hiking up and down hills? And ---
are the models you mentioned still appropriate for hikers/walkers? Ie, Asics 2000, or Asics Kayano, Brooks Revenna, or Brooks Adrenaline, Saucony Guide or Saucony Omni, Adidas Adistar, or in New Balance the 860 or 1260 or Saucony Hurricane. Is price a good indicator of quality? and what would be the price range?

Thanks
Pat Bike

PS I have a high arch and I think i have fairly normal pronation, if I am only hiking should i worry about pronation?

 

[RunA42K]

Hi Bonnie!

1. Love your pool! Looks so inviting.

2. ASICS! After wearing Rÿkas for almost 20 years, I bought my first pair of Asics. I walk 5 miles 4 days a week and teach 3/4 low impact Jazzercise classes a week ... and have Achilles tendinitis! I wear the Flashpoints (volleyball shoe) for class and I'm looking at the Kayano 19 (on sale since the Kayano 20 is out). You are SO right about getting a size bigger.

3. Good to see you pain-free, Bonnie! And working towards walking that half in January.

Hi Pooshay...so good to hear from you! Excellent choice on the Kayano, whether it is the 19 or 20 version. The Kayano has a 13mm heel to toe offset (as does the Nimbus) which helps keep the woman's achilles in the correct position as to avoid injury/tendonitis, they are shoes also that are cut just for women (Nimbus too.)

I love it when you stop by...come back more often!

 

[RunA42K]

@RunA42K

Listening to you all talk about shoes makes me want to go out and buy some good ones. Last couple of years I was getting them for $50 from the factory stores or $25 from big 5. Now I think I have been mistreating my feet etc. Does the 1 size larger suggestion apply to non-runners who want a good shoe for walking/ hiking up and down hills? And ---are the models you mentioned still appropriate for hikers/walkers? Ie, Asics 2000, or Asics Kayano, Brooks Revenna, or Brooks Adrenaline, Saucony Guide or Saucony Omni, Adidas Adistar, or in New Balance the 860 or 1260 or Saucony Hurricane. Is price a good indicator of quality? and what would be the price range?
ThanksPat Bike
PS I have a high arch and I think i have fairly normal pronation, if I am only hiking should i worry about pronation?

Yes, yes. yes Patbike! One size bigger is the rule, running walking, hiking or just kicking around. You need to have room for your feet to swell. Buying the size that you measure only means that the shoe is the same length as your foot...You need room to wiggle your toes around and never touch the end!

If you do NOT pronate and have a pretty high arch then Asics and Mizuno have some of the highest arched shoes. If you do NOT pronate then you are in the neutral category. Shoes in the neutral category are Asics Nimbus, Asics Cumulus, Mizuno Wave Rider, Mizuno Wave Creation, Saucony Ride, Saucony Triumph, Brooks Glycerin, Brooks Ghost New Balance 1080, and my new absolute favorite is the Adidas Energy Boost...omg they are so comfortable I own 6 pair now in different colors.

Think of it this way...if you pay $120 for a good pair of shoes that is costing you $10 a month to have your feet, knees, hips, back feel good. Isn't that worth it? All of those shoes that I named sell for $115 to $160 and worth every penny! Don't short change yourself. Get the right type for your foot and get them one size larger than you measure.

 

[RunA42K]

Well since I am here talking about shoes...and should be sleeping, very quickly...

Today ROM was 118 degrees. I achieved 118 degrees last Wednesday and while I did not go further, I was able to keep what I achieved last week!

I will be seeing my podiatrist who is also a runner friend who says she would love to help me with an insert where she can make both legs the same length! I think I will need that for walking my 1/2 marathon...all that walking leading up to the 1/2...

Yesterday was the first day that I actually went into my pool. Water temp was 86 degrees. Summer is here in South Texas!!

 

[RunA42K]

Here I am...first time in the pool yesterday!

 

[Pumpkin]

Your pool looks wonderful, what a nice start of summer. Our neighborhood pool opens Monday, as soon as my scabs are all gone I will be swimming too!

 

[patbike]

@RunA42K
I went to Roadrunners and told them I was working with a shoe consultant in Texas and read your list to them.

The shoe store gave me an evaluation including foot pressure sensor that confirmed a highish arch and put me on a treadmill with a video to check my pronation. They declared me neutral.
I got a pair of energy boost from Adidas in the color below.

I tried several of the models you suggested and they all felt good but the Boost felt the nicest.
My foot measures between d and e width. getting the longer size made my foot comfortable plus gave me wiggle room. Any problems and I can exchange for up to 90 days. I already took them on a short hike in the hills and they felt great. My toes did not hit the front of the shoes coming down hill.

 

[Celle]

Just called in to see how you are doing!

 

[LaPaz]

Hi Bonnie, Sounds like you are moving along good and I do think that you can possibly get more than 120 degrees as he heals more. My right has had too revisions now and this last one has been extra slow to recover but I have up to 130 degrees when I am not stiff and this is one year later (smith & nephew legion with stem insert). I had to work hard like you but it is there The problem is the knee gets stiff most of the time and about 125 degrees is average. My doctor keeps reminding me that the turtle wins the race.

 

[RunA42K]

@RunA42K
I went to Roadrunners and told them I was working with a shoe consultant in Texas and read your list to them.

The shoe store gave me an evaluation including foot pressure sensor that confirmed a highish arch and put me on a treadmill with a video to check my pronation. They declared me neutral.
I got a pair of energy boost from Adidas in the color below.

I tried several of the models you suggested and they all felt good but the Boost felt the nicest.
My foot measures between d and e width. getting the longer size made my foot comfortable plus gave me wiggle room. Any problems and I can exchange for up to 90 days. I already took them on a short hike in the hills and they felt great. My toes did not hit the front of the shoes coming down hill.

@patbike...OMG! I love the Adidas Energy Boost, I have 6 pair of them in different colors. I am so glad that you did what you did to be fitted correctly. I have 4 pair of version 1 and two pair of version 2 (which is what you most likely have). For a foot that is medium to wide like yours they are perfect because of the Tech Fit Upper, it stretches and gives with your foot all the while hugging your foot like a sock. We've had several contests at work sponsored by Adidas and each time I've won because I sell more Energy Boost than anyone else at our 4 stores in town. As a result, I've just won my 3rd contest which gives me another free pair of Boost (which will make a total of 7 pair for me), Adidas shorts, shirt, socks and $250 Apple gift card. It's easy to sell something when you love it yourself. I opted to wait till August 1 for the next free pair because I want the new color which will be black/hot pink. I even bought a pair off of e-Bay, a color that was never released in the USA. Came from British Columbia, a beautiful purple!

For anyone one reading this who may want to try this shoe (Adidas Energy Boost which is neutral) but you pronate (roll in) you can try the Adidas Adistar Boost or the Adidas Sequence Boost. Below is my new purple ones from Canada!!

 

[RunA42K]

Just called in to see how you are doing!

@Celle @LaPaz

I'm now convinced that I will improve and progress over time. The difference now is that I accept that it is taking longer than I'd like but progress is progress. I'm holding the ROM that I've achieved and not going backwards. Last week I got to 118 degrees, and this week was the same. It seems that every couple of weeks I gain about two degrees. Slow and steady moving forward. The 118 is not a functional ROM yet, but I can get there when I push. Monday of this week 118, Wednesday of this week 116, probably a little irritated from Monday. My Physical Therapist says, ok...116 is it for today, we know that you have the ROM to reach 118 but we're not going to push it and make it mad, we'll go easy and try next time. So Thursday was the next time and I was a solid 118 degrees again, nearly 119...but not quite. So this gives me hope and motivation that maybe next week I'll reach 120! So I am accepting now that with 4 knee surgeries in 3 years that my knee has been through a lot and it will take more time then some of you who've just had the one TKR. I'm ok with that.

 

[Celle]

I like your PT!

Slow progress is still progress. Well done!

 

[Nana moon 27]

Hello @RunA42K I posted to you on saltyal's thread with an apology to him. Then I found your thread. How are you getting on?

I'm still not back at work, not driving due to the pain meds, still on a lot of morphine and cannot straighten my leg. It's felt better today but it's nowhere near straight. I am going in on the 19th of June to have the fluid drained and cortisone injections in it. Hopefully then I can straighten it. No problem bending it at all, just the straighten. I lowered myself on to the floor tonight to check it. There is a massive difference between the two legs. Preoperatively I was able to fully extend the leg so I just do not understand it. I'm very frustrated right now to be honest.

Looking forward to hearing from you

Love Nana moon 27 xxx

 

[RunA42K]

Hi @Nana moon 27, thank you so much for stopping by and saying hi to me. I see by your surgery date that you are just one month behind me. Might be why we've never connected much before, as when I was just 4 weeks into recovery and dealing with all kinds of issues you were just having your surgery and you too had a lot going on. in your picture you look so young and I see you are only 53. What caused you the need to have a TKR?

I am so sorry that you are still having so much pain, morphine still...what do they say is the source of your pain at this point? That is really too bad! You said that you are having fluid drained, is that due to excessive fluid, and is that what is keeping you from straightening your leg? My Physical Therapist always says that straightening is the most important, more so than bending because without a straight leg people walk with a limp. Neither of my TKR's did I have problems with that, just bending! I used to have cortisone injections in my knee every 6 months for about 3.5 years, finally they didn't work anymore and I ended up with my first TKR. What are they hoping that the cortisone will do for you? What part of the knee will they inject?

You are nearly 5 months, and I am nearly 6 months post op...its time that we have a break through, we deserve it! It does get very frustrating to continue to do things right and have so little progress, but you sound like me in that you are determined and you won't let this get the best of you. It must be so hard on you not being able to drive yet. I know that was a big source of freedom, so to speak for me, because then I was not totally dependent on others.

On Friday of this week coming up, I will be my Podiatrist to see if she can help me make up the difference in my leg length. My TKR right leg is now longer than the left leg because the spacer that they had to use to get things tight, it gave me a longer leg. The more I am on my feet the more I notice it and my left hip aches almost continually. I want to see if there is an orthotic that can help, I'm thinking that that will help my hip and keep my back from hurting. It's a small price to pay though because this time I have a better knee with less pain than the first TKR.

Lots and lots of rain here today. Over 2.5 inches at my house in about 3 hours ti me and it's supposed to be the same for the next 4 days. Just a mile away from me a house was struck by lightening and started on fire. We have pretty violent thunder storms here in South Texas...my little Dachshund Gracie was scared to death most of the day. I had to hold her wrapped in a blanket most of the day. I'm glad that we got some pool time yesterday!!

 

[Nana moon 27]

Hi @RunA42K my knee had gone bone on bone and felt like something had broken. It was the most excruciating pain ever. My bend has been absolutely great all the way through but it will not straighten properly. It is causing me hip and back pain, which is never suffer from as a rule. At the moment I am reducing my morphine because this is going to sound crazy but I don't think the pain is as bad as I think. I suspect my body is craving the morphine. However, my GP has disagreed with me all along and insisted I keep taking it. I weaned myself off it twice before and went back to him in extreme pain both times, begging for different medication. He refused on the basis that I had become very resistant to other medications post operatively (true) and the second time he told me off albeit very politely and made me feel a bit silly. He looked me in the eye and said Ann why come off a perfectly adequate medication that is working well on you. I explained abut my addiction concerns. He said that I wasn't addicted because I'd weaned myself off twice and that addicts crave and demand morphine when not in pain. I will up it if the pain starts to get really bad. I want to try and find the lowest dose I can get away with now.

The fluid removal and cortisone injections are to get the swelling down in my TKR. I just hope to God that this works. I so want to drive and return to work. I'm definitely nowhere near ready to stay at home x

Due to the constant bent leg it can make me limp. I have to walk slowly and carefully and very upright as my overall posture is being affected by this. I have a wonderful private PT that I can only afford once a month. He can get my leg almost straight after an hours intensive massage and pressure. I always leave there feeling great. However, in between, the leg goes back to abnormal despite following his exercise instructions. His concern is that the band in my knee is twisting my spine which is causing the pain in my back and hip.

Anyway I really, sincerely hope that the Podiatrist can help you with an orthotic. It will be lovely for you to be able to get back to normal too x am I right in thinking you've had a second TKR in your right leg? If so why was that? I hope you don't mind me asking? x x x

I feel sorry for your poor little dachshund. That's so scary, a house hit by lightning. They are very violent storms you have there. It happens here but very rarely. We've had the wettest winter on record. No cold or snow, where I live. Weirdest winter ever. I hope we don't get another one like it again. X x x x

Anyway it's so lovely to talk to you. Please stay in touch x

All my love

Nana moon 27 xxxx

 

[amberpep]

Oh Bonnie .... I am so sorry. I can only imagine the feelings you had when your husband told you that. You had a rough, rough, day. At least the surgery is over, but I realize the sadness of losing your little friend will only leave slowly. I wish I could say something to help you. I have nothing except I'm sorry and my prayers are with you.
abby

 

[Nana moon 27]

Hi @amberpep has something happened to Gracie the Dachshund? Xx

 

[amberpep]

Nana moon 27 ..... I think you have me mixed up with the other gal that just lost her fur baby. My fur baby's name is Molly (in picture) and Daisy (a cat).
abby

 

[Pumpkin]

Bonnie lost one of her dogs at her first TKR, several years ago. Very sad even today.


Sent from my iPod touch using BoneSmart®

 

[Nana moon 27]

Oh gosh yes. Losing a pet is heartbreaking. Non animal lovers do not always get this x x x I still get upset over ours even now x x x