TKR No Kneecap and a TKR Experience

[sistersinhim]

@Josephine, why would that pop up after all this time? It's 2½ years since my surgery.

 

[Josephine]

I have no idea why these things happen. They just do! I'm still trying to figure out why my knee is playing me up so much of late and that one is 3 years old! I'm back to walking around with a stick these days.

 

[beachy]

Ugh, what's going on with your knees, ladies?

Hope you both feel better soon.

 

[sistersinhim]

I've had no more lightening bolts today, thank God. The medial pain has also been better and let me sleep last night. Yay!

Josephine, I am so sorry you're having troubles, too. My lightening bolts are quick, only about 15 seconds at a time. Night time is much worse for the medial pain. Even just touching it, when it flares up, hurts. I have found no pattern except when I'm off of the Diclofenac for a few days. The Turmeric just isn't enough to keep the pain down. The question is, why is it getting worse? Oh well, I'm going to try and ignore it.

 

[Jockette]

 

[sistersinhim]

Well, shoot! I was doing so well yesterday and when I woke up this morning my new knee and both hips were hurting. It doesn't pay to brag about not hurting. I've ended up eating my words!

 

[Jockette]

Oh no!!!

And the weather has cleared, right? What activities did you do?

Maybe a nice vacation to a warm place would help.

 

[donnag1108]

Well darn! I certainly hope you get to feeling better soon!

 

[Jockette]

I really wish it was already May, with it’s lovely warm weather! I was never a fan of summer, but I am since this surgery!!

 

[sistersinhim]

What activities did you do?

Absolutely, nothing different. I washed clothes and cleaned the few gifts from out under the Christmas tree. Just computer work after that.

I'm hoping it's not a bug trying to take me over. An upper respiratory sickness has been going around really badly around here. My singing partner has had it 3 weeks and is on her 2nd. prescription for if. Our church has it running through it. I've had the flu shot, but it's not 100%. I've really felt blah today. We had beautiful weather and I didn't feel like getting out and enjoying it.

Has your knee calmed down any? You have that new, lower deductible now, so you can see about it if you want to!

 

[beachy]

I wish there was a dislike button. I truly hope these aches and pains leave you soon.

 

[Jockette]

Has your knee calmed down any? You have that new, lower deductible now, so you can see about it if you want to!

No, it’s not any better.

I hope you feel better soon. Rest as much as you can. There’s a lot of germs out there.

We had a nice day here, too, but I had no interest in going out.

 

[sistersinhim]

It sounds like we both are having a blah day. I pray you feel better. I have to be better tomorrow. I have to teach SS, then lead the choir! God will provide. I'm going to bed earlier than usual, probably in an hour. What fun on the international date night!

 

[Jockette]

I hope you can rest up when you get home from church tomorrow.
:kittychris:

 

[sistersinhim]

@Jockette, I pray your date is a much better and brighter day tomorrow! Tell that knee of yours to behave!

 

[Jockette]

Tell that knee of yours to behave!

I will try but it’s very upset with me for inviting this trauma to happen to it. I’m pretty upset with me, too, for the same reason.

 

[Cementless]

@sistersinhim, @Jockette :window:

 

[traceys]

@sistersinhim you are really having quite the battle again. (Hops over to give a quick )

The body is definitely one of the most complex machines out there with no rhyme nor reason - nor instruction manual.

Will toss a prayer up for you for at least a few good days in succession.

 

[Newboots]

@sistersinhim and @Jockette many hugs ..... if only that would cure everything. I wish we could have see through panels into our knees so we could see what’s going on in there!

 

[sistersinhim]

Sure! Here is a picture of the knee under the skin. You can see that the patella is surrounded by a number of ligaments whose job it is to keep the patella in place. The one concerned here is that sneaky little tendon peaking out called the Lateral retinaculum. In the second image, it shows how, when the lateral retinaculum becomes tight or the medial one gets slack, it can cause the patella to be out of alignment to where it should be.

The surgeon will approach this via arthroscopy which will just leave you with a couple of little 'stab' wounds.


He looks inside the knee using the camera and an instrument. Water is used to inflate the joint so he can see what he's doing! He then approaches the retinaculum from inside and makes a small cut in the centre to make it slack off.

Pain after this is minimal but there will be some, mostly from the knee being inflated, some from the cut in the retiniculum and a little from the skin incisions. This should all be well controlled with paracetamol/Tylenol but you should take adequate doses, being 1,000mgs 4 times a day at 6hrly intervals.

Also, weight bearing and activity should be pretty normal though you might find a couple of crutches helpful for the first few days.