Become an Insider

TKR Now two years post op and still recovering from nerve damage

Status
Not open for further replies.
I watched my great nieces jumping around like little monkeys - not a care in the world about falling. Oh, the joys of youth. Hope you're continuing to rebound.
 
I walked about half a mile down the boardwalk and then all of a sudden the other leg, not the TKR leg, suddenly flaired and said enough, you aren't going any further. So I limped to where my husband could get the car in to pick me up. I'm 13 months post op. It's not 8.2 km, but it's what I can do.

Hope your other leg stays strong for awhile longer for you.
 
So yesterday I went to physio for my shoulder and arm injuries. She said she could visually see I had more ROM and meaured at 122 without warming up, exercise, just having walked from my car to the clinic. Last time I had seen her would have been at least four months ago.
 
Hi Margaret,
That's great aout your ROM! Your physiotherapist must have been pleased too. Time and patience have really paid off for you.

I hope that that physio helps your shoulder and you are soon feeling pain free again.
Caryl
 
Yes, we like surprise improved ROM right at the start of a PT session. :puppysmooze:

Hope your shoulder is soon feeling better, too.
 
Time to update I think. My flex is now anything up to 125 measured on my phone. So the improvement continues. I still have quad lag. I see OS for two year review in November and having EMG/nerve conduction tests before I see him to try to see if that shows anything on the quad. I had Xrays last week of both knees. TKR xray shows good cement/bone interface.

Left non-TKR knee not good. Since my fall in August its got worse, even though I didn't think I'd landed on it. I had a call tonight from my OS following the xrays. The issues with this knee are under the patella, but the medial and lateral space are still good at around 50%. This degeneration is so different that my right one was, as that was bone on bone on the medial side. This left one doesn't stop me walking for miles but it does keep me awake as it aches and aches. Right one rarely kept me awake, but I couldn't walk more than 5 minutes. OS said there's no other surgery than TKR to fix this one. He asked if I felt I was ready yet and I answered no as long as I could find a way to stop the aching during the night. I started taking Voltaren 75SR three days ago and it isn't helping at all. Paracetemol helps a little. And again, that's back to front to last time.

So my November appointment is for both knees. And I'm definitely not having the left done until I know the cause of the quad lag and then I know what to change.
 
Hi Margaret,
I'm glad the TKR knee is doing well, apart from the quad leg. Has that improved at all? Sorry the other knee is causing you pain in the night, though.

I get my 2-year check in December and I'm still happy with my TKR. It still gets stiff overnight and if I sit for too long, but that stiffness soon goes as I walk it off. My non-TKR knee is deteriorating, too. My OS offered me a PKR last year, but I've said I'll wait until a TKR is indicated. If it progresses like the TKR knee, it will be about another year. We shall see, when I have the check X-Rays in December.
Best wishes,
Caryl
 
I've had a rough summer with my other leg picking up slack for my TKR leg while I worked in the garden and moved fences about. Like you it would be the other leg that would wake me up at night. Unlike you, it would hurt during the day after I'd overdone it, too. I'd give it a day or two off to let it recoop and I'd be fine until I overdid something - sure wish there was a buzzer so I could know in advance when I was overdoing something.

For me a big help with sleep issues has been taking a benedryl at night. I've been doing it for quite awhile. It has long helped me sleep through the night. My doctor assured me it was perfectly safe during my pregnancy days. Now when my leg hurts, I might still wake up, but I do get back to sleep. I take an ibuprofen in the evening, too.

Like you, I'm not at all eager to revisit surgery for my other leg until it is really needed. I'm also being told my xrays show more wear on the backside of my patella and not so much on the sides. My PT gives me workouts that try to align my inner core - so I don't wear down the outside of the heels of my shoes. I tend to turn my feet out when I walk to compensate for the slight lack of full extension.

Take care - I'll be watching for you.
 
The aches in my non TKR knee had eased off so today I walked for 2 hours, 7.36 kms (about 4.6 miles). Around a lake, up and down a few hills but all on walking tracks so relatively easy. I did take my trekking poles, collapsed in my backpack but I didn't need them.

I have MRI in November on non TKR to investigate further what's going on but today I don't feel I need TKR in the coming year. But then again my right one went downhill fast over six months, so who knows what'll happen.
 
Yah hay hurrah! :yay::dancy:

I thought about doing that yesterday. It was a gorgeous day after a rainy weekend. Instead I moved fences, so I got a bit of workout. The picture I've attached was 4 days ago, but after the heavy rains, I'm sure the scenery has washed out quite a bit of the glorious colors. I was on my way home from work - I didn't have to go on vacation to see this scenic view.

[Bonesmart.org] Now two years post op and still recovering from nerve damage
 
hhilltop, do you have a spare bedroom! :heehee:

I love the color changes! The only changes I see in my part of TX are from semi-green to brown!
 
I love Fall. The colors are just starting. I found that going to jungles also look beautiful at this time of the year. Now that you are doing so good you can enjoy life. I still take it slow because I don't want to lose what I have. My hip is ok but does hurt. Take care and keep going you are doing so great. Tashia
 
Rest Assured, yes, I have extra bedrooms! Gotta come quick, though. They are already starting to drop their leaves. Or, go about 40 miles north or south where the elevation is lower and then there's still good color.

I see a new osteopathic on Monday to see if there's a way to avoid surgery on the second knee. I'd love to have at least 5 more years, longer would be great, too. I'm really not ready to go through another year like this past one anytime soon. When the other leg is painful, I could easily be persuaded to think next week would be great, too. Fortunately it has been rebounding from the painful spells. And it is really the leg muscles and not the knee that hurts. I'll be watching for your posts and hoping you can avoid round 2, also.
 
Ditto, I'd like to get more time before going through the past two years again. I really haven't yet got to the stage when I forget about my knee for more than a few hours.
 
Update time. Yesterday I had MRI on my left, non TKR, knee. Today I had nerve conduction tests on my right TKR knee to try to find out why I have quad lag. Initial verbal report to me from neurologist is that there is minor nerve damage from the femoral block but he said nothing that I couldn't recover from. He said no damage to muscles. Next Tuesday I have appointment with my OS, who will by then have full report.
 
The fact that there is no muscle damage is excellent. I wished that the other report was better. Now that summer is coming I hope that you will be able to go hiking. Your country is so beautiful. I have only seen pictures but some day maybe I will be able to see it in person. Take care my friend and I hope that when you see the doctor he will have the answers you are trying to find the answers that you are trying to find. Take care, Tashia
 
Hi Mrgaret,

The nerve conduction test report sounds promising! Good!

Best wishes for your OS visit.

I have a friend who is just back from 2 weeks in the South Island, including Queenstown. She said it is so beautiful!

Caryl
 
Saw OS a couple of days ago for two year review on my RTKR and examination of my left knee.

The MRI on the left non-TKR knee was two pages long and showed issues in just about every bit of the knee and it will be less than two years before needing TKR. He had the images on his computer and showed me the areas that are wearing out and explained them all really well. I can now understand why this left knee feels so different from the right when it was going down.

As regards the RTKR and my continuing quad lag which has been evident from 2 days post op, the OS said its now improved to be a maybe 5-10 degrees, whereas it was greater than 10 when I saw him 8 months ago and 35 degrees 2 days post op. The Neurologist report on EMG and nerve conduction tests said:

Nerve conduction studies in the right lower limb were normal. Needle EMG showed minor neurogenic change in right femoral innervated muscles but the main finding was slow motor unit firing with an incomplete interference pattern. There is minor EMG change which could be due to a previous mild right femoral neuropathy but the major feature is poor activation of motor units due to reduced voluntary activation. This can occur due to pain or for other non-neurological reasons.

X-Ray shows everything is as it should be, good cement bone interface and patella sitting where it should be. Ultrasound a year ago showed quad tendon is intact. OS did say that if I want to leave no stone unturned he would organise an MRI but he felt if it showed anything it would be minor such as a small tear in a tendon and given there are no other symptoms and nothing showed on the ultrasound we’d probably decide not to do anything. For now I chose not to go for MRI.

I can walk with no pain for two hours. I walked 8 kilometres in 1.5 hours last weekend. The lag really doesn’t give me any trouble other than a little discomfort when I go up and down stairs and inclines when it’s difficult to control in the last inch getting the leg to full extension.

Josephine; are you able to guide me on what I should do next, if anything? Or advise on questions I should ask?

Orthodoc; you gave me such great information last year I wondered if you had any more info or comments to make, or questions I should be asking.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

Total: 1,017 (members: 2, guests: 1,015)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom