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TKR Pheebs52 Recovery Discovery Journey May 22

My numb spot is on the lateral side just below the knee and it bothers me not at all. I read early on that they can be permanent so maybe that convinced me accept that particular anomaly without prejudice. I do occasionally get a zinger in it, but they are short lived - fortunate me!
 
Hit post too soon - wanted to say the weirdness of shaving must be universal. I do not have the Pinnochio feeling unless it is the same as the cast iron skillet that hangs from just above my left knee and causes me to kind of throw my leg outward at the knee in a weird gait in order to propel that skillet forward. And, while the skillet doesn't bang against my shin or hurt in any way, it's awfully heavy and makes it hard to turn over in bed.
 
I think it was Polkadot that called my wood/hinge/scraping leg feeling the Pinocchio leg. And think it's different from the cast iron skillet feeling.

I think all this ice is getting to us!!!
 
I think the more surgeries you have, the more numbness you have. My left knee hasn't been operated on in about 15 years, but it's skin is still mostly numb. Of course, my new knee has many numb areas on the skin, but can still have little zingers inside.
 
I'm pleased to report a *happier* knee this morning! No zingers, not especially stiff or swollen, and handled the stairs really well so far....almost, dare I say "normal!" To what do I attribute this? Perhaps some gentle stretching just before bed, something I often forget to do. Sleeping on the softer mattress really does make a difference for me as well. I think I'll just scratch the other bed off my list of sleeping possibilities for the next 7 months or so, lol.

Ok, now I am informed about the Pinocchio sensation; phew! I certainly have experienced something similar, but thankfully, not for awhile in the tkr knee. *Knocking on wood* of course. Actually, it seems I am feeling this in my other, natural knee when the crepitus gets really wild; ugh! It sees that sometimes that produces a *stuck* feeling and some pain, along with the rice-crispy sound effects. She'd just better behave at least until I move!:fingersx:

@phrog, I sometimes feel your cast iron skillet sensation, most especially when trying to shift position in bed. It seems to cause some of the dreaded clunking that many experience, perhaps more than any other activity. I suspect it has something to do with the angle of the knee, but of course, I could be wrong.:scratch: I sometimes experience that when trying to wiggle my tkr foot into a pair of shoes when I'm trying to avoid sitting down to do it properly.

I've enjoyed reading everyone's perspective on the numb spots! I'd say mine is annoying because it feels like something more than just numb....perhaps fat, stiff, inflexible? It's hard to qualify, but it isn't simply numb. Oh well, not much I can do about it, and for the most part I succeed in ignoring it. It developed when I had my diagnostic arthroscopy last March and just never went away. It did, however, encompass a larger area after TKR. :sigh: When the time comes to have Knee #2 done, I will definitely forgo that particular procedure if possible; ugh! I often wonder if it's added time to my recovery process from TKR, but I suppose that's almost impossible to answer.
 
Catching up with you guys today before we are off again to ATL..... this time for cheer competition. We all must wear the team colors so the girls will get extra points...what we do for Grands! :loveshwr:

2 yrs out and TKR #1 still has the numb spot. I figure that beats the bone on bone pain. Is that trading the “devil for the witch”? :eyebrows:

Hope you ( and all) have a wonderful weekend! You should have a pkg in the mail today!
 
Hi @Thesoutherncook, Helen! Have a wonderful time today watching your beautiful grandbaby cheer! May her team come out on top! Thanks for the heads-up on the package....can't wait!

Oh, the numb spot is just a pimple when compared to bone-on-bone pain; definitely no argument there!
 
I cannot lie--I do NOT want rhinoplasty! My TKR knee goes "Pinocchio" when I'm going downhill on our nightly walks. It feels wooden, with a pin in the joint, and like someone else is controlling it. I can't wait until
I got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret and make me frown...

Not to obsess on other body parts, but I had a large number of lymph nodes removed from under one arm a while ago, and that resulted in a huge numb area there. Drove me crazy for many years. It's a mystery why the numbness has recently receded. Could it be all the Gabapentin I've been taking? The turning of my attention to the knee? My visualizations of nerves regenerating when I meditate? (I pictured the knee, but what the heck, I'll take the armpit!) Whatever, the good news is that it happened. So it may take a while, and it may not be total, but our knee knumbness may also dissipate. I have the requisite spot, similar to what everyone else is reporting. It's odd that the numb armpit bothered me a lot more than the knumb knee.
 
I read on one of Josephine's posts that she had a numb area get feeling at 5 years out. Mine doesn't bother me except when shaving and it amazes me how it can be sore when PT massages it yet it's numb on the surface!

Yeah for a happy knee today @Pheebs52
 
@Polkadot, if any of us were to have rhinoplasty, I'm sure we'd end up with numb noses! Yeah...no thanks, I'll pass; pffft! When I had some breast surgery back in the Dinosaur age, I also developed a numb area in the armpit. It was very annoying, mostly because all bras would dig in. The solution was a camisole, though it wasn't exactly perfect, lol. Thankfully, the knee is not saggy enough to require a contraption like a bra, eh? All this talk of numb spots just reminded me of a 2+ years long numb spell I had after an abdominal surgery. The weirdest part of that was getting into a bathtub and not feeling the hot water across most of my lower abdomen. The good news? It disappeared.....eventually. :heehee:

Walking downhill does sometimes still feel....odd? Yes, odd. It can also make my quad do a little wobble type of maneuver that I dislike. It's brief, it doesn't hurt, and it doesn't always happen, but when it does, I find it disconcerting. Since almost everywhere around here other than a mall is a hill, I think I've pretty much just gotten used to it. I sometimes wonder in advance if I'll get the wobble, but it's very unpredictable. I *think* it dissipates as I walk more, as does any other oddball sensation while walking. And now I feel like I'm not making sense at all,:heehee:.
 
@jaschembra, I seem to recall reading here that the numb stuff is basically only skin deep, which I suppose would account for the sore sensation if rubbed? Despite how fuzzy this sounds, I know exactly what you mean, lol.
 
@Pheebs52 - happy knee days are good days! And sometimes unhappy knee days are good days too - Took my unhappy knee, my cane and my hubby to foothill wine country today. Climbed some stairs in an antique shop, watched some folks in costumes stomp grapes, wandered around a crafts fair, drank a glass of pinot noir, and ate too much - great day and grateful for my hubby, my cane, the 80 degree weather, and the blue skies.

RE: the skillet in bed - I definitely think the angle has something to do with it - I don't understand it when I'm walking and concentrating on keeping my leg in line with my hip and putting my heel down first, but I think it might be related to weak quads - that skillet just feels like it is hanging there. :what:
 
What a sublime day you had @phrog despite the skillet-knee! Kneerah! What sort of costumes do grape-stompers wear?

Naturally, I don't understand it either, though it only happens to me occasionally when walking; much more often in bed. My quad will still surprise me with a wobble now and then while walking and I suspect that's due to some remaining weakness. We might be weak-kneed, but we're not faint of heart!
 
@Pheebs52, there was a bit of everything with the grape stompers. There was a whole family (mom, dad and two kids) dressed in identical elaborate witch costumes. There were a couple of girls in twin dresses that reminded me of the old ads for Italian Swiss Colony Wine. There was a couple (actually came in first) who wore maroon tank tops that read, "Fifty Shades of Grape." It was a fun group. I posted some pics on Facebook and people are asking why I didn't climb into a wine barrel. Hmmm. I don't think they would have allowed me to use my cane!
 
LOL, that sounds like quite the scene @phrog! As for climbing into a wine barrel....what the heck? I'd never get out, lol!
 
I think that when our quads get stronger it will be easier to walk downhill. I am doing much better going downhill than when I was in San Fran 10 weeks ago - then I had to hold on to someone on the downhills (or use the cane - or both). It doesn't feel normal yet, but getting better. I'm still doing the crab walks with a band and modified squats to strengthen the glutes and quads.
 
i think my quads are getting stronger as i'm walking up the stairs not needing to use the handrail to propel me anymore. i still hold on going downstairs, except for out the back beside the house where there are just 4 steps in one area which i practise going down without holding onto the wall. it's still a little precarious though. i practise going up and down the hilly areas in my yard, some quite steep, while on poop patrol. funny thing i noticed recently wearing my rubber boots, as the grass is sometimes quite wet in the morning due to our sprinkler system, is that my right ankle was feeling weak and achey. i've realized my rubber boots don't have enough support, especially since i'll go around the yard several times up and down, mainly for practise but also to check for poops. i wore my hiking boots on the pack walk today and no problems.
 
@liam2015, I know exactly why you'd prefer not to wear the hiking boots on poop patrol lol, but...the ankle does want that support on the steeps! Rubber boots just don't cut the mustard, but they sure are easy to clean, eh?
 
the rubber boots are great for short trips up and down with the grass being slippery and now the needles from the trees down so i've learned my lesson to do a quick walk around with the rubber boots. i usually wear my Merrell clogs out the back which have good support but not as much traction. my ankles are fine today, but can be very restricting if they're sprained. everything is connected; remember that verse about all the bones being connected? (lol i don't remember the words but we used to sing it in grade school).
 
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