PKR PKR Part Deux: now I’ve got a matching set!<

[MCC]

Well, maybe I spoke too soon. Things were going great until 36 hours ago, when I noticed the back of my calf was numb. My doctor recommended a trip to the ER, so off we went. The dr there thought the big cotton dressing (which was a change from last time), was too tight, so we removed it and the numbness resolved. We went home.

About an hour later I felt a terrible burning sensation and looked down my mid thigh to ankle were covered with hives and very swollen. We went back to the ER, and they admitted me. Ultrasound confirmed that there were no clots. My WBC counts were a bit high, so they got blood and nasal cultures and started me on vancomycin and cefazolin. My leg is still splotchy, red, and swollen, but not terribly painful. We stopped my nerve catheter for awhile to be sure they wasn’t the issue, but there was no change and 3 anesthesiologists agree that it’s not likely a reaction to the ropivicaine.

So for now I’m in hospital on IV antibiotics until we know more, but they’re thinking it’s either an allergy or emerging infection. Oddly the leg is still much more comfortable than the right one was post op.

Could you change my title to: PKR part deux, possible allergy?

Update: my doc thinks maybe I had an allergic reaction to the dressing! It was a different dressing than they placed with first knee. Thankfully it’s not allergy to implant, since I’ve got the exact same one on the right side. We’re trying some topical steroids and fingers crossed that does the job!

 

[Jockette]

I’m sorry you’ve had these issues!

Why is there so much marker on your leg, it looks like an outline or a map! I hope you feel better soon.

Do you still want that new thread title?

 

[MCC]

Hi @Jockette ! The marker is so we could compare where all the redness/swelling was initially and see if it was spreading or shrinking. It did make kind of a cool looking map! No need for the title change now I think...we’ll see what happens in the next few hours. Such a bizarre thing!

How’s your knee been?

 

[Jockette]

I’m glad things seem (?) to be settling down for you.

My knee is about the same.

My bowling scores are better, though!

 

[sistersinhim]

What a terrible scare! Thank God it doesn't seem to be getting worse, but better! Please keep us updated.

 

[MCC]

Hi all,

It’s been awhile, but I’m happy to say that I’m 5 weeks out from surgery and things are going great! The allergic reaction cleared up no problem, and I was completely off pain meds (aside from aspirin, to prevent clots) by 3 weeks. I ice once to twice daily and am taking it very easy, but there’s so much less swelling, incision pain, everything this go round! Flexion is coming along on schedule and it feels much stronger and more comfortable to do leg raises, etc this time. And I can sleep with only 1 or 2 brief wake ups per night. It has its moments of being unhappy that seem to come out of nowhere, but it’s 99% easier than last time, I’m happy to say!

I’m not sure why this side has gone so much better, but apparently one side is normally easier than the other. As my surgeon, who did both knees said, “I dunno, you must have had a better surgeon for this one.”

I’m starting to imagine I’ll be back to hiking and all my favorite things sometime soon. After the last surgery, I put those dreams on hold, since it seemed like they were much further away than I’d hoped. This whole process has been a good reminder that the only constant is that everything will change constantly, and not to get too attached to any preconceived idea about how things will go. Taking it day by day!

Hope you all have happy holidays!

 

[Wren]

@MCC good morning. I just wanted to chime in and give mt 2 cents. I have had 12 knee surgeries on my right knee, mostly scopes but some major ones as well. In 2013 @ age 38 I had the Tibial Tubercle Anteromedialization with lateral realease done. 1 week post op I ended up with a severe infection that required me to go to the er and be admitted. I had surgery the following morning to remove the infection. They kept me in the hospital for a week on the typical antibiotics. The vanc kept blowing my veins so they put a picc line in. After a week I went home with it still in and continued meds at home for some time. In total, I was non weight bearing for 6 weeks. After one year my leg decided it no longer wanted the screws so they had to go back in and take them out.

My experience with this surgery was the worse one out of all 18 surgeries I have had. Specific to the surgery it has limited me in many different ways that if I would have known about I would have never allowed it to be done.

First, it took me well into my 2 year mark to be able to get full bend out of it. My everday life iss limited in the fact that I can no longer run or even jump on that leg. Also, kneeling on it is completely out of the question because of the way it protrudes now because it will cause me severe pain. It has also never quit hurting.

Now, 5 years later and a few more scopes, my current OS put in my patellafemoral replacement. When he saw that I had that previous procedure he was distraught. He said he no longer does those as they do not fix anything and its just a bandaid for the underlying issue and I should never have had it. Once he was in my leg doing the pkr he also found that the bone for the tibia tuberosity was covered in necrosiss as was the majority of my knee cap, so now I have that to deal with.

I know mine is probably a worse case scenario, but I wanted to let you know.

 

[MCC]

I’m sorry you’ve had that experience, @Wren ! That sounds absolutely miserable and debilitating! Thanks for letting me know! It was so hard to find anyone who’d had this combo of procedures before my surgery...it would’ve been really nice to be able to get more actual patient experiences before I went ahead with it.

So far things are going well for me, so I’m really hoping that continues. The whole never being able to kneel comfortably was a surprise after my first one (I tried after about about 4 months...ouch!)...I wish surgeon’s would mention that upfront.

I hope your PKR will make a huge difference for you! Ever since having my combo of procedures done it’s been such a revelation to have a stable kneecap that, gasp!, doesn’t hurt constantly.

We’ll see how it goes when I start trying to be more active though. Fingers crossed!