Become an Insider

TKR PolarBear60's Stryker Triathalon Journey (Right)

I have a particular type of paper memorabilia I collect, and long-ago gave up any hope of walking through antique stores. It's been just eBay for several years now. So your post really resonated with me! I look forward to doing that again.
Audrey
 
6 1/2 month thread

With both knees done, they are equalizing. I can walk without discomfort for any needed period of time. I'm not happy with stair climbing and descent, but with attention, I can do stairs normally. I do one leg at a time when carrying laundry downstairs, and I tend to "walk the basket" up the steps when taking laundry back upstairs. (I have a better understanding why someone may choose to put the laundry room on the second floor.) At this point, I would say my left knee is the troublesome knee even though it's had the longest time to recover. I think I waited too long to get the second knee done, but with my husband's health issues at the time (he's doing great by the way -- thank you for your prayers), it couldn't be helped.

Even though the left knee is over a year older than my right knee, they seem to be in about the same spot recovery wise. The left knee is a little more flexible for bending side to side, and the right knee feels a little less stable side to side sometimes.

A couple of weeks ago, my cat put his paws upon on my left knee in the "dead zone" area, and it was such a strange sensation that I jumped. I have feeling back in that area, but it's not 100%, and his paws in that particular time and place felt really strange. The right knee is regaining sensation at about the same rate at the left knee, even though it's the newer knee.

The sciatic pain has not returned on the left side, but neither has normal sensation in my foot. This is probably not related to the knee replacement. About half my left foot (outer half) is numb to tingly all of the time. I can get momentary relief if I happen to stretch just right. I haven't figured out the magic technique yet. Doc just says sensation can be a long time returning.

Something I still experience and I don't hear many people mentioning is leg cramps. I know I'm not alone because I mentioned it while talking with my aunt after her hip replacement, and my Dad nodded knowingly. Again, more on the left side than the right, and it's gotten worse recently. I've resumed taking potassium gluconate, and it seems to help. I take nothing for pain except an essential oil blend capsule a couple of times a month.

(This post is a duplicate of my left knee thread.)
 
Hi Jean,
I am glad things are going well. I have problems with leg cramps/charlie horses. They used to wake me out of a dead sleep!! I haven't had one since I started drinking (diet) tonic water every day..about a tall glass. I mix it with a touch of cranberry juice for flavor. A doctor had recommended it because of the quinine (low dose in tonic water)in it.
 
I've heard about the tonic water solution but haven't tried it yet. The cranberry juice suggestion could make that solution more palatable!
 
Old wives tale, put a bar of soap in your bed, any kind will do. My husband suffers massive cramps at night, since he started with the bar of soap, none, except when I made the bed and left the soap out. No he did not know I had forgotten the soap. He also uses quinine, be careful not to over dose.
 
I had a troubling experience today. I was standing on the curb next to the truck talking to my neighbor this morning. As I reached in to deposit my laptop bag on the floor of the front seat, I heard a loud unnatural crack from my knee. I said, "That was weird." My neighbor said he heard it too. I clarified to him, "That's an artificial knee." He made a concerned sound. I tested it. The knee worked. Not much pain, so we concluded our business. My neighbor went back home. I finished loading the truck and drove back to Central Texas. It hurts to put weight on the knee as I bend it to go down steps. It's okay straight-legged. The outside of the knee is a little sore with slight swelling. I feel a slight burning sensation. Once I returned home, I grabbed my ice pack from the freezer and iced in my recliner for about an hour. Before sitting down, I noticed a slight painful area about midway up the outside of my thigh, like a muscle or tendon was pulling, but that appears to be gone for now.

I can walk. I have some soreness while walking or standing. Not much while sitting. Some discomfort while extending and pulling my foot toward me. I have full range of motion. I have started doing some yoga at home, and last night I was doing some crouching as part of the program. Is it feasible there's some scar tissue or adhesions in the area lateral to the incision that may have partially stretched last night that "let go" today with slight movement as I laid my laptop bag on the floor of the truck? Scar tissue or adhesions may not be the correct term, but that space within the skin that's supposed to slide but may not have been after being "harassed" by the surgical team six months ago.

It was the loud crack that concerns me. I plan to call my OS on Monday to see if he can fit me in for an appointment to reassure me that everything is okay -- and if for some reason it isn't, devise a plan to make it okay.
 
I would suggest it's probably one of those 'normal' cracks like people can make with their fingers! Or perhaps a slight strain of a ligament. If you'd done anything serious, there's no way you'd still be able to walk on it!
 
Where on earth did that awful phrase 'charlie horse' come from?
I don't know what it is about it but I find it almost obscene!
 
Reassuring, Josephine. I can walk on it, but with the pain I'm experiencing on the outside of my knee tonight, I feel like I'm back in week three after surgery. We'll see how long this lasts.
 
Do you still plan to have a chat with your surgeon? It might be good to do that just to reassure yourself. I doubt it's anything serious, but better to know that so you don't worry about it.
 
I do, Jamie. Josephine's response is encouraging, but I want my surgeon to put hands on and maybe x-ray it to make sure. It's probably soft tissue, but I want to make sure. I'll call Monday morning. Hopefully, they can make time for me on Monday or Wednesday (he's in surgery on Tuesday).


Sent from my iPhone using broken link removed: https://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=75543
 
@PolarBear60 I've heard that adhesions can make a loud crack when they are broken up. Could that be what happened? That seems to be the most logical conclusion.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The bar of soap in the bed is an old wive's tale, @mbrown. It's supposed to help with leg cramps. In Pumpkln's husband's case, he's achieved good results.
 
Appointment with OS on Friday at 1:30 pm. I'm reassured that the implant is probably fine since I can walk on it, but something is definitely amiss in my knee. Whatever I did set me back months in my recovery -- at least, that what it feels like.

My initial discomfort was on the right side of the knee, but now the discomfort radiates at about a 2-3" radius from the center of the front of the knee. I can extend my leg straight with minor discomfort, but when I relax and let the leg ease back to the floor, I experience pain and burning to the right and bottom of the knee as well as extending 3-4" up the right side of my thigh. It seems slightly worse than on Saturday. I can still walk fine. Climbing or descending stairs is back to the right leg being straight-legged again. Standing from a seated position is decidedly uncomfortable. It seemed slightly swollen last night but looked pretty normal this morning, so I'd guess swelling from normal daily activity subsides overnight (a good thing, but I wasn't having swelling before this).

I'm going to guess my OS is going to say, "Oh, that's not uncommon. This is what it is, and this is what you can expect." I'm fine with that, and I sincerely hope it is just that easy, but I'll have to wait until Friday to find out. Maybe while I'm there, I'll ask him about this shoulder and the tingling in my hand problem that seems to emanate from it. Yes, my right side is a complete mess.
 
Wow. I cracked my patella. I'm in an immobilizer brace for the foreseeable future.


Sent from my iPhone
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

Total: 846 (members: 5, guests: 841)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom