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THR Spring in my step

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TeeEm I hope we don't have to look at knee replacement:boohoo:I haven't had any problems with my knees except some cracking when I bend down. My 29 year old daughter has that too. Now when I go downstairs it hurts but it changes from one knee to the other and sometimes both. It doesn't make sense. Kim22 retired at 57, wow would I ever like to think of that. I told my husband I am retiring at 62...6 more years and he thinks I'm crazy thinking that. He thinks I should work until I'm 65. I don't think so....:umm:
 
Kim22 TeeEm bottomshollow and everyone else - these ****** knees! I turned awkwardly today at the bottom of the stairs and now my right knee is really painful (I know - elevate, ice, rest!! What have I missed? Oh yes, meds!). It's the one that had an arthroscopy / cartilage repair in 2006 and the surgeon mentioned OA then. I'm going to have to try Elmore oil, I think. Perhaps I can get my uncle to bring a suitcase full next time he visits from Brisbane! I have homeopathic arnica tablets that I will use today - can't do any harm.
Like sandybeach I do not want to go for TKR, at least not yet, even if bottomshollow recommends them! And I was one of the last females to be able to take my state pension at 60 in the UK, it is going up to 65 for all then rising to at least 68.
Ah well - I had better go and put this leg up with a fresh ice pack from the freezer!
Best wishes to all
Anne
 
Oh god TeeEm I so hope you are wrong about the crossing over to the knee side!! I've had a few aches and pains in my knee both pre op and now post op but they have been different so I'm hoping preop it's referred pain and post op, just they've been throwing me around in surgery!! I really don't want to put my name down for any more surgery!! It's been a beautiful day here today too, wouldn't it be wonderful if that was to continue, a proper summer, mmm, watch this space, it's good to be off sick in good weather though!! :)
 
Littlejem said:
it's good to be off sick in good weather though!!
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I know . I was really hoping that this summer would be half decent :happydance:
Littlejem I think you've had your fair share of bionic bits ! I know my knee is arthritic and Im hoping it will settle down, but if it doesnt, I wont put off doing something like I did my hip. Dont want to go through that bone on bone pain again .
 
TeeEm said:
I think you've had your fair share of bionic bits !
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Yup sure have, I'm sure it's put a few pounds on my weight, mmm dream on I know!! :heehee:

sandybeach said:
I told my husband I am retiring at 62...6 more years and he thinks I'm crazy
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I hope to retire at 62 and 8 months, which is when I can draw my state pension, I just hope they don't move the goalposts again!!
 
Hi all just catching up on my own thread which I allowed to lay dormant for a while.I have decided to do my next hip update when I am 4 calendar months from the surgery.@littlegem and sandybeach We are having a wonderful time in our holiday caravan as the weather is just gorgeous.Today I walked for a mile and a half after going to the gym and doing 11 minutes on the stationary bike.I also managed to do some stuff for the upper body with hand weights and 3 resistance machines set on the lowest possible weight.The other thing I have started to do is some very gentle exercises on a gym ball working on the core.I am following the advice of my daughters friend who is a physio and felt these exercises would not stress the hip at all.To make up for all that morning activity We spent the afternoon lazing in the sun.

TeeEm, Liveringer, Nannyannie, @littlegem Before I had my THR I had terrible knee pain in the same side in fact the pain was worse than the hip but that pain went when I had the op but now its my other knee which to be fair has always produced a clicking type sensations .A few weeks ago when my groin tendinitis was at its worse I put some pressure on the back of the knee to help myself sit up in bed and the pain was bad For a few weeks after that the knee felt unstable and I would get a giving way type sensation with a pain at times when I changed directions.I would say things have got better but the knee still gets sore from time to time after activity.I haven't seen anyone about it and I am just hoping things continue to improve.I understand that it is a lot harder getting a new knee on the NHS than a hip.I hope we all get a few more years out of our knees before we need new ones.I find my homemade Elmore Oil good for the knees as well as the hands.

sandybeach I was able to retire at 55 because I worked in nursing in the NHS and that was the agreement at the time.I was very lucky in one sense but it was the hip pain and increasing disability which were the deciding factor in my decision. I don't get my state pension until I am 66. I agree with you that 62 is late enough to retire.

I hope you all have a good weekend and for all in the UK enjoy the unusually lovely sunny weather and the fact that Andy Murray has made it into the Wimbledon final again !
 
We have joked here that the schools will have to put in oxygen bottle recharging stations and make rooms big enough to accommodate walkers for all the geriatric teachers who can't retire because the state invested badly and doesn't have the money to fund our retirement! I can just see us all fighting over the handicapped parking places, doddering into school day after day well into our 80's!
I have had one knee replaced, and know the other one is fine but I also have lots of knee pain. I am theorizing that I have glute muscles that are very lazy and don't fire correctly so they don't do their share of the work in assisting on sit to stand and stabilizing when walking or doing stairs. I suspect that may be true of many of us hippies. Wish I knew the magic exercises to do to get the backside in gear! Anyone got any ideas? Not trying to hijack your thread Kim22 ...sounds as if you could use the help too!
 
Hi@Kim22 - I too had appalling pain in my knee pre-op but was told by my OS that it was referred pain from my hip. Now my knee on the unoperated side hurts but it's not the same kind of pain that I had on my right side. I think it may be over-reliance and it also clicks just like your knee. My husband's knee clicks and he has no pain and my daughter who's 34 also has a 'clicky' knee. Perhaps we notice the 'clicking' more.
Can you remember when I first posted on this site and you folk in the NE '@TeeEm , Josephine were very surprised that the waiting-list at my local hospital was so long? I wrote to them and this is their reponse. They didn't explain why I was told the waiting-list was 8-10 weeks only to find that it was a minimum of 10 months.
Chase Farm Hospital replied on 10 June 2013
As an organisation we are committed from learning from specific issues and from any mistakes we have made. Hearing about where we can do better helps us to pinpoint where exactly to make improvements to the service we provide.
The Trust apologies for the poor experience that you had in accessing our elective orthopaedic services.
Unfortunately, demand for our orthopaedic service is high and we have a lengthy waiting list of patients awaiting inpatient care. We are working hard to reduce the waiting times for all our patients by introducing a backlog initiative and also offering patients the option to transfer to a Consultant where waiting times may be shorter.
Please contact the Trust on bcfpals@nhs.net if you wish to provide your details and get a more detailed response from the business manager for orthopaedics
The waiting-list is still a minimum of ten months and I don't know what the backlog initiative is - perhaps using private hospitals? Never mind - I'm just praying my left hip holds out!:flwrysmile: Ros
 
Backlog (or waiting list) initiatives are the various methods used to create extra throughput in theatres. It started by having us do all day lists on Saturdays and Sundays. Surgeons volunteered to take certain sessions (we had a diary in the theatre where surgeons would enter their names and they would also be responsible for getting one of their regular anaesthetists to agree that date too). They would do one weekend day per so many weeks, however many surgeons there were. So six surgeons on the team meant they would probably do a weekend session once ever six weeks. We could put through up to five or six hip/knee replacements in that day. Theatre staff were booked on an overtime basis. And ward staff, TSSU (sterile instrument processing) xray, path lab, pharmacy, admin, laundry, porterage and others were all expected to provide extra staff for this.

The scheme also involved contracting out sessions in private hospitals using the same surgeon the patient would have had in the NHS hospitals - since NHS surgeons (and anaesthetists) are also NHS employees. They do this by nominally being "part time" employees but that's another story!

Hope this explains it. :)
 
Hi, Kim22 ... wanted to see how you are doing. Sounds like you're having a lovely time, despite the dreaded "K" word. I had knee pain shortly after leaving the hospital from my THR, but seemed to be referred pain. Knees are scary. I hope your pain abates. All that exercise you are doing, plus the walking, sounds wonderful!

As for retirement ... If I could afford to retire sooner rather than later, I would do it. Wouldn't be bored or unfulfilled at all. My hat is off to anyone who is able to retire as soon as they can. I keep forgetting, bottomshollow, that the year in the U.S. is 66 and change. Keep thinking "65."
 
nmscienceteacher said:
We have joked here that the schools will have to put in oxygen bottle recharging stations and make rooms big enough to accommodate walkers for all the geriatric teachers who can't retire because the state invested badly and doesn't have the money to fund our retirement! I can just see us all fighting over the handicapped parking places, doddering into school day after day well into our 80's!
I have had one knee replaced, and know the other one is fine but I also have lots of knee pain. I am theorizing that I have glute muscles that are very lazy and don't fire correctly so they don't do their share of the work in assisting on sit to stand and stabilizing when walking or doing stairs. I suspect that may be true of many of us hippies. Wish I knew the magic exercises to do to get the backside in gear! Anyone got any ideas? Not trying to hijack your thread Kim22 ...sounds as if you could use the help too!
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Hi nmscienceteacher Please don't worry about hijacking my thread I really appreciate hearing from you.I think you are on to something when you attribute the post THR knee problem to weak glutes.This morning we walked over 2 miles which is the longest walk I have done since my op.I tried very hard to pull in my tummy muscles to engage the core for as much as I was able and I noticed that the glutes on the operated side seemed ok but on the other side with the knee pain did not.I find this interesting as you would think that the operated side would be weaker.Perhaps the other side thinks it has worked hard enough ? Like you I am now looking for an exercise to help fire up the glutes on the weaker side.I googled it and it seems like bridges and clams may be worth a try.I wonder if there is anyone on BS who could advise ? My OS advised me against exercise and is of the opinion that plain walking is the best thing to do after a hip replacement.Are you currently doing any exercises ?

With regard to retirement I consider teaching very stressful profession like nursing and it is ridiculous and immoral to force people to work into their old age instead of them being able to retire before they burn out.Of course individuals who want to continue and are fit and able should be able to carry on rather than being forced to go before they are ready.As you say it is down to a lack of funds and bad planning.
 
nmscienceteacher Kim22 Regarding knee pain and glutes, my PT said that pain in my right knee was explained by my atrophied glutes on the left (operated) side. She gave me bridges, clams, and two leg lifts.
The first you do standing, and instead of lifting the leg on the operated side to the side or back, you lift out on an angle. Don't try to go too high. You just lift and tighten your glute. Hold for three seconds. Repeat 10 times if you can. As you progress you hold it longer but DO NOT go higher. (I don't know why, but that's what she said.)

The second is basically the same but you do it lying on your good side, with two pillows between your legs. I am ten weeks out, but she wants me to use the pillows until I see my OS's PA on 7/15. You lie on your side and slowly lift your left up and slightly on an angle. This is harder. Again, don't go high, just keep the leg straight and the foot at a right angle to your leg. Hold for two or three seconds while tightening your glutes, release and lower. Ten reps if possible.

The PT said to do this three times daily, but this sounds like too much with all the other exercises, so I do two sets three or four times a week. It seems to be helping, as my gait is better and my right knee is much less painful.
 
Hi Nylsor Its nice to hear from you I apologise for the delay in answering you but the wi fi connection up here in Northumberland is a bit iffy at times.My knee is not quite as bad as it was 2 days ago whenI got very little sleep with the pain.I had raised my knee up to pull the back of my shoe on which seemed to cause so much pain.I rested and iced yesterday but today managed to walk 2.4 miles along the cliff tops with beautiful views of the Farne Islands and Lindisfarne ( featured in my avatar ) as well as a disused railway line and a wood.The weather has been unbelievable which is the icing on the cake.I had a pedicure this afternoon for the first time and enjoyed watching Andy Murray take the Wimbledon title.What a day !

I really hope that you will not need any further joint replacements but if you do you can make some demands from your local NHS hospital and use the letter to help your cause.The local hospital up here use a private hospital to catch up on the back log.In fact the local private hospital routinely operates on NHS patients.I paid to see an OS after waiting so long to on the NHS to get a diagnosis for my initial horrendous hip pain which turned out to be a torn labrum.The OS was excellent and he diagnosed the problem but as he didn't do arthroscopies he referred me to a colleague luckily on the NHS.I continued to see the new OS at the private hospital on the NHs having investigations and Injections until I needed the arthroscopy which was only available in NHS hospitals in my area.Very complicated situation I know.

How are you doing now as I remember reading how well you walked on holiday ? Are you booked on an Alaskan cruise ? My husband and I having thinking about doing that cruise next year or the year after combined with a trip to Canada It looks fantastic !
 
Kim22 LeeApril26 nmscienceteacher Squats are very good for glutes, but hurt my knee .
I went to a PT / pilates teacher when I was trying to prevent a THR - she gave me -
1) When you are standing - imagine your pelvis is a bucket half filled with water which is tipping forward and spilling. Pull your pelvis up and in so the water is level. hold for 5 breathing normally. do 5 times x 5 daily when washing up, standing to talk to someone etc . nobody notices what you are doing .Tightens the core and glutes and stabilises the hip and also strengthens lower back.
2) lay on floor feet shoulder width apart and knees bent. Pull pelvis upwards and towards backbone and hold for 5 breathing normally 5 x twice daily . Stretches IT band and tones core and glutes.
3) As above, but after pulling in pelvis, slowly go into a bridge as though your spine is stuck with velcro to the floor and you are unsticking it vertebrae by vertebrae. Hold at top for count of 5, then reverse slowly resticking your spine down - hamstrings, glutes, core, IT band and stretches hip flexors.
I hadnt done these for ages, but have just started again.
 
Hi Peaches I couldn't agree with you more regarding retirement as it always amazes me when I hear questions asking me what I find to do all day and am I not bored.There is not enough time in the day to do what I want to do and that's after a hip replacement. I can't wait to get back to full mobility to live life to the full again. The big question is how did I find time to go to work ?
 
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