TKR Sudden deterioration in ok knee

[TinAB]

Hello everyone, this is my first thread although I have been on the site since before my first TKR September 2018. It progressed pretty well and I got all the info I needed here without posting. This is a wonderful place!

So after my left knee was done, my right knee improved a lot. I had a cortisone shot one month after the surgery and it has been great for a year, so great that I refused 2 surgery appointments in August and November. After all, if it wasn't troubling me why go through that again? Well, it began to ache a bit so I thought let's get another shot to put me through winter (am in the frozen north in Western Canada.) So I had that shot on 16th November, and it was fine. He thought he hit a blood vessel because it did bleed a little and the bruise was there for 3 weeks. Anyway, the following week I went to aquafit, and then a seniors' exercise class the next day. Everything was great.
The next morning, I woke up and my knee hurt so much with pain all the down my leg that I could hardly walk. It has remained very painful, and now my hip is getting sore. The pain is mainly the inner side of the knee, and in the middle. Back to waking up in the night again. Has anyone experienced this? It went from a 2 to an 8 overnight!
I called and have an appointment with my surgeon in a few weeks. What is so disheartening is that we have a month's holiday in England booked in April, visiting family and some sightseeing. I was so looking forward to some lovely walks in the countryside and seeing all the flowers especially bluebell woods. Since I can't have surgery for 3 months after a cortisone shot that would take me to mid February and then not supposed to fly for 3 months (if I even got a date then) so would have to miss my trip. So surgery not before the end of May, and I hoping this will improve so we can enjoy our trip.

Thanks for reading, any input appreciated.

 

[Tmgrl3]

So sorry to hear this. It is so hard to make plans as we age and are facing joint replacements somewhere along the way. We had a trip to Denver in November 2018 that we had to cancel because hubby had to have triple lumbar fusion, pushing off my bilateral knee replacement till following March of 2019 . I had the bilateral done because I heard that a knee takes a full year to really recover. Anyhow, I am so glad I did that. Since then I have had to had right trigger thumb and carpal tunnel surgery (two weeks ago) and now a breast core biopsy coming up. My feeling is...replan any trip that requires walking when you are facing a joint replacement that needs doing and get the replacement done.

When I told the airline about hubby’s back surgery (I called United directly) at first they were going to extend use of tickets for a year, but I convinced them to give us a full refund since we had booked so far in advance for first class tickets (for our leg room). I sent them records from doctor, x-rays and letter from doctor and they fully refunded everything even though we had no travel insurance. I was in Europe when my last hubby who passed away 11 years ago ended up in critical care in Sicily ..not because of joint replacement but because his heart was giving way and he got bad pneumonia...had many other complications, but the experience of being in foreign country alone after the tour group left was a nightmare. Fortunately two of his children worked for airlines and came over and stayed and one went home with each of us. I want to travel knowing that at least I have taken care of any major medical issues that might crop up. Joints can go south pretty quickly and ruin a trip. Keep us posted on what you decide. Hard decision, but your health comes first and with another new knee you can at least count on being able to walk.

 

[TinAB]

Tmgrl3 Thank you. Goodness you have reallly been through it.
We had to postpone this trip a year already and I really really want to go. If it's agony then obviously not but I'm hoping this is a flare brought on by the shot and will improve. Just have to go day by day for now. Thanks for your reply ☺

 

[Celle]

Your knee may settle down again if you rest it, do as little as possible, and spend some time icing and elevating it:
Elevation: the do's and dont's
Ice to control pain and swelling

A traumatic injection in the knee and then aquafit a few days later, followed by an exercise class the following day, was probably all a bit too much for your poor knee.

 

[TinAB]

Thanks Celle. I'm going to see my doctor this week in case something else is going on.