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TKR The Odyssey of My Newfangled Knee

Ah, the elusive patience. I thought I had so much. I thought I was ready this time around. But apparently not . At least we have each other to lean on . As @Pumpkinseed just wished me over in my thread, let's all hope for a better day tomorrow
 
Reading through you thread (I've got waaaay behind, I'm sorry) I can really understand a lot of what you have said about patience, pain, frustration etc. I think there was a time (another lifetime ago...) when we both felt like we were doing so well (probably around the 4-6 week mark) that I think we expected things to continue along like that. But life (and the knee) isn't like that so we've had to dig deep to find our patience, deal with issues and try to keep some semblance of sanity too. But we are getting there, aren't we? Please keep posting as it is great to hear how you are doing. And if I ever do find a secret stash of patience I'll be sure to send some your way!
 
Hi there, Thought you’d be interested in the surgeon’s report from this morning: “Suzanne has ongoing posterior tenderness in the knee. It is unclear whether this could be lateral hamstring tendinitis or possibly her popliteus tendon. I suggested we do an ultrasound to take a look at the posterior aspect of the knee to make sure she does not have persistence of her posterior popliteal cyst. Depending on the the ultrasound results we could do a trial aspiration injection, possible injection of her popliteus tendon.”

In the meantime, he has given me a new prescription for a mild muscle relaxant to take 3 times a day to see if that helps. The ultrasound is scheduled for Nov. 5th. He wasn’t pleased that my PT didn’t do any deep tissue massage of the area. I am to stop all exercise except walking. He’s going to check into the PT near his office and see if they will do what he wants them to do. So, when I return from Tucson, I may end up there. At least I know I’m not nuts!! Yeah, me!!:)
 
Oh @Raffs so good to hear from you. You are so right. For me, if it weren't for this persistent pain behind my knee, I'd be doing great. The implant is great! This pain just stops me in my tracks. Next week I'll be on vacation with my husband in Tucson, Arizona. It will be nice and warm and I can't wait to get away. I'm hoping to put the knee on the back burner as best I can for the full 5 days. We shall see.
 
I have had pain behind my knee too--started about week 5. Josephine thought it could be a baker's cyst. (Had one of those before my replacement but didn't feel it then.) I would get a serious "pinch" and then it ached afterwards--this used to happen up to several times a day, especially if I didn't have full weight on the leg or was moving sort of akwardly. Anyway, this has almost stopped happening--happened today for the first time is several weeks.
 
@Kssii I truly don't think it's a cyst. I think it's more of tendonitis of some type. It gets aggrevated by exercise. The pain can be recreated anytime the foot is turned in. If I place my foot on the inside of my shin of the other leg, I can feel the pain in the back of my knee and the top of the calf which is where the popiliteus muscle is. I've had the pain in one form or another since about week 3. It hasn't gotten any better, only worse. So, I'm glad we're finally going to find out what's up.
 
I hope they figure it out soon for you. It sounds like your pain is quite different from mine.
 
Suzanne, I hope your knee behaves itself on your well-deserved vacation. What are you planning to do in Tuscon? I'm not sure if you have the time or interest to do a side trip, but Kartchner Caverns -- a living cave where the stalactites are still growing, slow drip by slow drip -- is just wonderful. https://azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA/index.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kartchner_Caverns_State_Park. Of course, you could happily spend five days in Tuscon without any side trips. Have a great time!
 
@SarahJane we are so looking forward to the warm weather in Tucson. It's been getting cooler here in the east, so one day will be spent hanging at the pool exercising my knee and overlooking the mountains. The view we have is absolutely breath taking. We'll take a side trip to a winery one day. I had looked into the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for another day. It has a cave there as well but certainly nothing like the Kartchner Caverns. I'll have to think about that one. In New Hampshire there is a place similar to that although a lot cooler inside. The natural stalactites are beautiful. If you think of anything else we should do, by all means let me know. We've been to Arizona many times and love it there.

My son lived in LA twice as he was job hunting, now he's in North Providence, RI. Funny how that worked out. He would really rather be out west.

I'm hoping my knee will be ok. The muscle relaxer helps, but makes me drowsy. I'm not taking the lunch time dose. Last night I still needed to take Tramadol to get through the night. I fall asleep pretty quick, but around 3AM I'm awake and uncomfortable. It's crazy. I'm hoping the flight won't kill me. We paid extra for more leg room so we'll see. It's a very early flight, so I'm hoping I'll sleep through it. I can't wait, Monday can't come soon enough.
 
It looks like your trip is well-planned already. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is outstanding. I don't think your east coast cave or the one at the Desert Museum are as exciting from an ecological/preservationist standpoint. They designed the entrance so visitors have to go through a series of airlocks, designed to prevent the moisture of the cave from escaping into the hot, dry Arizona air. Most caves open for tourists are no longer "living." But if you travel to Arizona frequently you might want to save Kartchner Caverns for another trip. It's a bit of a drive from Tuscon, and you may want to limit the amount of time you spend seated in a moving vehicle. Rental car trips in and around Tuscon and cramped airline seats might be enough for one trip. I'm big on museums, and the Tuscon Art Museum is good for a city of that size, and located in a neighborhood I enjoy strolling around and window shopping in. More artsy, less Scottsdale/Camelback shopping districts, if you get the comparison to Phoenix area shopping spots. If you or your husband are into aviation there's a museum there you might want to check out on one of your trips out there.

Lazing around in a pool, gazing at the mountains, sipping wine, it's all good. Have a great time.

Glad your son found a job on one coast, at least. Housing here is getting so expensive he's probably a lot better off financially where he is.
 
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Have a lovely trip, you really deserve it. Hope the knee behaves and looking forward to hearing all about it when you return.
 
@SarahJane and @Raffs in just a few hours (3:30AM to be exact) I'll be up and headed to the airport. My plan is to sleep soundly until we hit Dallas. We paid extra for the extra leg room. Hopefully it will be enough for my knee to rest comfortably. Once we reach Tucson, I'm heading to the pool, then the bar (they have a swim up bar at the hotel). By then I'll be ready for a nap. I can't wait!! Thanks for your happy thoughts, and my knee had better behave!!
 
Have fun! Hopefully you won't be thinking about your knee!
 
I'm behind some of the posts but i have developed pain behind me knee towards the inside of my leg. Three different therapists have looked at it. I have lost 10 degrees in my ROM. One tried to stretch it out and the other two tried massage without any help. I still have pain when I walked which keeps me up at night. I take some Tramadol and I get about three hours of sleep. I'm going to see the surgeon on Tuesday to see what he says. I'm still not at the point where I would say I'm glad I did the surgery. At least I used to sleep at night. Where is that patience ATM?
 
I know you are vacation but please take it easy. Have fun and enjoy. Arizona is great this time of year for warm weather. I want to hear about it when you get home.:kittykiss:
 
Hi @newlybionic I've had pain behind my knee in one form or another since about 3 weeks. It has never gone away and has actually gotten worse. I'm having an ulta sound on Nov. 5th to try and determine what's up. I'm hoping they find something because there's nothing worse than having pain and the medical folks have no clue why. Boy do I understand where you're coming from.
 
I made the 5 1/2 hours on a plane without too many issues today. We purchased the extra legroom which helped tremendously. I did get real stiff from sitting so long but it was ok. I slept most of the way since we were up at 3:30AM. By the time we reached the hotel I was ready for the pool and the warm temps. I wasn't ready for the hilly terrain. Although I got in more than my 10,000 steps today, my knee is killing me from climbing the little hills and going down the little hills all around our hotel. It's a beautiful resort, but I wasn't ready for the rugged terrain. But you know what? I don't care, I'm having a great time!! And that's all that counts. My knee can take a back seat for a couple of days.
 
Have a wonderful trip! You deserve it (don't we all? LOL)

sent from my Galaxy 4
 
Happy you made it ok. I now remember when we went to Sedona years ago it was a little bit of rough hiking. Of course I was a lot younger and didn't have a TKR. Take it easy and have fun.:happydance:
 
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