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TKR The Odyssey of My Newfangled Knee

MRI was today and now I have to wait for the results. It took 25 minutes to take the images. The technician said the protocol is different because of the implant. Not sure what was different, was as loud and clunky as ever! :snork: We'll see what happens. Keep you posted.
 
best wishes

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There is some special setting or something they use so they don't get a distortion of the image from the metal in the implant.
 
Merry Christmas everyone! Saw my OS today and got the results of the MRI. Nothing radical and nothing horrendous. That's the good news! I brought my surgeon a bottle of wine and told him I was bribing him to get rid of the pain. He laughed and said I might want to take it back. :) The MRI showed moderate scarring "within the medial aspect of the Hoffa's fat pad" He said this could be causing the pain behind the knee cap. The problem with him going in and removing the scar tissue is the scar tissue could return. :unsure:

The IT Band was thickened and inflamed which was to be expected. What is still unanswered is the cause. The OS is working with the radiologist to see if the MRI can be cleaned up a bit to see if there is a tendon rubbing on the implant. As you know an MRI after a TKR is not the best and the images are not always the clearest closest to the implant. That can be an issue if that's where the problem is.

So, today the surgeon injected the joint in 2 places today with cortosteriods and lidocaine; one directly into the joint and the other toward the fat pad. The hope is that it will quiet down the pain and remove some of the fluid thereby releasing some of the pain in that area. On December 30th I'm scheduled for an ultrasosund guided injection into the popliteus tendon. It is still possible that arthroscopic debridement is in my future. This is the first step toward alleviating the pain that has plagued me for months. A good step in the right direction.:SUNsmile: I felt good for the first time in a long time.

So, Happy Holidays, my friends and thanks for all your support!
[Bonesmart.org] The Odyssey of My Newfangled Knee
 
Happy Holidays to you my friend...

LTKR 27 OCTOBER 2015
 
Glad to hear you have an answer of sorts and that you're feeling better. Merry Christmas or Happy Hannuakah!
 
I'm glad that you have an answer to your problems. I'm still frustrated with my OS and I'm calling another OS for a second opinion for the TKR. I'm also having problems going up steps again. Now the old knee has decided to join in with the fun. It is a shame that when we are in pain and in need that the OS just don't seem to care.
 
i think there's something in the LIbrary about the Hoffa's pad @momweb. Maybe there's more info for you there.
 
Thanks @Celle, that was interesting. My doc basically explained it as the bulk of my arthritis was in my kneecap. Therefore most of my issues are in the front of my knee. By the time of my surgery, there was arthritis in every compartment. Now, at 6 months, it's a matter of dealing with the residual pain that keeps me from moving forward. The 2 injections into the joint and into the fat pad have resulted in some relief. So, I am thankful for that. I just wish it had happened weeks ago.
 
That's good that you are finally getting some relief from your pain. Will you have to continue to get shots in the future or will the pain slowly decrease over time? I'm hoping that when I see a new OS next week I get some answers for my continuing pain. Sometimes I wish that the doctors that just dismiss complaints of pain could feel what we feel.
 
I don't know the answer to that question @newlybionic. I'm also back on Neurontin at night. The last time I it gave me insomnia so I stopped. We'll see how it works this time. I was asking myself the same questions about the drug, How long will I have to take this? Will I need additional injections? Will this keep me from needing any further surgery to clean out the scarring in the knee? I do feel better, not great, but better. The pain from the IT Band is still strong, but the pain beneath the knee cap is almost gone since the injection and is only noticeable on the lateral side of the knee.

I kept calling the doctor's office one a week to see what the doctor wanted to do about the pain. After 3 weeks I asked for an appointment. The medical assistant said she wasn't sure what more he could do, and I said I couldn't take the pain anymore. He won't call and discuss his options with me, so let's make an appointment where he can talk with me face to face. It's too much to keep waiting. It is sad how we have to be the ones who have to keep calling and calling. For me, it's been ongoing for months. But came to a head when PT ended at the end of October. It's taken this long to get some answers. I think they hope it's all part of the healing process and will just go away. It wasn't and it didn't.

Good luck with your new OS. I'll be anxious to hear what happens.
 
@momweb how long have you been retired? This is my 35th year but I taught 1 year in WV and subbed for two years in PA. My school is a 1-1 iPad school, so technology is huge. Oh the changes in the last 38 years! I thought I could rejoin the local Y, swim year round and maybe volunteer at my old school a bit, just to keep up with my friends.
 
@KarriB I retired in June, 2013. I was in 2 large elementary schools with over 600 kids each. It was overwhelming. Common Core was huge, the expectations were unrealistic, and I was doing so much paperwork it wasn't worth the time.Finally, in my last year, they hired a second technology teacher so I was able to stay in one school. Unfortunately, I was so tired by then, it was time for someone younger to take over.

That summer we went on vacation over Labor Day weekend, a first for a teacher! We were at a Lake and when I came out of the lake my knee gave out. That was the beginning of getting ready for the replacement. I had the knee surgery the following June. Here I am 6 months later, still in pain, different from the arthritic pain. Tomorrow I have an ultrasound guided injection which should be interesting. The first injection gave me relief for a whole week. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I have a funny feeling I'm headed towards arthroscopy clean out.
Something's just not right. Just not sure where.

I do have really good days and I sleep well most nights. I believe I'm glad I did this and I believe I want to do the other knee, but I want this knee to feel good all the time. So, only time will tell. Wish me luck.
 
Hi! Haven't checked up on you in a while. Terribly sorry to hear that you are still in pain! I hope the injection helps. Is it in your "old"knee or new one?? My old one hurts all the time and has for over 5 yrs. I had 9 rounds of Supartz injections ( gel) before giving up. But, lo and behold, the OS insisted on surgery on the right knee first! On Jan 4 I go back for him to take another look at the old knee. I may well be headed to surgery again, too. My new knee is doing quite well. I can come up stairs normally, but still going down one at a time. I believe it is the old knee holding me up! I have some tightness ( swelling?) and some of the numbness on the outside has subsided. I can walk and shop but still just get tired! I'm so happy not to have to work. I cannot imagine how these folks are working during recovery!
I wish for you a great pain relief in 2016! We're almost at the 1/2 way point of our year long recovery! Surely, the next few months will bring great things!!!
 
Hi @Thesoutherncook, good to hear from you. No, the problem is with the knee with the implant. I just can't get rid of the pain behind the knee and the pain behind the knee cap. Since he removed the bulk of my knee cap I shouldn't have any pain there. The pain behind the knee seems to be caused by the IT Band which is enlarged and inflamed. The question is why? If I were a cyclist or running, it would be an overuse injury, but that's not the case. The surgeon is wondering and pondering if a tendon is rubbing on the implant and that is causing the problem. The MRI wasn't able to show that area due to the metal in the implant. He's hoping the radiologist can perform some "magic", his words, to the images. Most days I try real hard to ignore what I feel, but some days it's most impossible. Today the pain behind my knee cap is pretty strong. It feels like an intense burning sensation whenever the knee bends or straightens completely. Ice helps some so I'll be getting some ice soon. It's been a strange and interesting recovery to say the least. I agree, I can't imagine trying to work and deal with all this as well. I also love my time. Retiring is the best thing I've done. Happy New Year and we'll see how this all pans out.
 
I so understand how you are feeling. I'm trying not to put too much hope with a first visit to a new OS Thursday morning but I'm hoping to at least have a plan in place to figure out what my problem is and how to fix it. I'm sure it doesn't help I'm on it all day at work. I have a hard time trying to sleep because the new one hurst and the old one does too. I just seem to keep changing their positions until I finally become so exhausted I fall asleep. I hope we both go into 2016 with decreasing pain and a bright future.
 
I hope you both can find the problem and get it fixed easily. It's just not fun to be in pain when you've done everything you can to be pain free.
My left knee has been bad longer, however my right knee actually gave out at the beach July 2013. I woke up one morning and couldn't take a step without screaming in pain. So the right knee was done first. I can't use my left knee to climb steps at all. It's all on my right.
Keep us informed on how the injection goes.
 
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