TKR Winner winner, chicken dinner! Bionic Liz's new RTKA

[Spex10]

Its only the end of week six! I'm at the end of week 13. I can't walk 'normally' every day. Some days I walk really well other days I hobble about. I've just decided not to let it bother me. I'll ice and elevate and get on with life. I don't want to overthink things! btw I did develop the dreaded arthrofibrosis and had the feared MUA but it worked! My knee bends. I really wish I hadn't worried so much. That was the worst of it!

 

[L.I.T]

Thanks @Spex10 (did you know that when I type your name, autocorrect always changes it to 'sex'? gotta be hypervigilant about changing it back, ha ha ha!). It helps to know I'm not out of line. Oddly, I'm not terribly afraid of an MUA.... and I don't think they'd do that for me with my ROM anyhow.

Here's what it's like for my walking. When I bring my leg forward and bend it (natural walking), I get to about 30° and then it 'catches' like going over a speed bump - if I push through it, I feel a 'snap' on the lateral side (I can't tell front or back). If I walk in slow motion (or just bend in a non weight bearing way) , it doesn't catch or snap. When I hold my knee up, and let the bottom half of my leg drop, it just slowly decompresses down with no snap...but also still having resistance.

Is that somewhat how yours is/was? I see people talk about how they are stiff in the morning, and the 'loosen up' after they get moving. I seem to be opposite.

I know I'm still early on. Like I said, I'm just scared - and depressed - and hormonal (I look forward to the day the big M comes around. I'll send out the brigade in spades).

So thank you for sharing your experience. Now if I could only enforce my brain to respect my decision not to worry! My mind is stubborn that way - always finding a way to trick me into thinking about it again! Bad brain!

 

[KarriB]

@L.I.T yourROM is good but walking is a problem?

 

[L.I.T]

@KarriB, yes. ROM (when I bend slowly or non-weightbearing) is 130 or so. But when walking, bending more than 30° or so, it's like hitting a speed bump in a car...the best I can describe it - it's an instant slow down that I can push through, but it hurts and is uncomfortable. It's mostly related to the speed of normal walking/movement or weighbearing vs the slow bend while checking ROM or heel slides, etc.

I've had it since the beginning - there have been a few moments that it was gone or better, but seems to return after I am walking or up for more than 5 minutes or so.

Last week, after ultrasound on, Monday, it was gone for about 6hrs. Then returned. Ultrasound last Thursday did nothing for it. I can't help but believe it's soft tissue related, as my Hoffa's fat pad is still quite hard and protruding.

I know it sounds crazy, but I can't explain it any better - sorry.

 

[KarriB]

Does this sound like it?

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/tight-band-feeling-across-the-front-of-my-knee.11734/

 

[L.I.T]

@KarriB, up until this past week, I had been hoping that what I was feeling was the tight band. I had even called it that sometimes. Maybe that is even part of it? But the snap part of it, and the ever continuing inflammation of the soft tissues not responding to ice or anti-inflammatories is what I'm worried about. Maybe it's all related somehow, and I don't understand.

I really should just stick with the mantras, and forget about it. There's probably not much I can do about it in the end. It will get better or it won't. Just feels like an uphill battle at the moment.

(no, I'm not depressed... What makes you ask?  sorry for being a Debbie downer... Not that all Debbie's are downers.... Well, you know what I mean )

 

[KarriB]

I'm wondering if it's a gait issue since you have good ROM. It took me quite a while and using a cane to acquire a decent gait. It could be that you're walking differently than you did for all those years and now are using muscles etc differently which will take time to get used to. My PTs were great at working on my gait. They'd stand behind while I walked and put me on a treadmill for a short time (5 min very slow) to help me with my gait. I felt odd and hurt a bit as I relearned how to walk correctly.

 

[Mireille]

@L.I.T Sorry you're not feeling well I hope you get better soon. This knee business is full of ups and downs. I'm ready to get off this ride!

I don't know what it could be but I'm wondering if the feeling I've been complaining to PT is similar to yours. Sometimes when I'm walking or just moving my knee, I I feel like it jams or clicks and it makes me stop what I'm doing. I kinda wiggle? my knee and it goes away. It's in nthe medial side of my knee. Doesn't happen all the time but enough that I notice. PT says there's nothing wrong with my knee but I'm still asking OS when I see him this week.

Sending you virtual hugs!

 

[Spex10]

My gait varies from day to day. Sometimes almost normal, sometimes its like I'm walking with stilts.
Re the big M - its brilliant. Look forward to those days!

 

[Celle]

Liz, it's still very early days - only about 6 weeks. You've got excellent ROM.

I think it's expecting too much to be able to walk at normal speed without a few little glitches. The swelling is still normal too and some of it is inside your knee joint, which could account for the catching feeling.
This isn't the sort of recovery where 6 weeks or so marks almost total recovery. Remember this is going to take a full year for complete recovery.

Cut yourself a bit of slack and try to just let your knee heal at its own pace. It's going to get there.

I know it's hard to be patient - you're probably going stir crazy and have cabin fever, too - but hang in there. It really is worth the wait.

 

[L.I.T]

Well, as GI Joe used to say, knowing is half the battle. PT did a very thorough exam on me today, and determined that my anti-inflammatory (currently ibuprofen since my insurance is causing problems with me getting celebrex) is not controlling my internal swelling very well.

While I still have some posterior capsule swelling, the main problem is my swollen fat pads - they are swollen enough to be getting caught in the joint - which are in turn making them swell even more from injury. In addition, the swelling is creating a resistance for my patellar tendon, which is what I'm feeling when I try to walk and seem to hit resistance. When very swollen, it also causes my leg to 'kick out' a little on extension, which is also affecting my movement/gait. As a minor issue, it's also creating a barrier for my full extension (although I am technically around zero, so this is not a critical issue). PT said this is probably why I was feeling significantly better with the ultrasound, but that when I overdid it with the flutter kicking, it got caught in a bit of a cycle.

The current plan is to try get a better anti-inflammatory and then be patient and give things time. So I've got a call into the PA to see what the options are.

Feeling a little better at least knowing what the problem is, and hoping we can find something as equally helpful as celebrex.

@Spex10, @Mireille, @KarriB, @Celle, you were all right - it's gait, resistance, early days, and lack of patience that are the problems! All due to those meddling fat pads (pulling out my inner Scooby doo )!

Icing with frozen veggies at the moment (since the ice machine doesn't get cold enough to get deep down to the pads). Corn is the pick de jour! Perhaps peas later

Thank you all for listening, as well as helping!

 

[KarriB]

Always amazes me that ice/elevation is the answer to so many problems.

 

[Cratchit]

Well, GI Joe was right and now you know that you were right, too - something was amiss! That was a good examination and explanation by your PT and knowing what's going on gives you back that measure of control. Hope you get your meds sorted soon. At least your knee is getting a good selection of veg!

Onwards and upwards

 

[L.I.T]

@Cratchit,

Ha ha! I keep thinking maybe I should have gotten some frozen kale and chia seeds - my knee could use some SUPERFOODS

Sadly, I still feel rather out of control. My PT and the doctor's PA feel confident they can get the swelling down with time. The PA was so funny - he said "sometimes they don't go down all the way, back to where they were before - you may not be able to get the definition back that you had before." He must have thought I was crazy, because I burst out laughing! I explained that I don't really care how my knee 'looks' - if I can walk without things pulling and feeling like I've hit a wall of resistance, I would be more than thrilled! He also doesn't know that I haven't had 'definition' in that knee for years now, anyway... Due to the constant OA swelling!

These dratted knees... I was thinking that it's quite amazing that they work at all - much less when they are replaced. Essentially, we are walking on two toothpicks held together by some ligaments That enough to give me the 'amazeballs' eyes

 

[Mireille]

@L.I.T At least you got an answer and are on your way to getting better. We don't have any control, the knee is calling the shots whether we like it it not. Rather bossy, if you ask me!

Wishing you a pain and stress free day!

 

[fuzzybunny]

I laugh when the medical people look at my surgical knee and say it still looks a little swollen compared to my "good" knee that is always swollen from arthritis. Most of them assume the other knee is perfect, far from it. I don't expect to get definition back in either knee but I dream of it. I will settle for two pain free functional knees.

 

[Cratchit]

I don`t mean control in the sense that we can do anything to expedite recovery more in the sense that when we understand the reason for something then it can give a sense of control even if we can`t do anything about it, IYSWIM? If I understand why something is happening it takes out the unknown quantity therefore makes things seem more manageable.

I think that`s what I mean anyway!

 

[Mireille]

@Cratchit I do see what you mean It does help knowing and understanding but for me, I feel things change so rapidly and so often that I start to doubt what I know and/or understand and the vicious cycle begins again.


Alas, tomorrow is another day!

 

[L.I.T]

@Cratchit , I hear ya. For me, even though I can't 'control' it, knowing what it is helps me reconcile my fear a little better. Besides, it does give me something to think about and pretend to come up with ways to 'fix' it. I'm a guy like that

With that being said, today on the icing menu is a gelpack on top, peas on the bottom. I'm double tapping it today! I WILL win this war!!!!!!!

 

[Celle]

You'll get there! Swelling does take a long time to go away completely.