help please!!

[friendsfan]

Thought Id check in, its been over a week, people dont seem to be posting as much now...
Im weight bearing 90% of the time and my knee is starting to improve week by week, only little amounts but enough to notice, so im quite happy..
Im starting to get about without my crutches if my knee feels stable enough..

my cousins funeral was ok, what more can i say about a funeral.. 

Helen, when i was started on them drugs they increased it all over 3 weeks, till i was on 1500mg a day, and it was horrible.

[tanyap]

Hi Faye,
I dont have internet access in work anymore so thats how come im not posting as much, but i do still check in some evenings when im at home.

im really delighted to hear you are weight bearing so well!!! thats brilliant news!!! really well done to you!!!
its great when you start seeing thew weekly improvement, i hope that continues for ages, you reach a point when its improved enough that you dont notice it every week anymore, thats when you know youre really on your way!

my knee is alright, im still doing my walks. still takes me around half a mile to get into my stride and not feel a bit awkward but definitely much better than it was, not getting weekly change, maybe every 2 weeks now. also got new boots and wore them with no issue whatsoever - i had terrible problems before the op wearing anything unfamiliar on my feet, used to make me sublux, it feels very good to be able to just buy shoes like a normal person - still no heels yet though, but that will all come in time, i hope!

hope youre ok after the funeral, its never a nice thing to have to go to, i know.

xx

[friendsfan]

I know you dont have internet access anymore at work, but it wasnt you I was refering to, i mean just in general...a page can last a couple of  days now...

I think its great about my knee, my PT told me on tuesday I can walk with 1 crutch now..so I tried it yesterday morning and low and behold I did 5 steps before my knee buckled on me......so I can say I tried but not strong enough yet.

Ive never been able to wear heels, so i dont know what im missing out on..

hope you are well

 

[tanyap]

Hi Faye,
wowzers, 5 steps on 1 crutch before a buckle??? well done!! You gotta aim for 10 steps, then 20, then 50, then 100, then...well you know what i mean

Ive had a good bit of achiness the past few days, been walking 'properly' desperately trying not to compensate or let my leg act like a straight pole. I can do it, but anything faster than a stroll and it aches and stiffens up after a couple of hundred yards. But the good news is that in August I couldnt do it at all cos it just hurt too much, so it is progress.

Ive been having a bit of buckle as well, but it catches itself before dropping fully away from under me so i look like im doing some kind of funky dance move.

[friendsfan]

In the house i can walk around without my crutches, but as soon as I get outside on to different terrain the story changes dramatically....
I know what you mean about the funky dance move--cool aint it?

Its great that you've been walking properly, i cant rememebr how to but I know it will come, my leg is also straight when I walk, funny isnt it how we use it?

[tanyap]

Thats weird Faye, that was exactly how I was about subluxing before my op, I hardly ever subluxed in the house but once I was outside it was a different story.
Same now, i feel totally comfy walking in the house, outside it seems more difficult.
heres my theory:
at home you know where everything is, your brain doesnt have to take in as much info and process it, you can 'ignore' furniture etc...plus you move around with smaller strides in a room compared to an open space.
Outside your brain has to work your leg, PLUS take in uneven ground, process the info of where there are kerbs, steps, cars etc.. And the bigger strides take more muscle power too.

I keep wondering if other people do the 'straight leg' walk - it must be so common with knee problems. I cant remember noticing it so much when I was a kid after my operation. Maybe it was happening but I just wasnt taking any notice.

[Silkncardcrafts]

Hi Faye,

Thats wonderful progress. Keep up the good work. Before you know it you'll be off the crutches all together. How many months are you post-op now ?

I can't wait to see my OS in 3 weeks. I am dying to hear what he has to say about the moron that caused damage to both my knees on Tuesday. I better not have to undergo more surgery as a result.

Today I spoke with my pilates instructor who is also a physio and couldn't believe that the guy I saw is under investigation by the TAC now.

Enjoy your weekend.

[friendsfan]

thats a very good theory tanya, I agree..

god the straight leg walk isso hilarious watching other people doing it, not so funny when its yourself though..I wonder what the straight leg walk is about??? is it us guarding our poor, mishapen, wonky knees??

I havent attempted the 1 crutch outside again yet, it knocked my confidence last week, but i will try again tomorrow.

My PT is so impressed with the progress Im making, Ive improved loads since last week, woohoo...maybe I will be able to try and piece my life together again

[bavage]

The 'heavy leg' feeling is probably related to the pain you are suffering.
If your leg is swollen,warm to the touch & difficult to bend it can feel too heavy to manuveur around

[Silkncardcrafts]

Hi Faye,

It's great you've had such an improvement in the last week. You must be soooo pleased.

I have woke up in pain with both knees and can't sleep. Unfortunately I can't take any more painkillers for another 2 hours. Just hope it eases off and can go back to sleep.

Keep up the good work.

[tanyap]

Hi faye,
I think the straight leg thing is the brain thinking 'oooh, this is too sore to support with bent leg' so it just makes you go straight.
My OS (the good one) told me the force through a bent leg is equal to something like 4 times your body weight, he said as a surgeon if you ever got your thumb stuck in the wrong place during a knee replacement operation and someone bent the persons leg that you could lose your thumb!! Yikes!!

How are you getting on? My leg is not enjoying the cold weather - Kirsty, we need some of your weather over here!!! I bought over the knee socks, I look like a bit of a granny in my undies - but my knee is lovely and warm with them!!

[friendsfan]

thats intresting information about the bent leg force being about 4 times the body weight, crazy also....
remember me saying earlier in the year about may time about my brother shattering his ankle...well he has walked away from it ok, so he has pins and plates in and scars all over his ankle aand leg, but he is walking around now with a slight limp and no crutches and get this NO physio either coz he didnt think he needed it.. its really disheartening to see how me, you, kirsty, helen and other people are struggling with knees, just because we need our knees to support us...But there is only my brother who could possibly come away from it ok.. oh well thats my moan over...I told him if it was his knee he would be struggling still.

Ive done stuff today that I didnt even think about my knee for...first time in a long while...my OS will be impressed see him again on 4th december...

my knee most defintley is not enjoying this weather, im using a tubigrip coz it is swollen, keeping me warm though, although we havent had snow its cold enough for it....my ankle is hurting from using my knee a bit better, its the ankle is getting used to bending when im walking again..

how is knee though apart from the weather??

kirsty I hope your pain is getting under control and you are sleeping better

[helsbels]

hi guys

sorry i havnt bin on 4 a while bin suffering realy badly wiv migraines- spent 30 hours sleepin coz it was so bad on thurs - worst iv eva had

im so hapy 4 all of u that the knees r geting beta - evryfin takes time

im still same no change part from med increasing - wen mr gaspar fones nxt wk he will b tellin me wot he wants 2 do nxt coz the nerve blockers r doin feck all on 1800mg a day at moment n dont feel a difference at all
so as always its a waiting game 2 find out wot happenin nxt

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[helsbels]

hi guys

how r u all doin?

sory aint bi non 4 while stil suffering wiv head and evrything

my pain guy phoned to c how getin on wiv nerve blockers and wen i told him stil no effect he sed he wants to see me asap to discuss nxt step but he wudnt tell me n e fin on phone. so just gotta wait 4 appt now.

other than that i aint got much news on any thing

all stil lsame stil cant walk stil in a hell of alot of pain. but hey ho im so used to it all now makes me feel like ive been put on this earth to have all the bad luck so every one else doesnt get to much the reason i say this is our bloody car is off the road - failed mot, greg fixed it then it passed mot but 2 days later it broke again and now needs the head gasket doing again. well greg hopes its the head gasket and not something more serious and more expensive as the money i have had to use to fix it has left me screwed 4 money now. but i need the car otherwise i wont be going anywere at all.   

 sory for ranting just so fed up and annoyed wiov evrything and life. i feel bad saying this coz i know there are worse ppl havin worse problems than me but i just feel its none stop u sort 1 problem out then somut else happens and it all has to be fixed wiv money that i dont have coz i cant work and my partner cant work coz hes my carer and has to look after me coz i cant do feck all. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
 
fix this feckin knee!!!!!!!!!!!!

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[helsbels]

sorry bout that guys just had to get it out of my system   


hope ur all ok and managin gud and knees getin beta

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