My knee is looking deformed.

[lady]

I'm noticing that more and more my knee looks deformed. And I often notice bruising usualy in the front around my knee cap. I know for a fact I have not bumped or banged my knee. My knee is "killing me"! I'm doing everything I said I wouldn't example-tons of advil. I'm up to 3000mg. And its not working. (believe me I know its bad and my stomach is starting to be affected). I'm starting to limp. I just noticed it a few days ago. I'm trying everything not to. My knee gets stiff more espeicaly if I sit for to long. But if I'm in the car for long periods of time it takes awhile to walk comfortable.

I was told I have moderate to sever OA about a year ago. I'm curious if this is what I should expect as the disease progresses. I was very active up intil Christmas time but its getting harder and harder to want to ride the bike etc. I've noticed after I ride the bike I have also walk funny and have to really try to walk right and not look goofy at the gym. I am on my feet most of the day and truthfully I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm very active/hyper. I am going to try to ride the bike in the morning, but mornings can be horrible. I'm a little concerned if I ride the bike in the morning I will be sore more. I know they say the bike is best and it helps but lately I don't feel like thats the case.

Thanks for everyones input. Your experiences are so helpful

[Penny W]

I am not an expert but it sounds like arthritis to me.Its really hard to find a discription of arthritis but once you start feeling it it really never went away for me.The synvisc injections worked for a few years.My understanding is you have to keep moving but you do come to the point where it is to painful thats when you have to decide TKR or what.Good luck I hope you find relief.

[Caroline109]

If you're taking lots of ibuprofen, that can make you bruise more easily. NSaids affect how you clot/bruise, making the platelets not work as well as they should. I know this from having a chronic low platelet count (the platelets being what helps you to clot and lack of can cause you to bruise) and dealing with arthritis pain for a  number of years.
Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

[lady]

Thanks Penny and Caroline,
I know ibuprofen is bad, completely forgot about the bruising. But still pretty weird that I am bruising in my knee and not other places then. I tried the glocusome and condritant (spelling is so bad) for 6 months, nothing. My next thing is flax seed oil. Anyone try that one?

I'm feel I'm to young and thankful so does my doc. But we have a debate about which age I will have either a PTR or a TKR.

[Caroline109]

The condition of your knee, and not so much your age, should be the deciding factor for having a replacement. I had a partial knee replacement of my medial compartment in September and feel a lot better, although now my other knee is worsening. I don't know how old you are, but I'm sure I'm older (54).
I tried glucosamine and chondritin for about a year. I stopped taking it when my rheumatolgist said it wasn't going to help (I started taking it before I saw him).

[lady]

I'm 37...Ok I'm more like 38( in 2 weeks) lol.
Ya I know. I think I'm going to the flax seed oil, up the dose of it. I think I'm going to stop the advil and just deal. Its not helping anyways so why ruin my stomach.

This is so frustrating. It consumes you,constantly being in pain. I'm so active so I think I notice more. I'm a preschool teacher and always down low sitting in kid chairs or on the floor, ingeneral I'm affecting my knee alot, Iknow that. It so hard to not let it take over who you are. But it is for me right now. Its all I can think of because its SCREAMING at me. Its aggravating to try things and have it work for a short time and see how great life is doing all that you want and then be back to this!

Ok sorry about that. I knwo you all know exactly how I feel and what I'm saying. I'm just being a baby (at 38)lol

[digginit]

Oh MAAN!  The memories of bicycling pre-TKA.  It would be soooo painful for 10 or 15 minutes and then ease up a bit for the rest of the ride.  But then getting off the bike was so dreadful.  Not being able to walk for 30 minutes to an hour. 

When I first talked with Sawbones about fixing my knee, he at first said I was too young and should modify my activities.  I said, "What?  Should I quit riding my bike?" (He has always been a big proponent of bicycling.)

I'm 42 and had a TKA nearly 4 months ago.  So far so good.  One thing that knee arthritis taught me was how to do a good knee injection.  I'm probably the only doc who learned to do injections on herself...lol.

~dig

[lady]

I'm biking 20 minutes at a time. Walking is just hard right now all around. I'm not emotional person but man oh man it is warring me down. I have had issue with this knee for 22 years but the last 13 have been horrible with little brakes inbetween. My quad looks so small whcih is crazy because I am doing exercies and biking. Why is it getting smaller?

My doc has offered going in a few times. A scope and possible a spacer. And I declined because I feel the more surgery you has the worse the OA gets and quicker. As of right now I am very close to calling for an appointment and asking what next, lets do it, anything. I had synvics this summer it was great for 5 months. Tried it again and no luck. Areas of my knee that didn't hurt hurt.

I actully choose to stand up most of the day rather than sit becasue kills going to sit and getting up from sitting.

38 and a PTR doesn't sounds so bad right now, neither does amputation. (jk).

Dig-my husband used to give himself allergy shots. He's a medic not a doc though.

[lady]

I called my doc. I'm going to give clebrex a try. Wish me luck.

[Caroline109]

Celebrex worked wonderfully for me. It just got too darn expensive so I switched to another NSaid (the generic Mobic) which is working well. I hope Celebrex works well for you.

[lady]

I hope it works. Thanks for the positive feedback. I'm thinking/hope to feel the affects in 3 to 4 months. I have some very busy months ahead. Soccer season officaly starts for me in March (I'm the coach, not the player) and I'm in a wedding this summer.

[Caroline109]

It worked much quicker than 3-4 months for me. Within a week, I would notice a difference for sure, sometimes sooner (especially when I had stopped it for surgery or some other reason and started back on it a couple of weeks or months later). The price though was a killer: $150 for 90 pills through our prescription mail order company (Medco) while the Mobic is $9.99 for 90 pills at my local Stop and Shop (grocery store that has a pharmacy in it).

[lady]

I'm waiting for my insurance to ok the prescription. It will take a week or 2. I'm get xious. I can't wait for the constent ache to go away, I hope this does the trick.

[lady]

I'm still waiting and starting to wonder if I should just call he doc for an appointment. I'm doing my execises. But having a tough time now with leg extentions. I reach a certain point and I'm struggling to straighten my knee and have a stabbing pain when I do. But I keep pushing and do it for awhile until I can eventually get it staight. I'm starting to walk with a limp mostly when walking after sitting as I walk it gets better exept when I'm on the stairs.
Is this what its like as the OA progesses? I have moderate to severe. My knee is always swollen sometimes worse than other times but from morning to night its swollen. Seems my knee is just getting worse or is it something else. I had an MRI in Sept and it didn't say anything new. Could it have changed this much in a 6 months?
What should I do? Do I suck it up and call the doc even though he said he'd see me inthe summer and I just called for the celebrax. I feel like the nagging patient that won't go away.

[digginit]

Hey Lady!  The problem is that there aren't gonna be good answers short of surgery.  I think I'm remembering right...You've had steroid shots that didn't work, Synvisc that didn't work, high doses of ibuprofen didn't work. 

There's some possibility that you could try a brace to off-load the more arthritic areas.  But there's not much else that he'll be able to offer short of surgery.  Doesn't sound like you want that.

So it wouldn't hurt to make an appointment, but it may not accomplish much.

Yes, arthritis can progress that fast.  Hang in there!!

~dig