Hi Mountain,
It's normal for our recovery to  plateau from time to time. It is quite common with weight loss, and post op recovery. It does make everything feel more like a mental struggle, but, as Linda said, if  you measure your muscles each month, or even every two weeks, you'll notice the little improvements that are sometimes overlooked. Celebrate the little victories (I still do the 'Rocky' salute anytime I do something that's a struggle...v. interesting when in a car park!) and keep a diary or a blog to track your own progress.
Does your PT ask you for short and long term goals you'd like to achieve? Or is that just mine being very considerate?
I'm with Linda as well on the side effects....try something different if you're noticing side effects that are making the situation worse for you. After taking anti inflammatories for a few years, my stomach started to react to them.....I can't take iboprofun except every now and then, and only for very short term periods of time. I do take NSAID's instead (Mobic) which I do need to stop for at least a week prior to surgeries (including dental) as it does thin your blood and makes for excessive bleeding otherwise. (Learnt that one earlier this year after having emergency surgery to remove an abscess in the breast)
Try taking the ginger capsules (THANK YOU LINDA!!!) just to give your system a bit of a shake up and clean out. I've been doing this the past few weeks, for a day or two, and have noticed it helping my body to recover from everything.
Here's to a more progressive week ahead!!

Hi Mountain,

The red puffy bits at the incision will go flat when your swelling is gone.  I still have the spots where my knee was scoped start to puff up like three little gum drops when my knee swells from overuse.  The scar tissue there is just not as strong as the rest of the skin, so it shows the swelling first.  Go back to your first posts to see where you began and then think of the progress you have made.  I know you are sick of the healing process and just want to get back to normal, but putting your progress in perspective might just get you feeling a bit more positive.

I understand your concern about the tinnitus, but you could use some help with the swelling.  You might want to consider trying ginger, tumeric, or cherries(30/day or juice).  All are anti-inflammatories in their own right with less side effects. 

Linda

Hi Mountain,

I found your thread whilst looking for arthroscopy related stuff.

I wish I had your level of progress...I posted on the forum earlier as was looking for some support/information.
I've had 2 arthroscopy procedures n the last 6mths. The first (Feb) was for a bilateral meniscectomy but when it came to surgery, they found those tears had healed but they performed a chondroplasty as I had also damaged the cartilage behind my knee cap. My recovery was super slow...4 weeks later and I only had 90deg movement.

Then I injured my knee again and tore the medial meniscus again. I had surgery again on 12th July. So this is my week 5 and I've only got about 80deg movement so far. I haven't been okayed by my physio to do any exercise at all.

I can understand your frustration. I was a keen runner, in fact I was training for my first marathon when I first injured my knee last Sept. I haven't ran since and won't be again. :-( Trust me, I'm beyond gutted.

What I have found these last 6mths is that some days are good with my knee and some are really bad and sometimes I can't even explain why. What I try and remember is that on the outside my knee maybe improving but on the inside it takes a lot longer for everything to heal.

To some extent I think you lose some confidence with your knee but you have to know that you will get there in the end. All you can do is follow your physio's advice and build your strength slowly...think back to a few weeks ago and where you are now...you've made a lot of progress, even though it may not feel like it mate.