I got a new knee - TKR 10th july 06

[Janet]

Bonnie, you're right. The articular cartilege covers the ends of the bones so they glide smoothly. The meniscus is the thick cushion pad between the femur and tibia. When most people say "cartilege" they mean meniscus.

Anj: Do you have a date for your son's OS appointment?

Janet

[UK Girl !]

Ha Ha you gotta be joking - actually I could have made a date straight away on the pick and choose scheme - where you get offered various dates usually within 2 months but you don't get to choose who you see - just the hospital and date - so to get a specific OS the GP has to write direct to him - so that is what I have gone for - my son and I have the same OS and he his very sought after, he is quite young but brilliant, all the doctors and physios I know say to use him. Would rather wait for the best!

Thanks for the info on the difference between the two

[UK Girl !]

Hey does anyone elses knee sound/feel 'clunky' some days?




still no news from hosp might have to start sending emails!

[e.lynch]

Hey Anj-its Ellenmarie. Haven't been on in a while but in answer to your question, yes my knee crunches when i walk.  Also, for the past couple of days it has been very cold here (single number temperatures) and my quad muscle feels like it is on fire, the hamstring feels like it is stretching so much it is going to rip, and i have a pain down the incision from the knee down my shin.  I haven't done anything unusual, so it must be the cold.  Anyone else suffering??? Really starting to think I never should have done this
Please write soon.

[Janet]

Yes, my knee clunks/creaks or whatever you call it. I don't think it's anything to worry about unless it hurts when it happens. Mine doesn't; it's just noisy sometimes.

And yes, the cold definitely affects my knee/leg. In fact, my PT told me I'll have an easier time when the weather warms up. In the meantime, I take long hot showers (I wish I could get into the bathtub!) and stretch and massage. I'm sick of the cold and snow.

Some days my knee feels pretty good, and other days it is sore and grouchy. I think that's par for the course, but I'm getting very discouraged because I thought I'd be feeling a lot better by now, almost four months post-op. And are you still tired, not up to your normal energy level?

Janet

[e.lynch]

Hey Janet:  I do take the hot showers and having a heating pad on it while at work, (I am a secretary and sit all day).  I too am discouraged with the cold, and find that I am exhausted.  What is going on.  I am 9 months post op and am not happy with the outcome at all.  How is it going for you?  Do you work, have kids, etc.
Ellenmarie

[UK Girl !]

Hi Janet and Ellenmarie

Thanks for your replies

wow I am so sorry that you are both not pleased yet. Really hope it will come.

I AM pleased - yeah it is not perfect - but..........it is sooo much better than before, and the pain is so much less, just this niggly pain to the side of my shin bone - which is new - just hope it is from doing too much/the cold!

Rang the hospital to see about sons appt - they have had no letter - OMG how frustrating - GP surgery was shut by the time I tracked down the right person so will ring in the morning to get letter faxed over.

[L. Thomas.net]

I had an "unusal" but not rare condition after surgery.  I had the clunk but I also had a lot of lateral movement.  It didn't hurt it just made a lot of noise. 

He wanted me to come in to have a look-see.  It seems I was doing thing sooner than most people so I had a lot more movement than I was suppose to have.  He did show me the clunk that is "normal". 

I had the "normal clunk" but I also had another clunk. He put me in an immobilizer brace at night for 1 month.  I go back in a couple of weeks for my 3 month check up.  It stopped the "unusal" clunk for a while but it is back now. 

I just guess I'm hard to keep down.

[UK Girl !]

Hi Clunky!

I idn't get this clunk until a few weeks ago - and then it stopped but came back yesterday. I too made very fast progress and was even doing the stairs at 4 days. - wil jsut see how it goes afterall I am nearly 8 months post op!!

Good Luck with your 3 mnth check up!

[L. Thomas.net]

Hi Clunky!

I idn't get this clunk until a few weeks ago - and then it stopped but came back yesterday. I too made very fast progress and was even doing the stairs at 4 days. - wil jsut see how it goes afterall I am nearly 8 months post op!!

Good Luck with your 3 mnth check up!

Thanks "Clunk"

I let you know what he says.

I played "50 questions"  when I went in for my pre-surgical appointment.  I really did have 53 questions actually.  He said no one had asked that many questions  .  Do they really mean it  when they say "write it down and ask"..I do and they are always surprised.
On the top of the list were:

How do I get in touch with you after hours?  just call any day any time...
What happens if the pain meds don't work or I have a reaction?  We'll find one that will..... I had a reaction to percocet
What happens if I fall? well it's metal it ought to be tougher     I fell in the hosptial and then I fell again last week.  You should have seen me rolling all over the floor when I missed my rolling desk chair.
What reactions or unusal but not rare conditions can happen 5% of the time?...nothing..everthing is like 1% or 2%... my unusal knee "clunk" happens to about 2-3 in a thousand  (he does 500 TKA a year so I was the lucky one for this year)

[UK Girl !]

that makes two clunks here - but sure mine is not unusual as it doesn't do it all the time!

[UK Girl !]

8 Months Today

[knee deep in Goo]

Happy Anniversary!!     Time flies ..

[UK Girl !]

Yay!! Annie - where have you been? Missed ya!

[Janet]

Anja: Here's a toast to your 8 months! I'm so glad you're doing so well. But I'm sorry to hear you're having so much trouble getting a surgery date for your son. I hope you can get it straightened out on Monday.

Ellenmarie: I have a full time job, but right now am only working two or three afternoons a week. I will work five afternoons by the end of March. Don't know when I'll be able to add mornings back to the schedule. I have two kids, both grown. My son is living on his own. My daughter is in her last semester of college (yea--she graduates in May!) and is living at home right now.

While I was discouraged earlier this week, the end of the week has been much better. I've been able to go four days without taking a breakthrough pain med. Now that's progress! I walked quite a bit today without a problem. And it's sunny and close to 50 this afternoon, so that's enough to raise my spirits, too. All in all, I hope I've turned a corner on the pain. I still have a couple of nagging areas that we are watching. Pretty sure they are little bits of scar tissue causing the pain, so I keep diligently stretching and exercising so they don't have the chance to attach to anything else and cause real problems. On the not-so-good days, I have to keep reminding myself that the final outcome is what matters, and my OS still thinks I'll have a good outcome. He says that the only person who will be happier than him will be me! In other words, he wants me to be happy with my knee as much as I do. And I believe him. It's so nice to have an OS who really cares.


Janet