I really really need some input bilateral tkr

Hi Vicky please check your privite messages......

Schoust, when I went to the pain center the first time. They worked on a nerve in my lower
back. I have a small cyst there I was told. The doc gave me a spinal nerve block and injected
the nerve with cortizone. It was the worst thing I had done. First he could not get the area
numb. They look thru a machine to do all these things. He injected me with numbing meds.
and he could not get the nerve numb. After he finally got the nerve numb. He injected the
cortizone and oh my gosh I sure had a reaction to that. Not at the time. A day later I ended
up in the ER not being able to hardly stand up...couldnt sit down. They said the nerve block
was not the thing for me and I was allergic to cortizone. The ER doc had to give me a sedative
to help me even lay down or set down. Then he put me on the FENTYL PATCH. OK..I was on
that for a couple of days and I sure got rid of that in a hurry.

The pain center has 2 docs...and I got a hold of the wrong one.
The doc I see now...will not give cortizone shots. He said you could not live on them
the rest of my life. We went thru options...mostly meds. Found one I could take
and stayed with it.

It was my surgeons fault I DID NOT GET THE MANIPULATION. He said I didnt need it.
Then he said at 9 months we had waited too long. I would not have wanted him to
have done it either. NO MORE SURGERIES FOR HIM. If I cannot go on this way..
I will go back up NORTH to the HEAD OF ORTHOPEDICS...and try again for him to
help me walk.

GOOD LUCK....AND KEEP US POSTED. I went out today...and I am absolutely in so much
pain tonight I can hardly stand it. I even rode my scooter.

Please let me know what they do for you. Maybe it will work for me too.

Vlc Vicki

Oh Starlady, sounds like you are in for alot of things too.
Just be careful of your other health issues. That is what caused
my knees not to heal right. Also, scar tissue is a battle that just cannot
be won. I have had other surgeries and am full of scar tissue.

Just from all my experiences with other health issues I dont think
the OS will even mention revision. I wont do it anyway.

Everything when you have other health issues is just like you say
a domino effect. I was so hoping I could go back to work.

Getting Soc. Sec. is the hardest thing in INDIANA to get.
If anyone ever needs it ...it is the ones that are disabled now
and cannot go back to work.

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR UPCOMING SURGERIES.
HANG IN THERE AND PLEASE DONT GIVE UP YET..EVEN THOUGH YOU FEEL LIKE IT.

I know one thing...I know how my body reacts to all the things it has gone thru.
You know your body better than anyone.

Vlc Vicki

Oh Shoust, I dont think you are a belly acher at all. You are like me. I was very
active and loved loved keeping busy all the time. I was a 58 yr. old female when I
had the knees done and now in Nov. 1 will be 61. Here I thought I would be doing
all the things I want to do.

Some people I talked to who had the surgery before me. They had one knee done at
a time. Some had problems with the 2nd knee. Others came thru with flying colors.

I asked my surgeon at 3 months, 6 months, if I needed a manipulation which I DID NOT
WANT. He said I was just fine. I asked again at 9 months and he said it was too late.

Going from being very active to hardly being able to do anything really sucks.
Even the surgeon suggested I go to the pain management center, he didnt know why
I was still having pain. DUH...the HEAD OF ORTHOPEDICS at a very large center knew
why I was in so much pain. He said with my risk factors of Fibro and Diabetes Type 2 the
knees should not have been done...these factors keep some people from healing. He is the
first person to tell me the truth and also he said NEVER let them open the knees up again.
With Scar Tissue the minute they clean it out..it grows back 10 times worse. It wont help.

I almost died on the table during the knee surgery and they couldnt get my blood pressure
back up...so I spent the night in intensive care. I was cleared by my cardiologist too.
Just goes to show you things dont always turn out the way they say it should.
I am supposed to go in Oct. to see my OS and I bet he will want to go back in and
do revisions on both knees. Dont know why I want to see him after seeing the HEAD OF
ORTHOPEDICS who knows what is wrong. He said I did all the right things it is not my fault.
Let me ask you this...would you want to lay back down and go thru this HELL again knowing
you might not make it off the table and it wont help ??????

So basically I do what I can do and hope and pray every day and every night that maybe
some day I will be able to get better.

Go to your pain management center and see what the docs have to say. It has been a
Godsend for me. I dont think they inject artificial knees. They did put me on pain med
that I can at least tolerate the pain and can sleep at night. For awhile I had not slept a
full night in 2 years. The pain wears on you. Even the OS suggested I go to the pain
center because he didnt know what was causing the pain.

I have alot of NEUROPATHY now where he cut nerves and it is all over my body
so the pain center has helped me with that too. If I hadnt had the knees done
I wouldnt have this condition.

Just KEEP YOUR CHIN UP. I know it is hard when you want to do things. I have NO
PATIENCE with myself. I was a real go getter.

I just hope one of these days I will get up and feel good and the pain is gone.
I hope I can bend these knees more.

Keep us posted on how you are doing. This forum has been a GODSEND for
me. You get ideas here and maybe things you are not doing that might help you.

GOOD LUCK AND TRY AND KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.
I just feel like you will get along fine.

Vlc Vicki

Schoust, I know perfectly well how you feel.


I had BKR MAY 06 and still cannot walk. Now, that is really disgusting having to go
thru all that pain and still am. I have to take pain meds everyday. I dont have to use a cane
or walker or anything to get around. I bought a small scooter to ride in the grocery store,
and places with concrete.

My surgery did not turn out the way some peoples surgery did.
I cannot stand long, I still cannot drive (bummer), cannot sit in my recliner too long.
Do not sleep all night yet.

I have been to 3 specialists and they all said with my other medical conditions the
surgeon that did my knees should never have done them.
I mean I just had Fibromyalgia and Diabetes Type 2 when I had the knees done,
but the specialist informed me that people with these diseases DO NOT HEAL well.

I am supposed to see my OS in Oct. and it will take all I have to keep from punching
his lights out. HE HAS MADE ME MUCH MUCH WORSE. I was promised a better quality of life.
I still cannot do all the things I should be doing. I have been thru every kind of therapy there
is and still do exercise at home.

The last hosp. I went too and seen the head of Orthapedics, said I have SCAR TISSUE
around both new knees and my knee caps were almost immobile. He said nothing I had
done wrong. Just the jerk who did my knees should never have done them. He advised
me whatever I do ....do not let them open my knees back up. Scar tissue will grow back
rapidly and it will not help. I almost died when I had the first surgery in May on the
Operating table because my blood pressure bottomed out and they could not get it back up.

So here I am....I am in worse pain than when I got the knees done.
Had to go to the pain center here and they had me on different meds.
Lyrica & Neurontin for nerve pain. I was allergic to both and had terrible
swelling in my hands and feet.

I have Neuropathy now since they cut all the nerves in my knees and etc.
I hope you HANG IN THERE and hopefully you will be up and around ...pain free in no time.
My surgery was not this painful until the 6th month. Then it all came crashing down.

DONT GIVE UP. But I thought this might lift your spirits and let you know you are not
doing so bad. You may have nerve pain too.

The doctor didnt tell me all this...he was too busy looking at $$$$$$ .

GOOD LUCK TO YOU,
Vlc Vicki

Schoust it isn't us that need to understand you predicament, it is your family.

The fact you do everything for them is going to have to be put on hold for a little while otherwise it is going to take a whole lot longer than it should.

Unless you are building your own house at the moment, surely you aren't doing the plumbing and electrical work everyday Right now you have to work out where the priorities are and doing the landscaping isn't one of them.

Sounds like your family needs to be a little more supportive right now. Maybe they should be reading this forum.

Diver, you beat me to the punch! Schoust, you just had MAJOR surgery...give yourself a break. As much as I wish it were so, this is NOT a surgery that has a quick recovery. I lost a considerable amount of blood in the surgery, so much so that I had to receive 2 pints of blood. I am still taking an iron supplement because of that, and it took me at least 6 weeks to get a small amount of stamina back. Add to that the effect that pain has on the body to drain energy, it just takes time to recover.

I still have swelling when I overdo. I look at it as my body's way of telling me to slow down. Just this last week, I walked to do my grocery shopping. Before now, I had been riding in a cart. I was whipped when I was done! I couldn't wait to get to my car and sit for the drive home. And yes, I had to ice my knees when I got home and have a little sit-down break for a while. I am learning to be patient with myself. People WANT to help me, but I am so fiercely independent that I have had to learn to let them. I am married with 3 mostly grown sons. I have always done things for them; now I have to allow them the benefit of helping me and give them a heartfelt "thanks" afterward.

As I said in an earlier post, I was told after the surgery that this is a year-long process to full recovery. I am only 2 1/2 months into that 12 month period, and it would be easy to get discouraged if I did not look back and see how far I have come! I have to remember that for 2 weeks + that it took major effort just to get to the bathroom!

First Off I would like to apologize Ms or is it Mrs Hawkins? It's so hard to determine who you are talking with unless the person comes out and tells you? Anyway you people are doing wonderful IMHO and I on the other hand am very worried. Yesterday I decided at four weeks that I feel good enough to go out and help my family close up the pool. Wrong thing to do! Big mistake! I really thought that it would help my mind being of use and all . Boy Oh boy I was wrong my knee is hurting know and very swollen. I should have stayed in my easy chair! This is really getting to me but I suppose that the only way to get better is to follow instructions? Unfortunately I'm not that kind of person! Lol! Anyway I only wish that there was a [lace I could go for hydrotherapy. I do believe working the joint under less stress (weight) would do wonders?

Thank you all so much for your replies. I do believe I will see my surgeon ASAP and see if we can figure out why all the pain. I live in a very small town, so we have no YMCA or pools for hydrotherapy. However I do get in my hot tub often and give me knees a good work out. So far I have not seen much improvement in pain, but I guess I will need to find specific exercises to do. My bend was 130 and 125 at 12 weeks, so that is fantastic I think.. I never had a problem with that, I was at 97 when I left the hospital. My surgeon was so pleased with my ROM and my walk, that I think he just overlooks any complaints that I have like pain. Well after 6 months, I do believe we need to put an end to it. Hopefully he will have some suggestions for me. Thanks again for all your help, I am so very glad I found this site. Doris

I am guessing I have done someting similar to Mr Hawkins I was given this as one of my excersises when I was doing hydrotherapy. They also have them for the kids to play with in the pool at my gym. Not usre what a noodle is but I use a long sausage shape of form you can use them under your arms to keep you afloat and to cycle your knees, which is easier if you are not at the static bike stage or like BHawkins stand in the shallow end of the pool loop the float around your ankle and it raises up as far as it can. If you haven't got a float of some sort in the shallow end of the pool kneel down on the bottom and try and sit back towards your heels.

Reading some of the posts on here I was beginning to think I wasn't doing as well as I should, I only have about 100 - 105 degrees and I was told this is normal and may only get another 10 degrees, so you just have to keep pushing a little. I spoke to a friend who had them done 8 years ago and it really does take a long time to get where you think you should be.

The biggest improvement for me was going scuba diving last weekend, I did a short dive about 3 weeks ago and it wasn't a nice experience, but last weekend was a big improvement so I am happy at the stage I am at.

I rarely take any pain killers, maybe the odd one if I have been working hard or scuba diving as it is hard work, I haven't really needed them. I do find coming down stairs a problem and have to hold the sides and standing up if I have been in a sitting position for a while, as my left knee if a bit painful.

Stick with it, there are small improvements all the time.

quote:

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Originally posted by: schoust
Hey There bhawkens you say that your Rom is much better in the last mounth when did you start to gain more Rom? I'm stuck at 85 but just under four weeks and pushing it for dear life! Doris have you spoke to a pain Doc about this type of pain? I'll bet it is a nerve issue? They put me on a drug called Lyrica it is supposed to be for this sort of nerve pain. It costs a lot of money though so I stoped taking it....
Ralph

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When I started doing therapy in the pool, I noticed a jump in my ROM. I met with a therapist 3 times at the YMCA and she showed me a regimen of exercises to do. One that bends my knees best is when I stand in chest deep water at the side of the pool and put a float (a "noodle") at my ankle and let it float my knee up into a big bend. It is much less painful than doing it any other way. In the water, I have much less pain, also.

Hey There bhawkens you say that your Rom is much better in the last mounth when did you start to gain more Rom? I'm stuck at 85 but just under four weeks and pushing it for dear life! Doris have you spoke to a pain Doc about this type of pain? I'll bet it is a nerve issue? They put me on a drug called Lyrica it is supposed to be for this sort of nerve pain. It costs a lot of money though so I stoped taking it....
Ralph

Thank you Ralph for your reply. Good luck with your new knees! I hope others who are farther along down the road will respond to me also. I am concerned that I am having this much pain after 6 months. Thanks so much for responding to me. I have posted here before, but seem to have a hard time getting others to reply to me. I sure hope I can get more replies to my question. Doris

Hi Doris,
I'm not sure I quilify being only 3.5 weeks out but I know this feeling it is a deep ache. I still have significant pain when I am doing Pt but when I am at the other end of Pt or when I wake in the mourning there is this distinctive hurt. I sure hope it goes in time but I think it could be nerve related but I am no expert by any means. I hope it gets better for you because the pain was one of the reasons we opted to go forward withe the surgery in the first palce........
Ralph