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21 weeks post TKR huge problems. Consultant refers me to a 2nd consultant!

Posted , 15 users are following.

veronica91735
veronica91735

Back from hospital. The consultant has requested a second opinion with another consultant, arranged for the 23rd April. The misalignment, is 6mm, which, he says, is within the perimeter allowed for misalignment, that the body eventually (up to 18 months of hell) will adapt to the larger prosthesis, & only in exceptional circumstances of severe chronic pain, do they go in & then it would mean doing the whole thing again. That, he says, is a more serious operation than the first TKR, so it needs to be a "last resort". Meanwhile, my life stays on hold, I'll be addicted to pain killers by the time it gets sorted, & the soft tissue continues to be attacked by a lump of metal. How many of us knew there was a misalignment allowance? How many others struggle on? - it is so much a worse pain than the OA in the old knee.

2 likes, 42 replies

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  • hazel14959
    hazel14959 veronica91735

    Posted

    I have an appointment at Warrington for x-rays to both knees, right knee dons 5th March, left knee done 7 years ago.  Having problems with straightening but knee bend seems to be OK. got 91 in hopsital but then got cellulitis and I couldn't even move my foot never mind bend the knee with it being so swollen.  Gone now thanks to two lots of strong antibiotics but this put me back 3 weeks of exercising. The same surgeon did my left knee and he is also a leading specialist in this type of surgery, in fact should have had knee done in Dec but he was in the USA teaching.  I do get a tightening over my knee especially if I have been sitting  at the table ot at the computer for a while, been using heated towels to releive this as per the physio.   I also use the cryocuff supplied by the hospital.  Only on paracetemols at the moment, other meds run out, but found a problem, if I take the recommended two 40 mins before exercising then I run through the meds and I really need one in the night if I wake up with I won't say pain, its a deep ache, so only doing the exercises 3 x a day to compensate for taking the meds in the night.
    • veronica91735
      veronica91735 hazel14959

      Posted

      Your right knee is so very "young" still - there is bound to be loads of pain, & I can't believe you are only on paracetemol - I still take codeine & oxycodone, such is the extent of my pain. My problems are still bad at 22 weeks, plus, I think you know when your body is not right.

      You are still in the first 4 weeks - which as we all have discovered - is pure agony! Hope the x-rays prove all is welel - I am desperatley waiting for my 2nd opinion on the 23rd April. Tough 6 months!

    • sarah87162
      sarah87162 hazel14959

      Posted

      You can take Ibuprofen tablets as well as paracetamol or co codamol.

      I have only recently found this out.

      Sarah

    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo sarah87162

      Posted

      Paracetamol and ibuporfeno are fairly useless though, aren't they . . At least co codamol works. . . . .
    • hazel14959
      hazel14959 martinarvelo

      Posted

      Found some cocodemol in the cupboard, so using them instead of paracetemol....hope to get a drs. appointment in the morning.

      Had an awful night last night, debating whether to get up and go downstairs for a hot drink or stick it out, I stuck it out and am shattered...saw every hours as could not get comfortable at all.

      But the bend is better, standing at the bottom stair and pushing bend as far as possible then straightening leg or trying too. I am comfortable sitting at the computer, at the dining table and even on the sofa, but standing from sitting is a little difficult, that tightness band around knee and thigh, until I can put pressure on the foot to allow me to move off  ok.

       

    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo hazel14959

      Posted

      Decent pain killers make such a difference!  I was on tramadol . .couldn't have survived without out. the first two and ahalf weeks I only had paracetamol, and I was a quivering wreck . . . progress only began once I got my hands on tramadol!  I had to really push my doctor to prescribe it . . Hope yours is more uncerstanding, but if not, tell it to him straight. this is a b. . . . y awful brutal op and we need all the help we can get!  I took sleeping tablets as well  . . . . didnt really sleep that much, but I'm sure better than with nothing. . . . .
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 martinarvelo

      Posted

      Having been fighting pain for over 12 years I have never understood why drs are so damn jealous of their license and ability to keep people pain free. I understsnd drug abuse and the fear of being part of patience getting hooked but this operation has so many nasty turns they should be willing to do every thing possible to comfort. The second part, you can't be expected to excercise properly when you are in pain. During my 30 days of radiation the radiologist almost wenyvtobthe extreme and gave me such powerful stuff I was about to lose it. I had to get him to drop back a notch. He had me on oxycontin and it was really a problem. I later found that kids were stealing that stuff and chewing it for a quick high and the side effects were horrendous. Seems as though mom or dad or some other family member was being treated for severe back pain and the kids were stealing it and selling it on the street for $20-$30 a pill. But, back to our problems with knee surgery, you can't get better when you can't excercise and you can't excercise in pain
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