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Good news re: manual bend under anesthetic

Posted , 7 users are following.

britta217
britta217

dear all -- some of you have read it already, just wanted to give you all a quick update.  i saw my surgeon last tuesday in order to discuss details for when i go into hospital on november 4.  before seeing him, i saw the finnish torture queen (physio) in his practice and after putting me through some incredibly painful moves, we discovered that my bend had increased to 90 degrees, so 10 degrees more since the week before!  my finnish friend then said that if it were her knee, she would wait and try and get the most out of the knee bend before going into hospital.  and my surgeon agreed, especially when we went through his exercises and he saw the huge improvement.  so, i next see him on december 9 and the new date for the hospital stay is december 16.  but obviously, everybody hopes i will not have to go.  i see my finnish friend 3 times a week until then eek

my surgeon and i believe that the improved bend has come from my new medication cocktail.  one of the meds is lyrica and i personally think this is what is helping me.  LOTS of side effects so not entirely happy about it but as long as it helps with the bend, i will continue taking it.

in the meantime, i am also having acupuncture.  i had my first session on friday, felt rather ill afterward and then went home and slept for 4 hours straight!  have more sessions next week, so am keen to see if it helps.  i noticed on the bendy machine today, that pain sets in much, much later than in the past.  thanks to the acupuncture session?  who knows.  i am grateful in any case.  let it improve even more until december 9!

2 likes, 46 replies

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  • carol45436
    carol45436 britta217

    Posted

    That is brilliant news Britta. Well done. I'm sure you'll get there now without manipulation. 
  • betty07083
    betty07083 britta217

    Posted

    That's great news Britta - the torture must be working. Keep it up 😁

    Betty 14 1/2 weeks

  • SHANDERS
    SHANDERS britta217

    Posted

    Hi Britta, that's brill news. Let's hope your bend continues to improve and you don't have to go back in.  What's this bendy machine you talk about? I think I have the English male equivalent of your Finnish torture queen!  I'm seeing him tomorrow for the second time. I hope he is a little nicer and more encouraging than he was last time or I won't be seeing him again. Keep up the good work...👍😃
    • britta217
      britta217 SHANDERS

      Posted

      hi shanders ... apparently the bendy machine has been "mothballed" in the uk and the rest of the world but we still use it here.  don't ask me why, no idea. it is a machine you put your whole leg on and which bends your leg to the desired or possible degree. we get put on it on the day of the operation, every day for 30 minutes.  this is how they measure if we have the required 90 degrees to get released.  i have rented one for at home so i lie on the couch and have my knee on it for hours and hours.  sometimes i fall asleep and sometimes i feel gutsy and turn is up until it hurts.

      from your comments i am understanding that your torture king is not nice?  if i didn't like my physio, i really couldn't take it.  i agree, if he hasn't taken his happy pill next time you see him, go see somebody else.  somebody on your side!

    • jean95756
      jean95756 britta217

      Posted

      That machine sounds great I wonder why they binned it here in the Uk ...another cost cutting thing I guess 
    • SHANDERS
      SHANDERS britta217

      Posted

      90 degrees to get released - if my hospital had done that I'd still be there now!  After two nights they wanted to send me home - quote " there's less chance of you catching anything at home" . Basically over here they just want you out asap, I wouldn't mind but I was paying. I insisted on staying in another night ( the food was lovely, like a restaurant). I think I need a machine or possibly a nice young man who could devote his day to bending my knee for me. My little boy would happily do it but at five he has the touch of a bull in a china shop. I've seen a lot of people are taking this Lyrica but I don't know what it is, maybe I need to speak to my GP as I am in constant pain/ache and this does put me off my physio....
    • jean95756
      jean95756 SHANDERS

      Posted

      That made me smile about still being in hospital I. was in hospital for 9 days and nowhere near a 90degree bend when I came out.

      thank goodness I'm not still there  8 weeks later 

      my knee feels so tight and numb today ...I'm sure it's not my leg.

    • SHANDERS
      SHANDERS jean95756

      Posted

      I think I might have your knee Jean, it certainly isn't mine!  If it wasn't for the fact I can see my painted toe nails I would think they had stuck a false leg on me, and one that is two inches shorter than my other one!  9 days in hospital wow where do you live?  Round here In our nhs hospitals if you leave your bed to go to the toilet there is a chance someone else will be in it when you get back! Well, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but they certainly wouldn't let you stay in for that long no matter what your bend was!...😃
    • jean95756
      jean95756 SHANDERS

      Posted

      Hi my leg is also shorter than the other one but not 2 inches

       I was in 9 days because first day the physio let me fall.result my leg was black from top to bottom ...then I needed a blood transfusion .my first ever Op in my 76 years. And definitely my last.

      I live in Sheffield in the UK ...everyone else was out in 3 days.  But I think they liked me lol that's why they kept me 

      Jean 

       

    • jean95756
      jean95756 SHANDERS

      Posted

      I bet your little 5yr old keeps you going.... I think children are the best tonic ever

      my granddaughter calls me Iron nan....

      and my little grandson asked if he could have the bone that they'd cut out .

    • betty07083
      betty07083 britta217

      Posted

      Hi Britta

      Is your bendy machine the same as "continuous passive movement machine"

      (CPM)? They use the CPM here in the U.S.

      Immediately after surgery for two hours a day. They want to get the knee bending as soon as possible.

      We can also rent them for home, but a lot of people feel the exercises they give you to do at home are enough. Two weeks after surgery, we start outside physical therapy, like what you are going through with your queen of torture 😛

      Betty

    • CazDesmond
      CazDesmond SHANDERS

      Posted

      Hi, I was in hospital 5 days, they said until I got a 90 degree bend, the physio forced it to 85 and that was ok. It was a public ( bank) holiday that weekend.

      The next day my knee was so swollen and painful from forcing that it has taken until now, 6 weeks to achieve 90.

      The hospital I was in, Perth Australia, stopped using the machines 7 years ago.

      I have taken one Lyrica tablet every night for nerve pain.

      I think I will ask about acupuncture.

    • SHANDERS
      SHANDERS jean95756

      Posted

      Kids are so funny, but you're right they do keep you going. When I came out  of hospital my little boy was disappointed as he thought I was getting some blades ( the things that the Paralympics use for running!) 
    • britta217
      britta217 SHANDERS

      Posted

      hi shanders -- yes, lyrica is definitely doing it for me so worth a mention to your gp in any case. try and wheedle it out of him, saying you just want to give it a try and if it doesn't work, you can stop. the effect for me was pretty much instantaneous. even with just one little pill. good luck!
    • britta217
      britta217 jean95756

      Posted

      good god!! your physio let you fall? how can that happen? is your stretch at 0 degrees? if you cannot entirely stretch it, that obviously makes the leg shorter. if this is not the cause, what does your doc say? this is really not the ideal situation as it could cause all kinds of other issues. so sorry, jean, that is just a "sucky" situation.
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