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Manipulation scheduled. I'm apprehensive.

Posted , 36 users are following.

joansgarden
joansgarden

I saw my surgeon yesterday and he took one look at my bend and said he would manipulate it, but not until I was at 12 weeks so that is in another 3 weeks from now. In the meantime I've stopped physical therapy so that I will still have some left for after the manipulation. I had got to 105 under force, but I think that under my own steam I'm only making about 90. My apprehension comes from the fact that his nurse told me they do it under a general rather than an epidural - because it's such a 'rough' procedure. My heart doesn't do well under general anesthesia.

I'm so tired of all the ups and downs - a big up because I made 105 and then a big down because I couldn't keep it. Feeling up because the medication is working one day and then down because the pain is back the next. And now I don't know whether I should be up or down - up perhaps because it might finally get bent and down because of the anesthesia worry.

I don't really have a question. I just know that you are the only people I can talk to who understand.

5 likes, 140 replies

140 Replies

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  • julia63030
    julia63030 joansgarden

    Posted

    Hi Joan

    I also saw my surgeon yesterday and he's told me I have 3 weeks or I also have to have a manipulation. I've never had my bend more than 80 degrees and even with him pushing it yesterday he could get it to move. Needless to say I cried when I got in the car, maybe tears of anger at myself for maybe not pushing it hard enough or maybe frustration that I've been working really hard and its not good enough.

    I'm nearly at my 8 week point and wanted better results from myself at this stage. I have a huge amount of swelling and ice so much during the day, to the point ive burnt myself with it! I'm 34 and thought I'd just get going after. Its hard blumin work!!

    I'm scared about the manipulation, 1 I really don't like being put to sleep and 2 I don't know if it will put me back a bit before I come forward. It's taken me 6 weeks to be able to do a straight leg raise. I'm so apprehensive.

    So I have 3 weeks to get to 110 from 64 which is was yesterday. I can see a lot of pain killers and tears in the coming weeks.

    I hope you find your bend before your time limit and keep strong. You aren't alone.

    Julia xx

    • joansgarden
      joansgarden julia63030

      Posted

      Julia, I'm keeping on with the exercises but I don't really think I'll make that kind of gain, and I am ahead of you in that I have very little swelling now, so the swelling is not stopping the bend for me. 

      Please don't be frustrated at yourself. You can only do your best and it sounds like you have been doing that. My surgeon said that previous surgeries tended to complicate things but he really didn't know why.

      Going under anesthesia is always scarey, but I guess we just have to bite the bullet. I did read Britta's posts and they are very encouraging.

    • EileenH
      EileenH joansgarden

      Posted

      Not an expert - but as I understand it if adhesions form then nothing you can do will make much difference, they have to be broken to allow movement - like getting hair stuck around the brush on the hoover in a way. Some people are more prone to them - luck of the draw.
    • keith44175
      keith44175 julia63030

      Posted

      Hi Julia, I saw my Dr yesterday Im 9 weeks out! He took xrays my knee looked great it was all scar tissue not been able to get past 90! Im scheduled for manipulation on Aug the 15th kinda upset but that doesn't help anything I'm continuing the pt till then after that I have pt the day of the procedure then everyday the first week the 2nd and 3rd week I have to go 3 times a week

  • CazDesmond
    CazDesmond joansgarden

    Posted

    Hi Joan, Britta had a manipulation under anesthetic a while back, she was very scared but it was all ok. Did your surgeon explain to you the procedure, and what exactly he's going to do?

    I will try to find her thread, as she explained it all. What I do remember though, is that she didn't find it too horrific.

    You came to the right place though. If you are scared or dubious, there is always a listening friend.

    Caz x

    • joansgarden
      joansgarden CazDesmond

      Posted

      I did read all of Britta's posts and they are encouraging. Quite a bit of difference in the procedures though. Britta was kept in the hospital for 3 days but I will be going home the same day.
    • CazDesmond
      CazDesmond joansgarden

      Posted

      Yes Joan, during this forum I have come to the conclusion that Switzerland is definately the place to have a TKR, followed by Australia.

      Caz x

  • EileenH
    EileenH joansgarden

    Posted

    When you have the pre-op appointment with the anaesthetist tell them your concerns and ask if it is possible to have it done under epidural with sedation - the epidural does the pain control, the sedation knocks you out so you don't see them having a go at the knee, it is probably a bit uncomfortable for a surgeon to know the patient knows what he's doing! They can only say no. It is also possible it is just a very light GA for a very short procedure which will be different from a longer op.
    • joansgarden
      joansgarden EileenH

      Posted

      Yes I will do that. As OFG said, it is probably a light GA because they shouldn't need much time. I've had epidurals with sedation for the last couple of surgeries. Gosh I should think though that it would be no worse to hear scar tissue tearing than to hear power saws!
  • CazDesmond
    CazDesmond joansgarden

    Posted

    Ok Joan, I looked back and found Brittas thread, December 6th 2014. It's called 

    britta217.  Survived! Mobilisation of knee under anesthesia. I think it might help put your fear at bay.

    Also Suzy97219 wrote a thread called Manipulation complete.

    Hope they help

    Caz x

    • tneel317
      tneel317 CazDesmond

      Posted

      How do I find these conversations? I am so depressed and frustrated. I had a TKR 7 weeks ago tomorrow and my physician took me back in 3 days ago for removal of adhesions and to do a manipulation as I could not get past 80 degrees. Unfortunately he did this manipulation on a Friday so the only PT I was able to do was on my own. My knee feels slightly less painful but my thigh and quad area feel like I've been beaten with a baseball bat making it hard to bend. Went to PT today and was only at 88 at first. With much pain and tears the physio pushed me to 93. About 10/15 minutes later after leaving, the tightness/stiffness started in all over again. I am at my wits end. I don't know what else to do. My husband has been by my side for the past 7 weeks helping me as my physical therapist at home with much patience but not seeing any/much progress after all the hard work k do everyday for this knee is very disheartening ??

    • joansgarden
      joansgarden tneel317

      Posted

      I think your surgeon was quite irresponsible. Mine was done on a Friday and he had a PT come in on his day off to be sure I had help. I was then sceduled for 10 straight days of PT. But - it was extremely painful. EXTREMELY! In fact, I never went back to that PT again. I found a new one who was much more gentle, and bellieve it or not, when he stopped forcing and got me to relax, it bent! ( and that right in front of the one I now think of as the butcher PT)

      You're right, it feels like you've been beaten, and it's swollen, so how can it bend? At day 8 after the manipulation I had lost all the ground I thought I had gained so I know how depressed you are feeling. But after I saw the new guy and he got it bending, it gradually continued to improve. Now, after 18 months, it bends more than my other knee.

      I got a little peddle machine and started with that at home, saw the gentle PT guy a few more times, went to a myofascial release therapist. The big key is to relax when you try to bend it - hard to do when someone is pushing all their weight on it and the pain makes you want to scream.

      Good luck - you'll get there

    • tneel317
      tneel317 joansgarden

      Posted

      Thank you so much Joan. I am really thinking hard about changing PTS at the moment. I will keep u posted.
    • tneel317
      tneel317 joansgarden

      Posted

      Hi Joan,

      Heading to a new PT Monday. I managed to make a bend of 103 Monday and that was with my PT putting a tens unit on me at the same time that he pushed/cranked my leg back. I'm really hoping this new facility will be what I need. I had asked if they do myofacial release and unfortunately they don't. Did it help you significantly? I'm assuming it did. Can you also tell me where you got your peddle machine?

      My emotions and days are up and down all the time and I'm 9 weeks out from TKR/3 weeks out from manipulation and scar tissue removal. 45 years old. Last night I was lucky if I got an hour of sleep my knee throbbed and ached.

      Thanks so much for your feedback and support!

      Tracie

    • joansgarden
      joansgarden tneel317

      Posted

      I'm not sure about the myofascial release. It seemed like it helped. If nothing else it was very relaxing and perhaps that's why my knee bent so well after he worked on it. 

      I stayed on oxycodon for a long time - 3 months while waiting for the manipulation and then I think I went another 6 weeks after that. I was afraid I would be hooked on it - you know how they are always saying that it's so addictive - but I gradually reduced the dose untill I was just on 1/day and then when my husband was out of town, dropped it altogether. I just had a couple of sleepless nights and then I was fine. So I guess what I'm trying to say, is to keep on with your pain meds as long as you need them.

      I'm 17 months out from the manipulation now and my knee still hurts if I stand too long and anytime I go up or down stairs. I asked the surgeon about it after 12 months and he said I was one of those people in the 18% where it just doesn't work very well. My other knee was supposed to get done but he said it would have the same result and he absolutely would refuse to do it until I had to crawl into his office. In the meantime he was happy to gve me cortisone shots in the other knee.

      I will say that the replaced knee feels stronger than the other so even though it hurts I always lead with it on stairs. I've tried probably every knee pain remedy ever thought of and I think hydrolysed collagen type 2 does make a difference.

      I got my peddle machine from Amazon.

      I've just turned 70 so I don't have to get to work every day, which is a big bonus. I do have a lot of weeds to pull though and spend 3-4 hours on that every day. Luckily I'm short and my back is fine, because I don't try to squat - I just bend over. Still the knees do get a bit of a workout and they have been fine with that. I've just resigned myself to the fact that there are things I can't do now, but at 45 I think it would be much harder. Try to keep your spirits up though because I'm sure that optimism and relaxation make a difference.

      Joan

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