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Update - Manual bend under anastetic

Posted , 12 users are following.

britta217
britta217

Spent an hour and a quarter with my surgeon this afternoon - who, on a side note had an emergency appendicitis operation on saturday and was back in his practice on monday!! - and we came to the conclusion that i have to go back into hospital on november 4. my bend at 6 weeks is 80 and has not improved in the past 3 weeks. nothing, zilch, nada. in his experience if you do not get this bend in the first week or two, you will never get up to 120 or 140. and at 51 i am very young to live with such a limited knee bend. so neither of us really see any option.

for those of you in the same situation: i will go in and they will put me under for a 10 minutes. during this time they will gently bend the knee. i will also get a pain catheter for 48 hours and during this time i will be on the knee bendy machine the whole time, day and night. i then come off the pain catheter and i have to continue for another 24 hours on the bendy machine relying on oral medication. as you can imagine, i then need to be stringent and rigorous with my exercises and will go to physio 3 times a week.

there are no guarantees that this will get my bend back but if i didn't do it, i would regret to taking the chance for the rest of my life. 80 is just rubbish so i am thinking optimistic

in the meantime he has given me different pain meds to see if i can stomach them so we know what works post op, incl. one with codeine. i am also getting lyrica which should be interesting as i have read lots about it on here. not sure how this will help but happy to try anything at this point.

that's the news. came out feeling tearful despite knowing what the outcome would be in my heart of hearts. i will post an update once i have had it and let you know if the whole thing was worth it.

2 likes, 89 replies

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  • CazDesmond
    CazDesmond britta217

    Posted

    Well, I made it, I saw the Stones! It was a really good concert. I had to walk a fair distance from the station to the Arena, about 15 mins. I needed to keep my cold water bottle pressed to my knee for a while, but it was all good, even the walk back again and the train journey of 30mins. I sat in the priority seat, I have never sat in them before.
    • jean95756
      jean95756 CazDesmond

      Posted

      That's great ...I'm glad you enjoyed the concert 

      I bet you' re really pleased you did it.

      jean 

    • CazDesmond
      CazDesmond jennifer86104

      Posted

      Hi, Well I pushed myself to the limit last night. A 30 min train journey followed by a 1.5km walk, then a huge climb, the seats were in row W, with two steps on each level and very steep, Then I had to pull my knee in as far as I could because there wasn't a lot of seat room, for two hours, then the walk back and the train home.

      I thought that my knee would be very swollen today, but I am pain free, and my bend has improved!

      So, let's see how well I do next Saturday, going again to the Arena to see Katy Perry.

      Maybe pushing to the limit is right for me?

    • jennifer86104
      jennifer86104 CazDesmond

      Posted

      Wow, that's so impressive! And  better for you than a physio session by the sound of it 😊 Hope you enjoy Katy Perry too. Jen x
  • CazDesmond
    CazDesmond britta217

    Posted

    Hey Britta, I just got back from the physio and wanted to share this with you. My bend is 90 degrees! and I have lost 1 cm in swelling in a week.

    Last week my bend was 78 degrees, my physio is happy and says that as I still have 13 cms of swelling to go, if my surgeon, who I see on Monday wants to manipulate, to ask him to wait a couple more weeks.

    I was so happy that I walked home, without my crutches, it took me 20 mins, and in this heat it was hard.

    I am still keeping my fingers crossed for you, hoping that by some miracle you won't have to go through the manipulation.

    Do you know what your bend was before your op?

    Chin up, thinking of you Carol from Oz

    • britta217
      britta217 CazDesmond

      Posted

      hi carol ... i wanted to post a new message to everybody but it is been a busy week.  i went to see my surgeon on tuesday and just before i saw him, i saw the finnish mistress of pain (my physio).  it turns out, my bend improved as well, i am now at 90!  i put this down to the new wonder medication, lyrica.  i still feel pain but it is different, i can kind of work through it.  so my physio and i went to see my doc and we all agreed that we should wait with the manipulation.  i next see my doc on december 9, with the hospital stay having been booked for december 16.  merry christmas!!

      what does your physio mean wth "13 cms of swelling to go" ... how does she measure how swollen your knee is?  but EXCELLENT news re: your progress.  i agree, wait!  you are getting there and fast.

      excellent question:  what was my bend before the operation?  i need to ask my finnish friend.  not good as i was still suffering from the arthroscopy ... i had huge bruises and LOTS of swelling.  what was yours?

      we are enjoying a gorgeous autumn here as well.  blue skies and mild temperatures ... our summer was non-existent to this is really appreciated!

      britta sitting on the couch with an ice pack on her knee

    • jennifer86104
      jennifer86104 britta217

      Posted

      Great news, Britta! Really pleased for you. This Lyrica sounds wonderful😊 xx
    • CazDesmond
      CazDesmond britta217

      Posted

      Wow Britta, I wanted a miracle for you too and got it. Maybe I could now ask to win lotto!

      Seriously, well done! I am seeing my surgeon tomorrow. I don't use the hospital physio, so I will have to do what my guy tells me and use my rights not to be operated on but to wait.

      I think I must have misheard my physio or he cannot measure. He was measuring around my actual knee. He must have said 40 not 14 last week, and meant mm not cms. I measured when I got home and my bad knee us 30cms bigger than my good one.

      My physio is a tiny old guy called Kim, he says that the surgeon will not be happy until I have got the same bend as before the op. As I have seen Kim for my two arthroscopies he had me down as 120 degrees.

      Its spring here, going into summer. Already we have had the hottest October on record. Our prime minister Tony Abbott still refuses to believe in climate change!

      So, I'm seeing my surgeon tomorrow, Tuesday is Melbourne Cup better known as The race that stops the nation. Think of me, in my garden, wearing my hat, sipping a champagne cocktail, with ice on my knee! Xxx

    • jean95756
      jean95756 CazDesmond

      Posted

      Nice thought

      we are preparing for Winter here although Autumn has been really mild.

      have a nice cool drink for me and enjoy your Summer 

      Jean 

    • CazDesmond
      CazDesmond jean95756

      Posted

      I will Jean. How are you going along this long long road? It's more like a maze, you turn so many corners.

      I heard today that my sister-in-law who lives in Croydon has her second TKR on Dec 3rd, happy Christmas to her!

      I have started getting electic shock like pains on the inside of my knee. I'm hoping it's the nerves getting better, hoping.

      Caz

       

    • britta217
      britta217 jennifer86104

      Posted

      hi jen ... yes, it is wonderful stuff.  when i saw my acupuncturist on friday, he looked at me horrified when i told him what i was taking.  when i asked he told me there are loads of side effects.  so i hot footed it home and went online to find out more.  scary!!  and i did notice next morning and my vision was very blurred for the first couple of hours.  still, i won't be taking them forever.
    • britta217
      britta217 CazDesmond

      Posted

      wow, sounds like kim knows what he is doing!  stick with him, he will get you back to 120 degree bend.  this would be the best christmas present for me, i have to say.  actually, i would be happy with 100 by december and then aim for 120 for feb.  here's praying!

      good luck with your surgeon and i will be thinking of you, with all my bits crossed!  enjoy your cocktail and the gorgeous weather.  sound wonderful to me. 

    • jean95756
      jean95756 CazDesmond

      Posted

      Hi caz

       8weeks post op now and I have good and bad days  the electric shocks I was told are the nerves healing.

       My knee feels so strange as it's totally numb on one side but just another hiccup I guess.

      I don't envy your sister-in-law going through that at xmas

      i can honestly say i would never go through this again  I'll suffer first

      she is so very courageous,

      i suppose it all depends on age and what quality of life you need and also if you work.

      well that's my moan for the day ...now it's think positive time.

      jean 

       

    • jennifer86104
      jennifer86104 britta217

      Posted

      Hi Britta, that drug does sound very powerful 😊. Still if it works ..... and,as you say, it won't be for ever. You mentioned your acupuncturist? Have you had any acupuncture treatment? My physio mentioned it once so I asked her about it last time and she said she'd find out from her senior whether he thought it would be beneficial or not. I had some once for back pain from my arthritic hip and found it quite good. I just wonder if it will help with this hamstring pain I'm getting. Hope your bend continues to improve. Jen xx
    • britta217
      britta217 jennifer86104

      Posted

      hi jen ... i am throwing everything at it until december!  i have been seeing a kinesiologist for years (about 15) and she has helped me with all kinds of issues, incl. terrible back problems.  so i have a lot of faith in her and when she recommended going to see this acupuncturist, i said yes.  he reckons we need to get rid of the pain first.  he pointed out that my knee still radiates some heat which means there is still some healing going on. i lay there for an hour, felt awful afterwards and then fell into bed and slept like the dead for 4 hours!!  today on the bendy machine i did notice that my pain threshhold has improved.  since i am having so many treatments, hard to say what has diminished the pain when bending.  i am going back twice next week, will keep you posted.  but honestly, i am sure your hamstring could benefit from it.  if poss, give it a try.  good luck, jen!
    • jennifer86104
      jennifer86104 britta217

      Posted

      Thanks, Britta. I'll see what they say at the hospital when I see the physio again on Tuesday. I'm certainly wiling to give it a go even if I have to go privately. I remember when I had treatment for my back pain it was really painful for a few hours afterwards. A sign that it's working apparently. 

      I've been doing these strengthening exercises every day and hoping they'll work but have just come back from a walk and the back of my leg was killing me again when walking downhill. Sooo annoying. Like you, I'll do anything to try and help it improve. Hope you continue to progress. X

    • CazDesmond
      CazDesmond jean95756

      Posted

      Hi Jean,

      She is 80, and she has resisted it until she is almost crawling. Her first TKR is wonderful so she has no choice.

      These shocks really make me jump, and scream

      Hang in there

      Caz

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