👯‍♀️ Hips and Knees part 7

MayBee
Had TKR right leg nine months ago.
Went private as in mid 70s. NHS wait wasted a whole year to see consultant who told me another 2 YEARS at least before any op.
Op went well and felt great until 6 months in. Had been getting regular physio exercises. Then started feeling pain in my calf, not near my op site.
GP suggested ibuprofen and paracetamol, but they are not helping pain when walking outside. I've always been fit and walked a lot prior to this op

I realised a TKR was needed when my knee finally gave way, after many years of putting up with it dragging along. It wasn't painful so now I think I'm in worse condition since op.
Hope NHS comes up with answer.

I’ve a folding stick purchased from a local pharmacy which is sturdy enough to keep me balanced and is comfortable to hold. It lives in an old umbrella case when not in use.

Wanting one for the car and one indoors I ordered another from Amazon. Looked identical. It certainly isn’t and is nowhere near as sturdy as the other although its fine for a potter round a shop.

My advice is buy a stick from a pharmacy or a disability store where you can try it first.

I doubt if a folding stick will take any weight. My normal stick is fine for that so please be careful.

You can buy rubber ferrules that will make your stick stand up on its own provided the floor is level. Mine works pretty well and also makes my stick more stable. I have a folding one but as others have said it’s a bit flimsy and I unless I put it into a pretty tight bag it promptly unfolded itself. I use a backpack plus a small cross body bag when shopping, have given up trying to look smart.

I did consider it but was concerned that it might suddenly collapse.
I used a cross body bag which freed the hands.

Try before you buy because some are a tad rickety and obviously not as solid as a proper walking stick.

I had to ditch my handbag for the same reason and pop everything in my shopping bag. Because of the stick and mobility problems, I can't carry much.

I am 11weeks post op following an emergency hip replacement.
I am managing to use the bus with the walking stick supplied by the NHS with no problems. I am considering buying a folding walking stick so that I can put it away in shops rather than trying to juggle handbag ,shopping bag and walking stick.
Have you used a folding stick and did you find it ok?

I am just so used to doing everything on my own I rarely think about it. The only time I had a mega problem was when non weight-bearing with crutches. I survived two knee replacements on my own, ordering food online. I am trying to forget I need a new hip and hope my present ones will "see me out".

TKR ten days ago. Having codeine at night but sticking to paracetamol in the day. DH has been amazing help but how do people on their own manage? I find the pressing knee back to 95% very painful and use the ice pads afterwards. Really tired though and feel I’ve left it rather late. My knee was bone on bone and knock kneed to boot.

I know this advice goes against all written rules, but it is temporary and not for life.

Have you tried one or two pillows lengthwise under your leg? Try with it on the pillow and also try with the foot dangling

If you can sleep on your side, a pillow between your legs and another on your back to stop you rolling backwards.

Hello Susytish
I had the same feeling about different leg length after my hip op 4 years ago I had my podiatrist test it snd he said it was ok snd after a while, it was. I think it was the way I walked others prior snd after my operation .
Greetings to all. enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, we are due to go away got a few days next week just as the rain begins, Typical!

I wonder if the foot pain could be due to an irritated nerve. I had this after my THR. It improved once I got a bed cradle to lift the duvet clear of my foot. Hope you find relief soon.

Tkr 7 days ago. In hospital for 4 nights. Live alone but family next door. On 2 paracetamol every 6 hours and 5ml oxymoron every 6 hours. Ic8ng and elevating often which does help. My foot is badly bruised and is agony in bed at night. Steeped foot in hot water, applied ibuprofen gel, warm microwave bag, etc with little co fort. Calf also very tender ( checked in hospital by 3 doctors and told it was post op swelling and pain). Doing g my exercises and walking regularly. Am just dreading going to bed tonight as theast 2 nights have been excruciating. I had cut back on the oxymoron to just twice daily (why I did that I don't know!) and I think that has definitely contributed to my pain levels. Am using a walker but my walking isn't as good as it was initially (much smaller steps and leaning more on frame). Dye to have home visit from community physio re crutches.
Am I just expecting too much, too soon? Any advice re foot pain?

I have now had 2 hips and 1 knee replaced. The last hip a year ago. I feel that the leg with new hip and new knee is shorter than the other leg.
Has anyone experienced this? Should I see a physio? Could be my imagination?

It was a one off walking round the shops. I usually struggle. Maybe it was down to the steroid jab? I’ve done some knee exercises for years, ever since the knee first gave me problems but stepped them up after seeing a physio last year and have done them religiously ever since. I do think my hips are very stiff and my widows stoop makes my back ache after a while when walking outside of the house. The consultant did ask if my hips were ok and I said I wasn’t sure but that I had no pain from them. I’ve never been greatly overweight and all of the weight I do have is in my hips and legs; I have huge legs for a small person…they’ve always been like that. I almost panic when walking outside of the house as I know that however far I walk away from it I’ve got to walk that distance back; I feel very vulnerable knowing I can only walk slowly. I sometimes wonder if much of it is in my head and question my sanity.

Maybe, I am no expert but i do wonder if you can walk round shops fior 2 hours and sleep without pain, you might be best with some sort of daily exercise plan, such as just two or three shorter walks a day, gradually increasing each month. I don't know if you have been knee exercises. I know nothing about knees but do about my hips and back. In a pickle at the moment because I overdid which I know my body is comfortable with. Plus stopped tge exercises because I hadnt time. I was enjoying myself walking with friends so I walked four times the recommended distance. I know you have lost a lot of weight which is brilliant for your knees.I am way overweight although I do try. Hope you get sorted. I an sitting around as can’t even do the shorter distance, but will,

All well so far Charleygirl!

Nannyytopsy please be extra careful when you drive tomorrow. After my last TKR in 2018, I had driven about 1/2 mile when I had to do an emergency stop. My knee, left had a wake up call but was fine.

My left TKR went very smoothly 17 months ago and from the start there was no joint pain - the awful grinding bone on bone in the joint had gone. By the six weeks check, I could walk about half a mile comfortably. Still can’t kneel. Over the last 3 months or so there is tightness over the kneecap. I wonder if it’s adhesions? Still so much better than before the operation.
Right THR is 6 weeks old and very quick recovery. I shall start driving tomorrow (🥳) and I am back to walking and gardening, mostly unaided.

Don't leave it too late. I was pushed from pillar to post (doctor to doctor) and I ended up having an osteotomy of my tibia because it had started to bow. My knee was bone rubbing on bone.

My left knee was always better, but that happens all the time.

Private hospitals don’t have the facility to deal with post op problems, they just call an ambulance and ship their patients off to the nhs.
Try not to worry though Susie, in all probability you will be fine.
My hip is 4 too, recovery was pretty quick and I have no regrets. Good luck, not too long a wait.

Four years since my THR -a great success . I have now come to the end of the road of injections for my other one. Preop assessment yesterday and I have been told probably early June for the op 👏. I can’t remember much about the recovery of my first one - must be a bit like childbirth! Anyway I’m grateful I haven’t had to wait too long and going back to the same private hospital under the NHS . Different consultant though. Just a tad anxious as I was last time,that the hospital doesn’t have emergency care if anything goes wrong…..

Thanks for those insights. My consultant rather put me off a TKR reminding me that some people regret it. We left it that he wouldn’t put me down for the op but would keep me on the list so I wouldn’t lose my place. And would see me in six months time which is @ now. Wanted me to try a steroid jab first which I’ve just had. I joined a group of dog walkers for an annual meet up on Saturday and realised that I couldn’t even get as far as the beach this time. Having said that the people I usually walk with ( and look forward to seeing) didn’t turn up this year so my motivation was lacking. Also, staying at my partners, I find that, by the time I actually get to the beach which is a 15 minute walk from the house I just want to turn round and go back. Which is annoying because I can walk reasonably well on compact sand; I get into a rhythm with my walking poles. So it has deteriorated in a year. Still no pain at night, though. And I don’t think the steroid injection has helped. Having said that I walked round the shops at a nearby town for two hours on Friday and walked better than I had done for a long time. Following day and it was sore again. I think it’s the lack of exercise that I find hard to deal with. I long to just walk out of the front door and walk as I used to. But in the house I still pretty much feel like ‘me’ still so I blank it out. I think I’m going to phone Arthritis UK when I get home. I feel as though I’m boring my friends with it all. If I was in pain all the time the decision would be easier to make and I have lived with it fir @ 20 years during which time it has often got better worse and then better again!

I was driving pew TKR and the one thing which made me decide I needed surgery was pain in bed at night. During the day it was a grumble.

It took me longer to recover post op, I did few exercises because for me it was too painful. I have a stair lift so have avoided stairs for years. I can't kneel, it is too painful and the couple of times I have had a fall, it has been very difficult to get up again.

I have had both knees done over the years, the left being better than the right. No regrets.

maybee my TKR will be five years old in September. With regard to pain pre surgery my knee ached all the time, felt like toothache at times, woke me at night with a sharp reminder, walking was uncomfortable rather than painful, there was an unpredictable sharp pain which made me wince.

My leg was very bent and balance poor I drove without problem and climbed stairs very slowly with the aid of a stick.

On accessing my x-rays the surgeon asked why I hadn’t seen him three years previously, my response was blame NHS processes. He explained that in his view a replaced knee would never be quite as a natural knee. I agree with him to an extent in that kneeling can be painful because of the scar, there’s no padding behind it. I’m fine kneeling on a pad and can stand up again. Otherwise I don’t think about the new knee as different to my other knee. It feels totally safe.

Before surgery I did exercises to strengthen leg muscles, to be truthful I did few exercises post surgery, just some to help straighten the knee. The surgeon had advised me to walk, use the knee, so I did. I was discharged with two sticks, both were discarded before the six week follow up.

My other knee is showing early signs a replacement will be a benefit one day. When the time comes I’ll not hesitate and because I know how long it takes in this area I’ll begin the process much sooner.

Apologies, I’m not recalling if you’ve been referred for surgery. If a surgeon advises a TKR then it’s because one is needed. It can be a long process to get to a surgeon though.

Please bear in mind we’re all different. We experience pain differently, recover at different rates. I look back and wonder if I was unusual to recover as quickly and relatively painlessly as I did. I’m sure others will share their experiences to give you a balanced view. Wishing you well.