👯‍♀️ Hips and Knees part 7

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.

Can I ask those of you that have had a TKR how exactly you were when you had the op. ie were you in pain all the time. Could you drive/walk up stairs. Was it just your knee that was the problem; I have a very pronounced windows stoop and my walking is very laboured not just because of my knee but because of my back. My right leg is definitely bent and I think I’ve always had one leg shorter than the other which makes me walk strangely. And although I don’t have hip pain I’m very stiff in that area. I walked quite well on the beach the other day but shopping in the next village this afternoon my walking was terribly slow ( at one time no one could keep up with me when I was walking). Will I be aware of having a new knee or after a while will it just feel how it used to?

Charleygirl5

Maybee before you spend any more money please find out what grade your knee is, grade 4 being the worst. If it is bone grinding on bone, you need a TKR.

I personally feel you are just avoiding the inevitable.

No one seems to be able to tell me what grade it is. All my GP had was a written report in which my left knee, the good one, was described in exactly the same way as my bad one, which my physio couldn’t understand. My consultant tried to put me off having a TKR pointing out that some people regret it ( one in five I believe) and that he wanted me to have a steroid injection first to see if it helped. I think it’s because I’m in no pain until I’ve been walking for a while, can still drive, walk upstairs etc. I don’t really know how bad people are when they have a TKR because no one can feel another persons pain. The strange thing is that I went for a walk yesterday and my bad knee was pain free until I’d been walking for several minutes. But my good knee, which is only just starting to get arthritic, hurt right from the start. Then, as my bad knee started to hurt the good knee didn’t hurt at all. It’s a weird thing, pain. It reminds me of what my doctor used to say ie if someone comes to me with pain in their right foot if I stamp on their left foot the pain in the right foot will go away. Going to increase my walking this week to see how I feel. I have a friend back home in my village that has had a TKR ( we’re internet chums but have never met) and I’m going to show her my knee when I get back.

Maybee before you spend any more money please find out what grade your knee is, grade 4 being the worst. If it is bone grinding on bone, you need a TKR.

I personally feel you are just avoiding the inevitable.

Allsorts I don’t know how old you are but when you get older a pound a week is considered very good going. I’m struggling to lose any weight despite being very careful what I eat. I’m hoping I can lose some as my arthritic ankle has deteriorated and losing a stone may reduce the pressure on it. I’m feeling rather fed up as my walking improved dramatically after my THR but I’m now finding it more difficult again. I can see me becoming housebound.

Looking back at my posts as cannot remember when i started my weight loss plan again, I noticed I had written I had lost 3 stone, wrong, since my diagnosis I put on loads of weight making arthritis worse. I must re read what i post before pressing send. I started very well this time, lost a lot first week but in total since i started being more careful I am still only 8lbs down which only amounts to 1lb a week, but better than putting it on. Needless to say back on track but its getting slower the older I get. My hips playing up at the moment my own fault not having surgery.

Well, the first couple of days and my knee felt great but that might have been the anaesthetic. Then it was as painful when walking as ever. But five days on and I’ve been shopping and it’s pain free ( although my walking gait is still very laboured and tiring). I usually struggle to walk after I’ve been on a long car journey but on Sunday I put my tens/massage machine on my knee and was able to walk straight away when we arrived. I forgot to pack my walking trousers but that might have been opportune as today I bough some walking trousers with a zip so I can turn them into shorts. Not that I would ever expose my chubby varicose vein covered legs to an unsuspecting world but it means I can unzip one of them whilst travelling and put the tens machine on. My doctor neighbour is no fan of steroid injections and neither am I so it’s with mixed emotions that I find the injection helping. Interesting to see how I am when I try to do some proper walking in a couple of days time. Plus the fact that any respite from the pain is only going to be temporary.

If it helps I might consider having an arthrosamid injection. I’d have to pay privately but it might mean I don’t need a TKR. And if it doesn’t work I can still have a TKR.

I might find that I regret not having one sooner. I did want to see if the exercises were helping, though.

Hope it is a real success MayBe.

Well the steroid injection went really well. Not painful at all. My partners got the dog so I’m going to rest the knee for a few days. Weird thing about having to lounge on the sofa watching catchup tv is that I then want to get up and do things especially as the anaesthetic is making my knee feel so much better. If the steroid does work for a while I’ll be able to work out if it is just the knee that is causing me to walk so weirdly.

It’s very easy to overdo it, maybe ease back a bit and see if that improves things. It does take quite a while for the muscles to heal. My physio said to remember that recovery doesn’t necessarily follow a straight line, expect zigzags.

It’s six months now since my THR and my ankle is still very stiff and painful at times. Saw my GP yesterday and am booked in for an X-ray on Friday.

Maybee I hope the injection in your knee has helped.

Perhaps I am doing more than I should? In a bit of pain if I walk without a crutch and at night. I sleep for 4 hours then struggle to get comfortable again.
When is your injection Maybe?

These jabs can be painful but no one should ram them in. Good luck 🤞

It’s just been done at my doctors by the nurse so I think she’ll just ram it in anywhere!

Maybee, your knee injection could be guided, when a screen is used. I didn’t feel a thing when I had one in my hip. But I was unlucky, it didn’t work for me.

I took my exercise walk ( only one crutch!) to visit a chap in the village who had a new hip 8 days ago. He’s 14 years older than me but is struggling a bit - can’t get in and out of bed etc. His wife is having to do everything for him. While I was there, another man came to discuss hip surgery! Will he be able to drive his motorbike to Germany in August? 🤣 Or Scotland in June? I think that one’s unlikely but if he goes NHS he won’t have had surgery anyway!
My swelling has suddenly gone and sleeping is pretty comfortable now. I’m hardly taking any painkillers and it’s only 3 weeks ago. Really pleased.

Have had one hip done, and other protesting now! Am using Capsaicin 4x a day and find it really helps

I’ve found the Arthritis Uk helpline very helpful when I’ve had questions. Lots of information on the website too.

www.arthritis-uk.org/information-and-support/support-and-resources/online-community/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17250947660&gbraid=0AAAAADBwqpmno4l02PIri5cnrlEQVq1Mq&gclid=CjwKCAjw7vzOBhBxEiwAc7WNry3D58wNHdpj13LvkWnIGHpwhKdA2_zQXOKtBVGCz5S1QF3VbVQOphoC_RcQAvD_BwE

What worries me is that I’ve read that they sometimes do scans to see where to inject but the nurse is obviously going to just bang it in in the general direction of where it should go ( I don’t have a great deal of faith in my surgery these days). My neighbour drove herself home after she had it done but I like to do everything by the book otherwise there’s no point in having it done.

I haven’t had one but I’ve heard that the knee can be painful for a day or two afterwards. Definitely rest it and you may need to use ice packs.

I imagine it will be uncomfortable at the time, just take it easy for a few days and follow the medical advice. Hope it helps.

Having a steroid injection in my knee next week. Will it hurt? Planning to rest it for a few days afterwards, assume that needs to be done?

Topsy…. Oops.