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Update on Knee #2 this week!


You can see the weird gaps underneath the metal joint.



Me, whining because my knee isn't as pretty and functional as this one!

Knee update

The pain in my knee has gotten so bad I can only scream when I move it certain ways. It was time to be seen. This time I was heading to Tria Orthopedic Center Acute Injury Clinic. No, I do not have an acute injury and probably should have made an appointment, but we figured it was a way in the door and maybe I would get answers right now.

My husband and I had been working on a history document of my problems, and quickly revised that to bring in. 

This has become a case of becoming my own best advocate. I have heard so much of messed up knee, more physical therapy for you. More movement. More this. And no, not my department from the professionals, on the fix. So many dead ends that has lead to frustration and tears and just putting up with a heck of a lot of pain for me. Pain that shouldn’t be there following a TKR Total Knee Replacement, at all.

The Tria nurse said, why did you wait so long to come in. Well, there is nothing urgent about it, it is an ongoing issue, the pain just got to the point that I cannot handle it anymore. Certain positions now cause me to just scream, rather loudly. My poor neighbors! 

Within five minutes of being there I already got what i have wanted for over two years, new X-rays. That was not easy to do. I had to lean forward, squat and nothing to support me. I said a few bad words. I want to feel bad I did, but holy moly did that hurt. And I allowed a student tech to do my X-rays. Having been a student tech at one point, I know, the tougher the cases, the more they learn. There was someone supervising from afar. I could have said, no student this time, but I figure i am miserable no matter what and its good for him. He tried really hard and did well. You will be a good tech some day Zach! 

The nurse was funny and sweet today. He is a good guy! We joked and such. 

Doctor came in room and talked about the Xray, and asked some basic questions. My hot spot is still my hot spot on the medial anterior tibial plateau. In other words, on the inside front of the bottom of my knee area. Xray shows something unusual going on, same as it did in April of 2015. I used to feel as though the bottom of the joint, the part that goes into the top of the tibia, slide around. Xray shows that the glue may have let loose, but it is not a smoking gun diagnosis by any means. The rest of my knee is inflamed and irritated and painful. Xray showed some fluid, but nothing significant. My last round of PT the therapists said I have overactive nerves there, but they had no idea what might be causing it. 

When I saw my surgeon for this problem before, two years ago, he put in orders for a revision, meaning he would just replace the lower part of the implant, but there were zero guarantees that that is the problem. So the order still sits there, because that is radical surgery with no outcome guaranteed.

Tonights X-ray showed that maybe this hotspot area tried to heal itself, unsuccessfully.  And fluid not that significant in the joint.

And this is part of why I am in the pickle that I am. It is a head scratcher. Yes, more, yup, your knee is messed up. Yes, it needs attention, but I am not sure what is going on.

Doc is running a bunch of labs. So far they indicate I have inflammation somewhere in my body. Duh!  I have a Nuclear Medicine test for a bone scan of my knee coming up. If that shows hot for inflammation then yes, that might be the smoking gun that the glue let loose, a long time ago, and I have been walking around with a loose joint. Splendid! 

And I see another surgeon for a second opinion on a revision. Bottom line, it looks like that might be a try at a solution. Sadly. I have more to say on this, but not in a public forum. There is much more to this story, no, not a bad surgeon issue. Other semi related issues. 

The Acute Care Doc indicated that if this is what is going on with my knee, movement and exercise is the worst for it. Two weeks ago I walked the entire length of two airports in an effort to better myself. Didn’t mean to make it worse. Normally it would be a good choice. Signs indicate that may have been a bad decision on my part. 

While I wait for more labs, my scan and another doc opinion, I am going to not move a lot. I have plenty of new stamp products to play with. My family will have to step up and pitch in on some of the housework I had recently started doing again. It felt going to help. 

But taking a chance tonight on a visit to another doctor, I am happy. He took my problem seriously, didn’t discount my pain, and is working to find me an answer which will lead to a solution. I will not see Dr. Jones again, as he is just an ortho ER doctor, in the basic sense. But he put me back on a path to discovery. No, no recommendations on how to handle the pain for the next few weeks, but he probably figures I am a pro at managing by now. Aspirin has been my friend this week. I have a secret stash of helpful products, which I will dig into if the pain ratchets up a few %. It is nearing that now. 

Thank you for following along with my journey. Many people have had health issues requiring persistence in getting answers. I will update as I get more information.



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