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Sunday, February 20, 2011

Bad News about My Knee :0(

Well, I saw my Orthopaedic Surgeon last week, and he said he is going to have to do a Full Knee Replacement on my right knee - I know, I know, I have already had a Knee Replacement on my right knee, I hear you say.....but I took the Specialist's advice at that time, and he did what is referred to as a Uni-Lateral Knee Replacement.
It is still a Knee Replacement, still takes 12 months to recover from, still classed as major surgery etc., etc., but they only replace half of the knee with a prothsesis, instead of the whole knee. After the MRI he thought I could "get away" with the Uni-Lateral surgery. I was unsure at the time, but eventually accepted that he was the specialist after all, and he seemed to think that this was the correct procedure for me. So I went ahead with what he said was best.
All went along quite well for the first 4 months, so well in fact that I actually booked in to have my left knee replaced at that stage too.
That was around the time that my Dad was quite unwell, and I had to organise for him to go into hospital, and then be assessed by the Aged Care Assessment Team etc., and eventually he had to go into a Nursing Home. Thankfully I was able to get him into the same Nursing Home as my Mum.
Anyway, with all that happening I put off having my left knee done, which turned out to be for the best, as by about November (about 6 months after I had the surgery) I was still in a lot of pain from my knee, and I didnt seem to be getting much better, in fact I felt like I was getting worse!
I went to my Christmas Breakup Lunch at a new Quilting Group I belong to, and saw some ladies that I hadnt seen since earlier in the year, and some of them thought that I had not even had the surgery on my knee because I was still limping, and still in so much pain!
So..... they were very insistent that I go back to my specialist to find out what was going on, as a couple said they had friends who had had a knee replacement, and their friends were back at work after about 3 or 4 months etc.
So I did, and he suggested that an Arthroscopy would fix everything. The Arthroscopy showed that I had a tear in the Meniscus cartiledge and my knee cap was out of alignment!! So no wonder I was in pain!!
About a week after the Arthroscopy I was feeling quite good, but unfortunately as the weeks went by, I was gradually getting worse instead of better.
I saw my specialist at the normal 6 weeks after the Arthroscopy and I told him then that I was still in a lot of pain etc. He sent me for another x-ray, and then wanted me to wait 6 more weeks to see if things settled down.
Well, they didnt, they just got worse really. So I went back to see him last Wednesday, and I think my specialist could see how much pain I was in, by the way I limped down the passage when he called my name!
I didnt have to say anything really, he just said straight away that unfortunately there is not a 100% success rate with Knee Replacements, and I am one of the people that it has not worked for, so I have to have a Full Knee Replacement! Although of course I have the added problem that he will have to remove the cemented in prothsesis that is already there before he can start all over again!
So.....back to square one for me I suppose! I had the Knee Replacement (the Uni Lateral one) on June 4th last year (2010) and I have to wait until we have moved before I can get this knee re-done, so it might be May before I can have it done. I am so disappointed, as I was looking forward to being much more able to do things by the time we were selling this house, and moving into the new one.
Now I will be stuck inside, unable to drive again (for about 3 months), needing Physio visits 3 times a week again, waiting for the weeks to pass by again, hoping that the pain gradually eases again, and keeping up the painful excercises again - etc., etc.
Not really happy about it all.....but what can I do? I cant go on the way my knee is now, so I really have no choice.
My specialist said he only ever re-does knees for 3 reasons, pain, pain or pain.
So I certainly qualify.
Anyone else had it done? Got any advice?
Well, that is my news this week.....sorry to sound so maudlin.
Hugs n Blessings to everyone!

6 comments:

  1. I feel sorry for you to be in pain for so long... you poor thing! Hope this next op fixes the problem-then NO more pain.

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  2. Sounds like a bummer for sure! Then you never know. This second surgery could well be the charm. Hang in there.

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  3. Thankyou SO MUCH for your support and kind words. I must admit I have been feeling a bit sorry for myself since getting the news, but I know it will be worth it in the end! I also know that I am so much better off that heaps of others, so I really have little to complain about. Hugs n Blessings from Sue x

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  4. Sorry to hear you are having so much pain with your knee. Hopefully you can have the op soon and it will be better in time.

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  5. Oh nooooo, poor you, that's just what you didn't need as you are about to move to a new home. (Actually, it's just what you don't need at any time isn't it?) On the positive side, you will be taking things slowly, so you'll have time to enjoy the new home rather than the first few weeks/months just being a tiring blur of unpacking.

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  6. Thanks again girls for your kind wishes - yes, well it really has come at a difficult time, but as you say Sue, maybe I can just slowly go through a box every few days or something. There is no point crying about it now (although sometimes I feel like it!) I know that God will help me to recover, and that there is a reason I have to go through all this again, even if I dont know what it is, God does, and I trust Him. Hugs n Blessings to you all - thankyou for your comments, I just love getting them! Sue xx

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