Yesterday I received my copy of the letter the consultant surgeon has sent to my GP, re last Wednesdays return. I have fluid which he may "aspirate" depending on the ultrasound due within the next 10 days, I have wasting of the quadriceps muscle (due to large haematoma), I limp, the "alignment of the knee is satisfactory" - huh! I want it to be perfect - not satisfactory(!), but the worrying part of the long letter is that, & I quote - "I have explained the recovery period varies, & in some people the discomfort & pain may even take 12-18 months to fully settle". Oh Lordy - I cannot stand this for THAT long! Does anyone on here have problems for as long as that?
Complete recovery can take up to two years, but you won't necessarily be in pain. In my case, the knee just still feels 'alien'!.
Lynn 9 months post op
I'm over 7 months post op and still suffer from a lot of stiffness. Not bad pain - I don't take any painkillers now. In a way, I hope they're right when they say it can take 1 to 2 years for things to get right. At least there's still hope of things improving and I'll not be like this for ever! So, take heart, you won't be like you are now all the time, hopefully, things will gradually get better. I've learned it's a slow process though 😊 Jen
I completely agree, Jen. Have come a long way in 9 months, but still some way to go.
Can't say I'm looking forward to next Wednesday - knee number two!
Wish me luck!
You can be assured of the fact that everyone has a different healing time, and it really does not really matter what we want, our bodies will heal when they are ready to do so..
Aaww, Lynn, I certainly wish you luck! At least you know what to expect I suppose. The fact that the second one needs doing must have had an effect on your first one so, hopefully, once you've had the other one done you'll go from strength to strength. I'm lucky that my other knee isn't too bad but I do suffer with my hip on the other side, hoping to hold out for a while though.
I'll be thinking of you next Wednesday. Keep us posted on your progress. Love Jen xx
Thanks. The thought of going through it again most definitely held me back. Several times my husband heard 'I wish I'd never had it done and there's no way I can go through this again!'.
Time is a great healer though and, hopefully, I won't be such an emotional wreck this time.
Will keep you posted.
Good luck on number two! You are a very brave lady at 11 days post TKR im not sure if I could go through this pain again. But I'm hoping it is like having a baby!, you soon forget the pain you go through LOL x
No choice, I'm afraid. Another bone on bone knee. Nobody would have this operation given a choice! However, I can see the vast improvement in knee number one and am totally fed up with hobbling around. Want to get back to a full life again, especially playing with my beautiful grandsons.
Lynn 9 months post op
At least my consultant said he wouldn't do knee number two until this one was right! I told him I was keeping on to it & he said I would change my mind!
The way I see it is why only get 50% of the job done? I found it to be a very traumatic experience and hope I won't be an emotional wreck this time. However, nine months down the line, I know it was all worth it.
I agree with all your kind replies and it's true,everyone has their own experience and healing times. However,I'm one of the not so lucky ones! I had left TKR in Dec '13 and although I was very pleased to begin with,by 3mnths progress stopped. The surgeon told me to swim....I can't bend the knee enough to get in or out of a pool. I have eventually pushed for a second opinion and am facing revision surgery because the new joint is too large and has also worked loose!
All the very best of luck for you to be one of those star patients who walks out of the hospital with a grin on your face! Fingers crossed!
That's horrible news. . I've read that the it's very important for the joint not to be too big. . . and I'm sure your'e feeling angry that what seems like an error was made, and is going to cause you all this added aggravation and pain. I hope they can sort it out for you with the minimum pain. :-(
They have to give us the worst case scenario and these things can take a long time for some people. 'Fully settle' is the key phrase - so it will ease month by month but could still give some problems after a period of time, wont disappear but wont, I suspect be a case of being the same level of pain and discomfort that you have now. Onwards and upwards - take each week as it comes. I have kept a little diary each week recording my progress and it has really helped me see that things are getting better even though sometimes it gets me down - we all want to be back to normal 'now' and that just wont happen with major surgery. Keep the pain under control and the swelling that seems to be the key to lowering discomfort as well as keeping mobile with aids if needed.You are not alone.
Would be nice. I was a complete disaster first time round!
best of luck lynn!
That is so awful for you. What is scary is that my progress stopped at 12 weeks too - it feels like I have a "cap" on the knee, restricting my movement - I didn't limp, now at 18 weeks, I do - the surgeon has said this is the fluid (I have 3 small fleshy lumps which have appeared over the last 6 weeks). My new knee clunks & he actually mentions the "clunk" in the letter to the G.P. So wish I'd prepared myself. Thought it would be a walk in the park!
It's the moment when progress stops and you actually feel things going backwards that are scary! I hope this soon clears up for you . . perhaps if they aspirate the fluid you'll start going forward again . . all the best
Hi Jen - we must be sisters, separated at birth 😀 because we think so much alike! I too am just past 7 months and I also hope that it does take at least a year to feel fully "normal", otherwise I'd worry the operation was for nothing and that my knee will always feel this way!
Going on 8 months soon, and I still have numbness around knee cap, stiffness and yes, still pain around the surgical area at times.
My hip is also bothering me ( the same side as TKR though) so I can't help but wonder how much of that is adding to my leg & knee problems!
That said however, I was expecting to feel totally normal by this stage, so it's frustrating when you feel you are having set backs. Yesterday for example I was feeling tingling in the knee and very stiff, almost back to the earlier days.
Thankfully no pain as then, so I guess we just have to be patient and hope indeed it takes at least a year to feel normal.
How was the Canary Islands and how did you do????
Betty