A brand new knee

Pam I am wrote

on Oct 16, 2009 4:06 PM

As some of you know I've been having a hard time with my knee lately since moving down here and unloading the truck of my stuff in late August.  I've tried staying off it, taking diclofenac and last week a steroid injection which didn't help much at all.  Billy took me to the orthopedic guy this morning and the plan is now to just give me a new knee on November 5th. 

I'm both encouraged and discouraged...it will be over someday, the doctor said recovery takes about 2 months...and discouraged that I probably won't be much help to anybody until then.  I've been in pain with this thing off and on and to some degree constantly since having a car accident in which I broke it (it's called a tibial plateau fracture) in November of 1998.  It has it's benefits, it gives me tons of compassion, but I'm tired of it and want to be able to walk around without thinking about it, resting up for it and planning ahead for it all the time.  So alright already, I'm compassionate now...now I'd like to ditch the old knee and all the hurting and start taking care of other people better and just plain do things.  Mostly I can take the pain okay but it drives me nuts to not be able to do stuff. 

Prayers would be appreciated, and thanks in advance....

Just to let you all know how good Billy is, he told me exactly what was causing the pain and me not being able to walk on it like this.  He felt it and moved it a little and said it was a piece of cartilage stuck behind the kneecap inside the joint.  When we saw the x-rays this morning it was right there plain as day, this piece of something stuck upwards in the middle of the joint.

Pam

MelindaB@14 wrote

on Oct 16, 2009 4:16 PM

Prayers from my family heading your way.  Just think at the beginning of the new year you will be able to walk & do things without pain.  Healing bubbles too

Zerenity by Inca wrote

on Oct 16, 2009 4:30 PM

Great news - you be up and dancing in no time =)

Cathy wrote

on Oct 16, 2009 7:19 PM

Prayers,

Cathy

Gyspy Mary wrote

on Oct 16, 2009 9:11 PM

 Oh!Pam, So Sorry to hear about the Knee. And Happy you can get it fixed so soon.

I will start sending,Reiki Healing Prayes at first Light in the morning.

I will keep you in my "Old Fashion Prayers at night":)

You surely deserve to be pain free.

Prayers, Mary

SEllen 2 wrote

on Oct 17, 2009 11:39 AM

 Pam

 So sorry you're in pain.

But as always...

YIMP

sellen

LoisB@23 wrote

on Oct 17, 2009 11:45 AM

 well, yay for a new knee, boo for being in such ongoing pain... I CAN say that they have gotten SO much better at these kinds of surgery. My friend's mother had both of her knees done here in Utah at the same time (apperenly we have one of the TOP surgons for joint replacements) anyway, they went really well. She was good about staying off it when she was supposed to stay off it, and doing her excercises, and she's in tip-top shape now. THat was just over a year ago. The one thing you might want is one of those canes that have the folding stool attached, so that in the first few weeks you can sit down whereever you are to give the knee a rest. Anyway, good luck, I am SURE it will be worth it in the end.

Lois

Sheila H wrote

on Oct 17, 2009 7:13 PM

 Pam - I am glad that you will finally be able to do "normal" things without thought. As you know I have been there done that. Still rehabing my knee from Spet 9th surgery to build back the strength.

As you know but I will tell you this anyway...Listen to them about what you should or should not be doing and do what they say. It will make the surgery and rehab go so much better! If they say stay off it, stay off it. If they say to start doing this at this point, do it.

I will be keeping you ( and Billy ) in my thoughts. I know that he will be a great help to you! Please you or he keep us posted!

JSmaz wrote

on Oct 18, 2009 2:31 AM

Best wishes and prayers for you Pam!  Pity that it has to be replaced, but it will be so much nicer to not be in pain so in the end it should be worth it.  DH's aunt just had hip replacement surgery earlier this year and she feels so much better now.  She'd been putting it off and in hindsight wonders why she did.

cbreul wrote

on Oct 18, 2009 2:58 PM

Pam,

I am so sorry to hear about this!  That being said, being pain free will be wonderful and liberating and something to look forward to.  One of my good friend's mom's had it done and it was a rough 2 months, but now she is GREAT!!!!!!!!!  Moving all over the place with no pain.

You are in my prayers!!

cb

koolaidstains wrote

on Oct 18, 2009 9:13 PM

 Pam, you will be in my prayers!

Kokopelli wrote

on Oct 19, 2009 2:33 AM

Pam, on one hand I'm sorry that you have to go through this and deal with all this pain and a surgery. BUT on the other hand I think of my Mom. Her knee got damaged in an accident about 25 years ago. She had a knee replacement four years ago, because she couldn't do without heavy pain meds anymore; no sports and even walking was sometimes horrible. Now she can go skiing with us again and forgets most of the time that she has a new knee!

Be prepared for a hard fight to learn walking step by step again and do what the nurses/rehab staff tell you. They know what to do! And next year you'll be walking and dancing without pain. You're in my thoughts, dear!

Pam I am wrote

on Oct 19, 2009 8:13 AM

Thank you everybody, all those good prayers are appreciated and so is the advice.  It's encouraging to hear how well things went for other people

I will do what they tell me as much as I can.  Billy treats me like a princess, I'm not used to it but that's another story.  I want very much to be taking better care of him because he still has plenty of pain of his own and I don't like it any better than my own, actually I like it a whole lot less than my own, his pain makes me cry, my own doesn't.  He has less than he did, but still plenty.  Both of us need to have more fun. 

This bad knee just keeps me from doing so much it drives me nuts.  I haven't been able to walk on it since late August and I'm tired of crutches, tired of slowly making my way around and tired of hurting.  I want to cook, do laundry, etc., without having to think about every step I take.  This actually makes even beading somewhat harder because I don't always have the oomph to go get the pliers I left in the other room, or different beads, etc., and I haven't been able to clean up my stuff from NH as much as I want to so everything is still disorganized and not always easy to find.  I just don't always have the energy for it or for much else either.  Even for these forums, and I miss being on here the way I used to be.

I also need to get my South Carolina driver's licence and do some errands so that Billy doesn't have to do every one of them but there's not much point to doing that unless I can put a firm foot on the pedals and that's iffy now.  Once I can drive the first thing that will happen is that Billy will never take the trash to the recycling center again, and I mean that.  Why should he have to pick up that stuff with his bad back and heart?  I get frustrated watching him do this, and more, and not being able to help.  He's amazing, very sweet, good and strong. 

I also want to do some transcription.  I've been putting it off for various reasons, first because we needed more computer time which we now have, then because we weren't sure whether or not to put up my computer as well as this one, and now because I'd have to stop doing it for a little bit anyway after I get that new knee.  So I haven't looked really hard for any.  I'm pretty sure it would be easy enough to get from one of my old accounts.  I could probably do some before and then pick it back up after but unless I start out looking for a significant amount of dictation to transcribe I'd be getting the dregs, the fussy notes from the PT department with all the numbers and symbols to type into tables, etc., and they take a lot of time and don't pay well.  Those kind of things.  Now Billy's working, which is good, but I think he works too hard.  Maybe I should email my most likely contact for transcription anyway and just explain myself and see what happens.  We could also use some good jewelry sales right now only I can't think of anything I actually can do that would make that happen.  We do have two more shows coming up, the last weekend in October and then again at the end of November so maybe we'll earn some money then. 

I kind of knew this knee replacement was coming.  The diclofenac didn't work, it made my blood pressure go way up, then the depo-medrol injection didn't work either.  So I did kind of figure out before last Friday that this is what they'd recommend.  When I broke this the Dr told me that I'd get about ten years out of the ORIF (surgery to fix the fracture) and it's been eleven years now.  All in all I'm really lucky, my knee was the only thing I hurt really bad in that accident.  My face kissed the windshield but all that got was minor cuts and bruises and banged up some, and I sprained my right ankle (yup, same leg) but nothing worse.  Whenever I feel yucky I think how it could have been my head or neck that got broken really bad and then where would I be now...not here with the love of my life, that's for sure.  Also, a whole lot of years ago when I was in my 20's I had a year and a half of a really bad arthritis/autoimmune episode that kept me from walking or even moving much.  I recovered from that with only a couple of episodes since then of somewhat more than mild pain for only a month, six weeks...otherwise just occasional mild pain here or there.  I was lucky that wasn't worse and still am.  So I have a lot of compassion for people in pain.  When I'm doing well, which has been the majority of the time, I'm always grateful for it.  I never, ever walk without gratitude. 

Okay, thanks.  I think I'll go email a transcription contact and see about some work.  That might go better than I think and I'd like that.  Thanks for listening and letting me talk (aka b*tch)   Really thank you for the prayers too. 

Pam

cbreul wrote

on Oct 19, 2009 8:42 AM

 Pam,

Anytime!

Pain is incredibly debilitating and being on crutches - I totally get it. You can't do anything for yourself and it gets old asking others for help with the small things - getting plyers from the other room, carrying your cup of tea, getting your socks. I am sorry. Just try to keep the end result in mind - walking pain free, able to do all! 

Courtney

Pam I am wrote

on Oct 19, 2009 12:52 PM

Thank you Courtney. 

I manage quite a lot on these things.  Tea or coffee goes into a jar that I can carry with my fingers over the lid while my hand is still holding the crutch, in the other hand I hold my empty cup and fill that once I've sat down.  Food can be put into plastic bags, also carried.  I can't carry a plate, but I can transfer it from one surface to the next, ie:  stove to counter to other end of the counter to the lid on the trash bin to the table, that kind of thing.  Other things can be picked up and tossed until I get them where I want them.  Laundry in a plastic bag is easy this way.  Pockets help a lot but don't put any eggs into them...I learned that one long time ago and yes, it was funny.  Still, I get tired doing things the hard way instead of just picking them up and lugging them off where I want them, not to mention just plain time up and doing anything is sometimes hard.  But I'm too stubborn to sit down for long so I'm sure I'm making it tougher on myself in that way.

I am keeping the end result in mind and it does help.  Sometimes I just need to vent though, I'm pretty tired of this. 

I got the pictures of our earrings for the swap done today that's one good thing.  They'll go out tomorrow, somewhat late but we're both pleased with these Dishes and laundry are done, UPS just brought the replacement cell phone (one died last week ), there's food out of the freezer to cook for supper.  Maybe I'll make some coffee and do nothing for awhile.  Maybe I'll call my mother and wait for Billy to come home.

Pam