Fretting away

I have to admit I'm not looking forward to getting another knee replacement. In fact, I want to run for the hills just thinking about it. Not that I'm sorry I did the first one, or that I won't go forth with number 2, but I still fret.

I'm 3-1/2 months in on knee number one and I know how much it was worth it to go through those 3-1/2 months when I think back to how much pain I was in. Or when I deal with knee #2 issues, which are less extreme, but still no fun.

So what can I do after 3-1/2 months? I can stand up faster, although there's still discomfort in both knees. I can take that first step much, much quicker, although I still feel a bit unsteady. And I can take that second and third step and not feel like I have to sit down right away.

I'm not using a walker or a cane to walk these days. However, sometimes I feel a little unsteady, but less and less every day. Before the surgery, I'd been using a cane or two for years.

I can walk into a store that doesn't have a wheelchair or seating, like Petco or Bed, Bath and Beyond, and actually look around a bit before my knees tell me its time to get back to the car. I can walk for about 20 minutes without being in agony.

I can walk up stairs using both legs (something I haven't been able to do for years) as long as I have a rail to hold on to. I still walk downstairs one step at a time, because my new knee isn't as steady as my old knee. I have to work on the stair thing since I'm going to have to count on that knee to get me up and down stairs when I get #2 done.

The leg with the new knee is still about 2 inches wider around than the leg with the old knee. It's heavier too, but I really only notice it when I'm laying in bed, especially when I'm turning over or on my side. The leg doesn't feel as heavy as it used it. It's a problem with swelling and it's common.

I don't use ice or frozen peas anymore if I don't have to. I hate putting ice on my body and as long as things are going okay at this point, I'm avoiding if I can until I get knee #2 done. There's no avoiding it then.

The incision is about 8 inches long. I've been putting scar cream on it, which seems to be helping with the healing. So the scar doesn't look terrible.

I have a numb spot on the right side of my knee that's about three inches around. It still feels odd to me. I've been told it's common and have read it could take a year or two to go away, or for a few people it never goes away. My physical therapist said the likely cause is a nerve that got nicked during the surgery. Nerves take a while to regenerate, but they usually do.

The muscle spasms I had above my knee have gotten better, so that's not as much of an issue. My surgeon said they may be from the tourniquet that was applied during surgery to stop the bleeding.

I still have pockets of swelling around the knee and below it that have been there since the operation. Nothing severe.

When I exercise, and sometimes when I just walk or move, I feel a clicking in my knee. That's the metal parts touching inside and that's never going to go away. The surgeon says I get used to it. It doesn't hurt.

I can sleep through the night now and have been able to since about six weeks in. Before that I could not find a comfortable position at night and was lucky if I could sleep for a couple hours at a time. Then I'd go sleep in the easy chair so I could lay back. I was tired all the time.

Overall, my surgeon and physical therapist say I'm doing just fine. I guess my biggest problem is the fact that I just thought that by 3-1/2 months I'd be all better and not wake up each morning thinking first thing, "I had a knee replacement." I don't think about it quite as often during the day, but the knee still feels odd, I still have pain if not severe pain, and I still think about it a whole lot.

So the long and short of it is that I've come a long, long way. But I still have a ways to go. I'm working real hard to stop fretting about that part. And about the part that involves me getting another knee replacement in about 2 months. Fret... fret... fret...

The agony and the ecstasy of deciding to get a knee replacement

I realized about a year ago that I was headed for a wheelchair. I'd had knee problems for about 20 years. It had gotten so severe I was using two canes to get around.

I'd visited a variety of knee doctors over the years and they all came up with the same diagnosis... I had severe arthritis and needed total knee replacements in both knees. Of course, I was just a kid at 50-years-old. The first doctor I saw who told me I needed knee replacements said I should put it off for as long as possible, cause, you know, new knees don't last forever.

Well, lucky me, I also discovered that I had back issues about a year ago which were causing severe Sciatica and terrible muscle spasms in my legs, so I also needed back surgery.

The back doctor and the knee doctor agreed it might be best to get the back surgery first, since knee replacement surgery takes longer to recover from. Also the back doctor thought the back problems might be causing some of the knee pain.

So in March 2010 I had spinal fusion surgery. It did help with the Sciatica and the muscle spasms, especially in the left leg. It wasn't fun. Surgery is never fun. But the knees were still so bad they interfered with the back physical therapy.

The blasted knees felt like they were made of broken glass. Imagine facing that every time you have to stand and then having to take a step knowing how bad the pain will be. And then another step and another, until eventually the pain dulls enough for you to make it to the bathroom or the dining room chair.

So I scheduled the knee replacement for my right knee and had a total knee replacement on June 22. It was even less fun than the back surgery. A lot less fun. But things did improve every day, if sometimes by inches. I'm now about 3-1/2 months in, I'm done with physical therapy, and I've scheduled my second knee replacement on December 14. Three surgeries in one year.

This blog will chronicle my journey, both as I continue physical therapy on my own for the right knee and as I prepare for the next one and beyond in my quest to have pain-free legs and knees that actually work.

Please add your voice to mine if you are considering a knee replacement, or you've already discovered the joys and challenges of this journey. Comment and tell me your story.