Arthrioscopy

kittymedaughter

good day to you all

I saw a consultant yesterday who has told me i need a arthrioscopy and has referred me to my local hospital. Are these ops successful in repairing a torn mensicus and diseased cartlidge. The reason why i am questioning this i have a leg ulcer and i am scared having an op on my knee will make the ulcer worse and it will be all for nothing.

another question my other knee is having similar symptoms but they are not interested in that knee because i was only referred for the other knee, does this mean i have to go through the whole process again to get my other knee looked at...seems so silly when i am already in the system

hope some of you can reply to me
Kitty

elnafinn

Hi Kitty,

I have had three arthroscopies and for me personally they did not help, well for perhaps a few weeks only. I had them for a wash and clean out of the knee to see if that helped. Everyone is different in their reacton to an arthro so that I am afraid that is the unknown for you unless you have the op. I can understand your reservations in going forward with this as you have a leg ulcer. The positive about it is, that even if it does not work for you, the consultant gets a very good look inside your knee to see exactly what is going on there.

It seems ridiculous that your other knee cannot be taken account of as you have only been referred for one knee. This is something you will have to sort out with them or your gp I am afraid.

I am sorry not to be more helpful. I have had both knees replaced now but it was a palava for years before that.

Elna x

joanlawson

Hi Kitty

As Elna said, everyone is different, and in my case an arthoscopy which I had two years ago was very successful in reducing the pain in my knee. Before the operation, I was walking with a stick, and finding it very difficult to walk any distance at all, but now I don't need the stick and can walk much further.

The consultant told me that he had cleaned out the joint and removed any loose bits of cartilage, but he said that the arthritis was more severe than he had thought from the X-rays and scan. There is one area which is bone on bone, so I might need to have a knee replacement at some time in the future. However, I don't feel that I've got to that point yet, and although I'm not totally pain-free, the arthroscopy has been a great help to me.

I think that when you go to the hospital, you will be able to discuss your worries about the ulcer and your other knee. The consultant will take this into account when deciding on the best treatment for you. I understand that some consultants don't do arthroscopies any more as they think that knee replacements are a better option, but it definitely worked for me.

If you want to ask any questions about the arthroscopy op, please feel free to PM me.

Joan

julie47

Hi Kitty
I can not help I just wanted to wish you well anfd hope that the arthroscopy is successful for you.
Love Juliepf x

kittymedaughter

thanks for your replies. How long was it before you were back to normal after your arthrioscopy, i keep reading different stories of how long it took people to recover. I am pleased it worked for you Joan, sounds hopeful, I am sorry that it didn't work for you Elna.

thanks Julie for your wishes, it is nice to have somewhere to come to off load our worries.

I am very impatient and hate waiting and this knee saga seems to go on forever as well as a firm diagnosis for arther. I have read that my type of ulcer is common with RA, so who knows, you are right i will have to discuss with the surgeon my worries about my ulcer.

I have also read that a lot of surgeons have stopped doing this procedure so he might just suggest physio in any case,

dreamdaisy

The recovery time varies from patient to patient as it is influenced by many factors. I had a closed synovectomy (which I think is similar to an arthroscopy) on my right knee and it made very little difference to anything but for some they work wonders. You won't know which camp you will fall into until it's been done but I hope it works for you. Good luck and let us know what is decided. DD

elnafinn

Two to three days recovery for me, Kitty and as I mentioned earlier the arthros were to wash and clean out the knee, the first one, I felt a bit of 'grit' had been left in and was aggravating so it was done again. The other time, the surgeon wished to have a look at what was going on in my knee as the main point of the arthro and at the same time he gave it a thorough clean. It was not that long afterwards that I had a TKR by the same consultant.

Elna x

kittymedaughter

I am really confused what to do, I have searched my type of ulcer for many years, it is usually associated with diabetes, which i havent got but i have also discovered it can be related to RA...it is called Necrobiosis Lipoidica Diabeticorum. I will ask on the main forum if anyone with RA also has this

Thanks for your replies, it is helping me look at this from all directions

Kitty

barbara12

Hi Kitty
Sorry I cant help with the ulcer, but my OH had a arthros on his knee, like Elna it was to see what was going on, and to wash out any debris...he has done really well since having it done 2 years ago.
I do hope you can get some answers....wishing you well with it all.

joanlawson

I was told that the recovery time after an arthroscopy would be just a few days, but in fact it took quite a lot longer for me to be able to walk properly and put my full weight on my knee. I was given exercises to do, which is very important after the op.

kittymedaughter

Hi Joan, how long did it take you to recover? I have read some instances where it has took as long as 8 months to recover...that has put me off..are they two types of arthrioscopies and does it depend on what you have done..I will be having the meniscus repaired

GraceB

Hi,
I've had several arthroscopies on my right knee and none of them worked long term. I've also had a cartilage transplant on the same knee and then a partial replacement which was done in 2009. In all, I had 9 surgeries on my right knee.
Recently had arthroscopy on my left ankle. Again, no significant difference.
However, my brother and nephew had arthroscopies done on their knees and both had good results. What doesn't work for one person will work very well for another.
After each 'scope' it took me at least 2 weeks to return to work, sometimes it was a month, but it takes me a long time to get an anaesthetic out of my system; again everyone's different.
It's usual I'm afraid for hospitals only to deal with the joint for which you were referred. Madness but usual.
Can't help re the ulcer but your best approach with that is to take a spare dressing with you when you have your pre-op and show it to the nurse, also record it in the paperwork you'll be asked to fill in.
Post op it should only be your knee bandaged and that usually only stays on for 48-hrs so unless your ulcer is on your knee the bandaging should avoid that. Ask about this at the pre-op check.
I think if I was in your position I'd have the first knee 'done'; if it works then organise via your GP for a referral for your other knee and have that washed out. If you get no positive impact from your first 'scope' it's probably unlikely it'd work any better with the second knee. I'm not a Doctor mind you, but am speaking from my own experiences.
Good luck with this; keep asking questions until you feel your queries have been answered.
Grace

frogmorton

Dear Kitty

l have no advice but wanted to wish you all the best and am sure that with your special type of ulcer they will take extra special care of you.

Do let us know how you get on.

Love

Toni xx

joanlawson

kittymedaughter wrote:

Hi Joan, how long did it take you to recover? I have read some instances where it has took as long as 8 months to recover...that has put me off..are they two types of arthrioscopies and does it depend on what you have done..I will be having the meniscus repaired

Hi Kitty, it took me about 6 months to recover properly because I developed bursitis in my hip, probably because I was walking awkwardly. I actually had far more pain in my hip than in my knee. Eventually, I was given a steroid injection and acupuncture, which seemed to work well. Once the bursitis cleared up, I was able to walk much better and without a stick.

I'm not sure about different types of arthoscopies. Mine was to clean out the joint, and to smooth some of the rough edges of cartilage. I had a couple of tears in the meniscus too, but I don't think they were able to repair them successfully.

kittymedaughter

thanks for answering me Joan, I have a bakers cyst at the back of both my knees, so i feel for you have it in your hip..very painful and nothing you can do to get relief. I am at the hospital in early Jan, i will way up what they tell me and decide if i go ahead with it or not because i will still be walking bad because of my fibromyaglia in my hips...never ending is it

Thank you for the good wishes Toni and Grace