Had Knee arthoscopy

kittymedaughter

I had my knee arthoscopy yesterday, the surgeon was telling me the results while i was still in recovery..all i remember is that he said he couldn't repair the tear in the meniscus as it would of meant taking a lot of cartilidge and i need what is there to protect my knee...he said i had grade 2 arthritis and i will feel the pain more because of my fibromyaliga..so i am no better off for having the arthoscopy apart from finding out what grade my arthritis is..he did say he would be seeing me again in 10 years which i have persumed he means it will be worse in 10 years? I have to have 6 weeks physio...but i think that is it...they cannot cure osteoarthritis can they? How quickly does it go from grade 2 to grade 4... I have all these questions but he was back to back do surgery's so not had chance to talk to him once i was round from the op

stickywicket

Well done, you for posting this! I don't think I've ever felt up to more than a few monosyllables the day after an op. I hope you're not in too much pain afterwards.

I'm afraid I'm very unclued up about terminology. I don't know the various grades of arthritis or what the meniscus is. I do know, however, that there is no cure for any kind of arthritis though replacement joints help a lot. I'm glad to see you're being given a good course of physio. That, too, will help. Do you have a follow up appointment in which you can ask all your questions?

kittymedaughter

Hi sticky..I am surprised how awake i felt after the op...I have been hungry all the time...lol...the last thing i saw was the clock saying 12 when they put the mask on my face and then next minute i was been woke up and it was 1pm...so it took an hour all together, but i am still not sure if he has just had a look or if he has done anything....lol...wasn't in too pain til around 9pm then it started and today it is very painful either leg up or leg down..so feeling discomfort now and today i now know why they gave me crutches, yesterday i thought i wouldnt need them...my discharge says OPD 6 weeks and 6 weeks physio..so not sure if 6 weeks to see the clinic or just 6 weeks physio...lol..I have requested copies of letters from hospital to my GP so hopefully that will tell me more..I know there is 4 grades of arthritis..grade 4 being the worst and my husbands friend has grade 4 and been told she will need a new knee in 5 years...he mentioned 10 years to me, so i persume mine will just get worse eventually getting me to 10 years...who knows...I cannot get my head around the fact that i have grade 2 and it hurts like hell when it is supposed to be "mild"....

Folara

A lot of arthoscopies are more investigative than actually for mending. It gives the surgeons a really good look and diagnosis for what is going on. If whilst in there they can have a bit of a tidy up they do. The meniscus is the soft stuff that's between two joints and stops the bones rubbing on each other. OA is a wearing of this substance so you end up with bone on bone and all the other associated symptoms. The meniscus doesn't repair itself as there is a very limited supply of blood to it and so once it's gone that's it. As it would seem you have Grade 2 the surgeon would expect the knee to last for up to another 10 years before he will consider it for replacement. That's probably just a ballpark figure as everyone is different and the 'disease' can be more progressive for some than others.

Your surgeon should send a copy of the report including photos (these are really interesting) to your GP so make an appointment to discuss the findings with him.

Fols x

stickywicket

Ah, post-op hunger! Yes. After a big op I usually have a period of throwing up first but an hour or so just means I want to make up for all that fasting.

The pain will just sneak in whenever you're least expecting it. I presume you have something for it. I've never had an arthroscopy so don't know how much walking you're expected to do afterwards. I hope someone who has will be here soon. The physio though should help to strengthen your muscles which in turn will help protect the joint and ease the pain - though it doesn't always seem like that at first

My interpretation of the note would be 6 weeks physio then outpatients appt to see how you're getting on. As for 10 years - it sounds a long time and I suspect it's an optimistic guesstimate.

P.S. Thanks for the info, Folara. I live and learn.

Folara

Unfortunately I have 3 of the damn things - everyone made the knee worse but that's not the same for everyone.

Did they give you a sheet to tell you how much you should be doing? They probably told you to take ibuprofen and paracetamol for the pain? If its really bad go see your doc, no point in being in pain especially when you have exercises to do. Make sure you do the physio but don't overdo it. They like to see you 6 weeks post op as that's about the length of time it will take for the swelling to go down and for you to notice any difference.

Good luck with it healing and let us know what you find out from the report.

Fols x

kittymedaughter

wow Folara thank you for the excellent info. I think you are right when he said 10 years, I will be 57 then....one of the Dr's in the recovery room suggested i get my GP to refer me to the pain clinic

Sticky, I have a series of exercises i have to do 3 x a day until i get my first physio appointment, apart from that it is leg up and rest and ice if needed

He didnt bandage my holes, he has put two blue gauze like squares and what looks like cling film to hold them in place..I can take that off in 3 days then they have given me some dressing to put on for a further 7 days and steristrips(?)...I also have necrobois rash on that leg so not sure if they were scared of compressing my blood supply...NONE of the dr's i saw yesterday had heard of it or if they had heard of it they had never seen it...I am going to ring my district nurse tomorrow as one of the blue gauze's is wet and some fluid is leaking out under the cling film...cannot found out if this is normal after a knee arthoscopy I do know they put fluid in it

Folara

Mine dribbled a bit but it's still best to get it checked out.

If you do get the chance to go a Pain Clinic then do go. I was sooo skeptical after years of being fobbed off etc (most common was I was too young for Arthur - was 30 when it started - 45 now and still fighting that point).

The guy at the Pain Clinic was the first and only person to treat ALL of my symptoms as a whole and has set up a complete plan to hopefully get me moving a little more.

Fols x

kittymedaughter

that sounds so promising Folara, that is what i need because i have a few conditions that cause pain and what suits one might not suit another...I hope i can go on it now you have said how good it was for you...will keep my eye on the leakage...thanks for telling me that ))

Folara

Don't forget to keep us updated with how you do. This is a great forum, I've only been here a very short time but have had invaluable advice and support.

Fols x

stickywicket

kittymedaughter wrote:

Sticky, I have a series of exercises i have to do 3 x a day until i get my first physio appointment, apart from that it is leg up and rest and ice if needed

That sounds about right to me though I've only had joints replaced, not arthroscopies, and it's exercises virtually every hour for them. However, don't skip the resting & icing. Some think if they're pottering about doing things round the house it's as good as the exercises. It isn't. Different muscles. Hence the need for rest in between.

JuliaHod12

Hi there :-)

I've had 3 arthroscopies in my left knee and was diagnosed with grade 4 OA after the third Op.......I do feel that each Op has made the pain slightly better for a few months, but no long lasting effect for me.

I'm fortunate in that I can have private treatment and am off to see my consultant on 29th March as am in too much pain and have reached the point that the situation is unbearable with bad days outweighing the good! :-(

I hope the Op has worked for you.............best advice I can give is to do the exercises given, and as soon as you can, get into a swimming pool!

Best of luck

Julia xx

barbara12

Hi Kitty
I was just going to say what Julia has, build up those thigh muscles to take some of the work off your knee, and swimming is excellent has you are not pounding the knee.
Also it would be good if you could get someone to check your gait, if you are not walking properly that can impede on your knee.