Just diagnosed help!

redking

Hi all-first post. I'll try to be brief
After an op to repair a patellar tendon in my left knee and bearing no weight on it for 7/8 weeks I noticed pain and swelling in my right knee.
After much pain and swelling last Friday night I presented to the local orthopaedic team who diagnosed osteoarthritic flare up in the right knee. I can get around on crutches up and down stairs but only at home -after a couple of hundred yards walking outside my knee got very stiff and swelled right up.
The swelling has not gone down for about 2 weeks now despite taking it easy, ice packs, ibuprofen and the consultant trying to drain the knee.
I'm about to start physio in 2 weeks time and was wondering -does the condition improve? At present both legs are weak but ironically the left one is stronger and will improve, so little walking and no driving for a while yet. My confidence is low and I've had dark days - I haven't worked in nearly 3 months.

frogmorton

Hi Redking

Welcome to the forums from me - I am glad you have found us. You are not alone and we can help with the dark days.

Sounds like really bad luck :? Do they think the pressure on the knee from the other one having had surgery caused this?

Sorry l am not much use myself, but definitely I am glad you are seeing the physio soon he/she will have no doubt seen this before and is just the person to help I would have thought. Has anyone suggested a steroid jab into the now 'bad' knee??

Horrible not being able to drive isn't it? I hoep work are being ok with you too? Good job Christmas is nearing - that should give you more time to get better.

Sorry not much use am I? Hopefully someone with better knowledge than me will be along soon.

Love

Toni xxx

redking

Thanks Toni!
You are a help. Yes- the extra weight put on the "good" leg has contributed to the injury - I guess it just gave up after taking the strain for so long.
I'm pinning hopes that physio will get me going!
Steriod injections have not been mentioned - I'll see how I cope, but will ask my GP next week.
Work have been fine, which has been great but I am going back on a 2 day staged basis from next week so we'll see- I expect I'll be knackered for a few weeks....
Thanks again Toni..

stickywicket

Hello redking and welcome fro me too. Will it improve? Who knows? But definitely there's a chance. Hopefully the physio will strengthen the muscles so that they support your knee better. It might be worth asking them if a knee support would help too and, as Toni has suggested, a steroid jab might be an option. It's hard not feel low when things take a sudden unpredicted turn for the worse but hang on in there and keep talking to us as we do understand - we rather wish we didn't :roll:

redking

Thanks stick wicket!
I'm hanging on to the kind words of strangers-I'm 46 and was strong and active and then the shock of being immobile-but there you go...
It's the little things that grate-like not being able to give my 7 year old daughter a hug standing up as I can't stand up for very long without crutch support.
But I'm determined to get going and get stronger-onwards and upwards!

bubbadog

Hi Redking, welcome to Arthritis Care sorry you have had to suffer and find us. You need to have complete rest for the knee to come down, until then it will stay swollen. So complete rest is what you need. We are here if you need us day or night.

redking

Thanks bubba dog-point taken.

barbara12

Hello redking
And a warm welcome from me, like Toni has said you would have been putting most of the weight on your good knee...you do seem to be doing the right things with ice...this is what they are told to do after a TKR....rest and ice...
Now you can talk to us lot and hopefully getting things out in the open will help you...
Sorry Im not much help Im a back and hip person...
You take care xx

redking

Thanks Barbara,
That's very kind of you. Glad I've found this forum!
Best wishes,
Xo

tjt6768

A warm welcome from me too on a cold day
I've had many knee flare ups myself with the osteo.. they are not fun.. mine happen quite often lately but we are all different. Please do ask about the steroid injections, they can really help sometimes. Just don't pin all your hopes on them just in case.
Hope things settle down soon for you.

Best wishes and some gentle Yorkshire Blokey Hugs.

bubbadog

redking wrote:

Thanks bubba dog-point taken.

Not so much a dog but a bubba!!

Will explain the username to you one day!!

knuckleduster

Hello Redking and welcome to the forum from me too. The kind members before me have given you lots of advice and I'm sure the physio will be able to guide you in the right direction. I also suffer from OA in the knees and I'm having trouble with both of them at the moment as I'm breaking in a new pair of boots. They are obviously more supportive and I'm walking in a different way.

Hope your physio appointment goes well and good luck at returning to work.

Janet xx

GraceB

Hello Redking,

Welcome!

I'm an OA knee person (plus hips and spine now - oh happy dayz!). My knee tends to swell quite a bit on some days but I have had a partial knee replacement. My unoperated knee also swells.

OA is very different from one person to the next. However, please remember that despite the OA you are still you.

I try to concentrate on what I can still do and forget about what I can't. Try and turn a negative into a positive, e.g., I can't go wandering around shopping centres, but I now have some savings tucked away for the inevitable downpours.

I recommend my 'prescription'. Take one bar of chocolate (as large as you can manage) and eat it all by yourself. Wash this down with a glass or mug of your favourite tipple and enjoy. When chocolate is taken in this way (medicinal) it is calorie, sugar and fat free - ergo it's good for you!

Keep posting here on the Forum - you'll find everyone is a wonderful support. It doesn't matter what you want to know or need support with -you'll always have a response here.

Just take care of yourself, listen to your body and keep asking questions of the medics - they're there to help you through this.

GraceB