arthroscopy of knee

stellabean

Well yesterday I had my arthroscopy on the problem found in my knee by the lovely physio at the hospital. The orthopaedic consultant confidently said I'll have that out in a couple of minutes not knowing what "that " really was it showed as a very large white fluffy object on x-ray and scan.
He came to see me on the day unit afterwards and seemed surprised that the "that" took him over an hour to remove was a total bugger (his words not mine). Turned out it was a fragment of bone tissue calcium and various gunk that occupied the whole of the area behind the knee cap and was adhered to the top of the tibia. So that was what was making my knee a pain in the ****.
It was unbearably hot in the hospital the ward was like walking into an oven my heart went out to the staff I used to be a nurse years ago and the uniforms are not always designed for comfort.The only place I felt comfortable was the recovery room in theatre it was like a fridge and pure bliss.

stickywicket

Well, that would have been an unpleasant experience at any time but, in the heat too......!

As my old Mum used to say, about many things, better out than in. I hope you do soon feel the benefit. It certainly sounds as if you will. Is rest, exercises or both required?

stellabean

I have some exercises from the physio at the day unit but also some from a rehab one too. But at the moment I am sitting with it elevated as it is very swollen and painful, I am enjoying sitting with frozen peas on it.
I have always recovered very quickly from ops in the past but I feel floored by this one and am feeling very lazy still being in my nightie at 2pm! It is so not like me. It has gone cloudy outside I am going to take a short hobble in the cool then sit with the peas again.

stickywicket

Elevation plus frozen peas is good

Remember we get older all the time :roll: so take longer to recover from things. Also I suspect the current heatwave won't help healing. Stay well-hydrated. Don't have your body fighting on two fronts at once.

Short hobbles are good but exercises are better as they use all necessary muscles not just a few.

Good luck with it all. The weather should break soon. That might help.

Jackie47

I’ve got an x ray on a knee and hip this afternoon. Knee is so painful but it’s been up and down over a few years. As I have erosive RA and OA already with one hip replacement I can guess where this will take me 🤦‍♀️

GraceB

Heat won't be helping plus you are recovering from a general anaesthetic. That in itself take times.

Having had several knee arthroscopies in the past all I can say is that it's a delicate mix of resting the joint, icing and elevating it together with doing the exercises. I was told to take the pain relief 4 times a day for the first 4 weeks whether or not I thought I needed it as the pain had to be kept under control. I always took my pain relief about half an hour before doing my physio exercises and applied ice just before and then again after.

Ignore any of the "you should be able to do this or that on day such and such" advice as we are all very different. You'll know what you can and can't manage and when. Not sure if you are working, but take enough time off if you are. If you drive, you'll have been given instructions regarding when you can start driving again. I'd suggest start with small local journeys first to "try" your leg out before you attempt to go too far.

Just pace yourself for the next few weeks. These things take time.

GraceB

stellabean

Thank you for the replies, it has been more bearable weather wise today with rain I went for a walk found out my jacket needs reproofing and have done the exercises religiously elevated my leg and used ice. It is very swollen from mid thigh to mid shin and is going to be all the colours of the rainbow. The consultant warned me they had to do more rummaging than normal to remove the debris so it is understandable.
It will be easier to distract myself when I don't need to elevate my leg so much though my cat is loving having me to cuddle so much he thinks it is brilliant.

stickywicket

I've always hated the leg elevation thing. Fine in a recliner but given that, post op, it has to be so much higher to be effective, it's certainly not a comfortable position. Good luck with it. I hope it soon gets back to a normal 'width'.

dreamdaisy

Whilst marooned in bed I found myself watching the Supervet and wishing I was a dog. One X-ray, one operation, joint/s cleaned out and animal thinking it's back to normal within a few hours. As if.

The film of the surgery is interesting as it shows this cloudy white stuff which I guess is rotting cartilage floating around inside the joint and it looks enormous, then Noel pulls it out and it's incredibly small. No matter how the small the procedure our bodies were never designed to be opened up, rummaged around, have bits removed and then sewn back together. Healing takes time, the surface might look good within ten days but inside? A whole different ball game.

I took months to recover from the two open synovectomies on my left knee and a good eight weeks from the closed one on my right. It takes years for our joints to reach such a pitch yet we expect / want instant healing. Being a patient patient is far from easy but you have had the op at the right time of year: recovery is far harder in the cold, dark winter months. DD

stellabean

I've not had a good 2 days my horse was found yesterday in a state his whole rear end was covered in poo he has never been like that before. He had to be cleaned up and on speaking to the vet it was decided someone has fed the horses something they shouldn't have.
Sgins are up and I better not catch them. So my knee took a back seat thankfully he is a little better today so I will feel okay at not being driven up to the field to check him Hubby can be trusted to see to him. So it is back to elevation exercises and ice again.

dreamdaisy

Hello, how are things going now? DD

stellabean

I am due to go to the GP to have the stitches out this afternoon.
The bruising has been quite spectacular but it at last beginning to fade. My knee is still swollen but is at least beginning to go down. The bone pain in my shin and down to my ankle did take me by surprise though I hadn't expected that to be so intense.
I am being as patient as I can be but can't sit with my leg down or stand for any length of time or the leg swells there are very few things you can do with your leg in the air plus my hip has started to complain as it just wanted to get in on the act. This year despite the weather I have a bumper fruit crop which is being picked sitting on a box and given away there are several young families having a go at making their own low sugar drinks and jams. Just the sort of thing to do on wet afternoons it has been raining here in the upper dale in biblical proportions.
I can bend my knee quite well with no weight on it but am unsure about doing it weight bearing as it is still swollen it is unstable so I have increased my strengthening exercises.

dreamdaisy

It is inportant to rest the leg as much as you can - this means not standing or moving around too much. Yes, it's a nuisance having surgery, it's a pain working through the recovery stage and yes, it all seems to take ages but it will take far longer if you muck things up with impatience! I have had a fair few ops in my time and always thought my being stupid would be an insult to my surgeons, their work and skill. I've some massive scars too, my best is nearly a foot long and that involved very deep healing. That one took over three months - one of the downsides of self-employment!

It is far from easy, after all we are used to working through pain pre-surgery but the whole point of surgery is to make things better: this means no working through the pain, not causing extra swelling and inflammation around the wound thus placing extra stress on the area trying to heal. I hope the stitch removal went well, I become a tantrumming toddler when staples etc are taken out. Total coward. I grizzle. Utterly pathetic and shamful behaviour. :oops: DD

stellabean

Thanks DD you are not a coward about staples they hurt good job you don't see how they go in. The stitches came out fine and I am resting. I think my worse suture removal was when I had am abdominal hysterectomy and had to talk my GP through how to remove the deep tension suture as he hadn't done one before it was a bit surreal. I could have done it better myself but he wouldn't give me the stitch cutter.

dreamdaisy

:shock: Flaming Norah! Both my big wounds had over thirty staples. Revolting. When one was removed from my knee it ripped an internal stitch - that was not pleasant as I initially was not believed about the pain I was in. A shift change later and a nurse with more experience put two and two together and put me back on a morphine drip. B-L-IIIIIIIIIII-SSSSSSSS.

I am pleased you are resting - keep it up and good luck old girl (as we say in this household). DD

stellabean

It is just over 3 weeks since my surgery and at last my knee is going down there is still a large amount of swelling despite having my leg elevated as much as possible. I am able to bend it some of the way and if I keep it still too long it stiffens up. I was only given 2 exercises at the hospital but once it feels a little better I will make an appointment to see a rehab physio I know locally. I have started to walk short distances but find I have to be very careful as the knee is unstable due to the swelling. I have got an appointment to see the surgeon on 18th September so I am elevating and being patient.

stickywicket

That does sound better though the instability must be a bit disconcerting. I wonder if a knee support when walking would help but I certainly would want to ask a doc or physio first.

stellabean

I saw the consultant on 18th september and he has signed me off until I need his help again. My knee is still larger than the other the left one but at least the swelling has gone down enough for it to be more stable. After nearly 6 months I have toady been able to get back to weaving as I could use my right leg to press the treddles ( foot peddles that alter the pattern) for the first time with out pain. I managed to do about 4 inches which is probably equal to 100 passes of the shuttle and stopped as I was tired. Tomorrow is another day.

stickywicket

That sounds better