Hips and Knees

Since this is a medical blog of sorts, I might as well cover all the issues, since one issue relates to the other  I have been having problems with my left hip, to the degree that I was unable to move on the court and could not play.  Having recently established a relationship with Dr. Moor, I made an appointment to see him for this new problem.

But, I'm at the tennis courts on Tuesday last week watching my team play the last match of the season, and my right knee swelled from out of nowhere and became more painful than the hip.  How do you even limp from two sides at once?  Luckily, I had an appointment scheduled for my hip, so I went to see Dr. Moor for both problems on Wednesday (he had a cancellation).  He ordered an MRI for the hip, though at this point, the hip is my strength, and the least of my problems, because the knee has me totally hobbled.  He drained the knee, but instead of clear fluid, it was bloody, so that needs to be analyzed.  He ordered an MRI of the knee, as well as blood work.  (That fiasco is a separate post.)   I am scheduled to return ten days later (too long).   And I'm cranky. 

Uh uh!

It is now 7 years, 4 months since my TKR.  It has been a great 7 years, mostly pain free, with just the usual flare ups of issues to be expected by a woman my age, especially one who plays tennis 5 or 6 times a week, and sometimes more than once a day.  Until....3 weeks or so ago, when the knee spontaneously swelled during a period of inactivity.  It remained painful and swollen for 3 or 4 days, and then just as suddenly went back to normal.  But, I had made an appointment with an orthopedist, which I decided to keep.  I wanted to be an established patient if this should happen again.  He took an xray, and said it could be an issue with the glue interacting with the bone,  or it could be a fluke.  Let's wait and see, which was fine with me since I was back to normal.

But normal was too good to be true.  Last week it again spontaneously swelled during a period of inactivity, and I was truly gimping.

So, I am bringing back the blog,  since I have a feeling all is not well in there.

Welcome to Arden's Knee II

Two-Year Post-Op

Where does the time go?  Another year, and another visit to Dr. Kerina.  November 8 will be two years since my TKR, and a good two years it has been.  I am spending hours on the tennis courts five or six days a week, and walking for as long as I want.  No pain.  It is truly remarkable.

But, I did have one little hiccup a week or so ago, and that prompted me to push up my annual checkup with Dr. Kerina.  My knee swelled up for no apparent reason, and it swelled on a day when I did not play tennis, but rather was walking around doing normal everyday chores.  I managed to play tennis the next day when it was still swollen, and it brought back distant memories of playing in pain, which I hadn't had to do since the TKR.  Frankly, it was a scary thought.  So, I called, and was lucky, once again, to get in two days later.

Of course, by then the swelling was gone, and all was right with the world.  But I had my list of questions about the whys and wherefores of the swelling, as well as a recap of what happens when it wears out.  Bill and I went together, and with the obligatory forty minute wait, finally met with Dr. Kerina's PA, Martha.  We were both very impressed with her, and I would have no hesitation seeing her in the future for knee related issues.  She spent the time, and answered all the questions we had.  She said the swelling was probably from a ligament that I twisted.  She also reiterated that the knee should last 15 to 20 years, depending on the activity level, and the first thing that will need replacing in the piece that rests between the two metal part of the knee, the artificial meniscus, for lack of a better term. The xray shows that it has not worn down, and the xray will show when it has, and when it needs to be replaced, sometime in the distant future.  That will entail an outpatient procedure where they  open up the knee following the first incision, but replacing the flap is a comparatively simple procedure, and will not result in the same pain and rehab as did the TKR.

Then,  she escorted Dr. Kerina in to look over the xray, and make sure she hadn't missed something.

Dr. Kerina remembers me as "Arden's Knee" and asked if he could put a link to this blog on his web page, which, of course is fine with me, as I told him a year ago.  In exchange, I have some interesting beers to look forward to, a quid pro quo, as it were, since we are both beer enthusiasts , especially beer from micro breweries.  So the good Doctor will provide me with a sampling of some of his favorites.  How fun is that!

Also, the upcoming issue of a local magazine will feature Dr. Kerina on the cover with some news about him and his organization.  I'm looking forward to seeing that.

All in all, the body is doing well for its age, and I really can't complain.

One Year Check-up With Dr. Kerina

It may be a month early, but since my left knee (the one that is real bone and is no longer the good one) has been giving me problems of late (it locks up),  I moved my appointment up a month, and visited Dr. Kerina.   Bill and I arrived early, as is our normal behavior, and seats in the waiting room were at a premium.  After the obligatory wait, we were ushered into the examining room in order to. . . . .wait some more.  But the big guy appeared, looked at me and said, "oh, it's Arden's Knee."  And, was I there for the annual check up or because I need the other knee replaced?  Dr. Kerina has a sense of humor.  Anyway, the correct answer was:   both.

So he checked the xray on the new knee, and congratulated himself on what a good job he did.  And then he looked at the xray of the other knee, and could see the torn meniscus, along with the arthritis.  At my age, and with the arthritis already eating away the cartilage, arthroscopic repair surgery is not an option, since in essence, all that does is scale away additional good cartilage in order to even it out, and what I don't need is less cartilage.  So far, it is not painful. . .unless it locks up, which is what it does.  Usually, I can maneuver it out of the locked position, and as long as I can do that, and as long as I can stay on the tennis court, that is ok.  But the net net is that I am looking at another knee replacement.

Considering the success of the first one, it may be an improvement.  But, prior success does not guarantee a future success, so the mere thought of doing it again is scary.  For the time being, though, I'll just plod along.

11 Months Post-Op

My last post was in May, at six months post-op.  Now, five month later, the knee is still great, still pain-free, and still getting me around on the tennis courts.  I am playing tennis five to six days a week.  All the other new-knee related aches and pains have resolved themselves, for the most part.  I take no medications at all, i.e. no Mobic (meloxicam) or Tylenol or anything, except vitamins and glucosamine, but I do go regularly to the chiropractor to keep everything in alignment.  Of course, my left knee is now making its own complaints, but hopefully, it will hold out for a few more years.  But, I am a 67 year old woman with arthritis and osteoporosis, so there is no telling how long it will last.

Recently, I spent a long weekend in New York and Boston, and for the first time in many years, I could walk the cities for hours.  And of course, both cities are vertical, so if the pub/restaurant dining room is on the street level, rest assured the bathrooms are in the basement.  I no longer think twice about heading to the rest room, and the steps into the girls' apartments are a ho-hummer.  I relish going up and down stairs!

Six Months Post TKR

It's been over three months since I've posted to this blog, and six months since the TKR, and I was reminded that it might be time to either continue it, or close it out.  I figure that the knee won't last forever, and I'm sure issues will arise over time, so I'll continue to post regularly, but not as often.  As of now, though,  here is where I am:

Having this knee replacement has changed our lives in very positive ways.  For me, I am excited to actually have some pain free days.  I say some, because even though my knee causes me no pain whatsoever no matter what I am doing, I do have other arthritic aches and pains to contend with.  The only difference is that pain is now a sometimes thing instead of a constant.

As an example, I just spent four days (well, actually one was spent travelling to and from) in Vegas.  Granted, there is not a lot of physical activity connected with a trip to Vegas, but the point is that I was able to do everything everyone else does as far as everyday activities.  I can walk for miles, stand around watching people play craps, wear high heels (but not too high), and I even contemplated climbing the rock climbing wall in the fitness center, but my better judgment prevailed and I stuck to the elliptical.  (As an aside, I was not prepared for the fact that smoking is permitted in casinos, not to mention that in order to get to the elevators to get to your smoke free room, you have to walk through the casino.  Go figure.)

As for tennis, tennis is great.  Before I made the decision to have this TKR, my biggest concern as far as tennis went, was whether I would ever be able to play at the same level again.  In all my research beforehand, asking people about their experiences, I never really found anyone who played at my level who had the surgery, and then continued playing. Not to say they are not out there, because they are; only to say that I couldn't find anyone like that.  So I have been very pleasantly surprised, to say the least, that my tennis is as good as or better than it was before.  Now, I am able to cover my own lobs, cover my partner's lobs, bend my knees when I'm serving, run down drop shots, and love every minute of it since it is all PAIN FREE.  What a concept!

So now I am mentally planning my next trip to NY and/or Boston and/or London to visit my kids and grandchild knowing that I can keep up with them, even Little Lissy, who is pushing 2.

Of course, at this age, when you fix one body part, other body parts protest, since they got used to being off balance or not used or whatever, and now their job has changed.  So over the past three month, I have been through various other "injuries."  For instance, I was having pains in my lower back/buttocks, which would come and go, on and off the tennis courts.  And, to add insult to injury, my neck also causes problems.  So I have done my best to keep those issues at bay, and have found a good chiropractor to help.

All that being said, life here in beautiful Harbor Hills with Bill is good, and we are on our way to a tennis game this morning.

Little Lissy is visiting Harbor Hills with her mom. Daddy is nearby.  And since this is a knee blog, Little Lissy is a twenty pound ankle weight that I can lift with my new knee; three sets of 12.