👯‍♀️ 👯‍♀️ 👯‍♀️ 👯‍♀️ Hips and knees part 6 👯‍♀️ 👯‍♀️

Found the knee supports made me sweaty & itchy.

I wore the knee support over leggings which was a bit hot in this weather but unlike the patella strap that I tried it didn’t make my leg sore and I got to the end of the day with my knee not hurting when I walked. I’ve got really sensitive skin and I was surprised that it didn’t cause a problem. You can buy pads that you either heat up or put in the freezer to place inside it. I thought the metal at the side would make my knee sore but it didn’t. I’m really hopeful that I’ve found something to help me go on walks again but a bit frustrated that I looked at them months ago but didn’t think to try one.

Write down a list for the occupational therapist, as I assume
you will only see her once.

It is raining here, we have not had any for weeks.

Glad you found the knee support helpful maybee.

I starting doing the exercises on Versus Arthritis before my first surgery in Feb 2023. Found them useful ranging from stretching, specific exercises for hips, knees, shoulders etc. Also fun easy workouts with Leon. Worth a look.

Have just done my research into the GP I’m seeing on Tuesday after waiting some weeks for a face to face re the groin pain and request for post op meds …she’s not a GP ..she’s a Physician Assistant ..am bit annoyed by not getting an actual GP😡
But, will take my list of issues and hope she’s empathetic and knowledgeable 🤞🏻

I saw a physician associate last week and she seemed confident and knowledgeable. I have a 4 week wait for a blood test and a 6 month wait for a test by nurses at the surgery which she ordered.
Hope your meeting goes well Bea. I always write notes so I don’t miss anything out.

Bea65

Have just done my research into the GP I’m seeing on Tuesday after waiting some weeks for a face to face re the groin pain and request for post op meds …she’s not a GP ..she’s a Physician Assistant ..am bit annoyed by not getting an actual GP😡
But, will take my list of issues and hope she’s empathetic and knowledgeable 🤞🏻

Could you take someone with you? I did ask my daughter to come to my appointment next week but she has a hairdressers appointment later on which I don’t want her to be late for. I agree about making notes and also taking a list of questions to ask.

No .. I don’t have anyone to accompany me .. am sure I’m not alone with going to these appts.but know I always feel vulnerable - do I record the appts?

A friend of mine was due to have a new hip. I don’t know how much notice he was given but, having arranged his life ( his wife still works) around the date of the operation he was told it had been cancelled till August because the surgeon had gone on holiday. He’s furious.

Got my doctors appointment tomorrow and have booked a physio appointment next week with the lady who was recommended to me. She teaches Pilates, too. Having tried to go for a short walk yesterday wearing the knee support and ending up with a very sore knee I’m now resigned to the fact that I need a TKR. I need the physio to help me with my ‘good’ knee that has started to go the same way. I must try to be more positive instead of going into worst case scenario mode.

Hello all .I have been told today I need a hip replacement. I'm very anxious about this surgery so I have opted to have steroid injections first . It's to give me a couple of months to get moving again without pain , to get stronger and hopefully lose a few pounds . I know I am putting off the inevitable though . I've been advised not to put the surgery off too long and to have it while I'm well and younger (64) as recovery and outcomes are better .
My mother died 30 years ago after a hip replacement, unfortunately got a post op infection . It was a traumatic time and I can't get past it . My quality of life is slowly eroding because of my mobility and pain .
Any advice , greatly appreciated.
Thankyou kindly .

Sparkle, go back one page on this thread (at least it is on mine) to where Foxglovesandroses raises a similar concern. OK, she’s only 55, but you, too, are only 64! Anyway, read the replies she received and see if they reassure you. I hope they do and as others have said many times, don’t hesitate to ask anything, we’re here for you!

sparkle Does your consultant know you are having steroid injections within two months of surgery, because they can increase the risk of post op infection if injected within 3 months.

You need the surgery, go ahead and have it please.

Sparkle. I've found that fasting for as many hours as possible has helped me to lose weight even though I'm not getting much exercise because of difficulty walking. And I'm going to look up chair yoga and pilates because I'd given up doing the exercises I used to do. I'm adamant that I won't have a steroid injection [seeing my doctor tomorrow and I think it might be one of the things offered to me] because people have told me they don't really help and they also lower your immune system. I, too am a fully paid up member of the whataboutery club; not worried so much about the operation but go into worst case scenario about post op problems.

Sparkle, I lost 2 stones before surgery by cutting out carbs. It’s very effective as long as you stick to it. Now I have reached a plateau and simply can’t lose any more so I started mounjaro on Sunday, to keep it going down.
Good luck

Hello Sparkle, I am so sorry about your poor mum, and understand how you may be feeling. She was very unlucky because this is usually a straightforward and very successful operation and it won’t happen to you, it really won’t.
For me the guided steroid injection did not help, in fact it made things worse pain wise, so personally I wouldn’t have one.
If you are in a lot of pain you really need to have the surgery soo , because for almost everyone it immediately stops the pain and you can start enjoying life again.
Any particular questions just ask. All the very best.

I do understand how you feel sparkle, it’s hard to get by these things but you know all steroid injections can do is reduce pain temporarily. They fix nothing. If you need a hip replacement then the sooner the better. Sometimes the longer we leave these things the scarier they get.

I’ve recently begun a course of eye injections and have been very scared as many years ago my Mum became paralysed after an eye procedure. It’s been a struggle but I’ve got past that barrier by reminding myself time has moved on and just because that happened it doesn’t mean I’ll have problems and you know if the first one is typical I won’t. I hope you’ll be able to have your surgery soon.

Thankyou *grammargran and everyone . I've read Foxglovesandroses* post and it's very reassuring. I've only been referred for the injections and I'm to go back and see him in 6 months when hopefully I'll be in a better place psychologically to go on the list for a new hip . I know I have to have it done , I just need time to prepare and accept the inevitable. I know the injections are not a long term solution and will be a one off for me .I just didn't want to be rushed into it .
You've all been so positive and reassuring, thankyou all for that , I really needed to hear it 😊 ❤️.
Thankyou ladies .

You're very welcome, Sparkle, glad we've helped to make things a little easier for you. Keep dipping back in so that we can keep an eye on you!

sparkle1234. I had x-ray led steroid injection…bit painful going in but done by consultant who said just a temporary solution- he said 3 mths and unbelievably, right on the 3 mth date, pain came back..so go for it ..
See upthreads for my experience of THR …right hip great…right knee pain bloody awful…

My X-ray guided injection lasted about 5 days when the pain returned 10 fold. You were lucky to get 3 months Bea,

Bea65

Have just done my research into the GP I’m seeing on Tuesday after waiting some weeks for a face to face re the groin pain and request for post op meds …she’s not a GP ..she’s a Physician Assistant ..am bit annoyed by not getting an actual GP😡
But, will take my list of issues and hope she’s empathetic and knowledgeable 🤞🏻

I had my doctors appointment yesterday and I’m sure she said she was something other than a doctor, but I was so stressed about everything I forgot what she’d said. She’s referred me for physiotherapy and given me a prescription for codeine, which is the only pain killer I said I was prepared to take. She warned me that it might make me constipated but I pointed out that I suffer from IBS so would welcome a bit of constipation. She did at least look at my knees and watched me walking. I refused the steroid injection she offered. I go to my partners place for several weeks in September so I bet the appointment will be for when I’m away; I hope they let me change it. The hospital is such a distance from where I live though so I’m not looking forward to getting there.

Assume you mentioned your holiday dates to her?
Do be v careful of the codeine Maybee, constipation can be serious.
You will be able to get advice from the physio so hope it’s not too long a wait.

I told her but she said the hospital would be contacting me and she had no idea when the appointment would be for. I said I assumed that if the date wasn’t convenient I could change it but she said she didn’t know. The codeine is only for if I try to go on one of the dog walks that I used to go on; I don’t need to take anything if I’m pottering about the house because I’m not in constant pain with it. I keep questioning my sanity to be honest as I can’t seem to explain why I can walk around the house with no problem ( it does hurt if I take a wrong step or if I’ve been on my feet for a long time) but the minute I try to walk away from my house I can’t walk properly and it isn’t just my knee that feels sore but my whole body aches as I’m so tense. I’m not a complete wimp and can walk through pain; I think I need reassurance that I can safely ignore that pain; the problem being that the inside of my knee feels like bone on bone and when I take a wrong step it feels as if someone has stabbed a knife into the side of my knee; I have no sideways movement it. Any support I use just makes the inside of my knee hurt. It’s so difficult to explain. I’m hoping that the physiotherapist that I’ve arranged to see on Tuesday will make sense of it.