Saturday Feb. 28, 2009

Just a quick post to say that I noticed a few days ago that my new knee (Oxford Partial, which is the brand of implant I have) clicks when I bend it and the lateral side of the same knee makes crunchy noises (ut oh!) when I bend it.

Thursday, Feb, 26, 2009

Good morning! Nothing very exciting going on knee-wise which is a good thing. I did, however, call Connecticut Family Orthopedics yesterday to request the surgical notes from my PKR and the surgical notes from my February 2008 surgery. I was curious to read what was said in the PKR and with the February surgery, I want to find out where and how big the defect Dr. Gray found in my left knee. I had to send in a form available on CFO's web site which I put in the mail yesterday. I could've faxed it to them but that would've meant going down to Staples and paying for the fax. So it went in the regular mail. They'll probably get it today and if I'm lucky, I'll get the reports by Wednesday of next week at the latest. I was tempted to get all of my medical records but since I've been going there for 7 years, the cost would have been too much, although it probably would've been interesting to read all that and see how all this orthopedic stuff began back in 2002.
I realized Wednesday evening that in the last year I've lost about 9 pounds. I know most of the weight loss is due to the increased level of exercise and I have basically stopped drinking soda. And not having cookies around a lot has helped, although I sure haven't stopped making cakes and having desserts! 1 Pop Tart (hot fudge sundae) for dessert toasted has been working for me lately!
I did start a family group on Facebook for Burkats and Gumners. It took a lot more work than I anticipated but it's been worth it. I haven't included any of my evil post-surgical knee pictures and people should be happy I didn't!

Sat. Feb. 21, 2009

I've found a couple more Facebook knee groups. I joined them and today I removed myself from a couple of them, staying active with the Knee Replacement one although I am virtually the only person who has had a PKR in the group. Everyone else has had a TKR.
Meanwhile. I found a semi-long-lost relative-having had contact a number of years ago through the JewishGen site but then had email issues. But I found her on Facebook! I found out my childhood cross-eyedness was hereditary! She had it too as did her aunt and her grandfather who was the brother of my grandfather! I've also found a bunch of Dalton and Beloit classmates as well as old friends. Pretty wild!
My left hip has been aching while sleeping on my side and occasionally while I've been sitting so I've been trying not to sleep that way which is pretty hard.
So that's about it for now!

Wednesday Feb. 18, 2009

Well, I see I have my first ads on the blog. Yesterday I figured out what the pain in front of my leg is: anterior tibial tendonitis. Fortunately, it seems to come and go based on how much walking I do during the day, although that's not always the case. My diagnosis was confirmed by someone on the Knee GEeks board who is a doctor and I thank her for it.

I found a bunch of Facebook groups for knees. Sometimes you forget most people don't have knee issues but apparently enough have them to make groups on Facebook. So far I've found:

I Have Bad Knees
Knee Replacement Group
We Are Knee Geeks
Oxford Partial Knee (which is what I have)
Knee Surgery Appreciation Society

I've joined all. There are also a few ITP/blood disorder groups as well which I've also joined:

ITP-Platelet Disorder Support Association
Blood Disorders Awareness
ITP-Spreading Awareness

Now somebody just needs to make a hybrid group of these 2 subjects! I won't but it sounds like an interesting thing to ponder!

Yesterday I got a bill from CFO for my cortisone shot from the end of January. $183.36 after all the charges and credits. Very glad we have an HRA which paid the bill.

So that's it for now.

Tuesday Feb. 17, 2009

Happy 5th month anniversary to my new knee!

Monday Feb. 16, 2009

Hooray! I looked at where the giant and ugly bruise I got from my cortisone shot almost 3 weeks ago and it's finally almost gone. However, the site of it is discolored and will probably stay that way for a while. If my newish camera weren't having a battery issue for the thousandth time, I would take a picture. I think I can still see discoloration on my thigh from a bruise I got during my PKR which will be 5 months old tomorrow. I can hardly believe it's been that long already! I can't say how much better my knee feels where the arthritis was but I wish the lingering muscle /tendon issues, which are aches and unexpected tightening up of them, would go away once and for all. Today I'm working for the first time in 2 weeks and I hope everything will behave. I have to go in slightly early because I discovered I didn't get a pay check on Friday for that last day I worked, back on Feb. 2.
Now I wish it would get warm. I am getting sick of winter. The few days of warmer temps. last week makes me more impatient for Spring. But I should know every year around this time , it feels like Spring will never get here! I'm ready to retire the heavy clothes (including jackets)!

Friday the 13th of February, 2009

Firstly, happy 25th birthday to Mr. Jonathan!
I was shocked to find this little blog listed in my new Google news alert for partial knee replacement yesterday. I am minimally famous.
Last night I took a Flexeril before bed to see if that would loosen up the hamstring and it may have a little. It's actually only a small portion down by my knee. It's nice to walk without thinking that there is something in my knee making it work better but it's annoying that it's wreaked havoc on my hamstring. And whatever that muscle/tendon or whatever it is that does from the front of the foot up the shin rears its head too occasioanlly, especially when I have to sort of shuffle while walking on ice or snow or both. With spring coming sooner rather than later, hopefully that will finally go away!

Thursday Feb 12, 2009

Hamstring was killing me all night, still hurting this morning. Pain index is a 9 out of 10 so shoulders and elbows are hurting. The muscle going up my shin was hurting last night too. I think shoveling and chopping ice yesterday while the temperature was warmish (63) didn't help. TOday it's very windy and the sun is coming and going. But my new knee isn't hurting which it would've been in the old days, pre-replacement. And thankfully my left knee isn't hurting, at least for now!

Monday Feb. 9, 2009

Just sitting here and decided to write because I was and am still getting a nasty pain in my left knee. Sure hope it won't need a total knee replacement any time soon but I have a feeling it will.

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009

On Jan. 27, after increasing pain over the weekend, I called CFO for an appointment with Dr. Schweitzer which I was lucky enough to get the next day. The bursa located below and medial in my right knee (pes bursa I now know it's called, thanks to my friends at Knee Geeks) was aching-the same one I was having issues with before Dr. Gray sent me to see Dr. Schweitzer to discuss replacement. He gave me a cortisone shot in the area that caused a nasty bruise. But the bursa is generally feeling better than it had been. We aldo discussed numb knee and nerve weirdness which he explained, but I can't explain myself so I won't. He also said I don't have to come back for a year (not in the fall) but a year from now, January 2010 and I already have an appointment for that, with the appointment reminder card stapled to the Dec. 2009 page of our calendar. He said my knee is still doing very well and said the incision will fade to white eventually. The picture there is of the bruise.

Yesterday, Feb. 4, marked the year anniversary of my last arthroscopic surgery on my left torn medial meniscus. I discovered yesterday, by rereading my orthopedic history document that apparently with that surgery, I have only 50% of that meniscus left, which isn't good news. Hopefully what is left in there will last a while.

Meanwhile I am getting ready to sell some pink Depression glass in hopes of making some much needed money! Awaiting an email from the NYPL about the value of the plates of one pattern that the Danbury Library couldn't find. It will take a couple of days to get that information. DPL gave me information on a different pattern and guestimating, I think the total value of everything is about $300. The patterns are Arcadian Pink by Tiffin-Franciscan and Florentine #1 in pink by Hazel Adams (I did get values for the Florentine pattern ). I'm going to first list the stuff on Craig's List because it's free and then try eBay if necessary.

I worked 4 hours this week and I have a feeling I'm not on the schedule for next week. Not surprising news as it's happening to everyone.

Just printed all my old posts on this blog preparing to make a My Knee notebook which will be funny to look at some day.