Ultrasound will work on human knees Viney, in fact my issues showed up FAR more clearly on U/S than it did on the MRI… Hope you get some answers soon!
Doctor thinks I just sprained the MCL again. Made a point of mentioning that it probably was not the wisest move on my part to try and ride with no brace at this point. Flat out told me to wait to try again until the braces get here.
I ordered two. One just for riding, and one bulkier one for everything else scary. Waiting mode is driving me batty. 
Oddly enough, given how many teams he is the knee man for, he doesn’t have or use a portable ultra-sound.
Looks like I’m back in the club. The bad ankle that I resprained the end of July still isn’t right, even after PT & cortisone. Went back today for the 2nd check this morning and he’s thinking tendon, not ligament, issues now. I went for a nice walk last weekend, a bit longer than I’d gone to date, and everything went in the crapper. The "good’ ankle (maybe “better” is a better adjective - it certainly isn’t good anymore!) was pretty ugly afterward. So he wants MRIs of both ankles.:eek: I asked about ultrasound since I’ve never had a MRI actually show a problem, even when there was one, but he said it just doesn’t work well for ankles.
I have this feeling that there’s going to be a new boot in my future and it won’t be made by Ariat or Der Dau.:lol:
I RODE TODAY!!!
Surgeon said on Thursday that I didn’t have to wear the brace at the office and home, but of course did have to at the barn and on uneven ground.
…And that I could ride again, with a brace, starting at just a very brief walk and when I felt comfortable with it. So today I RODE! Was on BBer Mypaintwattie’s paint mare, who was a total rockstar. I cried the entire time, tears of absolute joy. What a blessing.
My dad died eight months ago today, so it was a good day to do this.
[QUOTE=Coreene;6595840]
Surgeon said on Thursday that I didn’t have to wear the brace at the office and home, but of course did have to at the barn and on uneven ground.
…And that I could ride again, with a brace, starting at just a very brief walk and when I felt comfortable with it. So today I RODE! Was on BBer Mypaintwattie’s paint mare, who was a total rockstar. I cried the entire time, tears of absolute joy. What a blessing.
My dad died eight months ago today, so it was a good day to do this.[/QUOTE]
Woot Woot and fist pump for the ride! 
Oh, and the loss of Dad is just the hardest, but he’s always there with you.
[QUOTE=Coreene;6595840]
Surgeon said on Thursday that I didn’t have to wear the brace at the office and home, but of course did have to at the barn and on uneven ground.
…And that I could ride again, with a brace, starting at just a very brief walk and when I felt comfortable with it. So today I RODE! Was on BBer Mypaintwattie’s paint mare, who was a total rockstar. I cried the entire time, tears of absolute joy. What a blessing.
My dad died eight months ago today, so it was a good day to do this.[/QUOTE]
Yay for the ride. I’m sorry for the loss of your dad. Holidays are the worst
Thank you, it was so divine to ride again. I miss my dad terribly, but there is nothing I can do about it except grab mane and kick on :sadsmile:
Congratulations! After all this time, it must be pure heaven just to sit on a horse. Now you have to start doing para-dressage until you completely heal and can go back to “real” dressage.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I know you’ve been through over a year of he**, and to finally be able to get on a horse must have felt like being on the top of the world! GOOD FOR YOU! you can ride for the rest of us now…
J
May I just say again what a wonderful thing Surpass is for the knee. I have a tube in the car, in the desk, in the purse, in the nightstand. Love it.
But I do wish the swelling would go away completely, it has been nearly 11 months now!
wow Coreene, have followed your saga for these many, many months. fantastic to read that you Rode!
I posted several months ago that I was on line for Bilateral TKR in August - surgery was just over 9 weeks ago and (aside from the 1st 48 hrs when I was pretty sure I had made a HUGE mistake!) I am SO HAPPY I went ahead with it. surgeon was great, hospital (Copley - Morrisville VT) fantastic, surgery very successful. discharged to home on Day 5 on crutches (no walker), I was home (alone with visits from friends to help w. cats and meals) for 2 weeks with home health and in home PT, and back to work - office job, but up 2 flights of stairs - at the end of week 3. Went from 2 crutches to one at the same time, and dumped the one crutch at 4 weeks; began driving my standard shift car at the same time.
PT hard work, but very very important.
My progress has been very good - both surgeon and PT’s are pleased, and I am thrilled. I should have the OK to go back to my normal stuff (riding and skiing once it snows) at week 12. I have to admit, I was overweight in March when I made the surgery appt and decided then that that needed to change; had lost 30 lbs pre-surgery and another 10 since. The desire to have these titanium knees LAST was (is) a Huge motivator. I hope to ride my wee Fab Fjord next week as my strength has really come along and I am missing riding very much!!
to those of you contemplating TKR - it has been a life-changer for me. no more 12 Advil per day and I can stand up for Hours w/o pain!
I am seeing the knee surgeon tomorrow. I have needed a TKR for over a year. I have been getting by with having Ortho Visc injections in my left knee ( 3 series of 3 shots -July 2011, November 2011 and May 2012).
This year, I have had Shingles. If you are eligible, please go get the vaccine! I would not wish them on my worst enemy!
I got severely dehydrated at the KY Classique and spent 6 days in a hospital, because my kidneys were shutting down. My Transverse colon decided to act up. A Colonoscopy showed damage and necrotic tissue, from a lack of blood supply, while my kidneys were shutting down. I had to stay on Vancomycin for a month, which really messed up my intestines.
My mare got a “slight”, as per Vet, case of EPM, which has manifest itself in her left knee (stifle), too. I really hate it when we mirror each other.
My DH and I have now reached the catastrophic level of our insurance, so we do not pay anything for the rest of the year. I decided that it is now or never to get this done.
Of course, my right knee is squawking, so it may be a candidate for the Ortho Visc injections.
Lovin’ Life!
saabski,
Thank you for sharing your story. :yes: I have been putting this surgery off, because of my fear that I might not be able to ride or event anymore. There is hope.
So I got the MRI results on my trashed-again ankle, the one I was barely weight bearing on 2 weeks ago (limping to compensate for hurting the good foot was not a good idea) and the verdict is… 100% normal :eek: Huh???
Last week I was seriously contemplating the percocet hiding in the back of the medicine cabinet so I could do something outrageous like walk. It’s settled down to normal hurt, which sucks, but is tolerable.
Apparently the joint is just really tight so it hurts to walk … but it also loose enough that it randomly gives out.
OS recommended acupuncture, and assured me this group he recommended weren’t a bunch of fruitbats. I did make an appointment (I can’t loose much at this point), but I saw a lot of moonbeams coming off of the intake forms. Do any normal people to acupuncture?
ETA: I talked to my PT - he just looked at me when I told him everything was hunky-dory. “the foot you had in a cast for 3 weeks is fine?” Yeah, so is the one I was NWB on 2 wks ago. ;>) I called Mercy up in Baltimore and see them in a couple weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
With three helpers, today, I hitched & drove my Pony for the first time since the TKR surgery. She was really good, considering she hasn’t been hitched or driven for about 2 months. We drove some serpentine cones, we drove a couple laps in an arena, we walked some gates, and I was done. Interestingly my good knee was more sore than my surgically replaced knee… bracing in the cart probably is not the best for either knee. But, I did it!
I promptly came home and slept for 3 hours straight, and am really physically exhausted tonite. I hope my strength & energy levels come back, as I really do have several horses that need to get out more. I still have a long ways before I can sling a saddle or attempt to ride, but it was nice to be able to drive abit today.
Back to Physical Therapy on Monday, as usual… when I tell them I drove my Pony, they’re all going to be flabbergasted!
Thursday night I decided to see what it would be like to walk in flat shoes without an AFO on the drop foot, and it went really well! Just twice around the living room, but since it was the first time in 11 months it felt great. My guess is that by spring I can ditch it for good.
Fingers crossed for all the continuing and upcoming ouches. No bueno at all, and oh my gosh there have been so many opportunities for all of us to pull our hair out from pain, frustration and grief. Hugs!
I am so bummed. Because of the powerful bacteria that took hold in my colon in September, the Doc is fearful to do a TKR right now. I did not know that there was a chance for the replacement to get infected, have to remove the new knee, then put it back in once the infection is gone.
I understand why, but am still disappointed. If the infection happens to anyone, it would probably happen to me. :o I will be getting Ortho Visc injections in both knees this time. Oh well…
Good for you, Coreene! Keep doing those laps.
11/12/12 – FIRST RIDE TODAY! I rode Mango for first time since knee surgery …easier than I expected. only did walk & tiny bit of trot…15 min miracle ride, IMHO.
I DID lunge him first in the yard. Getting on, up the 3-step mounting block, felt dicey, but once I swung a leg over… I felt fairly normal!!! The left leg quads & tibialis anterior felt bulgy or swollen when I stepped into my stirrup, BUT, what I noticed too… is that stirrup is now WAY too short. If I remember correctly, in the past, I had to shorten that stirrup to relieve the knee pain… I guess now I need to lengthen it again. Anyways, we walked about the yard & Mango was great, so I sidepassed over to the gate, we opened & closed it, & we walked out to Ridge Riders parking lot. I chose to have Mango focus on his feet & stepped over the logs that delineate between grass & parking lot… we serpentined & stepped quite a bit. Then I thought I’d try to see what the trot felt like… & Mango packaged himself up & stepped off into the trot gently for me. We circled a couple times, then I felt like… as far as a test ride… he was doing spectacular, & my knee actually felt “good”, if that is the right word, & it was time to get off. We stepped over a couple more logs, and I had him open & close the gate back into my yard, so I could get off at the mounting block again. When I got off, my legs felt weak, but I am excited that RIDING feels NORMAL to me… even with the new titanium knee!!!
Yayyyy!!!
Looks like I’m in the club now. :no:
My left knee has been KILLING me for over a month now and I finally convinced the doctor that it’s something more than the chrondomalacia I’ve had in the past. I would get flare ups before and they would go away with rest but this pain is simply not going away.
Well, MRI shows a medial meniscus tear and partial tears to the ACL, MCL and a Baker’s Cyst. I go for surgery next month. Until then, ice, advil and surpass are getting me through the days. Doctor said no riding for at least 4 months. Possibly 6. All in all, I’m an unhappy girl right now.
My 4th knee replacement is scheduled for Dec. 10. Since I don’t ride anymore, I’m trying to decide if I should send in entries for a dog show on Jan. 12-13… Just one dog! Just one obedience class each day! At least I’m smart enough to not do entries for the Jan. 5 show!
I bent down a few weeks ago and something snapped in my knee. Turns out I tore both the medial and lateral menisci at the junction of the body and posterior horns. 
I’m assuming this will set me back for at least a few weeks.
