Knee pain

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone, hope you are having a good weekend. I have been having

so trouble with my knees. They have been hurting me bad this week, last

night my daughter was helping me up and it sounded like my bones

cracked in half, I had instant tears. I'm in lots of pain, my knee

hurts non stop. I cant put any weight on it. Its hard to explain but to

feel like it separates when I have to pressure on it. I was told I

would need knee replacement, but I'm only 38 and thought it would be a

while. I guess PA has no age limit. For all the people who believe in

pray please pray for me. I'm ready to have this done get back on my

feet. Anyone else be there please let me know.

" ahampton002 " <ahampton002@...>

[Guest guest]

Hello.  Sorry you're having a terrible time with your knees.  Unfortunately,

Psoriatic Arthritis isn't an old age disease.  I'm 44 and have had one hip and

two knees replaced this year. It wasn't fun to go through but already I'm much

better than before the surgeries.  When my knees where giving me a real hard

time, they would get stuck or hung up on cartilage and it was a very sharp

pain.  I also once had a terribly swollen ankle that was so painful, I should

have gone to the hospital.  When I saw my dr. that next morning he said it could

swell so much that it may have pushed out of the socket.  So, see the dr. and

let him/her help you.  If you need surgery, you can do it and it will be better

in the long run.  Hopefully, you'll feel as I do.  Why waste our young years

feeling terrible if we there is something out there that can help us.  Hope

you're feeling better by now! 

[Guest guest]

Fran:  I don't know overall what the percentage is of patients on

immunosuppressants who have the kinds of serious problems post-surgery that your

ortho experienced; but for what it's worth, when I was trying to decide whether

or not to go on Enbrel, I talked to my ortho about it.  He said he had never had

a problem  doing surgery on patients who had been taking immunosuppressants; and

he is a very  shoulder specialist who does lots of operations.  Take heart . . .

.. .

Also, I don't know if you're having one knee done at a time or both at the same

time.  I know a lot of docs don't like to do both because the surgery is so long

(about six hours) but my 83 year-old Mom had both done at the same time because

the surgeone feared that if he did one, he would never get her back for the

second and she really needed it.  She was in a " nursing home " for one month for

rehab because my father was somewhat disabled and could not take care of her at

home; so - even with PA - you will hopefully not be in any longer than that.  

For " normal " people without our disease, 7 to 10 days max in rehab is all you

need before you go home. 

I have had one knee done but it was pre-PA and I recovered pretty quickly.  The

first month was rough but once my stitches healed and I could get in a pool, I

progressed very rapidly.  My physical therapist said there was nothing he could

do for me that would do me as much good as working out - even just walking - in

the water.  Hope that's an option that's available to you.  There is so much

less pain involved when you're in the water. 

 Joanna Hoelscher