Wellness

[patticakes]

Update on oath appt: After examination and discussion with the dr, I have decided to try the Syndics injections. The doctor's office will get an approval from my insurance and then schedule an appt to do the injection. He uses the Synvisc One; so, my next decision will be whether I want one or both knees done at the same time. They'll probably have an approval in a week or so and then make me an appt for the next week. I am hopeful that I will be one of the 60 or so percent that get relief from these injections. Some say they haven't had to repeat them for over a year or so. That would be great!

[JustWantBeautifulSkinn]

I have - it was EASIER & less painful than I thought it would be

He used a spray to numb the area then put the needle n a LARGER needle. I turned my face away, I literally felt a pinch and then I turned to looked again & done, needle was out - I looked at the Dr and said THAT's IT!!!

after, keep your leg up WITH cold compress - couldn't work out 1 week (i was doing 5 mile race walks & ad coaster (on the coaster you are in a knee bend, so could not do that)

anyway - that was 2 years ago and haven't been back - my knee has been fine ever since

What happened was I fell on it and really didn't think much of it...... then my knee would swell and go down and swell and go done AND in between that & during ........ it felt like a VERY sharp dagger from my knee up towards my thigh and down...... could hardly walk down stairs

but that would come and go for a while when finally it was so bad - I went to the Dr to examine it thinking lots of fluid BUT he said there wasn't a lot (although very swollen / puffy) and said NOT worth the pain to drain that little bit

So I asked about injection AND if we could do it right then & there and he did ......

Like i said - it has been PERFECT ever since - I hope the same for you EASY, hardly any pain from the injection AND maybe just a 1 time thing

[Gooday]

On 4/5/2015 patticakes said:

Update on oath appt: After examination and discussion with the dr, I have decided to try the Syndics injections. The doctor's office will get an approval from my insurance and then schedule an appt to do the injection. He uses the Synvisc One; so, my next decision will be whether I want one or both knees done at the same time. They'll probably have an approval in a week or so and then make me an appt for the next week. I am hopeful that I will be one of the 60 or so percent that get relief from these injections. Some say they haven't had to repeat them for over a year or so. That would be great!

I had the Monovisc injection on 3/17. It worked well until a few days ago. I had a busy day doing things you would normally do. However, I have 20 stairs from my garage to my condo. My pain is on the inner part of the knee where most of the tissue is. I have to wait a few seconds to walk when I get up from the sitting position and it aches a bit when I go to bed at night.

I guess I just have to deal with this for another few years. It's not unbearable but more of an annoyance.

Good luck to you and keep us posted.

[patticakes]

Thanks, everyone, for all the good info and advice. I've decided to go ahead with the injections and am scheduled to get them this Wed. So glad my doctor's office was able to get an approval from my insurance co. so quickly. Based on all I've read and everyone's reviews, I'm hopeful that these will work well for my situation. It seems that they haven't worked so well for those that have had injuries or tears, etc., which is not what my problem is. Mine is just arthritis which has caused some deterioration. I'll keep you all posted as to my results.

[Annabellethecat66]

I've had a lot of injections in my knees over the years. There are different things you can have injected into your knees. Cortisone is one of the least effective. Injected not right into the knee is a procedure called "prolotheraphy". Read up on it. It's been around a long time. It works better and for much longer than cortisone. Some insurance does not cover it. A lot of sports figures use it. You can use the cortisone for quick inflammation. There is something else, forget the name, but it's a series of 3 injections, it sort of "greeses" the knee cap. Cortisone is old fashioned, it sometimes works, but think longer term.

[Gooday]

On 4/11/2015 annabellethecat said: I've had a lot of injections in my knees over the years. There are different things you can have injected into your knees. Cortisone is one of the least effective. Injected not right into the knee is a procedure called "prolotheraphy". Read up on it. It's been around a long time. It works better and for much longer than cortisone. Some insurance does not cover it. A lot of sports figures use it. You can use the cortisone for quick inflammation. There is something else, forget the name, but it's a series of 3 injections, it sort of "greeses" the knee cap. Cortisone is old fashioned, it sometimes works, but think longer term.

Cortisone works very well for a lot of people. Synvisc, Monovisc and Supartz are all one in the same type of hyaluronic injections that are used as a "lubricant" for the joint space. Again, like cortisone, there is no guarantee that these injections will be effective. For those who have bone on bone, you're throwing good money after bad expecting total relief of your symptoms.

That's not to say to exhaust all available forms of treatment. That is the situation I am currently in. I had a cortisone injection last October for right hip bursitis that had been causing me significant groin pain for months. At the same time I had the cortisone injection for my left knee which gave me a little more than a weeks worth of relief. Last month I had Monovisc injection which gave me about 10 days worth of relief. So, now I am dealing with a lot of stiffness and difficulty with ambulation. I have to stand and wait a minute before I start to walk. The funny thing is that I have no pain or difficulty going up or down stairs! Go figure.

[patticakes]

Update-I wanted to keep everyone updated on my injections, etc. I finally got the approval from the insurance and had the injections yesterday. My doctor prefers Synvsc One so, that is what I was given in both knees. As far as the injections themselves, they were really not so bad. He numbed it first with the spray and I only had minor discomfort as it got to the end of the injection where, I guess, he was injecting at the deepest level. It was not really painful, just uncomfortable pressure but it only lasted a second or two. His assistants were very gentle as they cleaned up the injection sites and showed me how to slowly move each leg and helped me down off the table. I was able to walk from there out of the office and to my car without much problem at all, just had to be careful bending as that was a little tender and tight feeling. I iced several times during the day and took Tylenol for Arthritis as directed and had very little discomfort all day and night and hardly any swelling. I actually had a very restful and comfortable night's sleep and it seemed like some of the discomfort I would feel in turning over in bed was gone. Now, I will continue with doctor's instructions until I see him in 6 weeks. I'm hopeful for a lot, if not all, reduction of pain. I hope this may help someone who's still looking for a solution or making the decision whether or not to get the gel injections.

[pupwhipped]

Thanks for letting us know, patticakes. I went back and looked up the date of my cortisone injection and it was 2/6. As I mentioned before, I had good results with it, but now I can tell it is slowly beginning to wear off. One of my problems is a Baker's cyst and I've heard and read varying opinions on that one. I will be going back to my doctor soon to talk this over. I only saw his Physician's assistant last time. She gave me the results of my MRI and the injection. I want to speak to the ortho doc and really understand more about all the stuff I read on my MRI results. The brand of gel shot my doctor uses is Euflexxa. I wonder what the differences (if any) are between brands?

Anyway, I hope you get good long term relief with your treatment. Knees are complicated and we sure don't appreciate the darn things until they start acting up. HA!

Good Luck to you!

[Gooday]

Supartz, Synvisc, Monovisc are the same...just different brand names. Like Penicillin, Amoxicillin are anti biotics. My neighbor just completed a series of 3 knee injections under a needle guided CT. She said it took a few weeks after she completed the injections to feel relief. She is at least 75lbs. overweight. I had about 10 days of relief. I got longer relief from the cortisone but, not by much. I'm running out of options.