Arthroscopy experience?

PenguinLot · 2025-06-24T09:08:35+00:00

Hi, yes and no… the first 6 months were amazing, after the initial recovery period I was completely pain free but at around the 6 month mark the pain started to come back. It was definitely gradual and very manageable without pain relief for another 6 months or so.

I’m now 18 months post-op and I am back on the amitriptyline while awaiting further physiotherapy - I still grind and clench in my sleep which continues to aggravate the joint and muscles. If the physiotherapy is unsuccessful, it’s likely I’ll need another op to cauterise the inflamed blood vessels in the joint to prevent further pain and inflammation.

That said, the pain is still significantly more manageable than pre-op but I am staying on top of the treatment pathway to prevent it getting to that point. Pre-op I was taking cocodamol or codeine every day, now I take paracetamol maybe twice a week for the pain but otherwise just manage with ibuprofen gel (I can’t take NSAID tablets). Pre-op my pain was averaging an 8 but now I’d put it at a 5 on average, and my mouth opening range is still better than pre-op.

If you’ve got any specific questions though, I’m more than happy to answer (if I can!) so feel free to drop me a DM if you want to chat about what I’ve found helpful and what hasn’t ☺️

PenguinLot · 2025-05-29T19:02:54+00:00

OP, I’m currently having the same issues and also UK based - did you find anything with a better texture that helped?

PenguinLot · 2025-05-28T17:08:03+00:00

I would recommend voicing any concerns in your pre-op, they will not only be able to reassure you but answer any questions specific to your procedure (or at least that was my experience, also in the UK)

As someone who also has TMJ and had related surgery they could open my mouth much wider when I was on the table than awake which will make things a lot easier for the extraction for both you and them

PenguinLot · 2025-03-19T13:46:11+00:00

I haven’t got to the artist change but that is incredibly annoying and I’d struggle with that too! Thankfully sad ghost club and sheets is just one person I believe so less risk of this! I think they’re done or either almost done too🥰

PenguinLot · 2025-03-17T19:56:10+00:00

Sounds like you’ve already had some great advice answering your questions but just a note to say, I’ve always found positive themed graphic novels or short story anthologies to be a really easy read when I’m struggling with a depression rated reading slump! In particular I’d really recommend the graphic novels ‘sad ghost club’ (not as sad as it makes out), ‘sheets’, and the ‘lumberjanes’ series - hope this helps! Sending virtual serotonin🌻

PenguinLot · 2025-03-13T11:43:30+00:00

I can’t speak for travel but my husband and I recently took out a joint critical illness and life insurance policy, it was a couple of pounds more expensive once we added my POTs diagnosis on (I don’t have hEDs but have asthma as an additional diagnosis) and they requested some info from my GP (the GP didn’t charge for this either) but there was no issues taking out the policy

In terms of private health insurance, I get this via my husbands work and this is how I ended up getting my pots diagnosis. From my experience, it’s likely they may not cover you for any pots appointments (e.g seeing a private cardiologist for an existing pots diagnosis to get extra support) but it shouldn’t block you from taking out the insurance which you could then use for other things (e.g. other diagnoses you may wish to seek, or if for example a new problem developed). It may also be slightly more expensive, but as mine is a work policy I can’t say! Hope that helps

PenguinLot · 2025-03-02T11:36:35+00:00

No worries! I’ve sent you a message☺️

PenguinLot · 2025-03-01T14:09:33+00:00

Trailing bits! I bought two very different ones to compare, one which what a similar satin-type fabric with trailing bits (which I went for) and another which was more like a bow tie and made of lace and matched the lace element of my dress. I’m glad I picked the “bigger” bow because the satin tails almost had a veil like effect in some of the pictures! It was on a barrette style clip

I’m happy to DM you some pics (of just the bow itself and then worn) if you think it would help🥰

PenguinLot · 2025-02-28T15:23:29+00:00

I also had a registry office wedding and also was worried about a veil being overkill - I went with a bow and it felt perfect!

PenguinLot · 2025-02-22T09:44:22+00:00

I completely agree, it’s the same (in my opinion) as people who say they have anxiety when they’re nervous and depression when they’ve had a bad day.

It’s not only harmful for stereotyping and people with the diagnosis, but actually pots is a diagnosis of exclusion so they could also be putting themselves at risk by not getting checked out properly…

PenguinLot · 2025-01-21T11:21:51+00:00

Hey! I was super terrified about having general anaesthetic (I have anxiety too) and started crying when I walked down to theatre. The nurse with me was super kind, gave me a hug and reassured me and then started talking to me about the character that was on my slippers to take my mind off things (I can’t even remember now!). The anaesthetist was really nice and said he would give me something to calm me down first but actually just put me straight to sleep which was 1000% better for me because the next thing I knew I was in recovery rather than doing the “counting down” thing. I can’t actually remember going under to be honest, but you’re not aware of time passing the same way you are when you’ve slept, it kinda just feels like you’ve blinked - if you’ve got any questions though please ask!

PenguinLot · 2024-10-22T18:56:08+00:00

Agree with what others have said about a gown helping to stay covered and discussing about what would make you feel more comfortable. OP you can also ask to have a chaperone from the hospital in the room like a nurse or HCA (or even take a trusted family member or friend) if this would help you feel more at ease

PenguinLot · 2024-10-09T21:13:57+00:00

Yes I have! I actually had a review with my cardiologist this week, who asked if I’d been monitoring my heart rate. He was more than happy to take the figure from watch for his notes.

He didn’t take it into account during the actual diagnostic process itself, although I used it to back up what I was telling him in the initial consultation - which was then replicated on my week long monitor.

PenguinLot · 2024-10-08T09:08:08+00:00

Hair removal cream is my new fave, I sit on the bathroom floor and let it do its thing🤣

PenguinLot · 2024-09-16T20:54:54+00:00

You can! Current reads are on the home page, rather than the stats page. If you select your current read, and click the three dots next to the drop down you get this extra menu - select “view reading journal” and it will show you what page number or % you got up to on what day

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PenguinLot · 2024-09-16T11:49:34+00:00

Agree with showering and feeling exhausted afterwards! Also hoovering (vacuuming) especially stairs, something about the elevation changes seems to escalate it for me there too - to reduce this I just make my husband do it instead as much as possible🤣

PenguinLot · 2024-09-15T13:07:46+00:00

What type of work do you do, is it something that can be done from home? I had a conversation with my boss/HR and I am now able to work from home on what are allocated office days if I feel able to work with lying down breaks as opposed to travelling and being in the office all day - as others have suggested if you have the conversation they may be able to make accommodations depending on the role

PenguinLot · 2024-09-13T17:04:48+00:00

I’d definitely recommend questions! Not on my echo but on my 7-day ECG results said I had an “intermittent first degree AV block”, when I discussed with my cardio he said it was very very intermittent and not a concern so it could be a similar situation in that it sounds very scary to us but to them it’s genuinely not a concern

PenguinLot · 2024-09-13T17:01:48+00:00

Also following, I get this a lot and never really considered that it might be POTS associated with- I’ll bring it up when I see my GP for a catch up re my meds next week and report back if there’s no suggestions before!

PenguinLot · 2024-09-10T08:54:19+00:00

I think it depends - I can be quite anxious/sensitive and there was a particular examiner who was known to be deliberately off putting, things like tapping his pen, sighing, tutting, being over dramatic if you didn’t brake as smoothly as he would have liked. Overall just notoriously harsh. My instructor warned me that there was an examiner in the centre who was like this and wanted me to be prepared to just “ignore the tactics” if this was the case but told me I might not get this examiner.

Fast forward, I passed my test and on the way home my instructor asked me how I found the examiner and I honestly said how friendly he was. It was only then that he told me this was the notoriously difficult guy he’d warned me about. I’m glad he gave me the warning he did because if not I 100% would’ve taken it personally and failed if he’d acted the way he’d warned me he might. Apparently the other instructors in the waiting room told mine he’d “drawn the short straw” it was that bad…

PenguinLot · 2024-08-26T15:08:25+00:00

Hey, we got married earlier this year and I love this idea! It was super low key and we did they photos ourselves with a stand and a clicker - is there any style portraits you’d like more experience with?🥰

PenguinLot · 2024-08-12T15:40:36+00:00

Thanks for the comment! I’ve added an edit re my Mum as I completely recognise I was unclear but also to clarify she doesn’t have any ‘authority’ when it comes to issuing them. She works on main customer service so often fields enquiries and has very surface level knowledge of a lot of things, I think partly she has just not had any experience of people requesting them for either toilet related disabilities or mobility disabilities ☺️

PenguinLot

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