Info on joint pain anyone?

marissalucia

Hi!
Just a question.. I know pregnancy causes a lot of changes of course, but was wondering if anyone had any insight.

I've posted before a little about my extensive medical history, and it includes having terrible bones. I have osteoporosis and arthritis, along with avascular necrosis in my knees and ankles. In 2007 I had a total knee replacement.. I was 16 maybe? I have limitations such as pain when I try to run, kneel, squat, or bend it too much, and it also gets painful when it rains, snows, etc. But other than that it is fine on a daily basis.

Now all of a sudden, about 3-4 weeks ago, my replaced knee started to hurt real bad, pretty much out of nowhere. I can't straighten it fully, and now have to walk with a limp, because if my knee accidentally straightens and locks the pain gets so bad I nearly fall. I asked my OB and PCP and they were both clueless and told me to ask the Dr who did the replacement.

Well he no longer accepts my insurance, so I called and left a message hoping I could get some help over the phone. A nurse called me back saying she spoke to the Dr and he said probably from all the weight gain. But I explained that I'm 21 weeks and have actually lost 8 pounds. So the nurse had no answers and told me he would have to see me to try to help me. Thing is it would be a $200 Dr visit for him to just look at my knee. No X-ray of course and if he has to remove fluid or something it would be more.

So, does anyone have any insight on what this could be from? Or any advice, like would you just suck it up and make the $200 appointment? I know there probably won't be many with experience in this, and I've tried to google and don't get any answers there either.

Please and thank you!

Edit: title for clarification lol

blinksmb

I'm sorry you're going through this
I don't have anything helpful to add other than arthritis is the pits.
Also, oh man, if you figure it out let me know! I have a similar history with my knees and ankles and my stupid right knee (which was previously broken) has been in almost the exact state as yours for 3 days now. On the plus side my knitting projects are doing great!
Eta: now that I'm thinking about when I broke my knee more, I'm thinking you should probably suck it up and go to the doctor to get xrays. If something is damaged it could be causing serious injury to the ligaments. Needless to say that would need to be addressed quickly.

coleybug13

I'm sorry your knee is doing that and your insurance doesn't cover that doctor anymore!

I'm not sure if this will help any but my joints and bones have always been fine but for the past month at least (I'm 21 weeks 4days) my joints cause me so much pain that I often find myself limping also. They don't lock up but I've never felt such joint pains from the waist down. I've gained about 12 pounds so maybe it's from that for me?? But they hurt most at night or when I'm sitting down. I wish I had advice on how to make it go away or even less painful but unfortunately I haven't found anything that helps yet.

Hopefully if you do end up going back to that doctors they can give you some insight or ways of reducing the pain!

ngolimento

I would encourage you to see another orthopedist.  My wild guess here is that pregnancy hormones have relaxed your ligaments to the point where one is slipping away from your prosthetic.  Knee replacements rely on ligaments to hold them stable and in place, and loose ligaments would definitely cause huge problems.

marissalucia

Thank you everyone!
@shanniegal I actually didn't think of possibly going to a different Dr.. Hopefully that works. Only thing is this Dr I'm supposed to go to specializes in only knee replacements and is the one who did my surgery. He's the top knee replacement Dr in the area. So he would really know best when it comes to the knee. But I will look into a different Dr to see if they can tell me anything.

@hollmb they told me they wouldn't do X-ray because I'm pregnant
So that's why I'm hesitant to make the appointment. I'm afraid I'll go and he'll say, "oh we won't know what's going on without an X-ray"
And since this Dr is a top replacement Dr, getting an appointment is very difficult but they said he would squeeze me in this Wednesday and if I don't take it I'll have to wait 2 months for another appointment.
And if I figure anything out I'll update this thread so hopefully you can get some relief too!!

@katydid2014 sorry for the disappointment lol

@coleybug13 thank you! Hopefully your joint pain eases up!!

marissalucia

@peledreamsofrain THANK YOU! This is the kind of information I was looking for!! I keep googling joint pain and pregnancy and I get results about weight gain. I know I read once something about pregnancy causing something to soften which can cause joint pain but I couldn't find this info now and none of my Dr's have suggested something like this. Now I can call that Dr and ask if this could be the cause and if there's something that can be done for it. The pain is bad and my "metal" knee feels like as if something is loose and keeps slipping out of place... Thats the best way I can describe what it feels like. So this really does make sense. Seriously, thanks a ton!!

Skrittens

I am so sorry. I don't have anything to add. I have avascular necrosis in my ankles - was diagnosed at 13 - and never met another young person with it.

marissalucia

@skrittens sorry to hear that.. AV is the blow. I was diagnosed around the same age, 13 I believe. The AV in my left knee got so bad I went from crutches, to walker, to wheelchair until I finally got it replaced at 16. The doctors wanted to hold out a little but eventually just started pushing for me to get it done. They originally wanted me to do both knees at the same time but I couldn't bring myself to do both, I was too afraid.

And if you don't mind me asking, do you know what caused the AV in your ankles. Like you I don't know many people with AV, let alone people diagnosed so young. And did they ever do anything for your ankles? My doctors aren't really concerned about my ankles and make it seem like there's really nothing they can do.

ruemorgan

Are you able to take your medical records from the dr who replaced your knee and go visit a dr your insurance covers?? There has to be a cheaper option. I hope you can find a solution!