TKR New life with my new knee 8/11/15

I actually felt like a totally normal person, it was such a great feeling. My knee handled it well, I was actually able to walk DOWNHILL for the first time in many many months.
:walking::thumb:
 
6 week update!!!! So after my great morning last Friday, my day quickly went downhill. I don't think it was the walk in itself but the day prior I used weights in PT and think it's a little early for that. Luckily my PT listens so when I told him about my painful weekend, he backed off on the weights. I had PT yesterday and feel ok today, a little tight and still swollen above the knee but my PT says no worse than last week. I do think my endurance is getting much better and I'm not sleeping all day anymore. I'm back to work 2 weeks from yesterday so I'm getting up at the time I would for work and doing some things around the house with rest breaks as needed. I think going back to work will be tough at first but I'm hoping to keep my schedule light for the first 2 weeks at least. Mostly using tramadol and Tylenol for pain a couple of times daily with an occasional Vicodin on bad days. PT did not measure ROM but to me it feels about the same.
 
I don't think it was the walk in itself but the day prior I used weights in PT and think it's a little early for that. Luckily my PT listens so when I told him about my painful weekend, he backed off on the weights. I had PT yesterday and feel ok today, a little tight and still swollen above the knee but my PT says no worse than last week.
Don't start using weights until at least 3 months after your surgery. i'm glad you PT eased off a bit, but perhaps she/he needs to ease of a bit more still?
 
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Smart to get your sleeping pattern synced with your work schedule. Hope that goes well for you.
 
Went to PT yesterday, it went very well. He did want me to use weights again but I told him I wasn't ready for that and he was good with that. Slept all night in my own bed again. Woke up just once to find a comfy position and was able to fall right back to sleep. Next time I woke up was with the alarm. Put my feet on the floor and felt absolutely no pain....for about 10 minutes lol. Got my boys off to work and school, took my tramadol and Tylenol and now icing while having my tea. Have a busy day today with things around the house but will take lots of rest breaks because there's a football game tonight woohoo!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!
 
Great report. Which football game will you be watching and cheering? I did a teeny tiny bit of housework this morning. I ran the little cordless floor vacuum.
 
@wings My son's varsity football team!! Just love Friday nights!

I failed in my quest not to nap today, boo! Oh well I'm nice and awake now.
 
How did your weekend go? Hope you had fun and the knee behaved itself... and hope he won the football game.

My my my is my knee getting the workout but I am impressed how well I am doing. I will update my thread with the details so as not to hijack us.

But I am soooo glad ur getting a bit of "normsl" in before the next one!
 
Week 7 update...
Well the weekend went so-so. Had a great day on Friday topped by a win for my son's football team! Was EXHAUSTED on Saturday so I napped on and off all day. Sunday I went grocery shopping (noticed much less leaning on the cart), cooked a big Sunday dinner and invited my sister in law and niece over for dinner. My knee did well for the most part. When it was tired of standing I sat and cooked. My dear sister in law did all of the dishes! I'm preparing to go back to work next Tuesday which will be my 8 week anniversary. I miss my patients but work is busy right now so I don't know how easy I'll be able to take it. I have back to back 32 hour weeks then I'm back to 40 hours. I'm a little nervous, I still feel so tired sometimes but I'll get through it. Finances are not allowing any more time off from work plus I really want to get the other knee done in January.

I still get stiffness and milder pain in my knee. I'm trying to just take Tylenol ES but take tramadol when I need it, using the Vicodin very sparingly. Pain really isn't that bad, it's more of an annoying ache. The worse part is my non TKR knee is acting up. I am still doing PT twice weekly but admit that I don't do much exercising at home after doing housework and running around doing errands. I do stretch in the mornings daily. Still icing but not as much as the first 6 weeks. Sometimes I can do stairs regularly but sometimes my knee says NO, up is definitely much easier than down. I don't feel a huge change from last week but I think it is more of a slow improvement.
 
@bdink21 - You are doing GREAT for 7 weeks!! Enjoy the rest of your time before you have to go back to work. I have two days left.. YIKES.. and then back to the grind, so to speak! I keep telling people at work this has been "no vacation".. Not sure they believe me.. I'm looking forward to going back, only because I'm hoping it will be a bit of a diversion and my knee will no longer be the sole focus of my existence! :fingersx:
 
@Braunzie oh I agree with you about needing a different focus!! I'm hoping the activity is tolerated and all goes well. I am nervous about lifting patients, although it's not often that I do it alone, it's tough to ask an elderly person to help me lift his/her spouse! I have already warned my family that dinner may be sandwiches or pizza or whatever they make as I'm sure I will be exhausted when I get home. This has definitely not been a vacation lol! Best of luck to you on your return to work, you're going to do great!
 
I can understand your concern about lifting patients. The only thing I have to lift is a phone, a pen or a laptop.. Hopefully your co-workers will help you ease in?? We can update and support each other as we move into this new "chapter" of the marathon.. :yes:
 
8 week update
Well, back to work today. I'm a visiting nurse so I'm in and out of the car and doing patient care. I manage my own cases so make my own schedule. I saw my regular caseload then charted at home in my recliner with ice on my knee. I really had a great day and it's good to be back to work. My knee did pretty well, a little swollen but really not too bad. I got in a good PT workout while working, walked uphill, did stairs. I was surprised how many patients and other staff members I came across commented that I was walking so well...I know I was limping badly right before surgery. Felt so good to hear that. I did take 2 tramadol throughout the day along with some Tylenol but doubt I'll be taking it much longer.

I only have 2 more PT sessions. He doesn't measure ROM which is a little frustrating but my TKR is almost the same as my natural knee which has full ROM. I have no tenderness over the scar. It does click a little but not painfully. I am so grateful for this new knee, it gets better every day. I still have some mild swelling and stiffness but overall couldn't be happier. Sleep has been great and the exhaustion I was feeling also seems to have vanished. So far, so good. I've been so busy I really don't get a chance to come on BS but just wanted to thank everyone for all of the help and support. It really made all of the difference. Hope everyone is doing well with their recovery :)
 
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@bdink21 - That is an AWESOME update for return to work.. especially in the capacity of a visiting nurse!!! So glad it went well for you!!! The fact you're getting good sleep is wonderful!!! Keep going strong!! :happydance: :cheers:
 
Of course, my family knows dinners are going to be very simple for a few weeks lol! They had hot dogs tonight :)
 
Yay! Getting back to "normal" life, isn't that what we are all working so hard towards! I'm getting back into the swing of things here but I can't seem to get my body in sync... Maybe some jet-lag still?

I would think for you making your own schedule would be a real benefit as you can sort of build in your breaks, hopefully that eases the adjustment. So happy your sleeping well, I know that has been an issue. Keep up all the great work!!
 
9-almost-10 week update
Well since I last posted its been a whirlwind with starting work. The first 2 days were ok, by Thursday I was exhausted and Friday my whole leg was swollen. I swear all of my patients have a big flight of stairs to go up so I can see them lol. Throw in that my husband's estranged brother passed away at 55 leaving only his 18 year old college student daughter who could not take over the arrangements. We ended up doing everything, my husband wouldn't have had it any other way. Despite the estrangement, he was my hubby's last immediate family member who he always loved and hoped would get his life together. Sad, sad, sad.

Anyways after just starting work and being swollen by Friday we had to get ready for the funeral Saturday and having everyone over our house afterward. It was a tough couple of days on top of a tough week. I laid around resting my knee ALL DAY Sunday, finally feeling better by Sunday night.

This past week went better. No swelling at all but I have quadriceps tendinitis that started about 10 days ago. It is making climbing stairs difficult. It's just very tender. I had my last PT Wednesday, I'm glad about that. He was working on the tendinitis for the last 2 sessions with gentle stretching, massage, lite ultrasound...nothing is really helping. I see my OS this afternoon so will see what he has to say. My PT didn't measure my last ROM but it's very good, at least 130 flexion. My natural knee is really starting to complain about my increased activity but it's just going to have to wait a little while longer, I can't get the next cortisone injection for another 3 weeks.

I never had the tight band feeling and if it wasn't for the tendinitis, my knee would feel great. I do take a little cocktail of tramadol, Tylenol ES, and Aleve in the morning to get going. Then Tylenol during the day followed by Tylenol and Aleve at night. I'm hoping the Aleve will help the tendinitis. By the end of the work day, then dinner, I am absolutely exhausted. I fell asleep at 730p on the couch last night. I have today and the weekend off so can take it easy but next week I am back to work full time and we are very busy right now. Well that's all for my long winded post lol. Hope everyone's recovery is going well...
 

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