MUA Oct 2017 TKR - Hematoma - MUA - Finally past 90!<

[sistersinhim]

If I have to stand for any length of time, I bend my knee up and down. But, I go out of my way to not do it! When we feed the Seniors at our church, I have always been a server and not standing in place being a plate filler! So, just try an keep your new knee moving, even if it's only a little bit.

 

[SusieShoes]

Standing for longer periods was one of the last things to become "normal" for me. My PT guy told me that when my knees reached 0 extension, standing would become easier and... I think he was right. It could be that my knees simply healed far enough, or it could be my energy drain finally resolved enough, but it could be the extension thing. Whatever it was, standing for long enough to cut up veggies and meat to saute for a batch of chili finally became easier.

Until I was able to do so, I used a chair and a snack table and did my prepping/cutting while seated. Then I just had to stand for the browning or frying. At times I just sat by the stove and stood up once in a while to stir or flip. We make do.

 

[Pheebs52]

Standing still is rough this early in recovery so best to avoid it if possible. I found I could manage about 10 minutes of it at around 6-8 weeks post-op, but your mileage may vary. Patience is needed in huge doses.

 

[funkymuse]

Great ideas Susie and Sisters... however... I am constantly turning to get into the fridge and cupboards and so sitting in the kitchen while I makes something sadly won't work. BUT I'm thinking I could go in, prepare part of a meal... then go put my leg up... then maybe 10 min later go in and do the next part and so on. Yesterday I overdid it badly.. I made two different things at different times during the day but with my usual house walking and gentle knee bending and a bit of half pedaling on my exercise bike by the end of the day my knee was actually aching more than it had in awhile. Oh and I also took a shower. So a lot of simple activities added up to a bit of throbbing last night.

Oh Pheebs... geez.. patience... yes...

Today I go in for my 2-week Hematoma surgery post op - to get stitches removed and to hopefully get a refill on the Oxy and maybe talk about Tramadol. I'm down to 1-5mg OXY every 11 hours with Tylenol inbetween. Also I want to ask about compression stockings. I've read where @skigirl had used those and boy I'm interested and hoping they will help with the daily swelling especially when I head back to my desk job. I've noticed that when I wrap my knee area with a small ace bandage that it seems to really help with the 'feeling of excess swelling' when I get up and walk about so not sure if just continuing to do this will really help or if I should just get the compression stockings. Thoughts?

My ice machine is starting to bite the dust so I'm sending it back - thank God Amazon has been generous with returns! I've ordered 2 of those large cold pads that last 6-8 hours. I read about them on one of the threads on this site. I learn so much from reading through threads!

Thanks so much friends...

 

[skigirl]

I did use compression hose when I returned to work. I think your stitches should heal completely before you use them, however. I got them from a site called Discount surgical stockings. I used the standard light compression hose---I did use the ones with no feet and the footed ones. as the swelling went down, I liked the unfooted ones best!!

I could see the difference on the days that I wore them and on the days that I did not. I had tights and also thigh high stockings which I wore under pants. I just moved and discovered two of the thigh high ones in my sock drawer, that thankfully I no longer need!!!!

 

[funkymuse]

Hey @skigirl - did you prefer the stockings or the thigh highs?

 

[Jajakio]

Be careful going back to work. I found one of the really tough things for me early on was sitting at my desk for any length of time. This came as a surprise for me because even when things were pretty rough presurgery, I had no issue sitting. I started back to trying to sit at my desk about 4 or 5 weeks (I work at home) but I could only manage 15 or 20 minutes until pain started up. I worked up gradually but even now at 4 months I take frequent breaks and messed myself up a couple of weeks ago by pulling a 10-11 hour day on the computer when I got behind. It may help to elevate or ice if possible but it's going to be gradual process either way.

 

[funkymuse]

Hello Jajakio.. yes thank you. I was hoping to go in on a weekend and try to set my desk area up with a chair out to the side for some elevation and then bringing in my ice pads to ice as needed... I'm praying it works out because I need to get back to work as the bank balance is getting low!!! But I plan to listen to my knee in regards to exactly when I go back. AND I've already warned my boss that my days will be shorter than usual!

 

[SusieShoes]

Your boss will likely just be happy you're back! Shorter days for sure at first. Those shorter hours will give you the leeway to leave sooner if your knees get cranky. If your knees do well, you can always go for longer.

You are going back way too early, though. You already know we think 12 weeks is the time to give it a try. You are only a few weeks out (averaging your surgery and MUA). Impossible? Not quite (very little is truly impossible when it comes to the human spirit), but you might find your return to work very difficult. Is your work the kind you can do from home? Even early on, I was able to do a great deal with a laptop while propped in my recliner. Some of my husband's attorneys recuperated for months working from home. If work from home is an option, take it.

Some things to keep in mind:

* Elevating on a chair is nowhere near as good as elevating toes over nose. It's just better than nothing. Later in recovery, toes over nose is less important.
* Your brain is also recovering from this surgery. Sounds weird, I know. But between the bodily stress of healing, the medications, and your emotional upheaval, your brain may not work as well as you want it to. Some people are more affected this way than others, but do keep this in mind.
* It's not just the sitting at the desk, also factor in your commute (type and time), walking to and from your desk, and whether the stress at your job will add so much to your energy drain as to wipe you out. Exhaustion helps neither your recovery nor your work performance, so if it becomes an issue... cut back.

I know what you mean about needing to work to keep your boat afloat. While a working single mom, I worked with full-blown pneumonia because I couldn't afford to miss a paycheck. We do what we have to do. If you can, though, take a few more weeks for your recovery.

 

[Grandma B]

Hello funkymuse I was in the same boat as you were with the cooking and standing chopping vegetables and also packing lunch for my husband for work, and sitting in a chair was a little help but boy did my leg throb with pain last night, I didn't want to go for physical therapy today but I went, I made sure not to overdo the exercise , I was going at a turtles speed at some of the exercises . I'm learning to listen to my knee , Im praying going back to work will not be too bad for you , listen to you're knee and ice, elevate and take meds when you come home!

 

[funkymuse]

Thanks @Grandma B - your experience and kind encouragement means alot!

@SusieShoes - hey Gal.. I'm not even contemplating a partial return to work until after Thanksgiving and most likely not until the 1st week in Dec.. so that will give me at least 2 more weeks to let this knee work to heal up. Yikes.. I COULD NEVER GO IN NOW! I can hardly sit in the waiting room of the Doc's office! Which by the way..I went today and the head nurse was very kind, encouraging gentle movement to the point of 'feeling the stretch' but not strength training.. she said 'that will come over time.' She said what's important now is getting that knee to move! So now I have some ammunition for tomorrow's PT session if they try to push me!

Sadly she said NO SAUNA for several months... so @Jajakio - my dreams for some deep circulation are shot for awhile! I'd like to buck the system and do it anyway..but I don't want to mess up my knee so I will abide.

Anyone else have any experience with getting into Hot Tubs or Sauna's after the scar has healed?

 

[funkymuse]

Oh! The PA Nurse also told me that after all the scabbing was gone to begin to massage the scar to help break down the tightness underneith. She said to numb it with ice first and then use my thumb to go back and forth horizontally...

Does this sound right?

 

[kneeper]

I was told to do that too, though I don't know how necessary it was. I used some cocoa butter or nice lotion. So long as you don't go too hard at the massage it wouldn't make anything worse at least.

 

[funkymuse]

Was it painful @kneeper ? The nurse said it was. I'm not into anymore pain!!!

 

[Celle]

The PA Nurse also told me that after all the scabbing was gone to begin to massage the scar to help break down the tightness underneith.

You don't need to do that. Leave your scar alone. Nature is very good at healing, without any intervention. With time, all the lumps and bumps will go away spontaneously.
Massaging my wound - what should I use?

 

[funkymuse]

Thank you @Celle - so glad to hear that! I'm really not into having to cause more pain when I'm struggling enough with this knee and all the other little body aches and pains that seems to crop up because of the positions I'm sleeping in, the way I currently have to walk and the reactions to the pain meds! ARGGH!!!

 

[SusieShoes]

@SusieShoes - hey Gal.. I'm not even contemplating a partial return to work until after Thanksgiving and most likely not until the 1st week in Dec.. so that will give me at least 2 more weeks to let this knee work to heal up. Yikes.. I COULD NEVER GO IN NOW! I can hardly sit in the waiting room of the Doc's office! Which by the way..I went today and the head nurse was very kind, encouraging gentle movement to the point of 'feeling the stretch' but not strength training.. she said 'that will come over time.' She said what's important now is getting that knee to move! So now I have some ammunition for tomorrow's PT session if they try to push me!

I’m crossing my fingers that two more weeks gives you enough improvement for going back to work. I’m sending you every healing wish in the bag!

Your doctor’s nurse is sensible and correct: move to the point of discomfort only, enough to stretch or feel it. Strength training at this point is counter-productive and, quite frankly, ridiculous. Until the knee’s muscles and other soft tissues have healed, strength training risks making the injury worse. Gentle movement, though, is greatly beneficial. So if PT pushes you toward weights or wanting to force your knee into a bend or stretch, you know what to tell them. No.

I enjoyed torturing my PT guy. He was begging me to do leg presses. Begging. It was kind of funny. Like... why did it matter so much to him? DId he get a bonus?

 

[funkymuse]

Well the nurse said that compression stockings would help so much and so that along with @skigirl 's advice and I've purchased these from Discount Stockings:
Opaque Compression Stockings - Thigh Hi w-Silicone border Firm Support - Unisex

Today is my first PT and I'm ready with my NO's! LOL

Also the nurse had told me to lay on the floor, put my foot on the wall and gently let gravity work as I inch my foot down into gentle knee bending. I cannot fathom getting up off the floor yet.. so I lay on my bed and put my foot on the wall above and it works great. I LOVE THIS exercise. Much easier to relax and bend slowly. Much less intense than most of the other heel slides, etc.! I can see making progress with this one! Anyone have luck with this wonderful exercise?

 

[Polkadot]

Well, gosh, everyone has a different experience, that's for sure! Yep, I've had mucho experience with those wall slides. And I can say that they were NOT my favorite!! In fact, that was a running joke at PT. "Let's have Polkadot do her favorite exercise!" I would "walk" down the wall until I felt the stretch, and then just a bit more. Then I would hold the position for as long as I could. At first they had me hold for 30 seconds and do the "walk" multiple times. Then they gave me a timer set to 3 minutes and said that I could let up and start over whenever I needed to. To me, it was MORE intense than heel slides! So there you go! I did think the exercise was good for me.

Maybe your success with it means that your ROM is coming along well? I had issues with "bending." Under the advice of this site, I cut way back on things like wall slides and did them only at PT. (I didn't refuse to do them there because they weren't really painful; just uncomfortable.)

 

[funkymuse]

Oh gosh @Polkadot! I only inch down a bit.. hold for awhile and then ease up... I don't force it to where its uncomfortable. I didn't get any intense instructions about it like you did. I'm glad cause I'm not going to do it that way even if they tell me to! LOL

Yes I do have issues with bending.. I guess I'm in the Slow Benders Club and that's ok. I don't do a lot... just now and then throughout the day. I walk the house mostly and when it's not raining I've worked up to a 10 min walk outside. I will find out today how the ROM is.. I'm hoping for 60 degrees instead of 45.