MUA Steelergal's Recovery Thread

Yes, that numbness will last quite a while.
 
Sure! What do you need to know?
Oh loads! It's a veritable Spanish Inquisition!

It would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't forget to factor in other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness).

3. how swollen is your leg compared to these? (check with this Swelling/pain comparisons)
ai63.tinypic.com_eta39s.jpg


2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

4. what is your ROM - that's flexion (bend) and extension (straightness)

5. are you icing your knee at all? If so, how often and for how long?

6. are you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?

7. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

8. are you doing any exercises at home? If so what and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)

Exercises done at home
- how many sessions you do each day
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

Anything done at PT
- how many times a week
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.
 
Oh loads! It's a veritable Spanish Inquisition!

It would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't forget to factor in other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness).
I'm roughly at a 3, unless I'm trying to bend my leg too much. And I have a seriously sore thigh muscle that's not helping things.

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?
I was given Percocet 5-325 and I'm down to a half pill every 8-10 hours. I'm also still taking Celebrex 200 mg + a baby aspirin twice a day. I'm going to try to switch to regular Tylenol for part of the day and see how that goes.

3. how swollen is your leg compared to these? (check with this Swelling/pain comparisons)
ai63.tinypic.com_eta39s.jpg

My leg is slightly swollen, much better than week 1! I think it's even less swollen than it was pre-surgery. I'm diligent about ice and elevate!

4. what is your ROM - that's flexion (bend) and extension (straightness)
Flexion was at 68 at PT yesterday. I'm not sure what extension is, but not great. It was 22 last week at PT and he didn't tell me this week, so I'm guessing that means it wasn't much better.

5. are you icing your knee at all? If so, how often and for how long?
I have a polar ice machine (and I love it so much) and I'm icing most of the day. I'd say about 8 hours total a day.

6. are you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?
Same as icing, It's elevated any time I'm not up and around. I also elevate at night.

7. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and
Very limited. I'm feeling a bit stronger this week and practicing with the cane at home. I'm lucky to have my mother here to help out, so I'm able to rest. I can make an easy meal, but I can't carry it anywhere yet. Haha.

8. are you doing any exercises at home? If so what and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)
All of these are supposed to be 2x a day, 20 reps each time (but i don't always do them twice a day).
Ankle pumps (I do these a lot because it feels good when I stretch my calf muscles)
Heel slides
Straight leg lifts
I don't know what it's called, but putting a ball between my knees and squeezing.
Putting a rolled up towel or pillow under my knee and pushing down on it.

It's the same at PT, but they do soft tissue massage and measure the ROM. They also wanted me to lay on my stomach with my knees just off of the table and "let gravity do work" but I didn't do it.

I hope this helps! Thank you!

Exercises done at home
- how many sessions you do each day
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

Anything done at PT
- how many times a week
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.
@Josephine
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I saw my OS this week and he thinks everything looks good. He says I'm right on schedule and progressing well. He's cleared me to drive (once I'm off narcotics), which is great. However, I'm having a "oh poor me" type of morning today, feeling like I'm not progressing at all. My extension improved to 15 from last week's 22, but my flexion is still stubbornly in the mid-60s. I know it will improve, but it's hard not to feel like my leg will never bend again. My mom leaves tomorrow and that's a bit scary. I really just wish I could see some progression. Any tips for these crazy post-op blues?
 
Any tips for these crazy post-op blues?
Try to remember this recovery, though long and slow, is temporary. You are in very early days. The surgery was a major assault to your body, a lot was done to disrupt the inside of your leg, so they could help you. It was “controlled trauma” but still trauma.

Try to be patient, all will be well. :console2:
 
My revision was a month before you, and I'm still at 60, so to me you're doing fine!
 
@Steelergal
About the timeframe post surgery in which you are, I had my first meltdown. I did this by myself.
It was in front of the Home PT. My numbers at that time were 60/10.
(Insert Blubbering noises while talking) “I am never going to get my life back...my leg will not bend...OMG”
Luckily her practice is pretty much Ortho....she talked me off of the ledge...after handing me a tissue.

The thing I found that helped with the blues was contact with people. I tried to set up calls for service people to give me estimates....asked for friends to commit to FaceTime sessions if they were far away....called one sibling a lot since she is not working....and texted people a lot!

The other thing I tried to do is set myself a schedule. Check email during icing, take meds if needed, do crafts from x time to x time, have lunch, take nap, do laundry, coloring, TV etc. I had less time to obsess about what I did not have (good numbers in my opinion) because I was busy. I also had a list of things to do while stationary that I usually wouldn’t have “time” for while working.

I filed/shredded personal papers, went through old pictures, cleared and organized the linen closet (on a chair), updated my LinkedIn page, updated my CV, added my address book to my phone, started a box for Goodwill, etc.

I hope these ideas might assist in chasing your blues a bit.
 
Thanks @Poctdb! These are great suggestions. I had a friend visit today and that helped. I'm not usually an emotional person, so melt downs are foreign to me and I'm not really sure what to do when I randomly burst into tears! I had a meltdown at one of my PT appointments last week, not because I was in any pain at all, but I think everything just hit me all at once and overwhelmed me. I thought I was prepared for this recovery after having two hip replacements, but I was WRONG! I'm also too impatient and want to see progress quickly (or at least have someone tell me WHEN I'll see progress...haha). It's just a good reminder for me to relax and let my body heal. I can only do so much to help things along and will just have to wait it out. I'm cleared to drive, so I may take a little drive this weekend (even if I'm not quite ready to get out of the car to go anywhere yet!). Thanks for the support!
 
The first time I drove (illegally) I was out of ice and no one could help at the time.
I took the car 0.6 miles to the convenience store.
Imagine my surprise! There were people outside of my house! They smiled at you, loaded your ice in the car, and told you to have a nice day.
I was gone 20 minutes......but the good it did me was immeasurable.
 
A short excursion--or just getting in the car--may help your mood. I think for me going to PT at least gave me an "event of the day." :heehee:
 
My amazing mom left today.:bawl:

So far since she's left, I've made my own lunch AND walked slowly down the front sidewalk with my cane and moved my car into the driveway. I had a good friend bring me dinner, so that's handled. I think I'll make it through this first day without her! Luckily she stocked my fridge and washed my bedding (and made the bed) before she left. So I'll be ok for a while. Now just to work on mobility and bending this darn knee!
 
Gosh.... I don’t know what my clue was that you might be interested in the game tonight....:heehee:
 
@Steelergal - Josephine is currently away on sick leave, so it may be a little while before she gets back to you , to talk about your answers to her questions.
 
@Steelergal - Josephine is currently away on sick leave, so it may be a little while before she gets back to you , to talk about your answers to her questions.

No worries, I hope she's feeling better soon!

I'm just trying to relax and be patient. My knee feels tight and heavy today, so it's all about ice and elevate!
 

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