TKR Macknit's recovery thread

[Rather]

Your optimism and enthusiasm are wonderful to read. Congratulations on your progress and I hope you find a way to celebrate!

 

[luvcats]

I'm so glad your twitching was all narcotics related! You must be so relieved.

Thinking of you as you head off to work this morning. Good luck.

 

[Macknit]

Thanks for the support and well wishes....I'm sure work will be interesting as my body is adjusting to it's new "moving target" normal!

Since it's only 4 hours, a friend put it this way to me...
“tomorrow I GET to go to work for just a short day and see my work friends”. If it goes in the dumpster after you get there think “I only have a little while left before I GET to go home”. Then go home and look at your beautiful garden!"

I'm always looking forward to seeing our garden (which is already frost-dead for the winter!)

 

[Rather]

I hope that your first day back at work went as well as it could for you.

 

[Macknit]

Today turned out to be quite a positive day. Driving went well, but was sore the last mile or so of the country road to our home....because I did do a quick grocery stop (only 6 items!) The good news is tomorrow I'm not going in until noon, so I can take an AM nap if needed!

I guess I didn't realize how many co-worker interactions and basic job duties really have filled my days and I was missing them! And 4 hours was perfect!

 

[Macknit]

Worse yet, I have pain on the outside of the knee when going down stairs and when sitting for any length of time . My PT ththinks it is may IT band and that ITBS is common after knee replacement. I’m incredibly frustrated because I go from one issue to another. Anybody have ITBS issue ? How did you resolve them?

Yes, I definitely have the ITBS, issue...and the moving from one issue to another... Part of this is also, if you had any kind of straightening that needed to happen, even of a small degree (valgus/varus deformity) your calves, quads, hamstrings and that IT band all have to adjust to your new straight leg. I'm at 6 weeks and 2 days... had a great amount of straightening that needed to happen, this is just a couple of the major items I had to deal with:

• My IT band gets a regular massage 2x per week, which is needed for how tight it had become! I really had the pain in the outside of my knee....but it is improving; it takes a long time for our soft tissues to retrain themselves.
• I also had spine surgery in July (decompression of L1/2, L3/4, and L 4/5) when my knee swells this entire area is thrown off, which causes additional pain. However, this also is improving as I have followed the guidelines in this forum.

Speaking of the advice in this forum...I personally can't praise enough the help I've received or read here. You definitely are the master of your knee and this forum emphasizes that. Let it tell you if PT is hurting, say no, if it is just discomfort, only go that far. Each of our bodies are so different and most of the people in this forum reminds us that we all heal differently.

I also have a very gentle PT, who did the rehab for my back surgery also....I've had very little soreness or swelling after I had mine, I'll miss the massage when I'm done next week! (Well, I might just have to pay for that service, now!)

So best of luck, and read the ITBS article that is posted by @Pumpkln !
ITB (ilio-tibial band) issues and treatments

 

[Macknit]

Just a note and if I'm honest, it is pretty much what I expected...my knee is telling me it isn't happy!

As posted earlier I now have 2 days of my 4 hour work days behind me (with the 35 minute drive, one way....) I do have a great opportunity to ice and semi-elevate at my desk which is tremendous. However, I should be returning straight home and jumping into I & E!!! BUT, our neighborhood social life has increased and while sharing with neighbors I've had my leg on the floor (Wednesday night birthday celebration, last night just catching up with different neighbors) that I believe did me in...well it might have been the couple's 2 large dogs that rammed into my knee (one, right after the other) trying to get out the door before I did that aggravated my situation also!!!

So, at 3:00 AM between my ibuprofen and tylenol doses I'm up icing and elevating. At least it is Friday and I have the weekend to hibernate again and stop the social butterfly activities! At 6weeks +3 days my knee doesn't want too much socializing! Yes, I'm still a baby knee and we really have to be in tune with our knee enough to know just how much the knee will take.

 

[luvcats]

I'm sorry you're joining me in the ODIC, but at least we can sit in adjoining recliners and gossip. lol

I'm glad that work is going better than expected, since you must go.

I too have been lured by the joy of friendship and human interaction into more activity than my knee would prefer. But it's so hard after being cooped up for so long!

 

[Macknit]

lol...so true! This forum has been so helpful for me to fill some of that interaction...but nothing beats real human interface, does it?!!

My knee will be so happy to get through today and have a restful weekend!

 

[Carole4815]

Hey, I was up at 3 AM too, icing and elevating!! Had I only thought of the fact that others were up too, I would have checked the forum. In my case, after trying to sleep for four hours (with minor pain that seemed amplified in the dark), I went to my recliner, hooked myself up to the icing machine there, and went right to sleep with it running.

I am at a point in recovery where I finally feel pretty much normal again, so I forget and overdo and wind up re-joining the ODIC, like I did last night.

So glad that you got through the commute and work this week, with enough energy left over to want to socialize afterwards! What a great accomplishment.

 

[Pumpkin]

@Macknit
You'll notice that I have copied your newest post with your original recovery thread, a copy of the post remains in JWWS's thread.
Post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.

 

[Macknit]

@pumpkin
I get carried away when writing a response, thanks for posting it here too!

 

[Jockette]

I also get carried away with my responses! My thread is very detailed and 93 pages long at this point! It has been 2.5 years, though. I hope I running out of space isn’t an option!

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

@Macknit
Sounds like you are doing well back at work....
it does, however make me glad I’m retired ...

Can understand why you want to build in social time (even if kneesy doesn’t!). Recovery is tedious & boring...
Hoping you had a good, calm sunday with limited painxxxxx

 

[Macknit]

Interesting Sunday... I'm trying to decide what exactly I've done? My hips have started aching, not the lower back where I had surgery, not my knee at this point but both hips!! I also had to take a .25 Tramadol last night after a full week off from pain meds. and my RLS kicked in again, with just that small amount!

The return to work wasn't really the issue, as I posted earlier....it was the extra activity each evening when we had impulsive social events! Then Friday night my daughter and twin 4.5 year-olds decided to come spend the night!? I really don't do any of my PT exercises at home, because my life is just busy enough! Any ideas about the hips???

 

[Macknit]

@Hoppy Nanny Oh yes retirement!! I'm counting down.... 14.5 months! It's a long story, I retired from education in 2015. A second opportunity in a different field presented itself and here I am!

So, I truly didn't realize the length of time involved with this recovery....I've had many other surgeries and truly recovered within a few weeks... regardless, I'm just working 1/2 days until Nov. 4th and will hang in there over the 14 months!

Life is grand isn't it!? I did have a restful Sunday!!!

 

[Macknit]

Today is 7 weeks! Yay! Can't believe I'm down the road a bit, still feeling any activity, including driving and my silly hips ache (last year's xray says not much arthritis...most likely it's something with my back!)
I'm still reminding myself, as the PA did last week at the 6 week check-in, I'm technically only 1/2 way by their recovery gauge of 3 months, but only 1/9th of the way for the 1 year recovery gauge!! I tend to understand quantifiable ideas like this and it has really helped me get a perspective on developing my patience! (AND, if this takes 2.5 years like @Jockette that is only 1/20th of the way !!)

I need to keep practicing my math and remind myself how this is just one part of this road we're on!!

 

[luvcats]

Any ideas about the hips???

How interesting that we both have our hips mad at us at the same time. My PT who I like and respect thinks it's just overuse. We are now standing and walking differently and more mobile than we've been in a while, in my case years. It makes sense that the hip muscles and tendons are getting a different workout, so they are annoyed.

Just when the knees are doing really well! It feels never ending, doesn't it?

My surgeon provides an app to all their patients. It has a 60 day countdown. That means they have decided, with their experience, that 60 days is how long you should have constant access to the medical team. I try to keep that in mind when I feel that I'm behind in my recovery.

Your math skills are excellent. I'm going to get you to do my math on this project!!

 

[Macknit]

@luvcats Well, what your PT says makes complete sense, doesn't it!?

I have expected all the alignment adjustments to be finished at this point...but movement every day is a bit different, at work even though I'm sitting, I'm using a lot more brain power (what I can muster anyway) and not paying attention to my physical position as much. I might not even notice if I'm sitting incorrectly or putting pressure on one hip over the other. 60 days - I'm almost there. We are just told to contact them any time if there is a change. What does have me concerned (as I do over think things) is reading about the infections and loose implants. This is one of those times that I have had to take my self-talk and say..."you are not on or near that bridge, we'll cross that IF we come to it!!"

Meanwhile, my Costco event cost me dearly. I have a new swelling and pain on the outside of my knee now!!! This is the first time this area has swollen,except for the first few days! So I'm keeping ice on it even when I drive later today!! Only 7.4 weeks what was I just saying about math and patience??

The knitting we do, especially when we are doing the complicated stitches is heavy on the math, so all of our skills improve

 

[Carole4815]

Sorry the outside of your knee is swelled up and painful! Costco is so big, or at least ours is, anyway. Going to my Costco would be a lot of walking and sounds like such a huge challenge; maybe you can back off to a smaller grocery store for a while until your knee says "OK". Good idea to ice and rest.

I agree with not worrying about infections or loose implants when you don't have either. It's pretty scary to read what others are going through with these, and I really feel for them. What a nightmare that must be. For me, overdoing is more likely to be the cause of unusual pain than either of those awful possibilities, though.