Revision TKR Lovetocookandsew’s long road to recovery

[Carole4815]

I'm hoping that your OS appointment will help with the zinger mystery.

But I could help but post and say WOW!!! Losing 32 pounds is substantial, especially with only limited activity, and you should be so proud.

I lost 53 pounds in 2018 so I went into surgery at a weight that was low for me. So far I have gained 6 of those pounds back since surgery, that I will need to re-lose. Hopefully a couple of those pounds are just due to swelling of my knee but we'll see. Gaining weight sure is easy to do during recovery when activity is limited.

 

[Jockette]

But, as I said, I'm 15 months out and this shouldn't be an issue at this point, but certainly is.

There is no “should” in this recovery and some of us take way longer than others to fully heal. You’ve had a lot of swelling this whole recovery so I think it’s going to get upset when you do more than your knee wants, no matter whether your mind doesn’t think it’s too much.

It’s taken me well over 2 years to be able to do some stairs foot over foot. Surely I “should” have been able to do them long ago, “especially since I only had a partial.” But that’s not how it’s gone for me.

At 2.5 years I have seen improvement over things I couldn’t do at 15 months.

And just look at your long signature. A lot has been done to this knee over the years.

Just some things to think about.

 

[Calgirl]

I forgot to mention that the Naturopath that I went to that prescribed THC for night pain also suggested using TigerBalm Pain Relieving Patches for temporary pain relief. These may help with zingers at night.
Hope this helps.

 

[sistersinhim]

I've been getting really sharp zingers in my actual knee area, on the right side, for a while now and they not only hurt a lot, they cause my knee to give somewhat. Has anyone had this happen at well over a year out, or heard about it?

Even as far out as I am, I occasionally get mild zingers on the lateral side of my tkr. It's still fairly numb, so I know it's the nerves trying to reattach. This could possibly be what's going on with you.

On a more positive note, I have lost 32 pounds since April, all by diet changes, as I still can't ride my bike, swim or walk long distances. I have around 15 or 20 more to lose from the weight I gained after my TKR.

WOW! That is fantastic! Just think how much more you'll lose when you can return to your activities. Shortly after my TKR I went on Nutrisystem and lost 17. Unfortunately, junk food and slow activity, because of healing, allowed it to come back.

I've now cut out basically all processed carbs such as sugar, white flour, potatoes, pasta, and so on.

Does this include fruits or are they OK?

 

[lovetocookandsew]

@sistersinhim I wish I knew what was causing them. I'm awake right now, and have been for a while, due to the zingers hitting and waking me. They're in a little different spot right now, more center left of my knee instead of the right side, but the same pain level, and in a constant pattern.....grrrrrr.

I'm not on any specific diet plan, I just stopped eating foods I know aren't good for my body. Fruits and veggies aren't processed carbs, so I include them in my diet. But I do watch my calorie and other counts every day, so don't go crazy with fruit. I love melons, especially watermelon, and probably could eat a whole one (a smaller one-not a 20 pounder...lol) in one sitting, but keep it to a reasonable serving.

 

[sistersinhim]

I know if I'd lose weight my knees and foot and ankle would feel so much better. With my left replacement in the future, getting weight off is a must. Extra weight is already hard on a body. Add to that the healing from a joint replacement and it's really putting that much more stress on our already stressed bodies!

 

[Jockette]

I realized I'd gotten lazy and was eating a lot of processed carbs and not-too-healthy other foods. I've now cut out basically all processed carbs such as sugar, white flour, potatoes, pasta, and so on

What are the foods you do eat? I’ve considered stopping these things you’ve mentioned but I have trouble replacing them with something else.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

@Jockette I eat meats, vegetables, fruit, homemade 100% whole wheat bread sometimes, cauliflower rice, zucchini for pasta and in things like enchiladas instead of tortillas, or in lasagna in place of lasagna noodles, and so on. We do eat tacos sometimes as the taco shells I buy aren't too bad calorie or carb-wise, and I only eat one or two of them. I usually make them with my homemade smoked pulled pork, some Monterey Jack cheese, tomatoes and shredded cabbage (I always use shredded cabbage for tacos instead of lettuce-it's crunchier and doesn't get soggy). When I do eat something like the potato salad I made for company last week, I eat a very small portion, and it's only on rare occasions.

If I make burgers, we either eat lettuce wrapped burgers, or I make beer can burgers. There isn't any beer involved-the recipe calls for you to use a beer can to shape the burger, although I use a straight sided glass for shaping since I don't have any cans of beer around here. I fill them with peppers, mushrooms, onions, some cheese and bacon. The original recipe calls for buns, but they're better (IMHO) with no bun as a main dish. I also make one burger and split it between my husband and I as it's a large burger, too big for one person.
Basically, I don't eat sweets or desserts any more, nor white bread; no potatoes, no pasta, etc. I also keep my calories to 1400 per day max. Basically, losing weight, no matter your activity level, comes down to taking in less calories than you burn off each day. I watch all the components such as carbs, fat, etc also, but make sure to keep my calories low.

Losing weight when you can be active, riding bikes, swimming, long walks, etc, is a lot easier, but when you've had a recent TKR, or need one, moving around a lot isn't always possible. Most people recover after the surgery and can be active again, but I'm still limited so have to be more careful with what I eat since I can't help it along by being more active. Being active doesn't burn a ton of calories, unless you're a pro athlete maybe, but a couple hundred calories burned per day being active adds up over time, plus the activity keeps your metabolism revving for a while after.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

So, I saw my OS this afternoon. As before, my extension is "great", my flex isn't. I didn't ask him the numbers, so I don't know them; numbers don't matter to me-function matters and my function is impeded by all the swelling. He also ordered a bone scan to see what's what. After that we'll talk about the results. He talked about a surgery to fix the upper and lower posts somehow to stop the pain as apparently the bone is not remodeling as it should have. But, before that he wants the bone scan.

I don't want another surgery, but it looks like I might be heading in that direction.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. He mentioned that if he does need to operate, he wants to do both at once. Wait, what? Both surgeries? He answered that he meant upper and lower at the same time instead of in separate procedures considering what I have to go through afterwards. I asked him if the recovery is pretty easy or as bad as a TKR and he said it might be a tiny bit easier, since there's no joint work involved, but basically it's just about as bad, so I'm not looking forward to even the thought right now. But if my bone won't fill in around the dang posts, I'll have to agree to it since I don't want to live with this post pain for the rest of my life.

He doesn't know why I'm getting these new zingers-I actually woke up around 5 am today because my knee was getting hit with zingers in a regular pattern so I couldn't go back to sleep. He said maybe it has to do with all the swelling, but he's not sure.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Oh, and I scared the X-ray tech twice while I was in there when he had me move certain ways which caused the upper post sharp shocking pain to hit, which made me jump and grab the machine to steady myself. He asked if I was okay, and I told him I was fine, it was just my normal life now......

 

[Jockette]

I’m so sorry. The last thing we want is another surgery on a knee that has already been replaced.

So is this a cementless implant?

 

[lovetocookandsew]

The posts are not cemented, but I don't know how the knee joint was attached. I don't recall ever asking that-I may have but don't remember. I did post my first post-revision x-rays on this thread back in June 2018; if you look at that you may be able to tell.

 

[Jockette]

I found your X-rays, (they’re on page 80 of your thread) and that’s a long implant!

I’m glad you’re getting a bone scan and that your doctor has acknowledged your pain and is looking into it.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I know it's long. Today when the tech was taking the x-rays, he was surprised at the length, and couldn't fit the full upper and full lower into each film-he had to take a couple of both the lower and the upper to get the entire length.

 

[CricketHip]

@lovetocookandsew I'm sorry to read of your troubles. You've struggled with this a very long time.
I hope your move goes well and will be anxious to hear what you and your OS decide is next.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Thanks, Cricket.

 

[Celle]

I'm so sorry you may have to have further surgery.

I'll be interested to see the difference between your X-Rays taken in June 2018 and the ones taken recently, @lovetocookandsew .
On the June 2018 films, I can see large gaps between the bones and the implants. I think that's normal for uncemented implants.
I would expect to see those gaps filled in by bone tissue on the recent films.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Thanks, Celle. My OS used my phone in my hospital room to take those pictures directly from the room's computer of the x-rays taken in the operating room. I haven't asked him for any copies since, so next time I speak with him I'll ask him for copies of yesterday's x-rays. We talked about a bunch of stuff, but I didn't ask him specifically to compare the June 2018 x-rays with the ones from June 2019 and also yesterday's, whereas last June he did show me both sets and how there was very little, to no, remodeling to be seen.

Plus, I have to admit my head was reeling somewhat with his talk about another surgery. He'd talked about it before, but more as a rare possibility in rare cases, but yesterday he talked about it more like he is planning on doing it. More matter of fact, like I need it done so he's already going in that direction. I don't know if that's the case, I just know it felt more like it than before, so I was a little surprised, even having known it was a possibility. And when he casually mentioned doing both at once, I really was taken aback. I really wasn't expecting that part. I didn't ask him a lot about it, except about the recovery, but if it turns out after the scan that he thinks I need it, you can believe I'll be asking tons of questions. That man has a ton of patience just putting up with me all these years . Have I mentioned I love my OS?

 

[Carole4815]

That is so wonderful that you have an OS that is patient and that you like so much! It does sound like he is expecting more surgery will be necessary.

 

[sistersinhim]