My other knee is jealous so....

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sunflower

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I posted this thread in the pre-op area and I thought the thread would be moved to post-op but I guess I have to create a new thread post op.

Anyway.....today I had my staples removed. :happydance:I am happy, happy, happy. Last Wednesday the PT put me on the recumbent bike and I pedalled a whole stroke so my knee is already flexible enough for pedalling. I now sit for 5 minutes pedalling slowly and it feels really good for a change.

I didn't do the CPM this time as I found I experienced more set backs than anything~like swelling and more pain. I tried it briefly a day after surgery and it wasn't 10 minutes when I told the nurse that I am finished with it. :heehee: So pedalling on a stationary bike will be my choice of keeping the knee flexible while increasing ROM. :SUNsmile:

I am -8 and 97 right now and I am trying to work on my extension by resting my heel on the back of the arm rest of the couch and allowing the knee to passively straighten. This my least favorite thing to do and I know the PTs want to hurry up and get to number X but honestly, it will happen when the swelling decreases. Whether I get to the finish line early or late, I will still cross the same finish line.

I am going about 5½-6 hours in between doses for pain medication and some days I can get by without a nap. On PT days, not so much. I feel spent by the time the morning winds down, after my early morning PT session. :yawn:

I feel stable enough on my feet that I will probably ditch my Rollater on my next PT visit on Wednesday. I walked several laps without it today at PT so I know I am getting strong enough to walk on my own. I do like using the Rollater to carry my laundry and my food. It's pretty handy that way.
 
Hi Sunflower,
Glad to see you on the other side, sounds like you are doing great! I had my staples removed on Friday,:happydance:like you I was so happy to get them out finally.
Great report, keep them coming,
 
I know the PTs want to hurry up and get to number X but honestly, it will happen when the swelling decreases. Whether I get to the finish line early or late, I will still cross the same finish line.
Good for you! THAT's the way to do it!
I am going about 5½-6 hours in between doses for pain medication and some days I can get by without a nap
But do NOT do this. You're much too early to be cutitng down on your pain meds.
 
@sunflower ,
How are things going?
I have home health PT, nice and gentle, she does lymphatic massage for my swelling. I feel better after she leaves.
Slept through one of my medication times last night, alarm and all. Finally have caught up with the pain, lots of ice and elevation.
Walkers are handy, they stay where you put them, and you can use them to carry stuff.
 
Good for you! THAT's the way to do it!
But do NOT do this. You're much too early to be cutitng down on your pain meds.

Thank you Mother Jo~you are the wise one and I will follow your instructions. I am thankful we have you as a resource. :flwrysmile:I have a question: how long does the effects of a spinal remain in the body post op?

I am amazed at how much had changed in the 3 years since my last TKR. The average length of stay is now 2 1/2 days~not 4~at this particular hospital. In 2011 I had a femoral block plus a general last time and this time they wouldn't allow me to have a femoral block and I had to choose between a general or a spinal. I didn't find this out until I was in the surgical holding area.:censored: I became so emotional and sat up on the gurney, crying. I told the anesthesiologist that years ago when I had a spinal, I became quite sick and had the terrible headache plus nausea and vomiting for days, and that I was one day short of being re-admitted for a blood block. He left the holding area to talk with the OS about my reaction to the spinal. (Also, I was fully aware of what was happening in the operating room and I saw the surgeon ( a different one) pound my staple in with a mallet. I also felt him pushing and pulling on my leg. I even felt the pressure of the scalpel as he began the incision. :yikes: I had conversations with the anesthetist during the course of the surgery. That's how awake and aware I was!)

When the anesthesiologist returned, he said that the OS wouldn't allow the femoral block and if I had a general, they would work to manage the pain post op. I couldn't get a definitive answer about what kind of pain relief I would have if I chose the general and so I was scared into a spinal for anesthesia. I got so emotional and I was angry. The anesthesiologist emphasized that they would work aggressively to treat the headache and the probability of it occurring was within the first 24 hours. I was just sick of not having any say in my choice of anesthesia and begged for Versed so that I didn't have to feel what I was feeling anymore. But I couldn't get the versed until the OS came to talk with me pre-op to verify. The OS sent an assistant in and I knew I couldn't talk with her about treatment post op for pain if I went with a general because she would give me a germane answer. Again, I got so frustrated that I am paying $$$$$ for a knee and I can't even have the attention of the OS before surgery.

After the surgical assistant left, the anesthesiologist passed me off to a CRNA resident, which I declined. I asked for a CRNA and he happily passed me on to a CRNA. Again, this was against my wishes as I indicated "no students" to the admitting nurse and she said she would put a note on my chart.

The CRNA gave me a spinal and the Versed but I was aware of the OR techs prepping me and I even heard the saw when the OS was operating. :censored:

When I was in recovery I got so, so sick. I was vomiting even though I was given a cocktail of drugs. In the early stages of my recovery the nurse used suction but as I came out of my anesthesia, I started choking on my own vomit and began to panic. I had vomit in my hair and the young nurse was busy with a casual conversation with a male peer, who sat next to me working on his patient. I made direct eye contact with him as I choked and he said nothing to my nurse. I was so frustrated that I banged on the side rails and said, "I'm so sick." She acknowledged me and just placed a wet cloth on my head. That was all she did to help. She had little compassion and treated it as just a job. Eventually, I got enough of one drug in my system to ease the vomiting and then I was admitted to my room on the floor.

I am just angry thinking of how I was treated. When I went for my pre-admission testing, the nurse assured me that they would listen to me and work with me on my choice of anesthesia. She didn't tell me that they no longer offered the femoral block and she didn't tell me that ultimately the surgeon determines the type of anesthesia. I didn't even learn of my short stay until the anesthesiologist told me in the holding area. And after I was admitted to the floor, I got a student PT anyway. :gaah:
 
@sunflower ,
How are things going?

Slept through one of my medication times last night, alarm and all. Finally have caught up with the pain, lots of ice and elevation.
Walkers are handy, they stay where you put them, and you can use them to carry stuff.

Oh my, it's easy sometimes to sleep through med dosage times. I was exhausted after having to stay up late the night before watching for tornadoes. (I live in Arkansas. Thankfully we didn't have any storm damage.) So last night I was hurting because I got behind on my pain meds. I really need to familiarize myself again with the articles that Mother Jo posted for me. And like you said, walkers are wonderful for transporting a plate of food or a big pizza box. :heehee:
 
Had a good day in PT today. I rode 10 minutes on the bike and did step ups on a step stool that the therapist set up for me. The pedaling motion feels so good to my knee and I asked the therapist if I could go 5 minutes longer the next session. She was more than happy to oblige and said that all her patients hate the bike except for me. I guess once you're a cyclist, you're always a cyclist. :biking:I had my lucky Walz cycling cap on and I believe it gives me magical powers to overcome the pedals. :upright:

I am now up to 100 flexion so it's encouraging to see the number climb. After my PT session I didn't feel spent like I usually do but then I realize there is an ebb and flow to the recovery process and one day you are feeling strong and the next you have a set back. Yesterday I was feeling more emotional and felt the need to rest more and I did get in a nice nap. Today it's overcast and cloudy here~perfect nap weather. I watched a DVD and almost dozed off before the end so I stopped it and took a nap. After I woke up I ate lunch and then finished the movie.

I also am walking without my Rollater so I am a happy camper.
 
I realize there is an ebb and flow to the recovery process and one day you are feeling strong and the next you have a set back
Boy, Ain't that the truth, like a slow roller coaster ride.
I am impressed 10 min on the bike. I am not ready yet, mostly because last time I used the exercycle my knee hurt for 3 days. That was over a year ago, long memory I have.
 
Its funny what we remember what our knees like and dislike. I couldn't stand the CPM but can pedal. You can't pedal but you might like the CPM. We know one thing...not to push it if our knee has a strong reaction to it!
 
You are so right, I am going to wait to try my exercycle until my knee is calmed down more. It is having a hissy fit about the long ride this morning. I also think my knee is still healing from all the irritation I had before the surgery. I am at around 90 degrees, but not at the moment.
 
I also think my knee is still healing from all the irritation I had before the surgery.

Yes! And the extra irritation from surgery as well. It's easy to fall into the trap of "Why am I not able to..." when our knee is working it's hardest to repair and mend itself. :) My PT wants me to have better extension numbers but I remind her that my knee is still swollen and it will come.
 
Yesterday I walked up 23 steps like usual but took the baby steps down. :) Well after my RTKR, I still take baby steps down so this is the norm for me. I also walked 50 yards out to the mailbox at the end of our driveway and when I got back to the house I was impressed that I didn't feel spent or winded. :wowspring:I went into this surgery least fit of all of my knee surgeries and I didn't have any clue as to how fast I would come back from it, but it seems I am progressing as well, if not better, than when I had my RTKR. This morning I walked the flight of stairs 3 times without needing the handrail going up and down. I am looking forward to PT tomorrow when I get to spend more time on the recumbent bike.
 
First tell me why you've asked the question! :wink:
 
@ Josephine, I'm sorry for being tardy in response to your question.

I had a spinal for my knee replacement. The OS would not OK a femoral block like the last time when I had my RTKR. Apparently the school of thought was there were incidents of patients falling (I didn't!) post op. So my options were a spinal or a general and since I couldn't get a clear answer as to what kind of pain control I would receive for just a general I had to choose a spinal~and I was quite unhappy about that. I didn't have as much pain post-op as I thought I would and it all worked out in the end. But next time I am going to choose a general.
 
It's been 12 weeks or so since my LTKR and my recovery has been a little different than my RTKR. I had pain for longer periods and I didn't seem to recover as quickly. I made rapid progress in PT the first month and then I continued to do more in the home during the second month. I was becoming concerned that I was losing some of my flexion so I joined the gym to do gentle strength exercises and to do modified squats that my surgeon ok'd. I am not riding my bike as much but I did dust off my mountain bike week 3 post op and went for a 5 mile ride. It felt good to pedal and to get some fresh air but I was quite spent after that. I just didn't want to feel the intense hunger like I did the last TKR when I was so active so I have dialed back my workouts. Funny thing, I am craving fresh fish this round compared to sirloin steak the last time. Odd.
 
Hello :SUNsmile:

I hope you all are progressing ok in your recovery. I am staying indoors and reading. At times I do venture outside to ride my bike but I'm doing more cardio/toning at the gym. I am beginning to understand why I had such intense hunger during the recovery of the last joint replacement. I am very sensitive to foods and OTC meds that affect my blood sugar and when my insulin levels change due to physical stress and pain meds, it triggers my crazy hunger. I guess being on the bike also affects it more than I realized in the early stages of recovery (the stress put on the body) and when I quit eating Cliff Blox on the bike, I realized just how big of change it made. I recover faster and my heart rate returns to normal within the hour rather than hours after I consumed a carb rich sport bar. So for now on I'll be eating differently on the bike for the long rides.

Before my LTKR, I got my "M" stamp on my driver's license so I have a motorcycle now to enjoy. I got it after I couldn't tolerate loading the left knee on the bicycle but I am slowly building up to doing hill work again on the bicycle. I do love the cardio challenge on a steep climb.
 
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