TKR I'm Back, with another new knee.

Debbie_joints

post-grad
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Boy, it has been awhile. I started out back in December 2011 with a right hip replacement. This group got me through that. Then in Aug 2012 I had a left knee replacement. It was a long haul with the first therapist saying I needed a manipulation. But wise words from this group, I changed therapists and it took 4 1/2 months, but I got to that 120 bend. Now I am back. I had my right knee replaced on Aug 29th. I did fine in the hospital and went back to the therapy place that helped me. My therapist was gone, but new one seemed real good. Very hands on, which is what I liked. I am nine weeks out now and I have been stuck at 110 but back sliding the last few weeks. Under the kneecap seems like it is stuck. Went to my arthritis doc today. He said it was swollen and hot. Gave me some new medicine to try. Nabumetone, I hope it helps. I only have two pt sessions left. Insurance won't give me any more. My incision is nicely healed, so I am going to try the pool. I did that last time and it seemed to help. Think I will read some posts here. Just wanted to say hi.
 
Debbie joints,
Welcome Back to BoneSmart!

Sounds like it is time to follow the BoneSmart mantra, give your knee time to heal.
Hope the new medication helps.

Here is a new copy of the post op reading for you, hop your knee feels better soon.

First is the reading - everybody gets a free copy of the recovery reading!

Here are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock as prescribed
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lay down!

Next is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thread.

And here are some very crucial articles
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs

Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Activity progression for TKRs
Heel slides and how to do them

Extension: how to estimate it and ways to improve it

Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling

Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?
 
Welcome back, Debbie. I hope your new knee settles down soon.

When you can, please will you create a Signature, in which you put your hip and knee surgeries and their dates in full? Write the name of the month, so there’s no confusion.
Hover over your username, top right of the page, and select Signature from the drop-down box. Enter your surgery details and then save. This article also explains how to do it:
How to create a signature
If you can’t do it, please let us know, so that we can do it for you. Thank you. :flwrysmile:
 
Hi Debbie, I'm at about 4 months (npt quite yet) and also my knee isn't as flexible as I'd like, either. Things that have helped though, especially the tightness around the patella and in the quad area, are a pain cream combo I was able to get made at a compounding pharmacy that my OS approved, (as mentioned by someone here!) and a magnesium gel suggested by a massage therapist (medical type massage) who did a scar tissue massage on my knee and then added this gel to it. The gel seemed to free up the patella area and I was better able to bend my knee. She said use it just once a day and it is pretty sticky, so leaves a residue on the inside of my pants if I roll them down before it dries!
 
Be careful with magnesium gel---it and magnesium lotion give me a horrible, itchy rash.
 
Ah, too bad; I'm sorry to hear you reacted to magnesium gel, Kelly... That would definitely be awful.

So, Josephine, does the UK not have compounding pharmacies, then? Here, they are only able to supply things that a commercial pharmacy cannot make, custom blends, specialty creams that are custom-made for specific patients, etc. They are regulated as are the other types of pharmacies, so one must have a prescription, of course, but they can create medicinal compounds like pain creams for patients when there is not a product out there for that purpose among the commercial pharmacy's available products. It's a good service and often used when there is a strong allergy to a component of a medication and a patient needs a blend of ingredients outside the normal range of pre-made items the regular pharmacies carry.

Someone here mentioned a pain cream they had obtained from a compounding pharmacy wherever they were which is why I know such a thing must exist. I don't remember who it was that mentioned it, though, now!
 
I used simple Palmer's Cocoa Butter on my scar, my feet, elbows...
 
Well, so far I went to the pool twice and I like it. I would love it if I didn't have to change clothes in this little bathroom. They don't have a nice place to change, but shouldn't complain as it is only $30 a month. Before the pool, I was doing home pt twice a day and each time it would take about an hour. Different stretches, and leg lifts, riding my recumbent bike. So now on pool days, I will only do the home pt once a day. I should try and get some walking in outside too. I have to be careful though as a muscle, or tendon pulled away from the bone by my ankle a month or so ago. That was more painful then my knee replacement. But my therapist was so good and worked on that too. I think the swimming is helping the ankle too. Hope everyone is doing well.
 
Hi again, @Debbie_joints
It sounds to me as if you're doing an awful lot of exercising with that newest knee. At just over twqo months since the surgery, you could probably just do teh swimming adn let the normal activities of everyday life be the rest of your therapy.

By the way, I had to look back to your first post, to see when you had the TKR.
To make it easier for everyone to see what you've had done, and when, please will you create a Signature, in which you put your knee and hip surgeries and their dates in full?
Write the name of the month and add the day's date, so there’s no confusion.
Hover over your username, top right of the page, and select Signature from the drop-down box. Enter your surgery details and then save. This article also explains how to do it:
How to create a signature

I think I have this right, but please add the full dates and make any corrections, if necessary. Then put them in your signature or, if you can't do it, ask us to do it for you. Thank you. :flwrysmile:

Right THR December 2011
Left TKR August 2012
Right TKR 29 August 2016
 
@Celle I had changed my signature, but I guess it was kind of small and I had it all in one row. So I changed it. Hope this is better.
 
That's much easier to read, Debbie. Thank you very much. :SUNsmile: :yes!:
 
Hi Debbie. I am also from WI. What part are you from? Had my right knee done at Sauk Prairie Healthcare on 9/27.
 
@birdinger OMG, REALLY, I am just three miles from that hospital, and yes, had mine done there too. Love the new hospital. Do you live in SP, or are you from out of town? Lots of people come from a distance just to have surgery there.
 
Cool, you two! Maybe you've been there at the same time, even! It would be fun to meet one another in reality sometime, instead of only virtually, eh!?
 
Debbie, I tried to PM you but it seems like I am unable to access that function. Are you able to PM me? We live in Baraboo.
 
Debbie, I checked with the forum advisors and they don't know when the PM system will be functioning again. :what:
 
@birdinger I just saw that. It is ok, I was just wondering if I knew you, but you answered it by telling me where you live. I thought maybe you grew up in the town where you had the surgery. We are close. We will have to keep an eye on each other and maybe meet some day.
 
I LOVE this part of Wisconsin. I grew up in Chicago and my husband grew up in Baraboo. Perhaps we'll have coffee some day. I'm going to Wellspring for PT (old hospital). Good luck with your recovery. You've been through this before so I'm sure that helps. It's my first time so this forum has been very informative.
Ruth
 

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