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TKR 09-11 Cheerbubble Thread

Shanari said:
this is a lovely community.
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It really is! I can’t tell you what a comfort Bonesmart has been for me, between caring input and information my medical community did not tell me.

I’m glad you like it here, too!
 
Hi Shanari - I've done the pool a couple of times and am continuing to do so now I can drive. But all I have done is walking forwards, backwards and sideways and a few knee lifts. The PT gave me a list of exercises I can do in the pool but I'm ignoring most of that for the time being. I usually feel it with stiffness and swelling in the 24-48 hours after the pool. But I get stiffness and swelling anyway with ADL so a little bit of pool which I enjoy is no problem.
 
LOTION. I am a lizard. As long as I keep it away from the scar, is there any warning or something I should be aware of? I did a message search on the forum and I've also looked through my doc's materials. Nothing is mentioned specifically to avoid, I was planning on just using basic Curel everywhere except the incision. I haven't used a thing since the day before surgery, and I'm just a flake-bomb. Eeuw.
 
As far as I know, as long as you stay away from the incision, it should be fine.

If I’m wrong, someone please correct me.

A few weeks after my surgery I needed to color my hair. I wanted to know if I should wait any certain amount of time. I asked at my 2 week check up, none of them knew. The assistant even texted my anesthesiologist but I never heard back. I waited 3 weeks then did it and all was fine. :happydance:
 
@Shanari and @Jockette, once my incision was healed (i.e. no scabs) my wife had me using either vitamin E oil or general lotion in an effort to soften up the scar tissue. Of course this might have not been the right thing to do, but I didn’t have any issues. I’m not a medical expert, but I’m assuming if the staples or stitches have been removed (or surgical glue worn off) and the incision is fully closed and starting to scar over, it ought to be fine.
 
Thanks! it's been a big day for me - I finally figured out how to shower without making a moat in the bathroom, and it worked well. I lotioned up almost everywhere so I don't feel alien anymore. AND I DROVE!!! I haven't used dilaudid for two days, I have to use a stepstool (like those Rubbermaid one single step ones for the kitchen), and I took hubby with me but I drove to work, he got my mail out of my mailbox, then we went through Sonic to celebrate with a Diet Cherry Limeade, and I'm home again with knee elevated and icing. I am carrying my cane with me in the house but not having to use it until I'm tired. I'm being careful. Haven't fallen. I'm feeling amazing and a significant part of it is not having lizard skin anymore. HOORAY!!!
(I know that sounds kinda manic, I'm not- I promise, just really happy at making forward progress!)
 
What a fantastic report! You are doing great! Be careful in the pool. It's really easy to overdo. The water adds resistance, which is like using weights. Start with a very short time. Let your knee be your guide.
 
oh YES, isn't it? I live in a boonie little town, so we don't have mass transport. Driving is the way to go unless you have lots of $$ for taxis or uber & such. Just such a nice day.
 
Well, I went back to work part-time on Monday. I only saw 2 patients, yesterday I saw 3 and did PT. Yesterday kicked my rear, so I've taken today off. I decided to just see one or two people per day, a very gentle return to work. That's all I'm doing, still getting groceries delivered, etc. or running my kid like our personal sherpa. I'm tired, but taking today off was the right thing. Maybe see one person tomorrow, two on Friday. Keeps me sane, keeps my brittle patients grounded, and feels like forward progress. :)
 
My husband had eye surgery yesterday, I drove him to the surgery center and sat there waiting for him. It was cataract surgery so fairly quick. But I had failed to plan that during the time I was waiting in the waiting room, I needed to prop my leg and I couldn't find anything to do it with--all the lovely waiting room chairs were fastened together! So I sat for 2 hours with my surgical leg down and it HURT. I whipped my cane around and used it to kind of prop my foot a teeny bit, but dang, that was a BIG mistake and I'm still paying for it today. It's amazing to me how one boo-boo like that takes two days (so far) to overcome. Stamina really changes after this surgery, doesn't it?!?
 
So, going back to work the way I did it was a mistake, I thought just seeing a couple of people a few times a week would be spaced out enough. What it did was not give me enough recuperation time in between. So next week's experiment is working part-time 3 days, seeing 3 people each day. A whole day off Tues and Thurs. We'll see how that goes. :) It seems so paltry, but today (day 25 post surgery) was the first time I showered standing in the shower, not sitting, and doing my whole routine without needing to sit, AND not getting wiped out. I think I'm remembering my stamina from 30 years ago in my 20's!! lol
 
Glad to hear you are cutting back your work schedule while you heal. Congratulations on the stand up shower.
 
Shanari said:
I have a question - what LeeApril26 posted, that the CPM doesn't really correlate - I don't quite understand this? does it mean that the degree of bend we can get only really "counts" if we're doing it ourselves? Thank you for helping with this question, I hope this isn't hijacking.
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I’ll answer here on your thread, no, it doesn’t count if you can’t do it on your own power.

None of my numbers early on counted, in my opinion, because I was nevered measured on my own. Either my PT or my surgeon put my leg where they wanted it and recorded the number. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get there by myself. (and yes, it hurt)

It doesn’t count because, if you need X number to be able to do (whatever) the fact they they helped you get that number, but you can’t yourself, you still can’t do that function.
 
My left knee has kind of plateaued, and my dr. is not terribly concerned. It seems I have pes anserine tendinitis which is not letting my RoM go beyond 95 degrees for the past two weeks. My surgeon may as well be a Bonesmart advisor, he totally believes in the "it'll get there/go slow and easy" way, not aggressive PT. I don't WANT aggro PT, I'm just kind of bummed that at exactly 4 weeks out I've got a hitch in my healing. So now I'm reading up on pes anserine on this site. What I'm not clear on is, did I do this to myself somehow or is it a thing that just happens sometimes? Any help or info on it would be so appreciated. Thank you in advance!
 
Shanari said:
My left knee has kind of plateaued, and my dr. is not terribly concerned. It seems I have pes anserine tendinitis which is not letting my RoM go beyond 95 degrees for the past two weeks. My surgeon may as well be a Bonesmart advisor, he totally believes in the "it'll get there/go slow and easy" way, not aggressive PT.
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Your surgeon is right. It's still less than a month since you had this major surgery - and complete healing takes as long as a full year.
There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

In any case, at 95 degrees by 4 weeks, you are already ahead of many people. Most surgeons don't expect 90 degrees until about 6 weeks post-op.

Try not to think of this temporary stop as a hitch in your healing. Instead,look on it as a period during which your knee is consolidating the progress it's made, before moving forward again.
 
@Celle what LOVELY way of thinking of this: "Try not to think of this temporary stop as a hitch in your healing. Instead, look on it as a period during which your knee is consolidating the progress it's made, before moving forward again." Thank you so much for the wisdom and encouragement!
 
My surgery was three weeks ago, and I’m still waiting to see if my close up vision improves. Like you, the change was sudden and very noticeable. I used to get by just fine without reading glasses, now I carry them everywhere with me. I’m on tramadol for pain, but am gradually changing over to Advil instead. That is so strange that so many of us have ended up with worse vision after surgery!
 
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