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TKR 1 week post TKR I'm hurting!! *

it is hard to be patient after any injury---but patience is what you need right now. Why don't you find something to do that will make you happy while you are resting and lying around??

Organize your photos, take an online course in Photoshop, learn to knit (I did it through you tube), go through Ancestry .com and look up family---watch all the videos of Jane Austen watch all seasons of Downton Abbeyl.

the list is endless---do some of those things you have wanted to do, but have not had time for---now is the time!!!
 
Thanks skigirl. I will find something to keep my mind occupied. Have been watching say yes to the dress episodes for 2 weeks lol. Need to find something more interesting.
 
Week 3 Update. Seen my OS on Weds and he says that my incision is healing beautifully and it is expected that I am still feeling stiffness. Says to keep doing my home exercises and stretching.

He ordered my CPM machine and as of right now the medical group is reviewing the request. I have my out patient p/t consultation on tues at the hospital to set up p/t Sessions!!!

We will see how that goes. As for the pain. Some days are worse than others but I am sticking to my pain meds schedule. Not able to do many of the exercises, but do what I can. Im pretty drained and dizzy after I do a few reps.

sterile strips are starting to fall off and im applying neosporin. Any ideas on what I can use for reducing scaring??
 
I used tubs of Palmer's Cocoa Butter. My PT showed me how to massage with it and it felt wonderful! I'm now addicted to Palmer's. Just be sure to not use anything until your incision is fully healed.
 
shotzie63 said:
sterile strips are starting to fall off and im applying neosporin. Any ideas on what I can use for reducing scaring??
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Did your surgeon order the neosporin? You really don't need to put anything on your scar - nature is pretty good at healing, without any intervention. read this article:
Massage post THR

However, if you do decide to use something, be sure not to start until the skin is completely closed, with no scabs or open areas. Whatever you decide to use, try a test patch somewhere else on your skin - you don't want to be having a reaction to the lotion or cream in your scar area.
Some people recommend cocoa butter, some use a Vitamin E or A cream. I used Bio Oil occasionally, but only because the skin all around my incision was very dry.

Your scar will fade gradually from pink to white and almost all the lumps and bumps will even themselves out, quite naturally.
 
My skin was quite dry, as I hadn't yet healed from the first surgery, had the second and it didn't heal well enough for lotion etc. until 6 weeks after. So no lotion on my knee and surrounding area for 3 months. The cocoa butter was delicious!
 
I was not allowed to apply anything to the incision for many weeks, well after all the strips fell off. Now, I use a simple cream at night. It is soothing and allows me to get deep massage to break up the scarring according to my PT.
 
Morning all!! Thanks for your tips! Yes my OS said that once the strips start to fall off I can apply neo, or
vitamin e oil as long as there are no small openings along the incision.
So. Yesterday was my last home visit with my physical therapist Darin and it was a unsuccessful visit. My knee was completely stiff with no bend in it what so ever.
I told him my knee was having an attitude cuz it was our last day! Lol
Im still pretty stiff these days, but im taking it day by day and letting my knee do its thing. Like my doc says..your knee is the boss at this point. It will heal at its own pace
 
shotzie63 said:
my OS said that once the strips start to fall off I can apply neo, or vitamin e oil as long as there are no small openings along the incision.
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I'm concerned that you're using Neosporin. It's an antibiotic and current philosophy is that its use routinely (where there is no infection) is contributing to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It seems safer to me to use the Vitamin E oil instead.
 
I ordered some E45 cream from Amazon. Don't remember where I heard about it but I like it a lot. When it is gone, though, I am going to try Palmer's. Raffs and others make me long to see how it smells!
 
@shotzie63 - Just got finished reading your thread.. so sorry you've had a tough time.. I'll be 8 weeks out on Monday and I remember asking my OS (in jest) if he could just "put me in a comma for 4 weeks".. I had NO idea at the time what I was really asking.. and looking back.. I can see that I maybe should have been more serious..:heehee:..

From my experience, I was NOT adequately prepared to expect what this "process" was all about from my medical team. It was only after I started interfacing with the fine group of people on this site, that I truly got help, reset my expectations, and found a REAL support team who understood what I was going through.. THANK GOD I found them.. and it's great that you found "us" too.. :yes:

Some of the things I've learned, that without this site, I don't think I would have..

1) Ice, elevate and rest.. #1 priority in the early days.
2) Don't feel guilty about not doing stuff around the house.. This is YOUR time to recover..
3) It's a marathon, not a sprint.. NOTHING will happen quickly with your recovery.. and that's OK, as long as your expectations are set properly
4) Don't do anything that HURTS in the name of "improving" your knee.. It's not the way that it works, even if your PT says so.. "NO PAIN NO GAIN" does NOT apply..
5) Patience is a virtue
6) Patience is a virtue
7) Patience is a virtue
8) You will have LOTS of time to work on being virtuous!
9) Feel free to express your frustration, ask questions, WHINE, .. this forum is the absolute RIGHT place to do it!!!
10) You are NOT ALONE!!!!
... oh.. and
11) take your pain meds on schedule. They are INTENDED to help manage pain if you have it..

Hope that helps!!!! This is a hard thing to go through.. But in the end, it will be worth it!!! :yes!:
 
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Braunzie. Thanks for your kind words. I was just about 20 minutes ago that I broke down crying in frustration because I can barely bend my damn knee almost 4 wks out from surgery.
I am deathly afraid of out patient therapy. I know its gonna be painful because they're going to try to get it to bend. Believe me..I try to here at home with my exercises and omg I only push as far as it is uncomfortable but not to painful.
But my hubby came into our bedroom and saw me staring off at nothing and said What's wrong babe? I blurted out in tears I can't do this anymore. Im trying to be patient and I know it's early post surgery, but not being stuck in bed all damn day, and my knee feeling like its HUGE all the time is taking its toll on me.

It's bad enough I suffer from adv r.a. and fibromyalgia throughout my body, my r.a. in my hips in my lower back and hips is flaring up badly on top of the knee incision pain

thanks for listening all
 
shotzie63 said:
I am deathly afraid of out patient therapy. I know its gonna be painful because they're going to try to get it to bend. Believe me..I try to here at home with my exercises and omg I only push as far as it is uncomfortable but not to painful.
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@shotzie63 It's your knee and you are in charge of what happens to it, not some therapist. Establish right from the start that you will not allow anyone to force your knee or to hurt you.
Consider it this way: the therapist works for you, not the other way around. You do not have to please the PT - they have to please you.

Your knee can't bend yet because the swelling is stopping it. Concentrate on reducing the swelling (rest, ice, elevate) and your knee will then be able to bend. Think of your knee as being like a hosepipe. When it's full of water it is stiff and is hard to bend. Get the water out and the hosepipe can then bend easily. The same mechanics apply to your knee.
 
I remember the days of seemingly unreasonable tears. In retrospect, the tears are very reasonable and necessary. Hang in there, it does get better.
 
If you go to this PT group and don't like the treatment leave and find another group. After my TKR I went to a PT group and wasn't thrilled. My dad and BFF had had their TKRs pushed down to get extension. I watched every move the therapist made, no one was going to push on my knee! After my infection I went to a different group affiliated with my OS. It was farther away, but totally worth it! They were gentle and never hurt me.
 
Hi shotzie63, I am also 4 weeks out and totally understand what you are going through. I really like Braunzie's response - it is so true! This is my 2nd knee to get done. With ought this forum I don't know what I would have done. This time around my new PT started telling me we would push the knee to make it bend. She was stunned when I told her no way, the knee is the boss and we will not force it. The first four weeks are so hard, I told my husband I wanted to cut the leg off, hang it in the closet and get it back once it was recovered. I just didn't want to go through all this again but kept reminding myself to take it one day at a time. I agree that the most important thing is to work on reducing swelling and managing the pain before doing any PT. the worst thing you can do is listen to the people who will now start saying well it's been a month you must be ok now - I hate that, they have no clue. I find this is when I need the forum the most to remind myself that it is a long journey. I've also cried and yelled and thrown some tantrums over tHe last 4 weeks - lol, comes with the territory.
 
At this point in my recovery (12 weeks), I can't even imagine thinking about considering getting my other knee done. At least I am past being sorry I got this one done.

I hope we haven't heard from you because you're busy and not because you had a bad PT experience or are deep in the dumps. Hang in there (she says as she alternately flexes and extends before planning to stand)
 
Oh poor you - don't feel like a failure!! You are so, so early on in the recovery process from very major surgery. If your leg was just broken would you accept someone manhandling it and insisting it bend. Crazy PT!! I got on well with my CPM machine but not everyone does and the jury is still out on how effective they are in aiding recovery. I had mine for the first couple of weeks at home and used it consistently for long periods of time, with ice, and I feel that the constant gentle bending helped me.
You really can't bend too much though when the knee is really inflamed and that sounds like where you are right now. You are getting the best advice from all the administrators on here and I am sure someone @PolarBear60 will be along later to comment on your latest news. You just need time to heal. So many have said it but it is really true Ice, Ice and more Ice while elevating that knee is the best pain relief. Please don't be hard on yourself! Take care and feel better soon.
 
@saultlooser said: "The first four weeks are so hard, I told my husband I wanted to cut the leg off, hang it in the closet and get it back once it was recovered." So true, so true. I wish we had that option!

@shotzie63, as other have said, your first task is to let your soft tissue rest and heal. Rest, ice and elevate. Don't let them force you to do any PT that hurts. It'll only increase the swelling and discomfort.

I'm sorry to hear you have both RA and fibromyalgia. You might want consider adding those diagnoses into your signature line as well as the date of your operation. It'll help people who read your posts to understand all of what you're going through, and it'll help other Bonesmarties who have RA and/or fibro reach out to you and share their recovery stories.
 
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