10-11 weeks post-op

[cotton1958]

My 2-month check up is tomorrow. Really not sure what to expect. I guess as long as everything is okay, I guess pain pills, swelling, PT, etc is discussed, kind of scary to think I will potentially be discharged for a while? Not sure what the schedule will be like for the next several months.

Meanwhile, my kiddo is here, and going to try (with her help) to get a before and after up. You can see the bow leggedness in the before. Still a lot of swellling in the 'after', but it's hard to see since both legs were done. But they do look a lot straighter!!

The last picture was taken a couple of weeks ago. The scar's a really more purpley as they are a little keloid-ish. Yuck. Guess I need to add that to my list tomorrow.

 

[Jamie]

Cotton...your knees look great now compared to before.

Be sure and take a written list of anything you want to talk with your surgeon about. It's easy to forget things when you get in the office.

I would think he would want to see you at 6 weeks. Ask him, if that makes you more comfortable to have reassurance that things are going just fine.

 

[loggon]

wow Cotton what a difference in the legs.
Your surgery was great!

 

[Texas]

Hey Cotton I have to agree with that..........Im so happy for you.............)

 

[Dawnie]

Great legs, :whis:.
Good luck with your check up. XXXX

 

[mtngal67]

Best of luck with your check up! Sure looks like you're doing great!

Gale
RTKR 10/5/09

 

[One NZer]

Wow, your new knees look great, what a difference. :thmb:

 

[John w]

Wow your knees do look great, I wish my swelling had been that good at 11 weeks. Good luck and keep us posted.

JW

 

[cotton1958]

Thanks all. Still having swelling in the knee and feet that I can feel and see, especially the knee...and my shoes are just as tight as they were in the beginning, if not worse. And I ice and elevate a whole lot.

I think it comes from the hard pushing at PT. Interesting in that I skipped one PT last week as I had someone to meet from out of town and wanted to try to be able to walk etc as well as possible...and also wanted to 'see' if my swelling would happen to go down any. Really can't tell the difference.

I'll see what the Doc says today. It's just hard to compare when both legs were done at the same time. It's amazing to me to see how deformed my legs were in the before, and when I look at that picture, it makes me think, wow this really needed to be done! I had no idea I was that bowlegged or deformed until the Dr. told me!

Also, for anyone interested, my scars are 6" each leg. I was just curious.

 

[kimberlyann]

What a huge difference. Aren't you glad to have this behind you? Thank you for posting the pictures. I love seeing them.

Good luck with your appointment, let us know what the doctor says.

 

[rhondavous]

Cotton...I'm 6 months post op & still have slight swelling if I do too much. But one day I looked down and I saw a knee cap. It just appeared out of nowhere, then I knew it was gonna get better. My scar is a little more on the inside of my leg where yours looks more down the middle. You are doing alot better than I was at 11 weeks. I am now getting ready for my LTKR on Nov 19th. Good luck too you with both your knees.

 

[cotton1958]

Well, my visit went pretty well. I am free from PT! I think I had pretty much covered everything there and was just doing the same thing over and over. He wants me to go on my own and just be active and keep moving. So now it's my turn as I know I still have a way to go.

He said the swelling is very normal and called it lymphdema.He said it just takes some time to get the lymphs to build themselves up and do their own thing again. He gave me a RX for Mobic. I guess I should have asked for something weeks ago. Oh well.

I go back in 3 months. It's kind of a relief to be done with PT. I guess today makes 11 weeks post op. I actually found myself crack a couple of little smiles last night. I think PT was more stressful than I thought. I told him about the strong force of bendiing the legs about 3 weeks ago and the swelling...he just said keep it gentle or something like that. I had to talk him into another RX for hydrocodone to fill in for pain moments to go along with Ultram.

So anyway, I never thought I'd get this far. Still have a ways to go, as my gait is still funny, but I am still doing heel-to-toe and have to remind myself everytime I walk....now just need to get my butt to a gym and pool..I am really not a gym type of person...but guess that's going to change soon.

And not related to surgery, I have a neuroma on my foot-which is a nerve that causes pain and numbness. It's caused by aging. Cough. They fitted me with a pad in my shoe but as soon as I got into the car I ripped it off.

____________________________

BTKR 8/09

 

[Texas]

He Cotton it does sound like you are doing amazing im so happy for you............Sorry about your foot though yikes..........Yes no more pt thats a big step.......i think something the good ones dont mean to hurt us but well someone just dug around in our leg.....lol...........keep us posted but keep up the good work im happy for you.............) you deserve it

 

[Dawnie]

So pleased to hear you are doing so well, and free of the Physical Torturers at last. I go again on Monday coming for the first time in over two weeks because of my MUA, but I am not going to be bullied, I will do my best and if that aint good enough then tough.
Keep up the good work, you are my aspiration. XX

 

[beth1954]

Cotton,

I had a Morton's neuroma and had surgery for it. Either way it's not too comfortable. I ended up with scar tissue (as usual) and that is the only thing that makes me uncomfortable. Maybe if I had worked harder at that, I wouldn't have it. I had no PT along with that surgery.

 

[cotton1958]

I tried to edit before but was too slow, that I do believe in PT! And wish I has been able to stay with my original British-guy PT, but they wouldn't let me stay because insurance didn't cover it. So I went with my Dr's office PT, in which I later had the run-in about meds with my PT, who also happened to be the Director! And this was also out of pocket but think it was worth it or I would not have stayed.

Dawnie, like you said, do your best. You will come around. The mua will make things speed up for you I hope. I really thought I was headed that way to get one. Who knows. My Dr. is like Jo in that he doesn't get hung up on #'s. He just judges by how I can move. My ROM is not really that high compared to some here.

Beth, I didn't know they did surgery on those. I am sorry you had to go through that. Mine doesn't hurt that much, mostly it just scared me because I thought it was something shooting from the knee.

 

[beth1954]

Yes, they remove the neuroma. I've had surgery on both feet (not for the same thing though.) As long as it's not bothering you that much, then don't worry about it. Was the pad just a little "mound" shaped thing? That made mine feel quite a bit better. Ask around. There are inserts that help and that don't hurt or bother you!

 

[cotton1958]

Hi again, the cast-fitter put the mound thing on and taped it to my foot and told me to try to figure out where it should be when I got home. They were just doing me a favor. It was way too thick or moundy. I will look into something else that's flatter. I hate to go messing up my arch or big toe!

 

[beth1954]

Oh yeah.....the little mound that I had was no big deal. My doctor had a bunch of them in a drawer. He just gave me one. He put it in the right place. It helped at least a little bit! That's the bad thing about foot problems (knee too) is that it makes us walk in a strange gait that throws everything else out and then pretty soon we hurt all over instead of just a foot! Good luck with your knee AND your foot!:thmb:

 

[skigirl]

My feet are flat in the front and that predisposes me to Morton's neuroma. Lots of ski instructors get them because of the pressure of plastic boots. I wear metatarsal pads (the little mound) in my shoes. You can either 1. buy a Superfeet orthodic--they sell them in sporting goods stores for about $28 and tape the pad to the bottom. They should be right behind the ball of your foot--if you experiment, you will find a place where you can barely feel them.

or, 2. get an orthodic from a pt or foot specialist. A neuroma can be very painful and you will need the metatarsal pad if it gets worse. If I were you, I would investigate getting an orthodic. I currently use the Superfeet with two pads taped on, but have been measured for orthodics. i do not want anothher part of me to be painful!!!!! Kelly