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TKR 11/11/2014 - my recovery journal

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If it starts to feel warm or hot get it checked at work I always use back of hand to check heat. Butnif you think about it our bodies have been battered cut sawn they are pretty resilient

Legin THR Sep 14
 
Howdey @sandbar525 glad to hear things moving along well.

The swelling has been ongoing with me as well. I feel like it's my main limitation for ROM right now. Nevertheless, I discussed this issue with my doctor and he echoed what we all have been hearing: Ice, elevation and rest. It's persistent, but he said it will gradually pass.

I've had the same battles on the stationary bike too, and I've found one direction works better than the other. Once I get loosened up though, I feel like Lance Armstrong (although I'm on a lot more drugs than he was haha).

Keep on keepin' on, looks like you're doing great!
 
RedRider said:
The swelling has been ongoing with me as well. I feel like it's my main limitation for ROM right now. Nevertheless, I discussed this issue with my doctor and he echoed what we all have been hearing: Ice, elevation and rest. It's persistent, but he said it will gradually pass.
Click to expand...

Taking a look at your signature, you are very, very early in your recovery---and this recovery is not a sprint---it is a ultra-marathon. That swelling may take quite some time to go down---the first four weeks of a TKR recovery are called th e"Dark Days of Recovery."

You are dong what you are supposed to be dong at this time---icing, elevating, and resting---and it will take care of itself in time.
RedRider said:
Keep on keepin' on
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That is simply put---and that is what you have to do.

Remember, a TKR recovery---a full recovery---can take upwards to a year. Most recovery sooner, but others can keep gaining ROM up to a year and beyond.
 
True. I just posted a very positive post on my thread. But that doesn't mean I've taken up basketball at 5 months. :heehee: With my RA I have other issues besides my knees that slow me down a bit too. But I can tell you that even though I know I'm not 100% , I'm so much better than a couple of months ago (not to mention wonderful compared to pre-op).
So in other words, your knee is a mere baby right now, but it will grow up. :)
 
That is what mine does too.. a burning that shows up if my leg is not elevated and it also is worse if I am standing still rather than moving. I still can not stand in one place for very long and while I walk around the house some and do stuff I don't last long on an outing yet. But, it is a burning feeling.
 
Day 10: Even for all of my whining about swelling and burning sensation, I do feel that things are improving. I had to go into the clinic for another finger stick and INR is now down to 1.5 (a little below my range of 1.8-2.3) but much improved from 4.7 so I don't need to go back until Monday. Also no out-patient PT until Monday so looking forward to the rest of today and the weekend as a wonderful opportunity to do nothing but rest, ice, elevate and take my meds on schedule. Since my discharge on the 12th, I've had to go back to the hosptial for anti-coag or PT or both on all but 2 days. Just the process of dressing, getting in/out of car and walking to appt has been exhausting. At home PT is going to take a back seat for the next couple of days while I just rest and recoup! Did have one nice thing happen last evening. I found that I could actually sleep on my side (my preferred sleep position). Oddly enough though, the most comfortable side position was with my operated leg on the bottom. It seemed counter intuitive but it worked so I went with it! :) @hbacres I agree with every you said in your post above. Takes away the worry when you know what you are experiencing is common for this stage of the game. Thanks for sharing. Hugs all around!
 
Hummm.. I am usually a side sleeper.. I think I might give that a try tonight. That would take the pressure off my spinal area and might just work. I too am "off" till Monday with no place to go but my recliner and my bed with short hikes around the house. Then Monday the appts all begin again and I only have Thurs off next week! Well, feels like time for a little bit of chocolate and a nice long nap... the dachshund is all ready asleep on my lap and I am sure a cat is going to crawl up on my electric blanket soon.
 
Day 11: Think I might venture outside a bit today. Maybe at least a walk to the mailbox and back since it has stopped raining. Did some gentle PT this morning, 5 leg raises, 2 sets of 6 toe lifts, side steps (about 6 each way) and hamstring stretch (1 each side for 10 seconds). That will be it for this morning. I'll do the same after lunch and add 1 minute on the bike. I'm using the weekend to recoup from the energy drain of all of those car trips (8) to/from hospital over the past 9 days. I'm feeling excited to be seeing some progress, albeit slight. Know there is still a very long way to go, but seems like at least the first corner has been turned! :)
 
@sandbar525 I haven't been getting my alerts on you. Decided to see if you were okay. Looks like you are going to get a much needed break. Hubby would often sleep on his side with his new knee on the bottom. It is a little harder to elevate that way but sleep is so important. I heard Washington state is getting snow, any of it make it to you? Keep warm.

@eldon
 
It's funny, after learning all that I have learned on here... I watched a video that some hospital/rehab place put on about rehab after tkr. They had the rehab person telling the patient that she needed to do the 'flexing your feet - pulling the foot toward your calf and then putting your foot down like a ballerina move' 3000 times a day because most people walk at least 3000 steps a day and they needed to make the same movements to get used to it.

I was like :nah::scary: they have got to be kidding. 3000 times a day. He told her to do it 40 times in a row, stop for a minute and then repeat until she got to 3000. Granted it is only about a mile and 1/2, but still, right after tkr when she got home from the hospital?

Or am I just not getting it?... Hey if it's on the internet it's true... right? :rotfl::loll:
 
@tiredwife Ahhh, Thank you! I'm having a very nice one. Just got off the phone with my mom and she sang happy birthday to me! Then we had a good laugh...she sings like I do! :rotfl: I was born on Thanksgiving day and hit that day about every 11 years there about. (the date moves but not the holiday which is on the last Thursday of the month every year). I'm her little turkey! :loll:
 
@eldon My son was born on the 28th so he was almost born on Thanksgiving. It falls on it once in a while. Glad you are having a good birthday! :)
 
@SuperSnapper Feeling very fortunate that things have been going so well up to now. Had a rougher day yesterday but mostly from just being so exhausted from the daily visits to/from hospital 8 out of 9 days! Honestly can say that I feel like a new woman today and intend to do nothing but rest, ice, elevate, medicate and be gentle with myself for the whole weekend. Monday is a big day...staples coming out so want to be well rested.

@eldon My daughter Katie was born on November 18 and I call her my little turkey, too! Happy Birthday! :) PS 3,000 ankle pumps per day...in what universe?

@tiredwife So far no snow in Portland, just rain...no surprise there! :) It has warmed up a bit from the unusually cold temps and now it feels like a very ordinary Oregon November. Had another good night sleep last night with some of it on my side. Still sleeping the majority on my back but it sure feels good to have the option of moving to my side.
 
@sandbar525, you are doing so well. I'm kind of jealous. I'm almost 10 weeks out and still experiencing pain and swelling. My PT says the first 8 weeks is about healing. Then we are in the true rehab stage. My bad days are attributed to over doing it. But my bad nights are without explanation. I seem to toss and turn most of the night. My knee just can not get comfortable. I slept much better the first month.

Hang in there! -- Joni
 
@sandbar525 I don't think I could walk to my mailbox today.. I hope your's is pretty close. Mine is about 2/10ths of a mile from the house and I am not quite ready for that yet! I think I will stick with walking around the house and out on to the deck a little bit. I have not been able to get the whole way around on the bike yet..I am close.. I think... I have been riding it for 5 minutes at a time.. but really gently and slowly. I have not been counting my formal type exercises... I do a lot of heel slides and quad sets.... not a lot of lifts....I have been getting a lot of those just in life. Mostly I am hanging out and reading today!
 
Ahhhhh....bad idea and definitely not necessary. I wouldn't do 3000 or even 300 of anything right after your knee replacement. Geeze!!!! These therapists!!!
 
@sandbar525 - glad you are getting some rest in today. I did not think the weekend would feel like a weekend for us, but it does. Very quiet here too. Slept most of the day, recovering from yesterday, did the bike a few times and watched some college football with the hubby. My son is a senior in high school and wants to go to a Big 10 school. So today we watched OSU beat Indiana. Both are tops on his list.

Let me know how your walk and biking went! Hugs,
 
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