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TKR 2 New Knees and a Little Tweak

God bless you guys. I know I'll have to do the second knee at some point, but I can't even think of that yet at 12 weeks on the first.
 
Well, it was a year ago today that my new left knee was born! I'm happy to report it has grown to be better than the original one and now is stronger than ever. It feels like a normal knee and I can do anything I want to do, although I don't kneel on it - my doctor has told me it's okay to do that but I'm just too squeamish to even try it and don't really have a need to do that. The right knee is 5 months old and is coming along. My rehab has been a little slower with this one because of issues with my Mom getting sick and then passing away and having to clean out her house, but I've been pretty consistent with working out for the past 3 weeks and I can say the exercise seems to be helping with getting the stiffness and soreness worked out. I've actually slept all night for the past couple of weeks without any "chemical" intervention and only need to take a couple of extra strength Tylenol during the day. I'm so thankful for the skill of my amazing surgeon and his therapy staff for this amazing journey I've been on the past year. Hang in there fellow Smarties! There is light at the end of the tunnel!
 
Thank you so much for your wonderful report. It does help, especially on a day like today.
 
Well I saw my OS yesterday for my 1 year followup on my left knee and 6 month followup on my right knee. Things are great with my left knee, flexion of 125 and extension of -2. My right knee was a little sore from over doing it on exercise on Monday so I was only able to get to 115 flexion and -2 extension but my doctor was more than pleased with my progress. I was concerned my "newer" knee wasn't healing as well as the 1st one, but he assured me that no 2 knees are alike and while it may be slower than the 1st, it's still well within normal. My biggest concern is that I just can't seem to get the pain to go away at night yet. It's not horrible, and I can sleep most of the night but it seems with the 1st knee at this point it was mostly resolved by now. At least I'm able to walk without limitations and shop all day without noticing any pain for the 1st time in 10 years! Because of my new found freedom and mobility my husband and I have decided to build our dream forever home with steps! Life is good! Happy Holidays everyone! :dancy:
 
I haven't reported for a while, but I had my 9 month checkup on my 2nd knee yesterday and my flexion and extension are doing great and my strength is greatly improved in both legs so it was a good report. My only issue is that I continue to have this sharp pinching pain on the lower lateral side of my knee on a daily basis, not constantly and not so severe that it hinders my activity but I certainly notice it and I thought I would be mostly pain free at this point. My surgeon looked at my x-rays from December and noticed that my kneecap is slightly tilted to the outside and feels it may be irritating the fat pad when I do too much activity. He prescribed a double dose of Prednisone pack to take for 12 days in hopes if we can reduce the inflammation in the fat pad it will clear things up. Wow, after 1 dose it feels so much better! Hopefully this works. He's going to x-ray again in June at my 1 year visit to see if there's been any change. I guess worse case scenario is they sometimes have to go in arthroscopically and shave the kneecap back a little bit to prevent the fat pad from being pinched. Anyone heard of that?
 
Gigi, you are describing the exact pain I'm experiencing. The only thing I notice is that my knee cap is smaller than on my left (both knees are TKR). Prednisone is a miracle worker for me too but I can't stay on it very long as it's very damaging to the immune system and bone density. I'm feeling like I'm heading back to arthroscopic surgery soon too. Seeing a new OS on Thursday for closer look at things. My original OS is just so proud of his work that he can't even tolerate the possibility that something went wrong. My PCP confirmed that his skill set is not in reviewing problems after his work has been done, thus a new referral. Hoping for answers!
 
Hello all,
Well I had surgery on my right knee this morning, almost a year to the day of my replacement. The OS found when he got in there that there was about a cm and half of new bone growth on the lateral underside of my kneecap that was rubbing against my implant. That is what was causing my pain so he removed that section. I don't think he ended up having to do the lateral release because he said the kneecap was tracking normally and my implant was stable and looked good. I've already been able to get up and walk to the bathroom
 
That's great news. I'm glad your surgery went well and you're up and about already. :flwrysmile:
 
Well despite having a long discussion with the anesthesiologist before surgery, and his plan to throw everything he could at me to prevent nausea and vomiting, the "puke" fairy decided to join the party anyway. Fortunately I had told my surgeon to leave an order for phenergan just in case since it's the only drug that will stop vomiting for me. They don't really like to use it much anymore because it can't be given IV but zofran and raglan just don't help. One shot and it seems like I might have passed that hurdle. On a good note, my pain is under control with just Tylenol and tramadol for now and I can already feel a difference in my knee when I've walked to the bathroom. Sure I have some incision pain, but that tight sharp burning pain seems much better. I'm glad I had this done and I think my surgeon was right that this recovery should be easier than the last two. I can't wait until this knee feels like a normal knee like the 1st one.
 
Feeling great this morning! I've been up to the bathroom several times and I think I could make it without the walker but of course the hospital makes you use it because they're worried about falls. My knees feel really steady and the pain isn't too bad right now but I'm sure the 3 hour drive home later will change that.
 
You are doing well and I hope your recovery is swift. I'm glad your problem has been solved.
 
Made it home and this time the 3 hour drive home wasn't nearly as bad as the previous two surgeries for my replacements. I walked unassisted into the house, was able to unpack and put things away and now I am on bed rest with my CPM except for bathroom breaks. Icing constantly just like after my TKR's, basically he told me to follow the TKR protocol which includes gentle exercises like heel slides and leg lifts. I'm amazed at how little pain I have and how quickly the surgery seems to have fixed my problem. So relieved!
 
That is wonderful news! I wish quick healing.
 
Well my first night home went pretty well. I managed to sleep soundly from 10:30 to 4:30, woke up and took my tramadol and Tylenol and went right back to sleep for another 4 hours. The pain really isn't too bad, in fact it feels better to walk and stand than lying in bed but I know I need to stay elevated and iced so the swelling doesn't get bad. I've got good ROM so things seem to be going well.
 
It's day 3 and I'm already over this bed rest and bored to death! My knee is feeling great except for the incision and once these staples come out I'm sure I'll be back to normal. This has been so much easier than I expected! I guess I'm going to have to find some patience to get through the next 2 weeks.
 
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