TKR 3-17 RTKR and Totally "On Course"

[Phil75070]

@TexasTee that left knee was resting a lot higher on the pillow bringing it closer to the camera and exaggerating its size in comparison.

I told my OT about my obsession with golf so he actually gave me some upper body exercises with the exercise bands that though not golf-specific will actually be of benefit to my game.

This cold weather makes for a great time to be inside and recovering. While in Mexico, hit a few, sip on a drink, hit a few more. It is amazing how much of a swing lubricant alcohol can be. Enjoy your time there!


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[referee54]

This cold weather makes for a great time to be inside and recovering

Yes---I also was glad to have my surgery done in November---it makes spring time and the weather then so much more enjoyable!

As for golf---I marvel at the people who play it---I have no talent nor do I have patience for it---I make the movie Caddy Shack look like a drama. Needless to say, I have not golfed in at least 14 years.

 

[Phil75070]

@referee54 golf is very frustrating as the ball is just sitting there, sometimes even on a tee, waiting to be hit. One would think that is easier to do than to try and react to and hit an object coming at you at 90mph+!


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[Phil75070]

PT just left. He measured my ROM and the big thing to me is not the precise numbers but rather the indication of continued improvement. Lat week was 6/75 and this week 4.5/92.

The other sign of improvement is getting through the complete sets of lying, standing and walking exercises with fewer rest breaks.

Pain and discomfort are, as to be expected, continuing but manageable to a greater degree. The discomfort is totally different this time as it is more around the knee itself than in the hamstring and calf like it was with the other knee. At night I am getting a good 4.5 hours of sleep before I awake to take a pain pill then I am able to quickly fall back asleep for another 4.5 hours. I then I go another hour or so before medicating again.

"No two knees heal the same." So true.


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[referee54]

@Phil75070

PT just left. He measured my ROM and the big thing to me is not the precise numbers but rather the indication of continued improvement. Lat week was 6/75 and this week 4.5/92.

That is a great attitude---do not obsess over the numbers---let the PT folks do that---they are a quantitative lot.

Just keep yourself focused on gradual improvement, knowing that you will have good days and a few stinkers---and eventually you will reach your destination.

 

[tiredwife]

@Phil75070 Improvement is a great thing! It makes everything so worth it!

 

[Phil75070]

I may have spoken too soon about the sleep! Last night was a rough night as I am trying to stretch the pain meds I have to last until my f/u next Tuesday.

The prescription he gave me is 1/2 the strength he gave me last time plus, the last time I had had another week of in-patient care and pain management before coming home so without that I am using these up at a faster rate.


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[tiredwife]

@Phil75070 Hope it gets better soon. Lack of sleep is very hard to deal with!

 

[DogLoverx3]

Hi @Phil75070 , I remember well the trying to ration my pain meds. It's not worth it my friend. Either call your OS for another script or, if he's not into it, contact your GP. Your knee can't follow a random schedule set forth by your surgeon. You need what you need to be able to rest, do your exercises and get through the day. There is no shame in needing more than your surgeon 'thinks' you do. Take good care!!

 

[Phil75070]

2 week checkup completed. X-Rays taken, staples removed, steri-strips applied, new pain med prescription for hydrocodone (10/325) replacing the exhausted oxycodone (5/325). Hydrocodone is the pain med I had with the right knee and to which I responded very well, so that's good news!

Overall, OS is pleased with my recovery to date. Need to work on both extension and Flexion though where I am is more than acceptable. Home care for the balance of the week then I start outpatient PT twice per week starting next week.


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[referee54]

Thank you so much for the great report---keep them coming!!!

 

[Celle]

Good progress, Phil!

I'm glad you had your pain medications adjusted to what worked before.

 

[Lovestoread]

Sounds like you're doing great Phil! Keep up the good work!


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[Phil75070]

Had my last visit from Home Health Care late this afternoon before starting outpatient PT next week. She is the team leader and observed all of the exercises I have been doing and observed my progress to date. Measurements show continued improvement. She thinks I will get to full extension very quickly.

A couple of x-Ray views of the left knee I was shown today follow. Same device as used in my right knee except it is the "CR" (cruciate retaining) version as the PCL was kept.

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[Phil75070]

Just got back from my first out-patient PT session and it went a lot better than I expected. Initial ROM measurements were 10* on extension and 110* on flexion, though that was really pushing it on flexion. By the time all of the exercises and massaging was completed he measured 120* on flexion and it was an "easy" 120*, no pain, little discomfort. As he put it, I am well ahead of the curve for being three weeks out on my left knee. (Just for the heck of it I asked him to measure flexion on my right knee and that one came in at 135*.)

As far as the exercises themselves today they were pretty much a breeze including 6 minutes peddling fully around on the recumbent bike. The one that was most uncomfortable was sitting in a chair with my leg fully extended and my heel resting on a stool letting gravity straighten it. Steri-strips all came off; got a little massage of the incision which is healing nicely and was sent on my way to next return on Thursday.

He told me driving is up to me, just depends on how I feel with regard to the effect of the pain meds. I told him I typically only take the narcotics two at bedtime and 1/2 of one when I awake around 2-3:00am and he felt driving should be OK though I will probably wait a bit before I do.

He also told me I can graduate from the walker to a cane and when I got home I put the walker away in an upstairs closet going both up and down the stairs one foot in front of the other! It actually shocked me that I could do that! At this rate I may be able to return to playing golf well ahead of my own expectations!

 

[DogLoverx3]

Holy cow Phil! That's AMAZING! Go you on your recovery! To this day I look like a big ole' goober trying to do stairs one foot after the other and here you are doing it at 3 weeks. Sounds like you are well ahead of the curve, but please don't overdo because of it and set yourself back. I'm so very happy for you!!! I know @TexasTee will be thrilled to hear about your recovery as well as it will help to show that not everyone has issues. ;-) Keep up the great work Phil!!

 

[TexasTee]

Wow - that's awesome! Ellen is entirely correct - it's reports like these that keep my surgery date on the calendar!

 

[Phil75070]

@DogLoverx3 My OS did say to me that if I liked the outcome of my right knee I would be ecstatic with the outcome of this knee. I know correcting varus vs valgus is one of the factors though I don't know if it is just the case of retaining the PCL or if there are other factors involved.

 

[Celle]

That's a great report, Phil!
I don't have to remind you to go easy on the exercise, do I?

I seem to remember that you found achieving full extension was difficult with your first knee. Often it takes more time to get full extension than it does to get flexion.

 

[Phil75070]

@Celle Right from the start, with this left knee extension has been much better than it was with the right knee. I started out with the right knee at 22* and improvement was very, very slow. The 10* he measured on my left knee at the start of today's session was as bad as it has been measured since I got home on day three. I have been measured as good as 2* by my home healthcare PT last Wednesday after going through all of my exercises for her. My PT today didn't measure extension at the end of today's session, only at the beginning.