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PKR 4 months post TKR, 1 year post PKR

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@sandbar525 Yes!... on my knee in January I just felt so wonderful after the staples were out.. I turned a corner and I can not wait for that to happen this time. Something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving week!
 
Well... today is a dark day.... it is actually dark here outside my little window in to the world. I feel like I have been at this forever and I need to get up and get to work. I know I can't really do that right now at 10 days out from having my leg sawed off.... I am tired of being in the chair, tired of the computer, tired of the TV and just want to go to the barn and check on my animals and clean up around the house. My husband is out to work for a couple hours, so it is just me and the animals sitting here and they are all asleep. I feel like I should be dropping down on meds and sometimes I can spread the distance between doses by an hour here and there.. but that is it. My husband insists on getting up with me though the night and taking care of the meds and making sure I don't fall.. which is really sweet.. but he is not getting much rest. I have done some light, gentle exercises at home cause I thought the PT filling in for my regular one was a little too intense... now I worry I have not done enough. I see my regular, trusted PT for the first time after surgery, on Monday, and I am sure I will feel better then. It is still pretty uncomfortable to walk much or to stand still for any length of time. Well, enough whining I guess... just gonna sit here and see what is on the TV and maybe fall asleep till my husband gets home. OH.. and I shall have some chocolate.
 
Please don't let the slow pace of these beginning weeks of recovery get to you. It's only a temporary situation and things will improve. Better that you take it slow rather than risk the pain and swelling that can come with over-activity. This is time for your body to heal and strengthen from the core out. Take advantage of all the rest and pampering you can get!!! You'll be glad you did.
 
@hbacres I had one of those "dark days" yesterday. Today was 180 degree about face and, even though it was raining, I felt sunny all day long. I guess what they say is true, it is not a linear healing process. Rest, ice, elevate, medicate and enjoy the love your attentive husband is showing you. Best wishes for a sunny day tomorrow! :)
 
Just experimenting with loading a photo. This was yesterday, nine days out from surgery and the date I was supposed to remove the waterproof bandage.
[Bonesmart.org] 4 months post TKR, 1 year post PKR

Please excuse my worn out sweatshirt...it is my most favorite, most comfortable. I have 22 staples.
 
What a great photo!!! I'm so happy you posted it!!!
 
Dressing cozy is great. These early days are a bit tough, but they get better. It is not usual for walking to be slow and uncomfortable at first. Are you using a walker? As you get more confident (I would think pretty soon) your husband will not feel the need to get up with you.
 
@kneeper Thanks! I am not using a walker actually.. I switched to crutches pretty quick as I have used them a lot in the past and they felt more comfortable to me. I am using two crutches. I think my husband might be more comfortable once I have my staples out on Tues and we talk with the doctor. I have been really stable on my walking.. slow, but not wobbly.
 
I had PT today with my regular trusted therapist who was on vacation when I started last week. She helped me so much today! I came in miserable.. I had the worst night I have had since I got home.. my muscles were so tight. She worked my muscles with gentle massage until I felt much better... did the basic exercises, rode the bike a bit and got ice and E-Stim. I felt soooo much better when I left there than when I came in. I am still at 90 which she was not worried about.. said it would come along. I got pretty flat, but she didn't measure that.. she said I was doing well...told me to keep icing all the time and add some heat to my muscles and try gentle stuff at home to relax them. She only has me doing ankle pumps, quad sets and the gravity pulling down on my knee at home.. along with 5 mins on the bike twice a day. I will be going in 3 times a week for a few weeks. I feel good right now... and I think I shall take a nice long nap.
 
It sounds as if you have a great therapist there! :yay:

I'm so glad she helped you and made you feel better.
 
Well... I had my staples out today. It all went well and the incision looks good and I had new x-rays and they looked just fine. I was not measured today... but they eyed me out at about 90 degrees.. and said I was on track. I was told by the PA that saw me today that the knee that was put in is pretty heavy duty and tight. He also said younger patients have more muscle mass and so with this tighter knee and tighter muscles.. it can be hard to get the ROM. He said that my doctor has a higher number of MUA's with this knee in younger patients. He only told me this because I asked... he was not giving me a hard time or anything. He said if I am not at or near 120 at 6 weeks that I will probably get the talk. He also suggested I try to start to cut back on the Oxy soon. He refilled my Rx, but with only 75 tabs.. so at my current usage of about 8 to 10 a day.. is not really very much... but I have some extra left over from my last surgery and I also have hydrocodone left over.. so I am not very worried about that. I did realize today that this knee is taking much longer than my partial. By this time I was able and wanting to wander out to the barn and I was driving at about 3 weeks out... I am nowhere near that this time ... so I am a bit down this evening. Also, I had to ride in the car for 2.5 hours to get the staples out.. so I got pretty uncomfortable by the time we got home so that is not helping. Anyway.. tomorrow is another day and I start it out with PT first thing in the AM. I am gonna just sit here with ice and elevation and my meds all up to date and try not to compare my knees......
 
@hbacres - I found your thread! Just read it all. You have gone through a lot. I hope this Thanksgiving morning finds you well and you continue to improve. We are all here for you. Hugs.
 
Well, here it is Thanksgiving morning and I am sitting in my recliner, iced and elevated. Usually I do much running around and cooking on Thanksgiving, even though it is usually just the two of us eating. My husband is cooking for us today and I am supervising and watching the parade. I hope everyone has an enjoyable and restful day.

I did have a milestone yesterday... I got myself upstairs and got in the bathtub, took a long and hot bath (didn't get my incision wet) and then got myself out of the bathtub..... all by myself. For 2 weeks out and an ROM of 94, I thought I did pretty good. But, I have a lot of upper body strength.. so I did it mostly with my arms. It did wonders for my mental state and I think it helped my knee too... a little extra bending. :bath:

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!
 
@Celle Thank you.. I have been worried about the MUA stuff... I am a worrier.
 
I think that what you were told about your surgeon wanting you to get to 120 by 6 weeks is an over-optimistic target. Most surgeons are happy with 90 by that stage and very few surgeons even contemplate MUA once you get to 90 degrees.

You have all the time in the world, because there is no "window of opportunity" within which a MUA must be done, or else all is lost. This article might help:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

Don't forget, also, that it is your knee and you have the absolute right to say that you don't want a MUA, or that you would like to wait a bit longer. No one can do a MUA without your full consent.
 
@hbacres Great job on the bath! It sounds like it would be so soothing but I'm afraid that I might have trouble getting out of tub so will stick to shower for a while. Good job on the ROM, too! :)
 
Just got home from an hour and half of PT and a short visit with friends. I am iced, elevated and ready for a nap! I got to 100 on ROM, rode the bike for 12 minutes.. mostly the whole way around, backwards. I also was put on a machine that stretched my leg straight and also worked on ROM on the machine. Nothing hurt.. just a little discomfort.. but I am sure adding it all up that I am gonna be tired the rest of the day. I was very pleased with my increased ROM...it wasn't easy.. but wasn't horrible either. I also got pretty much flat in extension. I do have a bit of trouble going from straight to bent... it takes me time to make the transition. My husband reminded me today that I am only 2 weeks and 2 days since surgery... I thought it was more like 3 weeks :idea:
I told the PT that is was like starting over each morning cause it is all stiff and needs massaged loose each day.

It will be nice to have the weekend off!
 
hbacres said:
I told the PT that is was like starting over each morning cause it is all stiff and needs massaged loose each day.
Click to expand...
You are pretty much right on the mark there!
hbacres said:
I got to 100 on ROM, rode the bike for 12 minutes.. mostly the whole way around, backwards.
Click to expand...
You are doing great!

For some reason, going around backwards is much easier than forwards in the early days of recovery.
 
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