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TKR 6 months and leg pain gone!

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Hi SFBaySailor you were right about the driving! I finally got a call back from the medical assistant at the OS office and she said go ahead and drive if you feel like you can and if i would rather wait till my 3 month appt i could talk to the doctor but we all know how thats going to go haha ill have to chase him down the hall after he looks at my X-rays to even ask. So dont know why my PT was so insistent, Live and learn.
 
kneewords, drive when you feel comfortable, period! I am still only driving to work and back, about 15 minutes each way. Had a trip, although very short, to the grocery store. It went ok , if you feel like it, just try short rides and see how you feel. No rush, you will know when you are ready. Since this my 3rd replacement on same knee, I am taking this one very very slow. I learned the hard way that slower is so much better then faster, haha!
There is a nail salon just a couple minute drive from my house, think today I may go for a mani/pedi just to lift the spirits! Met my girlfriend for dinner last night, hubby dropped us off and picked us up and spent 2 wonderful hours catching up. God it felt great !
It really is the small things that I am appreciating more each day, got to because there are no BIG things right now
 
DebR yes your right i think i want a mani pedi today have been siting around too much. after that PT the other day! its better now but between getting on my knee and some massage she did i started getting the shin pain again and my knee felt weird painful. its probably nothing but of course i go to disaster anytime anything is weird . I dont plan on driving yet mostly because i have drivers all the time. if i didnt i would have probably tried awhile back. also still taking my norco in the morning so wont drive with that. i sure like the Brit way better than our no pain no gain mindset. Gosh 3! third time is the charm right? hang in there and pick a good nail color!!
 
I jus wrote a really long post full of love & support and it's gone !!!!!! Oh well short version is stop PT for a day or 2. Try Motrin, 3-4 hundreds milligrams 2-3 times a day and see what happens with the shin pain . Use the cane & get off it when you can. Do nothing to make the shin hurt !!!!!! I had another pretty wonderful day , met friends, took a 45 minute drive for cupcakes ( yes I am THAT serious about cupcakes) then went to a wonderful German restaurant for lunch/dinner. I was gone from the house for about 6-7 hours, and feel pretty darn good. In fact since I stopped PT couple weeks ago, where they were using weights, stretching, bike etc my knee AND leg are better.
God, the people on here, Josephine, Jamie, Maryo52 etc have it right on the money, though it took me a while to get it.
I don't know if this feeling will last but I will take if for now. I actually WANTED to go out today , been longer then I can remember when I said to my husband, can we go out on this beautiful day, hang with our best friends & eat & drink. He was so thrilled because I haven't wanted to do much for the past 4 yrs because of the darn knee. Depressed, tired, sore and just didn't want to be bothered. I feel a little of my life coming back, bit by bit :)) please do not push, go slow and let me know how you do? The driving ? You know that will come when you feel up to it, no rush! Take great care & let me know, thank you so much for checking on me, it's appreciated more then you could possibly know !!!!!!
 
DebR thanks for checking on me too! I know what you mean for the past 2 years i have been a slug. 2 years ago tomorrow i was thrown from a horse and broke my hip in 3 places (on a trail ride to look at beautiful fall colors ha!) they did not replace it but put plates rods etc it was a long recovery and my knee was already bad at that point. it really changed my lifestyle and i know what you mean about not wanting to go anywhere i have felt like the invalid since then.
my hubby has been wonderful thru this but poor guy i was pretty active now this.
im feeling better after my pt from hell i did take ibuprofen and lived the BS mantras and it works! that shin pain and all is better.
i love german food too there is not much around here, none in fact! but there is a local octoberfest and i am going! october is coming! So great to hear you are doing good! :yes!:i went to a park today and walked for about half an hour my exercise up until this point has been PT and shopping. after walking i crashed slept for an hour and a half and woke up starving! ate everything i could find which was -candy-brownies and then a salad, hubby was bbqing and by the time my steak was ready i was full. that poor man!
I am a cupcake girl too we have 2 cupcake wars winners that have shops locally and they are deadly! i can see once i start walking the pounds will pack on. i also have a stationary bike i have used ONCE i thought i would start using it for an hour while i watch Kathy Lee and Hoda- then decided i better start with 10 minutes. have a good night we are going to be great just will take a little time:spin:
 
Hi kneewords
I use my stationary bike regularly and find it is really great for my knees.
I would suggest that if you are not in the habit of using it that you start with maybe five minutes and then build up adding a little longer each day.
I stated back on my bike three weeks post op with one minute three times a day and have built up to fifteen minutes three times a day.
If you try to do too much too quickly you won't stick with it.
It's a good idea to watch TV while you cycle, makes the time pass.
Have fun, Toothfairy x :dancy: :bicycle2:
 
Thanks Toothfairy i noticed you are 6 days ahead of me RTKR. how are you doing? i woke up early today with a pain where my pain used to be prior to surgery outside lower knee. Ive been sleeping ok but once or twice a week i wake up super early before the chickens 4am usually because of pain. i try to tell myself mornings are beautiful and delightful! and check BS to see who else is up
are you still taking meds? Im taking a Norco every 3 hours still and wonder if i should be tapering off a this point. thanks for the advice about THE BIKE hehe i have had it for a year now its not allowed in the garage and is in the middle of my living room i glare at it occasionally i will have to make it my friend. i do 10 minutes at the start of PT so ill start with that. Let me know how you are and i will read your thread i didnt realize we were so close surgery wise:rofsign:what does this mean?? it looks funny tho
 
Hi Kneewords.
I am doing very well thanks.

Th emoticon means rolling on the floor laughing, it took me a while to work that one out!

I m still taking meds. I take paracetamol 4 times daily ( I think it's called Tylenol in USA)
Naproxen twice daily and I also take tramadol. I was taking 50 mg four times a day but I cut out my middle of the night dose about 7 days ago and cut out my evening dose a couple of days ago so now it's only twice daily.
Over the next couple of weeks/months I will cut out the other doses when I feel able. Once I am off tramadol I will them reduce the others over time.
I am not a believer in suffering so I will take pain meds for as long as I need them.

I have been sleeping quite well too. The last couple of nights I have slept a lot deeper and longer which is nice but I notice that my knees are very stiff when I waken up, probably because I have been sleeping deeper and lying so still. Once I have moved my legs and bent and stretched them a few times I am fine again.

I see you had a long time between having your knees done. Have you found the second time different from the first?
Take it gently on that bike, who knows you might enjoy it! Do take it very gently this early in your recovery especially if you are not used to going on the bike.
Hugs Toothfairy x :bicycle2: :flwrysmile:
 
Hi went on the bike for 10 minutes yay now i just have to keep it up!
My LTKR was probably 5 years later than it should have been i tore my ACL and the DR i saw said it was nothing go back to work (jerk!) so i did not knowing. i had a very physical job.. when i finally saw another DR i had it cleaned out but he and another DR i saw 3 total- said i needed a replacement but was too young (but not too young to suffer!) Finally the OS who did both my replacements said that was ridiculous. by then my knee was totally trashed.
I dont remember a lot about it the PT had a lot more squats which i hated and i went back to work at 5 weeks wearing sweats and with a walker luckily they put me on a desk job for about 6 months. it was a struggle but overall uneventful.
with this knee the pre op paperwork said minimally invasive so i was excited and when i asked what the difference was they said nothing! huh? why put that . and it wasnt different but i had a much worse time this time with pain control. im retired so dont have to deal with that phew and can just relax i think working kept my mind off of some of the pains that travel thru your leg though.
Im glad you said " still early in your recovery" i keep kicking myself that i am not farther along its nice to be reminded that its still early . take care i love you Brits! i was in London for 3 days about 15 years ago LOVED IT! actually right after my first arthroscopy! but i tuffed it out it was worth it:snork:
 
Well I am 10 weeks and 2 days out! i thought by now i would be great things are not horrible but i still have pain on the outside of my knee right at the replacement not crippling but it is the same place it used to hurt before the replacement. at least my legs are straight. im still taking my norcos but not right at 3 hours i might go 4 now. a little discouraged and trying to be positive. im doing all the housework and some cooking and trying to shop some. i still have days where i dont do anything but lay around. i stopped my therapy this week trying to let the pain go away. is this normal? boo hoo i am bummed:sorry:
 
I guess i forgot to add that this is a new pain i feel like i was doing better a few weeks ago and am wondering if i did something to cause this and i am not as positive as i said earlier!
 
Normal, normal, normal.

I think we have some idea of when we thought we'd be recovered from TKR. The time between that and the real recovery time is fraught with duldrums. Progress is slight from week to week. We cannot function normally yet, and we can't participate in favorite activities (which are also nice distractions). And random aches and pains worry us. I didn't even try to maintain a good attitude. But I did try to keep the little comforts coming. A favorite TV show, movie, reading, music, food, phone calls, etc. It's all about letting Time do its thing.
 
thank you Maryo i get freaked out quite easily. i know it takes a lot to hurt the implant but i started thinking oh it might have been kneeling in PT or i sleep with my knee bent maybe that did it or maybe im sewing at the sewing machine with my knee bent too much. i do need more treats. i just cant wait until every waking moment is not thinking about my knee. this site has been wonderful.
 
Funny story. I have a quirky artist friend, meaning her art is quirky. She was very attentive during my knee saga. I had bend problems due to arthrofibrosis. It was in a real big funk over it. She showed up one day with food and a knee talisman which she made out of a doll's leg. It was a doll's leg that did not articulate -- the knee did not bend. I felt pretty much jinxed and as much as I loved her gesture and the thought, that leg symbolized to me my worst fear, that my leg would never bend to 90 again. That just goes to show you how weird we get recovering from major surgery in combo with heavy drugs.
 
thats so funny i look at everything as a sign too! depending on my mood they could be a good sign or a bad sign!
 
I just posted this on another thread, but thought I would share with you too. I use an electric blanket. I have been using it for years to help with my knees arthritis, but I found that it also works now with my LTKR. I don't wake up so stiff. The muscles are nicely relaxed when I wake up. You might want to give one a try.
 
Thanks Kolleen i will try that its a good idea. its gotten cold really quick here and i notice my knee does not like that! I see youre in big bear, im almost next door in the antelope valley!
 
maryo52 I have been tickled by your doll leg story since last night:) i probably would have thought it meant i would need an amputation haha. i know what you mean about pain and drug head you dont need to be crazy to have a TKR but it helps!
 
Wow, kneewords we are close! I hope the blanket helps.
 
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