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TKR 6 weeks Post Op
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Canceled my final post-op today as there was a 100% chance of rain and the drive is 70 miles round-trip and I had to work on top of that. My final post-op appointment is with his PA 2 weeks from tomorrow. I really don't mind it being his PA because he's got to look at the records himself after she sees me. I'll keep you apprised. Gaining more energy and a desire to move more. Not sure how much I can be doing at this point, perhaps you could give me some suggestions? I've not been doing PT on the days I've worked as you suggested. But what about the days I don't work? Thanks for all your help and advice.
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What do you usually enjoy doing on your non- working days? Can you gradually get back to doing some fun things- like meeting friends for coffee/going for a walk? Factor in plenty of rest though on your days off- to keep your strength up for work.
I used pilates as a gentle way to build up my flexibility and strength. I didn't use any weights or resistance bands for several months though. And I continued to rest/ ice/ elevate for about 4-5 months after exercising.
You’ve only been back to work for one week. It’s good that you are tolerating it this early in your recovery. Be happy about that. Your days off are supposed to be….days off! That means you don’t need to do anything but your daily normal activities like preparing meals, light housekeeping, and maybe a short walk or errand (not all of these in one day….pick one or two activities and the remaining time should be resting, ice, and elevation). Give yourself this same schedule (assuming you don’t have any increases in pain or swelling) until after the 1st of June and then maybe you could consider adding in some exercises.
Practicing patience should be your main exercise….
You’re doing fine. Just try not to push yourself or you’ll be rejoining the ODIC.
Practicing patience should be your main exercise….
You’re doing fine. Just try not to push yourself or you’ll be rejoining the ODIC.
Legseleven
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Hello I’m new on here and awaiting PKR surgery on my knees and a cartilage repair. I have had minor surgery in the past and have this major knee surgery to come, and soon. I’m sure I’m going to find it very hard and a very big challenge. I am not in your shoes but I can really feel and hear your struggles, and I’m glad you found this amazing community. I’m glad I found it too.
I’ve some healthcare training, both in physical & mental health, and I’ve had a lot of experience as a carer (many times over) and worked as an experienced first aider at public events. Very sadly to say I have dealt with the aftermath of acetaminophen (paracetamol in UK) overdoses, both deliberate and accidental and it’s awful. I have to admit here that because of what I’ve seen first hand I find your apparent casual approach to taking too many acetaminophen really very hard to read. In truth it horrifies me because I’ve seen what happens and how ill someone can become. One of the longest 90 minutes of my life was waiting for the paramedics to come while aiding one of these cases. Please stick RIGIDLY to the 1000mg acetaminophen every six hours as the admins @Jamie and @EalingGran have suggested and not a single mg more for your long term health. Even a few extra doses can really mess with your liver. So many people are blasé about this drug, because they think it’s safe, but the dosage schedule really matters. 4000mg max per day, spaced evenly over 24 hours = 2 x 500mg every six hours. Please write it down or put in your phone so there’s no mistake.
My other suggestion would be to keep a diary of your days, especially your activity and exercise levels, and then after a little while you’ll be able to correspond/cross match them to your pain levels at night. By doing this I hope you’ll see a pattern and then can adapt your routine accordingly. It’s also evidence to show the health professionals.
As many of the admin suggest please try keeping to your activities of daily living, with some gentle walks and then see how the pain at night is. Maybe look up The Spoon Theory, it’s a great way to understand pacing post op and recovery after illness. It was the one thing which made my late husband learn to manage his energy when on cancer treatment, and it applies to pain too.
I wish you all the best, and if the Gabapentin makes you at all drowsy please do not drive. One of my friends takes it for nerve pain and had to stop driving, because she’s so drowsy.
I expect I’ll be a regular member of the ODIC after my op, but because I’ve spent a long time helping people recover and get their life back both physically and mentally I’ve got no excuse but to try to apply it to me. Our egos, and our pride often get in the way of letting our bodies rest and recover. We always think we should do more but our bodies, or in these cases our joints say “No way”, and we have to think differently and learn to listen. I learned a lot from having pneumonia last year.
I’m off to download the App Pathways suggested by @AliceNutter for myself.
Have a good evening and I hope the sleep gradually improves.
I’ve some healthcare training, both in physical & mental health, and I’ve had a lot of experience as a carer (many times over) and worked as an experienced first aider at public events. Very sadly to say I have dealt with the aftermath of acetaminophen (paracetamol in UK) overdoses, both deliberate and accidental and it’s awful. I have to admit here that because of what I’ve seen first hand I find your apparent casual approach to taking too many acetaminophen really very hard to read. In truth it horrifies me because I’ve seen what happens and how ill someone can become. One of the longest 90 minutes of my life was waiting for the paramedics to come while aiding one of these cases. Please stick RIGIDLY to the 1000mg acetaminophen every six hours as the admins @Jamie and @EalingGran have suggested and not a single mg more for your long term health. Even a few extra doses can really mess with your liver. So many people are blasé about this drug, because they think it’s safe, but the dosage schedule really matters. 4000mg max per day, spaced evenly over 24 hours = 2 x 500mg every six hours. Please write it down or put in your phone so there’s no mistake.
My other suggestion would be to keep a diary of your days, especially your activity and exercise levels, and then after a little while you’ll be able to correspond/cross match them to your pain levels at night. By doing this I hope you’ll see a pattern and then can adapt your routine accordingly. It’s also evidence to show the health professionals.
As many of the admin suggest please try keeping to your activities of daily living, with some gentle walks and then see how the pain at night is. Maybe look up The Spoon Theory, it’s a great way to understand pacing post op and recovery after illness. It was the one thing which made my late husband learn to manage his energy when on cancer treatment, and it applies to pain too.
I wish you all the best, and if the Gabapentin makes you at all drowsy please do not drive. One of my friends takes it for nerve pain and had to stop driving, because she’s so drowsy.
I expect I’ll be a regular member of the ODIC after my op, but because I’ve spent a long time helping people recover and get their life back both physically and mentally I’ve got no excuse but to try to apply it to me. Our egos, and our pride often get in the way of letting our bodies rest and recover. We always think we should do more but our bodies, or in these cases our joints say “No way”, and we have to think differently and learn to listen. I learned a lot from having pneumonia last year.
I’m off to download the App Pathways suggested by @AliceNutter for myself.
Have a good evening and I hope the sleep gradually improves.
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@Legseleven
@Jamie
@EalingGran
Boy, you guys are tough! But I truly appreciate the feedback and have suddenly become so much more conscientious about taking the acetaminophen. I promise.
But this is really really hard for me and though I do try to give my leg plenty of rest it's takes everything I can do not to move more. And you are right as my delayed reactions to pain that has occurred during my movement won't come until 4 to 6 hours after I've stopped moving. I have the little no resistance bicycle wheels on the floor that I am using. Of course the walking that I do, most of it without the cane now unless I need to carry something. I've used my surgical leg on various steps up on the staircase, not many steps but some. I am gently starting to stretch again as well. The Gabapentin, which really helps with the nerves, is, unfortunately, adding about a pound of body weight to me per day. I can't stand it. I've gained about 8 lb since the surgery and I'm having trouble getting into my clothes; very frustrating. I did look up the Gabapentin on the internet and what it might have to do with weight gain. It confirmed to my suspicions. Love you all and huge hugs.
@Jamie
@EalingGran
Boy, you guys are tough! But I truly appreciate the feedback and have suddenly become so much more conscientious about taking the acetaminophen. I promise.
But this is really really hard for me and though I do try to give my leg plenty of rest it's takes everything I can do not to move more. And you are right as my delayed reactions to pain that has occurred during my movement won't come until 4 to 6 hours after I've stopped moving. I have the little no resistance bicycle wheels on the floor that I am using. Of course the walking that I do, most of it without the cane now unless I need to carry something. I've used my surgical leg on various steps up on the staircase, not many steps but some. I am gently starting to stretch again as well. The Gabapentin, which really helps with the nerves, is, unfortunately, adding about a pound of body weight to me per day. I can't stand it. I've gained about 8 lb since the surgery and I'm having trouble getting into my clothes; very frustrating. I did look up the Gabapentin on the internet and what it might have to do with weight gain. It confirmed to my suspicions. Love you all and huge hugs.
Help me understand why you feel so driven to move more than you should in these early days of recovery. You seem to understand the cause and effect of doing more than your body is ready for at this point. You’ve experienced the results of overdoing it first hand. So I’m not understanding what is causing you to feel you need to push yourself so. If you didn’t push so hard, you just might not need as much of the gabapentin and you could just get by with the Extra Strength Tylenol and possibly an NSAID, if you can take those.
If you’re walking without a cane, be sure you are not limping at all. Limping is counter productive and you need to stay with the cane until you’re strong enough not to limp. You want to be walking with a good strong stride before you give it up.
If you’re walking without a cane, be sure you are not limping at all. Limping is counter productive and you need to stay with the cane until you’re strong enough not to limp. You want to be walking with a good strong stride before you give it up.
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@Jamie
Jamie: I appreciate the question as to my need to move. Movement, for me, has been an incredibly significant part of my life since I was about 20 years old. Movement, for me, is such a physiological and physical need as it gives me so much spiritual strength and seems to be so deeply inherent in my body. I don't know why. I started dancing ballet when I was about 30 and continue to dance ballet for 20 years. If I am ever feeling anxious, upset, down, happy, joyful, I want to go out and walk and dance along the paths of wherever I am. Since I stopped dancing I started jazzercise, going to the gym, and walking, as wherever I am mentally in my life, movement pulls me together. I can't explain it. It's not a spastic or jagged movement that I do. It's all beautiful and filled with grace and there is nothing about it that would suggest anything other than needing to move. It is not an add issue or any type of other issue. I'm just one of those people that has to move. I know you will understand this. The fact that I have not been able to really move for three or four months now, and long before that as I have had trouble with the knee for three or four years, has taken a toll on me. Does any of this make sense? Movement, for me, is like breathing. I am working hard to follow the bone smart suggestions and advice. I have several documents given to me by different PT programs that are based on much more difficult movement than what I am doing now. So it is somewhat confusing. Movement is what I am. Hugs to you dear.
Jamie: I appreciate the question as to my need to move. Movement, for me, has been an incredibly significant part of my life since I was about 20 years old. Movement, for me, is such a physiological and physical need as it gives me so much spiritual strength and seems to be so deeply inherent in my body. I don't know why. I started dancing ballet when I was about 30 and continue to dance ballet for 20 years. If I am ever feeling anxious, upset, down, happy, joyful, I want to go out and walk and dance along the paths of wherever I am. Since I stopped dancing I started jazzercise, going to the gym, and walking, as wherever I am mentally in my life, movement pulls me together. I can't explain it. It's not a spastic or jagged movement that I do. It's all beautiful and filled with grace and there is nothing about it that would suggest anything other than needing to move. It is not an add issue or any type of other issue. I'm just one of those people that has to move. I know you will understand this. The fact that I have not been able to really move for three or four months now, and long before that as I have had trouble with the knee for three or four years, has taken a toll on me. Does any of this make sense? Movement, for me, is like breathing. I am working hard to follow the bone smart suggestions and advice. I have several documents given to me by different PT programs that are based on much more difficult movement than what I am doing now. So it is somewhat confusing. Movement is what I am. Hugs to you dear.
BarabooProud
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I would argue that movement is important to everyone that gets this surgery - that's why we decide to move forward with it!
Yes, it can be confusing when you are getting conflicting information. Unfortunately, the vast majority of physical therapists out there have never been trained in how to help someone recover from joint replacement, nor have the kept up with the latest thinking of the APTA (which is less is more).
Consequently, they still practice the "old" way -- they use the exact same protocols as they would use for someone with a sport injury. Apples and injuries! It's like telling someone with a broken ankle that they need to walk it off!
At the end of the day, the decision of how to recover is up to you. You don't have to please us, you don't have to please your PT. It's your body and your recovery. Listen to your knee and do what it tells you.
Thanks for the very detailed and personal explanation of the importance of dance in your life. I do understand and you’re not alone in these feelings. The gentle, graceful movements you describe are actually something that could be very positive for you to do if you incorporated them into your daily routine. While people hear us talking frequently about slowing down and not overdoing things, we are by no means saying just sit all the time. Gentle bends and stretches with your knee need to be done for maybe 5 minutes every couple of hours.
How about trying to develop some dance type or tai chi type movements you could do for these bends and stretches. Tai chi actually does whole body slow graceful moves that could be excellent for you. You could watch some YouTube videos to get ideas about movements that would feel creative for you. It wouldn’t be quite the same as dancing along a pathway on a walk, but it could be something you are challenged to dream up that would let you partly satisfy your need for dance.
How about trying to develop some dance type or tai chi type movements you could do for these bends and stretches. Tai chi actually does whole body slow graceful moves that could be excellent for you. You could watch some YouTube videos to get ideas about movements that would feel creative for you. It wouldn’t be quite the same as dancing along a pathway on a walk, but it could be something you are challenged to dream up that would let you partly satisfy your need for dance.
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@Jamie
That sounds like a great idea. I will look at a little Tai Chi as I'm not totally unfamiliar with the martial arts. Plus, all of the Portables involved in ballet help me stretch my upper torso as I'm sure the Tai Chi would. I also do yoga and one of the yoga poses I do is the baby stretch, I can't quite think of the correct name, but you are on your knees on a mat completely folded over like a baby when it sleeps. Because my knees were used to being folded underneath me for so long my ROM at my first post-op appointment was perfect. I love this Eastern philosophy approaching movement. Great suggestion, thank you.
That sounds like a great idea. I will look at a little Tai Chi as I'm not totally unfamiliar with the martial arts. Plus, all of the Portables involved in ballet help me stretch my upper torso as I'm sure the Tai Chi would. I also do yoga and one of the yoga poses I do is the baby stretch, I can't quite think of the correct name, but you are on your knees on a mat completely folded over like a baby when it sleeps. Because my knees were used to being folded underneath me for so long my ROM at my first post-op appointment was perfect. I love this Eastern philosophy approaching movement. Great suggestion, thank you.
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Pilates is also a very physiologically sound movement regime.
Have a look at my pilates teacher's free classes on YouTube ( Google Katja pilates). Some may be too demanding for early recovery but there are some gentle stretching classes.
Have a look at my pilates teacher's free classes on YouTube ( Google Katja pilates). Some may be too demanding for early recovery but there are some gentle stretching classes.
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@EalingGran: I tried Pilates once years ago and wasn't crazy about it. But I am aware of the significant good it does for the body. May look into it, but today, after all my chores were done and I had run a couple of errands I was up to 6,000 steps. My knee was starting to get tired so I've called it quits now for the day. I typically, before surgery, would hit at least 10,000 steps a day on the days I wasn't working out. Glad to hear the Pilates is working out for you.
That’s good news and it certainly gives you the green light to GRADUALLY increase your activity and movement. So some of these dance-like exercises would be appropriate for you to start. With as much activity as you had today, though, make sure you make tomorrow a putz day where you just do minimal activity.
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@Jamie
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I am very sensitive to when my knee starts getting tired so I stop what I'm doing and rest. I have started back to some basic yoga poses in the morning but these poses have nothing to do with my legs, only my upper torso. I'm doing forward bends with my legs and stretching the calf muscles out, also working the feet and ankles well now. I can actually do a third position in ballet and a forward bend in that position and a couple of mini-plies, that's it. Of course I'm walking and have used the cane less and less except for going up and down stairs. I must say that, given I'm still in my 5th week post op, I'm pleasantly surprised that I can do what I can. I don't remember being able to do this when I had my last knee replacement in 2014. Blessings to you both and hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend.
@EalingGran
I am very sensitive to when my knee starts getting tired so I stop what I'm doing and rest. I have started back to some basic yoga poses in the morning but these poses have nothing to do with my legs, only my upper torso. I'm doing forward bends with my legs and stretching the calf muscles out, also working the feet and ankles well now. I can actually do a third position in ballet and a forward bend in that position and a couple of mini-plies, that's it. Of course I'm walking and have used the cane less and less except for going up and down stairs. I must say that, given I'm still in my 5th week post op, I'm pleasantly surprised that I can do what I can. I don't remember being able to do this when I had my last knee replacement in 2014. Blessings to you both and hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend.
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Hi everyone. It's been a few days since I've checked in but I've kind of gone through some time feeling depressed and yet, antsy enough because I'm healing, to want to get out more and do more. I'm walking about 6,000 steps a day and tightening up on my PT exercises a little bit more. I have no pain, no swelling, just general impatience because I'm not able to go do exactly what I want yet.
Just saw a great blog on Facebook that seems to go on and on and the topic was, of course, knee replacements. Over 900 people responded to the blog and many of them said it was the worst and most painful surgery they had ever had. I agree. One woman wrote asking if anyone who had a tkr over 10 years ago had had to have a revision done. I answered her as I had my first knee replaced in 2014 and it is still working great. So that's exactly what I told her.
Miss you all and the wonderful group you have been to support me. Hugs.
Just saw a great blog on Facebook that seems to go on and on and the topic was, of course, knee replacements. Over 900 people responded to the blog and many of them said it was the worst and most painful surgery they had ever had. I agree. One woman wrote asking if anyone who had a tkr over 10 years ago had had to have a revision done. I answered her as I had my first knee replaced in 2014 and it is still working great. So that's exactly what I told her.
Miss you all and the wonderful group you have been to support me. Hugs.
