PKR "A textbook perfect recovery..."
- Thread starter jeano
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robynhood
Sr Bonesmartie
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Sending you Happy Birthday Wishes and to say Thank you for making recovery from TKR more like an adventure and even funny. I look forward to reading your posts and wish you ( and your hubby) continued progress in your recovery and a Happy Christmas :ereindeer: :presnt: :reindeer: :santa sleigh: :santa:
referee54
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The Happiest of Birthdays to you!!!
Thank you so very much for sharing your TKR journey with us---I know that many others have benefited greatly from reading it!
Please keep posting and let us know how that journey is progressing!
Thank you so very much for sharing your TKR journey with us---I know that many others have benefited greatly from reading it!
Please keep posting and let us know how that journey is progressing!
NetballKnees
senior
Hi jeano ... I hope you had a really lovely birthday. I guess the fact that your DH is still with you and recovering so well was the best present you could get. 
I congratulate you on your fantastic ROM and extension.
One day I hope I can post numbers like that. I know we are not supposed to worry about the numbers, but we are only human. I am at 8 weeks with a ROM of only 70-75 degrees and am very frustrated. It is so great to read of other Bonesmarties who have such terrific results.
Hope everything continues to go well and DH behaves himself and stops trying to steal the limelight.
(Shouldn't really joke - it must have been very scary for you both).
Take care. I will be thinking of you ... Ellen
:presnt:
I congratulate you on your fantastic ROM and extension.
One day I hope I can post numbers like that. I know we are not supposed to worry about the numbers, but we are only human. I am at 8 weeks with a ROM of only 70-75 degrees and am very frustrated. It is so great to read of other Bonesmarties who have such terrific results.Hope everything continues to go well and DH behaves himself and stops trying to steal the limelight.
(Shouldn't really joke - it must have been very scary for you both).Take care. I will be thinking of you ... Ellen
:presnt:
But EVERYONE makes fun of the DH--Good Lord, he spent HIS 55th birthday in an ICU on a ventilator close to expiring while cardiologists and heart surgeons were wringing their hands and saying "You first brother, I insist" and his family got party hats and balloons and a banner and decorated his room and we all stood around and mocked him for missing the fun--I literally had to restrain his brother from taking a picture of him.Hope everything continues to go well and DH behaves himself and stops trying to steal the limelight.
And he dishes out as good as he gets.
As regards my supposedly phenomenal ROM and "textbook perfect" recovery, some of it could be due to the protoplasm I brought to the party, my surgeon's skill, or just dumb luck. Believe me, I expect it wont be nearly as easy when its time to get the other knee done--I may have used up most of the luck on this one. And remember I had a partial, not a TKR, so I have more of my own knee left to work with.
Finally, I think it helps being a nurse, because I understand nurses and doctors and patients and hospitals and post op pain etc from the other side. I didnt have nearly as many "unknown unknowns" going into this. I was able to advocate strongly for myself about things like getting out of the hospital the same day. I didnt have a lot of fear or anxiety pre-op. I had a nearly ideal setup at home, since we designed our house to be elder/gimp friendly-- no stairs, wide doorways, tall toilets, big shower stall and so on.
And, I didnt have staples, I didnt have a CPM, and I had MORE than adequate drugs for pain relief, including some miracle stuff put inside the knee at the time of the surgery which I thought might be snake oil, but which apparently worked as expected.
It was five weeks yesterday since my surgery, and all righty cowgirls, I am BACK IN THE SADDLE! The Ice Sherpa had a dr appt in town so I was going to hobble out with the dogs and feed the horses anyway while he was gone so while I was at it (all right, actually I had premeditated this stunt yesterday) I pulled on a neoprene sleeve for the operated knee ( the left) so I would have some extra padding between it and the stirrup leathers, added jeans and boots, caught my rock-steady gelding, groomed, tacked up, and climbed aboard. With No Problem at All. I wasnt sure that there would be excessive twisting forces on the knee due to what happens when you mount, which for you non-horsey types involves a hop off the right foot simultaneously with a step up with the left then a twist to the left with the left leg and a swing over the back of the saddle (and the rump of the horse) with the right leg while all one's weight is on the left leg.
It wasnt a long ride, it wasnt a fast ride, but it was the first ride in over a month so it was a Very Good Ride. We walked, trotted, cantered and tore up the woods on our place and the adjoining properties for maybe 40-45 minutes. I will break the news to PT tomorrow. They may very well go ahead and discharge me. Now, how to convince the DH that being able to ride doesnt translate into being able to go back to work.
NetballKnees
senior
Hi jeano ... WOW ... how good did you feel after that?????? You didn't mention if there were any repercussions - pain, swelling or tightness. If there weren't, well I guess it would be impossible to keep you off the horse. I am glad it went well for you. You would have felt quite like "normal" getting on the horse, even if it was a slower an easier ride than you are used to. I am really glad for you that you were able to do something that made you feel so good. Let me know how you get on with the whole "can't go back to work but I can ride the horse" scenario. 
Once again, good on you jeano and hugs for doing such a feel-good thing.
Take Care ...
Ellen :snows:
Once again, good on you jeano and hugs for doing such a feel-good thing.
Take Care ...
Ellen :snows:
Thanks, all. Yes, it felt great. As regards repercussions, well, I strolled into physical therapy today sans cane, showed my PT a picture I took yesterday of myself on my horse, and he said "If you measure ok today then you can graduate, because there's nothing you can do here that's going to be more rigorous than getting on and off a horse!" I did a few exercises and we got 123 to flat on the goniometer and he said "You are DONE!" I proceeded to dance a little soft shoe to the horror of one of the PTAs. So I said goodbye to all of them, at least until the next knee.
Knee feels pretty good. I took two arthritis strength extended release Tylenol and a naprosyn before bed last night and slept til about 430 AM--took some moreTylenol and went back to sleep until 7. I havent had more drugs since then and probably wont bother to take anything until bedtime tonight. I am going to keep using the cane for walking to the barn and such but dont really need it anywhere else. I've got some iliotibial band issues on the operated leg and a remnant of the postop bruising down on my ankle, a little healing nerve discomfort especially at night, and I still need to ice and elevate for fairly long periods daily, but no, not any swelling you can see, and overall the knee is a lot less "hot" than it was a couple of weeks ago. I am just waiting for the remaining soft-tissue stuff to resolve which I know will take time. Probably after the holidays I'll approach work about a phased return (like I was working more than a shift or two at most per week anyway, but I'd still like to start with a half-shift if that can be arranged.)
Knee feels pretty good. I took two arthritis strength extended release Tylenol and a naprosyn before bed last night and slept til about 430 AM--took some moreTylenol and went back to sleep until 7. I havent had more drugs since then and probably wont bother to take anything until bedtime tonight. I am going to keep using the cane for walking to the barn and such but dont really need it anywhere else. I've got some iliotibial band issues on the operated leg and a remnant of the postop bruising down on my ankle, a little healing nerve discomfort especially at night, and I still need to ice and elevate for fairly long periods daily, but no, not any swelling you can see, and overall the knee is a lot less "hot" than it was a couple of weeks ago. I am just waiting for the remaining soft-tissue stuff to resolve which I know will take time. Probably after the holidays I'll approach work about a phased return (like I was working more than a shift or two at most per week anyway, but I'd still like to start with a half-shift if that can be arranged.)
mcirish
senior
jeano, highly entertaining and inspiring stuff. Glad your hubby is doing great and showing no ill effects from the ischemic episode he had....big happy birthday....I really want to say thank you for sharing your experience. It has put me at ease regarding my impending PKR (left lateral) and given me a solid point of reference from which to draw from. Happy horse riding!
Aw, shucks. Alls I can say is, again, I have had some good luck and a good surgeon and great PTs. AND I have spent a LOT of time icing and elevating. When circumstances have pushed me to overdo I have compenstated with a lot of underdoing ASAP.
Another milestone--last night 2 arthritis strength tylenol and a cup of herbal tea (with valerian) kept me down from 10pm until 630 AM. I put a neoprene sleeve on the Knee to comfort it and while the inciscion area was briefly unhappy the bulk of the Knee was grateful. I will get out for another ride today after some household tasks.
Another milestone--last night 2 arthritis strength tylenol and a cup of herbal tea (with valerian) kept me down from 10pm until 630 AM. I put a neoprene sleeve on the Knee to comfort it and while the inciscion area was briefly unhappy the bulk of the Knee was grateful. I will get out for another ride today after some household tasks.
Creeker13
senior
Glad you are doing so well.... I just found your thread and enjoyed the read... Also glad hubby is doing well too....
Wow.... back in the saddle.... That is on the list of things I had to give up before my first TKR.... I had gotten to the paint that I could no longer climb up on our tractor and had to wait for my husband to do the garden chores I was very excited to get up on it 6 months after my first surgery.... I am eagerly awaiting finding out what I can do this year now that I have 2 good knees!!!!
Hmmm.... Horses.... Maybe!
I have had 2 PT appointments and I think they may kick me clear on the next in January as my numbers are there too. I am thinking I will go today and get the eggs from the chicken coop.... Haven't been out to see my girls in 4.5 weeks and I miss them... The dumb clucks!
Keep up the good work... Have a great ride for me!
Wow.... back in the saddle.... That is on the list of things I had to give up before my first TKR.... I had gotten to the paint that I could no longer climb up on our tractor and had to wait for my husband to do the garden chores
I was very excited to get up on it 6 months after my first surgery.... I am eagerly awaiting finding out what I can do this year now that I have 2 good knees!!!! Hmmm.... Horses.... Maybe!I have had 2 PT appointments and I think they may kick me clear on the next in January as my numbers are there too. I am thinking I will go today and get the eggs from the chicken coop.... Haven't been out to see my girls in 4.5 weeks and I miss them... The dumb clucks!
Keep up the good work... Have a great ride for me!
We can add getting 8 count 'em 8 horse hoofs trimmed to my list of dubious achievements. I got the first four done when I rode the horse they belong to on Thursday. This is not as strenuous as it might seem, because the mare will placidly eat hay and cooperate and likes the attention for the most part. It is largely sit-down work with her, with a hoof in my lap or across one thigh. It didnt hurt the Knee any.
That was Thursday, but this is today--the gelding is pickier about having his feet handled, especially the hinds, so we had to 'rassle a little bit, and I was getting pretty puffed out by the time I got to the last hind hoof. It wasnt the prettiest trimming job ever, but lots better than letting them go any longer.
If you've never seen horse hoofs trimmed you could do a search on youtube and be REALLY horrified to see what I've been up to. Yes, I was standing with a whole entire horse's hind leg resting on my upper thigh, and yes for at least some of the time it was the leg that got cut on. (mine, not the horse's. However, I have never mastered the thing real farriers do where they trap the front hoof between their knees and work on it, so dont have a cow about that stunt.)
I would caution some of you eager beavers out there that Your Mileage May Vary, and that I do not recommend that everybody dive into amateur farriery less than 6 weeks post op. Cant wait to tell my OS about this--I see him the day after Christmas. At present the greatest discomfort I am having is related to the iliotibial band on the left leg getting itself sorted out, and a pesky plantar neuroma on my right foot, and the unoperated on as of yet right knee.
That was Thursday, but this is today--the gelding is pickier about having his feet handled, especially the hinds, so we had to 'rassle a little bit, and I was getting pretty puffed out by the time I got to the last hind hoof. It wasnt the prettiest trimming job ever, but lots better than letting them go any longer.
If you've never seen horse hoofs trimmed you could do a search on youtube and be REALLY horrified to see what I've been up to. Yes, I was standing with a whole entire horse's hind leg resting on my upper thigh, and yes for at least some of the time it was the leg that got cut on. (mine, not the horse's. However, I have never mastered the thing real farriers do where they trap the front hoof between their knees and work on it, so dont have a cow about that stunt.)
I would caution some of you eager beavers out there that Your Mileage May Vary, and that I do not recommend that everybody dive into amateur farriery less than 6 weeks post op. Cant wait to tell my OS about this--I see him the day after Christmas. At present the greatest discomfort I am having is related to the iliotibial band on the left leg getting itself sorted out, and a pesky plantar neuroma on my right foot, and the unoperated on as of yet right knee.
Creeker13
senior
No doubt you were a little worse for wear when you finished! I would rest and ice after that.... a lot!Good on you!
Actually, Creeker, I was a bit tuckered but mostly because the hands, arms, shoulders and back were out of training for the task--plus it was more hacking and rasping than usual since the beasts hadnt been trimmed since just before my surgery--normally they get attended to every 3-4 weeks, with little touch ups in between. So it was a lot of work. After some icing I had lunch, then made some pasta sauce for Sunday dinner, then showered, dressed, went to church (got up and did the first reading, too, so had to get up and down the steps to the sanctuary) and so on before getting more or less settled for the evening and a little more icing and elevating before bed.
I did sleep pretty well. I'm a little stiff and achey today but there is a huge and ugly weather system bearing down on us, and, again, its the upper body that's complaining the most. Knee isnt bad, but I am doing my usual "underdoing" to compensate for yesterday's flurry of activity.
I did sleep pretty well. I'm a little stiff and achey today but there is a huge and ugly weather system bearing down on us, and, again, its the upper body that's complaining the most. Knee isnt bad, but I am doing my usual "underdoing" to compensate for yesterday's flurry of activity.
My six week checkup was today--had Xrays done and spoke with the OS's nurse practitioner. Told him what and how I was doing and the DH and I admired the xray pictures, and I showed the DH the model of the implant so he could see how it worked.
The imponderable at this point is when to Do The Next Knee--xrays of it are now a year old, and it of course has had a good rest and isnt compensating like it had to do before. It was not to the point of bone on bone when I first went to see the OS, but I dont really know where it is now. That would be another appointment to have it re-evaluated. Always one to keep my options open, I decided to strap the unloader brace (havent worn them for either leg since shortly before the surgery back in November--they were only of benefit for a few hours a day at most) back on the right, unrepaired knee .
My thinking at this point is to see if the old knee is able to keep up with the new knee for a while yet--what I want to avoid is the old dragging the new down. So planning to try to walk about a mile with the DH shortly and see how well both knees cope.
So for you who have had both knees done, but not at the same time, I'd appreciate hearing what decided you to go for the second knee and what the time frame was like, and how the two knees got along in the meantime.
The imponderable at this point is when to Do The Next Knee--xrays of it are now a year old, and it of course has had a good rest and isnt compensating like it had to do before. It was not to the point of bone on bone when I first went to see the OS, but I dont really know where it is now. That would be another appointment to have it re-evaluated. Always one to keep my options open, I decided to strap the unloader brace (havent worn them for either leg since shortly before the surgery back in November--they were only of benefit for a few hours a day at most) back on the right, unrepaired knee .
My thinking at this point is to see if the old knee is able to keep up with the new knee for a while yet--what I want to avoid is the old dragging the new down. So planning to try to walk about a mile with the DH shortly and see how well both knees cope.
So for you who have had both knees done, but not at the same time, I'd appreciate hearing what decided you to go for the second knee and what the time frame was like, and how the two knees got along in the meantime.
Creeker13
senior
Good morning... I answered you in a post I tagged you in, on my thread, Still Looking Forward..... is there any other way? It is long and I didn't want to put everyone to sleep on your thread. I have been blessed with a textbook recovery or better.... again.... it is remarkable. 
There are a lot of reasons to not be in such a rush... I am sure you can find them on this sight.
There are a lot of reasons to not be in such a rush... I am sure you can find them on this sight.@Creeker13 I wont have to wait anything like 13 months, due the glories of the morally bankrupt American health care system where rationing is a dirty word but where in practice the poor and underinsured get a ration that approaches zero... and folks like me get a big fat spendiferous ration. Oops, I guess I should climb down off the soapbox.
I can get the next knee done any old time, probably, the limiting factor being the DH's abiilty to take leave and be my Ice Sherpa. My employment is on an as needed basis and I dont get sick leave--if I work I get paid handsomely, and if I dont I get nothing. There's a lot of ifs built into this--will I need a TKR or will I have another partial, and will I have another textbook perfect recovery or the Slow Recovery From Hell that some folks seem cursed with.
IF I do as well next time as I did this time I think I could manage with a much shorter period of assistance from the DH--honestly the biggest problem I had was toting my own ice and being able to cope with critter chores. Later in the year when there's more daylight the DH could probably wrangle the poultry and such, and we could pre-package ice maybe so I wouldnt have to lug the contraption around the house until I was a little steadier. Plus I am thinking my new knee will be more help to my old new when it becomes the new knee, if that makes any sense.
I also think I could dispense with a good deal of PT early on, and not need DH to drive me to so many appointments. I know what to do as regards exercises and stretches. On the other hand, I wont be able to drive for longer since the next knee is the right...Oh well, it'll work out the way its supposed to.
BTW, the mile walk was interesting--further than I've been able to walk in some months. I toted my cane and found it was more help to the old knee than to the new one, and both knees felt about the same when I got back (pleasantly tired, no pain). Made me ravenous, though.
I can get the next knee done any old time, probably, the limiting factor being the DH's abiilty to take leave and be my Ice Sherpa. My employment is on an as needed basis and I dont get sick leave--if I work I get paid handsomely, and if I dont I get nothing. There's a lot of ifs built into this--will I need a TKR or will I have another partial, and will I have another textbook perfect recovery or the Slow Recovery From Hell that some folks seem cursed with.
IF I do as well next time as I did this time I think I could manage with a much shorter period of assistance from the DH--honestly the biggest problem I had was toting my own ice and being able to cope with critter chores. Later in the year when there's more daylight the DH could probably wrangle the poultry and such, and we could pre-package ice maybe so I wouldnt have to lug the contraption around the house until I was a little steadier. Plus I am thinking my new knee will be more help to my old new when it becomes the new knee, if that makes any sense.
I also think I could dispense with a good deal of PT early on, and not need DH to drive me to so many appointments. I know what to do as regards exercises and stretches. On the other hand, I wont be able to drive for longer since the next knee is the right...Oh well, it'll work out the way its supposed to.
BTW, the mile walk was interesting--further than I've been able to walk in some months. I toted my cane and found it was more help to the old knee than to the new one, and both knees felt about the same when I got back (pleasantly tired, no pain). Made me ravenous, though.
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