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TKR Almost 5 years post RTK, still having issues

It will be 10 weeks tomorrow and I am feeling down! I am frustrated with my lack of progress! I thought by now I would be pain free and able to do everything I could before I had this surgery. I regret having the knee replaced. I have discomfort daily, where before it was only when walking on inclines and stairs. The bones on the outside of my knee no longer get caught and stuck, but my ROM is worse and the knee clicks when I walk. The swelling means none of the jeans I wore before surgery will pull up over my right knee. I still ice several times a day and use the polar cube at night. I have tried a knee sleeve and going back to wearing TED hose but much of the swelling is hard and feels like tissue rather than swelling. The only positive I can see is that my leg is straight, no longer bowed in. Sorry for being negative--I guess I just need to whine a bit.
 
I believe it will get better. It did for me, but remember this can be a year long recovery. My OS reminded me of this several times. Even when I was 7 months out, going back to things like swimming brought on pain, tenderness and a new clicking that eventually went away. I was in megapain before my TKR, so even at 7 months I was in less pain than before the surgery.
 
I made my husband watch the TKR on YouTube and he didn't make it after 10 minutes! I feel all family and friends watch it so they have a better understanding of what we go through. Vent all you want. That's what we are here for and lots of good information and friends. We all stick together. Some days will be good and some bad. Sleep wherever you are comfortable. I cut one of my favorite Capris so it is over my knee. I am still sensitive where surgery was done.:doggie:
 
sdgrandma said:
It will be 10 weeks tomorrow and I am feeling down! I am frustrated with my lack of progress! I thought by now I would be pain free and able to do everything I could before I had this surgery. I regret having the knee replaced.
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Honey, 10 weeks is still very early in this process. No time at all, in fact. KarriB is right when she says it's a year long process for it certainly is. I almost fet tempted to post you my questions again! But I will ask you some questions:

Are you still taking pain meds, if so what, how much and how often?
What exercises are you doing now?
How active are you? Returned to work or anything?
 
@Josephine --

"Are you still taking pain meds?" I take Tylenol 1000 mg three times a day and one Aleve every morning. On therapy days I may take a Tramadol if icing after doesn't relieve the pain. I do take one Norco 5/325 every night at bedtime. The pain is never more than a 3 with the over the counter meds, but is enough to keep me from falling asleep.

"What exercises are you doing?" I really don't do any formal exercises outside of PT (2-3 times per week for 45 min.) except for heel slides, hamstring stretches, and walking. Please don't rat me out to my therapist!

"How active are you?" I cook supper most nights, do the laundry (means going up and down a flight of stairs to put each load in), vacuum and do light dusting maybe once per week, clean the kitchen floor every other day with a wet mop, go shopping for short stints maybe twice a week (I use an electric cart if it is a big box store but walk with a cane if I only need a few items in a smaller store). I am retired so I don't have to go to work. I walk down the drive to get the mail daily and walk around the block if it isn't too hot and humid. I feel like a couch potato compared to some of the people on this site!

Before the surgery I could spend an entire day shopping from store to store and my knee didn't bother me on those flat surfaces. Now 30-45 minutes in one store and my knee says "enough already". The checking account balance is benefitting, though!
 
Sounds like you are officially as a member of "The over did it club". You are doing way to much. The dust and floors will be there tomorrow. Before my fall @11 weeks I thought the same. Every place has an electric cart. USE IT!!! I have found everyone heals different. Maybe some take out with delivery is available. I cried for 3 weeks and said every name in the book plus more. Take it easy on yourself. It does get better with time(so they tell me) . You are being to hard on yourself. Thinking of you xx:dogwalk:
 
sdgrandma said:
I really don't do any formal exercises outside of PT (2-3 times per week for 45 min.) except for heel slides, hamstring stretches, and walking. Please don't rat me out to my therapist!
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And since you are regaining your normal life, I certainly think it's time you quit PT because I think that's where your problem lies. Swelling and pain, even mild pain, can inhibit your ROM and this is being caused by the exercising. Take it from one who knows! I suggest you read my recovery threads to see how little exercising I did!
First knee. Knee recovery - UK style
Second knee. Josephine's 2nd knee story - short version where I did even less!

So your activity isn't too bad for 10 weeks out. About the right time to be getting back to a normal life but do it gently!
sdgrandma said:
Before the surgery I could spend an entire day shopping from store to store
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Before surgery was another life. You have a new one now so don't compare the two!
 
Well I had my last PT session yesterday due to the holiday weekend and leaving on our trip to CA on Tuesday. I am also almost at the Medicare cap on PT expenses. I have been doing chair heel slides and extension exercises between PT sessions. I try to do the step/balance exercise when I walk up and down the stairs. I haven't been doing squats at home and I won't have access to exercise equipment like a recumbent bike.

Any ideas on the best exercises to do on my own on the road (and when I return)? I will be 11 weeks out on Monday.

@SDkate -- I will be thinking of you as you head back to work and traveling.
 
@sdgrandma maybe try some ankle exercises and knee lifts. Take a magazine with you and do some slight heel slides. They make me do them every day. Have a great trip and keep me posted. Wal-Mart or wallgreens(not sure which one) have ice packs that you snap in half and work well if you need ice:dogwalk:
 
Hi,

I am sorry to hear that you are feeling so bad, but thiings will get better. Also, sorry to hear that your husband's attitude is poor. He needs to straighten up!
I am not familiar with the Polar Ice machine, but in my Iceman, I use 4 frozen bottles of water instead of ice cubes. It makes changing them out simple and easy. I keep 4 in the freezer and 4. In the machine. No need to change out the water every time, just every few days or so, depending on your usage. He can do that part.
Good luck to you!
 
@sdgrandma I had my last PT session yesterday as well, pretty nervous about going back to traveling/work next week - funny we didn't see each other again! My session was at 10:15, which is earlier than usual. I can say that I was happy with the services they provided. Matt kept the PT interesting, he never hurt me or let me hurt myself - except for the one time I was watching an athlete jump and accidentally did my first full rotation on the recumbent bike and yelped in pain!

I guess we're both back to our "regular" lives with our new knees. My husband asked if I wanted to go fishing with him later this afternoon - not sure I'm yet up to climbing into and out of the boat, sitting/standing for a few hours, so politely declined. Plus, it's going to be HOT!

Are you staying in hotels on your trip? Many of them have a fitness room with at least a bike and some equipment. I have a dusty elliptical machine that my PT said would be good for cardio and easy on my knees, so an elliptical machine might work for you as well. If there's a pool, give it a try. I really enjoy my pool therapy, doesn't hurt while doing it, but you can definitely feel that you've worked it when you get out of the pool.

Good luck on your travels next week - even then we'll be in the same state since I'm working in the Sacramento area!
 
sdgrandma said:
"
Before the surgery I could spend an entire day shopping from store to store and my knee didn't bother me on those flat surfaces. Now 30-45 minutes in one store and my knee says "enough already". The checking account balance is benefitting, though!
Click to expand...

You were fortunate that your knee didn't hurt during shopping before your surgery - mine had significantly curtailed how much time I spent shopping, although I did do a lot of my Christmas shopping last year online, partly because I was so busy traveling for work that I didn't have time to physically shop.

Since the surgery I haven't done much store shopping either, and only ordered a couple of things from Amazon - my ice bag and a collapsible cane for traveling. Like you, I was pleasantly surprised at my checking account balance yesterday!
 
I recommend whatever stretching your knee indicates it wants. Ice and elevate after a long day in the car. SDKate is right about most motels having a fitness room. Some will have a pool (usually only indoor pools open this time of year), and you could do some gentle pool walking and squats in the water (those are very beneficial and far easier in the water than on dry land). The driving in the car will be stressful enough, so just look for ways to do gentle movement throughout the day to keep from getting stiff and uncomfortable.
 
@SDkate -- My appointment was at 11, and as I was driving in I thought I saw you driving out! We will be in hotels for part of the trip and with friends and family more of the time. I will check out the exercise rooms in the hotels, though. I haven't put on a bathing suit in 6 years, so I'm not sure I would do the pool unless the hotel is deserted :) I tried the elliptical machine my daughter has and I couldn't do it comfortably yet, but hopefully as my legs get stronger it will work for me. It won't hurt for you to try it if there is one at your hotel. I was really happy with my PT Nikki, too. She listened when I said I hurt and did some stretches every time that helped my sciatica.
 
You probably did - ships passing! One more thing Matt told me is that on our road trip last weekend we should stop about every 1-2 hours to get out of the car and stretch my leg, walk around for a few minutes. On a longer road trip I can see most husbands might get frustrated with that - with mine I just alternated it with "I'd like to get out and stretch" with "need to use the next rest stop/gas station". They can't hardly say no to a bathroom stop!

Have a great trip to CA!
 
@sdgrandma I agree with @SDkate. No man can say no to the bathroom! Have a great and safe trip. I want to hear all about it. I am so jealous. I have a blast when we go to CA. I get to go to Disneyland!:loveshwr:
 
Hi. Just read your thread. You're about a week ahead of me and what you're experiencing and feeling sounds very familiar. As the wise folks on here know, we are still very much in the early weeks of our recovery and shouldn't really expect to feel "normal" yet, however much we would like to! Sounds like you're doing well, just keep listening to your knee and trying to find that elusive thing known as patience!
 
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