TKR Almost two years with tkr

[Newkneemelodee]

I actually have had three other surgeries along with my knee replacement this year.

What other surgeries have you had?

I had my appendix out and two D and CS with a polypectomy

 

[Jockette]

Oh, wow, that’s a lot in a short time. It all adds up and may take a little extra time to recover from your TKR.

 

[Jockette]

Can I take Advil every day or should I get away from medications?

I took ibuprofen every day for a while and also alternated it with Tylenol, so that I had one or the other, every 3 hours.

If you can take Tylenol, the
most effective way to take it is 2 x 500 mg tablets every 6 hours, to a total of 4,000 mg (4 doses) in 24 hours. You need to take it regularly, to keep up the levels in your bloodstream. If you just take the odd dose now and then, it's far less effective.

Check all other medications you're taking, to make sure there is no Tylenol/Acetaminophen/Paracetamol in them. If there is, scale back one or two of your regular doses, so you stay within that safe 24 hour limit of 4,000 mg.

 

[Newkneemelodee]

I only wish the doctor had been realistic and honest about the length of recovery. He pushes and is aggressive about using it. He , of course, has never had a knee replacement. I do see little improvements especially if I stretch my leg a lot before getting out of bed. Can I take Advil every day or should I get away from medications?

Hello friends,
I have been so grateful for this forum and turn to it whenever I feel frustrated. I had a total knee replacement 11 months ago. I still do not like my new knee. I walk every day and stretch. My knee just started to have feeling in the skin around the knee cap. The pain that used to be down my shin is finally going. My leg will still not go to 0. I am nervous to ride a real bike but I can ride a stationary bike. I honestly do not think I would get my other knee replaced. I can kick my leg while swimming without pain now. I notice if I take Advil I can walk with no pain for an entire day which is awesome! I am wondering if this lengthy recovery is due to my tendancy to bruise easily. A friend had her knee replaced and had barely any bruising. My leg was purple all the way down the back of my leg to my foot. Even my foot was bruised. I am considering more physiotherapy. I did three months of physio. Will this knee feel better with time? Is taking daily Advil a bad idea?

 

[BBCG]

Hi @Newkneemelodee .... I've had 2 TKRs now, and each recovery was different, with each knee and leg having its own slightly varied recovery steps, time-line and idiosyncrasies. I still have somewhat numb spots on my new TKR leg, the right, especially along the outer shin area. The left leg occasionally aches if I join the ODIC (Over Did It Club), too, but if I apply the salve I've used all along that evening, I sleep well and in the morning most of the acheyness is gone. With my first TKR I also had lots of bruising, too, but I wonder: are you still so bruised now at 11 months on?

I wonder if you couldn't ride a real bike if you can get the pedals on a stationary one around? Do you know anyone with a bike mount you could put your bike on to see? (One of those things you set up to hold the bike indoors to ride for exercise, is what I mean..) If you can put your bike on that thing, and test the pedals going around you might be happily pleased to know you could do it!?

I do occasionally take Tylenol if I either know I'm going to be pushing my luck (and the ODIC), or I take it after the fact when I don't realize up front I'll go there... like the other day when I went for a walk with a long-time friend and her dog with my puppy... we walked longer and my pup still pulls too much when he's excited. But, we were able to do the walk with both dogs, so that was fun...

I think for most of us, our knees DO eventually feel better, but sometimes it's not until year 2 afterwards. The surgery IS a major surgery, and so much is messed with in there! It make sense that recovery can take a while and that our knees can continue to improve and recover for a longer time than we may have initially imagined.... even into the second year post surgery... Hang in there! I'm at the 9 month marker for my newest knee, and I know it will be into year 2 before I can go for more than a day without remembering, "Hi there new knee! Keep on improving!"

 

[Ghostpipe]

Hi there,@Newkneemelodee . Good to “see” an old face. My bilateral is at 11 months now, and I am still often in despair. Its hard to understand why bits of them still hurt. Exercise, exercises or restful weeks, seems to make no difference. If they choose to play up, they do. Fed up with it all! Even had tight bands back again for the last week or so for no apparent reason.
Sorry that you are still not out of the woods with yours, but your post has comforted me that I am not the only one still not liking my new knees.

 

[Carol Anna]

I am 4 months out and whilst doing good I am concerned that I will never be totally comfortable with my partial knee replacement. My right knee which has given me problems for about 8 years is now protesting about the extra work it has had to do and I might need that looking at but I am loath to consider surgery on that knee due to the time it takes to recover and for me the fear of having another pulmonary embolism. The one I had 4 weeks ago is most likely caused by having the knee op. I am hoping for more recovery and I am sure it will come but I read that some patients have problems that start 5 month after the op! Someone said in a post I read resterday that a popping in the knee only started at that point. So now I am waiting for that to happen when it might not and I am concerned that I am not out of the water yet and wonder when I will be. Oh dear I really am feeling sorry for myself today and totally understand your post. Let's keep positive and look to the future when this recovery will be a distant memory.

 

[MoragsMum]

@Carol Anna I so admire people who have the second knee operated on in close proximity to the first one. At the moment I feel I'd do anything to avoid it. Still, reading the encouraging stories here, and seeing how at the beginning we are, it's really helpful. One day we'll be there!!

 

[FCBayern]

Will this knee feel better with time?

I saw significant improvement during my second year of recovery @Newkneemelodee. At a year I was only at 120 and 4 degrees from full extension, and still had random pains. By the end of the second year I had reached full extension, 140+ flexion and all of the random pains were gone. You should continue to see improvement for some time to come.

 

[Newkneemelodee]

Thank you for telling me this. I have calf pain often and feel like I can not trust my leg. I wonder if one day I can descend stairs like a regular person, instead of two feet on each step.

 

[Newkneemelodee]

Some days I can walk without a limp and other days my walk is off because my calf is screaming. I worry that taking advil every day is bad for my kidneys. Hearing that your knee can improve in the second year after surgery made me feel so much better. Honestly I don't think I would do this surgery again. I thought my knee would not require pain medication like it did before surgery, and I still need advil. Granted it is not prescribed medication, which is an improvement. I feel like a whiner. Thanks people. I still turn to this forum to read and hopefully fee better!

 

[Newkneemelodee]

BBCG I am not bruised now at all but my entire leg, right to my foot , was purple. I also got a "bone blister" as the surgeon called it. I thought maybe because I bruise so much maybe I heal more slowly. I do see small improvements but it seems so minimal. I probably had unrealistic expectations. Thanks for making me feel better.

 

[Jockette]

I’m another one who had a lot of improvement in my second year, as my whole leg continued to relax and heal. I took extra strength Tylenol regularly for for a long time

 

[kneeper]

Some days I can walk without a limp and other days my walk is off because my calf is screaming.

I wonder if a PT could do some gait assessment on you. Sometimes if our gait is off a bit it puts stresses in weird places.
In my case, I had walked for so long compensating for my bad knee before surgery, that walking "normal" felt strange afterwards. I definitely had to work on my gait--it was so easy to slip into old habits.

As far as not feeling normal after 1 year--for my first knee I would say I was almost recovered by a year, but definitely noticed continued improvements for about 6 more months that just happened naturally.

 

[Newkneemelodee]

I used up all of my coverage for physiotherapy, but I will go back to see what they suggest. Than you.

 

[NightQuilter]

My PTs also worked a lot with me on my gait. Amazing what I was doing "wrong" and how simple cues and attention brought me back into better alignment. Your body will readjust.

 

[glidefloss]

I used up all of my coverage for physiotherapy, but I will go back to see what they suggest. Than you.

Hi @Newkneemelodee , in one of the first PT sessions I had, my physio mentioned that I should start thinking "heel to toe" everytime I moved my right leg forward ... kind of like a mantra ... even when the leg could barely bend. In the subsequent PT sessions (I had 14 all told), one of the exercises we end up with was resistance band side-to-side and front-to-back walks. I found the front-to-back walks (with band on ankles, slowly "walk" forward for 15 steps and then "walk" backward for 15 steps) very helpful.

When I started using the treadmill, I'd start with a very low speed (1.5 mph), and while holding on to the sides of the treadmill, I'd focus on "heel down, push off with ball of the foot", keeping my right foot as pointed forward (and not sideways as it had for years) with each step. Repeat, repeat, repeat. To this day, whenever I'm out walking I'd often consciously bring up the "heel to toe" mantra just to keep my right leg "honest".

All the best on your journey!

 

[BBCG]

I worked alot on my gait imbalance, after my 2nd TKR 9 months ago, as I had a definite imbalance due to so many years waiting for it to be able to be scheduled! Something I found that helped me regain a more even walking gait was my iPhone, surprisingly! There is a "health" app built in and in addition I had an app called MapMyWalk, as well. I used the OneStep program for a few months, too, which also helped, as it told me when I was using one side/one leg to bear more weight and at what percentage... for instance, I was often only using my right (new TKR) side at about 80% of the time. So, using Nordic Walking poles to provide greater momentum and stability, I worked on evening out my stride at different lengths... mind you, walking was more of a deliberate workout with a goal rather than just a nice walk along the river, but it did help and I'm now all good! My walking is even now... but, of course, then, there's the puppy we acquired so he messed up the gait again for a while!

 

[Newkneemelodee]

And just to let you know, we can change your thread title for you any time you want, just let us know.

Hi Jockette! NewkneeMelodee here 14 months after my RTKR. What a long recovery. I still have that tight band feeling but I can sit cross legged in my bathtub and my knee is finally starting to feel like my knee. I am feeling my left knee pain, but I am not sure I would do this again.
What helped me I believe was walking in beach sand and in the water. I did that at months 9, 10 and 11 post op.
I have directed friends to this site. It helps so much!!! I really feel I was not adequately prepared for the length of recovery. I thought in three or four months I would feel fine! The exterior scar looks great and healed by then of course, but the internal is not strong yet. I o for my one year xray this week...a bit late.
Thanks again for all of your help. ( Jockette I had no idea how to do a new post. Maybe this could be called 14 months post op)

 

[Jockette]

@Newkneemelodee That is a great update! I’m glad things continue to get better. I had a lot of improvement in my second, and even my third year.

I moved your post over to your recovery thread, and changed the title for you.

Best wishes as you continue on!