Guest viewing is limited

TKR Amberpep's Recovery Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi all .... well, it's over. My surgery was Weds. I'd had the RTKR 2-1/2 years ago and apparently (on athletes, which is a real joke for me!) sometimes these bony nodules form on the bone. That's what was causing the pain and bleeding. I stayed the night at a girlfriend's house and then came home late Weds. afternoon. He had it wrapped, tightly, from almost my ankle to my thigh and then over the knee he had about a 1-1/2" thick padding to catch the blood. When I first changed the dressing it was a mess .... I'm to do it today again and then rewrap it again til I see him Wednesday. I can't drive til I see him Weds., and am still supposed to stay off of it as much as possible. I've got to stand up wash .... sure hate that .... because I can't shower til I see him. I don't know what they pour all over your leg and foot, but it's all green and it doesn't wash off very easily. I've got 3 regular incisions, all stiched closed.
Am seriously thinking of another place to live ..... somewhere where I could have more help if I needed it, like for groceries, etc.
So, that's the deal. Take care everyone and I hope you're all coming along well.
abby
 
Good to hear you're done and home. (((amber)))
 
Abby,
Glad to hear that you are all done with the surgery and sounding like you are doing pretty well. As you know we are here if you need us. Take care of yourself now.
 
UPDATE - Sept. 18, 2013
I went to my Ortho. Surgeon today and they took the stitches out ..... 4 incisions each about 1" long. The reason for the bleeding under the knee tissue was that scar tissue had formed around the replacement part and knee. I now go back to P.T. and he told me to take it easy on it. I asked him if I could get my dog back from my son, who has been taking care of her and he was very hesitant about that.
I don't know what to do about that ... my son was going to go backpacking this weekend and my dog is not the type that would do well. He has a Vizsla who loves long hikes. It's supposed to rain and I'm sort of hoping that may dissuade him from going. Otherwise I don't know what I'll do with my dog except bring her home.
I also am wondering if this scar tissue can form around the replacement part again.
abby
 
Oh Abby, so sorry to hear about your dilema with your dog. Maybe if your son would pick up some of those potty pads. I never used them but I know people who consider their dogs inside dogs and use them exclusively and I recently saw them for big dogs. Its extreme I know but having her with you might help you a lot too. Good luck your in my prayers.
 
Hi Crystal .... thank you so much for writing. Well, it seems as though my son is bringing Molly back Sunday. He is going backpacking mid-week. She's a very "needy" dog as I got her from a rescue group who rescued her from a Puppy Mill when she was 4 ... she was a breeder female and had 5 liters before they were "done" with her, so then the rescue group stepped it. So she is what you call a Velcro dog......stuck to my side.
You might be right ... Maybe having her here would help.
I'm wondering if Josephine might see this and let me know if this scar tissue situation could happen again, but I don't know how to "tag" her.
Thanks again Crystal.
abby
 
I understand perfectly about her being "needy". My dog was a breeding dog also and was dumped in the desert when they were done with her. She was glued to me also. My 90 lb baby. Although I miss her terribly every day I am also relieved she passed before my surgery and I don't have to find someone to watch her while I'm having surgery as she would not have done well with anyone else at all and was in poor health for a long time before she passed. I hope it all works well for you. :)
 
Yes, it is hard with animals, we love them and they need us. During my previous surgery in Jan I still had my old dog who was 16yo and a love- she came from a humane society shelter. She was great company - unfortunately we had to put her down in April as she stopped being able to move around. She was a love and such a large part of our lives for 15+yrs. At first, my husband stated he did not want another dog and I just said I wanted to wait till after my surgery. That lasted 2m and he started looking through the shelters to find a dog that would click with us. At the end of June, we adopted Riley a 2yo stray stray German Sheperd cross 90# baby. He is a love, no aggression and very attached however he does not realize how big he is and he is very rumbunctious and a heavy chewer if not monitored. Right now, he is tied outside during the day as if we were both at work and in the house when my husband is around. I am hoping after 2-3 weeks I can have him in the house with me but for right now, cannot handle the running, bumping into and worrying what he is chewing up when I fall asleep or cannot get up fast enough to check up on him.

He is such a love that I am glad we have him but .... The best part is that my husband realized he would have extra work because of him one week before my surgery-- must be he did not hear me when I advised we wait till I recovered and was back more mobile.

I have my husband to help take care of me and our dog but I understand how hard it is to deal with everything when you live alone. There must be some living alternatives somewhere that are affordable where you can get some assistance. It is one of my concerns as I age and only have my husband and he is not able to help as I live in the country. Good luck with your search and your recovery - you have gone through so much.
 
Hi everyone ....
I had the surgery 2 weeks ago to remove the scar tissue that grew around my RTKR ..... four 3/4" incisions. My doctor told me it was messy and when they wrapped it, they had pads on it about 2" thick. I was allowed to take that off in 2 days ..... wow, messy and bloody is right. Since then I've been in P.T., but I have read that some people wear some kind of knee brace after this in order to not overdo it and prevent it from happening again. I am going to ask my PT when I see her this week, but I was just wondering what you all knew or thought. I don't want to go through this again.
Does it usually grow back yet again? Is this a continuous thing I'll have to deal with from now on? Why do some people get it and others don't? Did I push it too much after the RTKR?
It's been a long summer and I'd like to at least enjoy some of Fall before Winter sets in. Any input you all have would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks much,
abby
 
Hi Abby,
Glad you are recovering from your adhesions. skigirl, had adhesions removed. She took it real easy to let it heal. Dhare63 also had scar tissue removed.
maryo52, uses a knee brace and can advise you.
Here is a link to skigirls thread.
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/removal-of-adhesions.13997/
Follow the Bonesmart mantra, Rest, Ice, Elevate, and Medicate, give your knee time to heal.
Wishing you an uneventful recovery,
 
Hi Abby,

So sorry to hear about your trials. It sounds like you have been through a great deal and with little support, it can be a huge challenge. I hope this is the last surgery for a long time!

I have had scar tissue removal but mine was done as an open procedure through the original TKR incision. My issue was missing extension, and the scar tissue had grown behind my knee and into the spacer area, then up behind the knee, around it, etc. it was a mess, took two hours to remove. They replaced the spacer and sewed me back up.

I was advised by many to control swelling and do very little except for gentle stretching, walking heel toe, etc. I was able to get ice all the way around my knee and that helped a lot. I didn't worry much about pt and she was on board with the less is more approach. She did some lymphatic massage and we took it slow.

This was exactly what I needed. I have a tendency to form scar tissue as knows from previous procedures. This slow approach helped my body heal in the way it needed to stop that from happening again. I am over a year out from the procedure, saw my OS about a month ago and he is thrilled with the outcome. I am at 2-3 from full extension and 125 or so for flexion. This gives me the rom I need to do the things I want to do. There is little pain that can't be controlled by OTC drugs. I feel liberated.

Please keep the faith and don't give up. You will get better, but do go slow. I don't know about the growths you mention and the tendency for them to come back, but don't worry about that now. Focus on what you can control and stay in the moment.

And by all means come here for at least a virtual hug and support session. We are always around!
Thanks Pumpkln for tagging me, you are such a caring person!

Be well and post your updates, I'll be following your string!

Dawn
 
Thank you all for your input. My Ortho. did tell me very explicitly to not overdo it, but he didn't say what overdue was. I live alone, have a dog and 2 cats, and have everything to do myself. My kids aren't around to help, except for my son who is an hour away. He is so busy with his job that he doesn't have much time. And, he tells me he doesn't know if he'll stay in D.C. or not ..... he might move. As I age it was nice to know one of my kids was at least an hour away. I'm discouraged and tired.
Can anyone tell me what "overdoing it" is? Should I be wearing a brace? I see my OS next week and I'm going to ask him that. If I could help this to heal and even have to wear it all the time, I would, just to get rid of the pain. The x-rays of the replacement parts are perfectly aligned, so he did good job. I just seem to be growing this scar tissue. I guess this is one of those things I never expected.
abby
 
I am sorry you are struggling alone---it is not easy ever, but especially hard when you are ill or have to recover from surgery.

I had to take it easy after the surgery to remove the adhesions--(scar tissue). But "doing too much" does encourage the to grow.

For me, the topic of "too much" was a serious one. Here is what I think: for weeks 1-3, you should spend about 880% of your time, lying in bed or on the couch. Activity is getting up for ice, lunch, snack. Otherwise, the knee is up on three pillows.

Once the swelling goes down, you can be up more---my doc told me that I should be down for one hour after two hours of being up. Down meant lying down with the leg on three pillows and ice on my knee. Can you get some help for walking the dogs? Let the housework go---it will wait for you!! If you need to rest more;then the Home Health will also send out folks to help you bathe and sometimes to cook a meal for you.
 
Abbey, sorry I am on vacation and I wrote the above answer before I went back and read your thread. I had three weeks where I could do almost nothing--heel slides, let lifts and clam shells. Then, I could begin to walk a little bit and exercise more. But my OS was strict---no exercising on an inflamed and hot knee. He felt I should be lying down until the swelling went down.

Can you call your priest/minister and ask for help? Getting someone to walk the dog would help a lot. Otherwise, I would take her on four short walks instead of a long one. Or just out to do her "business" for now. Try to rest the knee.

The prognosis for scar tissue is that some will grow back. The trick is to go slow so that as little as possible grows back. You cannot overdo--that will encourage the scar tissue to grow back, you must rest, rest, rest. Boring? yes, of course---but, you need the best outcome that you can get.

I am extremely active---but, I surrendered to this knee. I literally spent three weeks lying on the couch reading!! At this stage, overdoing is almost anything that keeps the swelling from going down. On the plus side, I am one year out and I do have some return of scar tissue--but NOWHERE near the pre surgery situation. You will recover, just take it easy for a short time to improve your outlooks. Kelly
 
No advice to offer, but sending you my best recovery wishes.
 
skigirl .... thank you so much for responding. I'm having a very hard time replying to anything on my computer. I don't know if it's the site, my server, or my computer. I've tried Firefox and Internet Explorer. Only way I got to you was through the "alert" at the top. I'm glad I made it.
Anyhow .... Although my OS told me after the scar tissue removal to "not overdo it" he did not tell me what that meant. So, while I "thought" I was taking it easy, I guess I really wasen't .... not from what you're describing. Essentially, I did everything I normally do, just slower. I'm afraid I may have already started the "regrowth" process since I sure didn't do what you did. Also, someone (and I forget who) said that their OS told them to wear a brace .... I have one, but I have not worn it since before my RTKR. I see my OS next Monday and I'll ask him about this. Maybe I should just put the brace on til I see him. I don't know what to do.
The church I go to is very small and everyone is scattered with some people being 1-1/2 hours away. There are only about 4 families like me who live in the same town. I must admit, I've been very disappointed in them .... I had the TKR and now this, and only heard in e-mail from one person. Sad.
Anyhow, I would love to hear from you .... right now I'm in a quandry about my knee, concerned the scar tissue will grow back again and upset at my OS for not telling me explicitly what he meant by "don't overdo it." Please write back .... I'd appreciate that. Thanks so much for any words of wisdom you have.
abby
 
amberpep I also do not know what your doc meant but I would do nothing except the bare necessities until you see him tomorrow. Good Luck!! I'll keep you in my prayers.
How about a senior center in your area to help? You may want to give that a try. I also live alone and that would be something I would try. Explain your situation to them. The centers in our area have volunteers to come over and check on and help people alone.
 
Thank you so much for replying Pam .... you're right ... I guess I didn't know what he meant either .... all the doctors in that practice are so busy, you barely have any time at all with them. In the passed 6 months it's become increasingly busy, I guess because of new healthcare regulations. Anyhow, you get very little out of them unless you talk quickly. When I see him next Monday - 10/7 - I'm going to ask him outright just what he meant by "don't overdo it" ..... I think I already did. I'll also talk to my P.T. tomorrow.
abby
 
The ortho docs being busy and not having or spending time seems to be repeatedly mentioned on these threads. Oh well, I guess we just do what we can. Good luck.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Corganics CBD
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

Total: 820 (members: 1, guests: 819)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom