Bilateral TKR Analysta's BTKR diary

[Wanttobebiking]

Hi Analysta. I was wondering where you've been. Sounds like you have the narcotic situation under control. Good for you for recognizing it and doing something about it. I got off the oxy as soon as I could because it made me nervous. I think the last one I took was at about 6 weeks, but I began tapering at 3 weeks, which didn't work, and then I tried again at 4 weeks, which did work. I am sleeping great now. Appetite is back. Overall I am doing good, except I am having IT band issues, so I am restarting PT next week. I am back on my bike (did a 20-mile ride Sunday), but for the life of me I cannot go down stairs normally without a lot of pain. Really looking forward to hearing what my therapist has to say on Thursday. Glad to see you are back.

 

[analysta]

Pasting this from another response I did elsewhere, for purposes of keeping a true diary.

I am getting more and more jazzed about rejoining a gym or possibly digging out my exercise machine that is stored in the detached building we have. The leg press machine at the PT was really enjoyable for some strange reason and I'm motivated. And, being at the age I am, I no longer care much about what the superfit people at the gym may think of me.

I still have a prescription for FIFTY more PT sessions. I wonder if I can turn that into a use of their machines, without all the PT attention.

It's getting more and more clear through our shared experience that we lose a TON of muscle function through this experience and that it doesn't come back quickly through activities of daily living, even if that involves a lot of stairs or an exercycle. It's almost four months for me. I'm ecstatic about the change, but quite sober about the work that lies ahead. I want to encourage anybody that reads this, any newbies, that it's a doggone long process, and in only some respects is a quick fix.

Oh --- people are saying I'm taller! Is that really true, or just that I'm happier and standing up straighter?

 

[analysta]

Also, a quick update. I have trained myself to sleep on my back. I don't think I have slept on my back since I was a baby --- I'm a longtime side sleeper. But sleeping on the back is helping my sleep tremendously now that I have kicked the pain killers (sleeping in any position was easy with the drugs). When I sleep on my side I wake up with pain in my lower shin - what's with that?

 

[Celle]

I'm glad you've found a way to sleep well.

I think it must be that some positions your knee gets into while you're sleeping lying on your side just aren't comfortable for it yet. This may improve, with time.

 

[analysta]

[Five month update] Everything's still great. Still a little muscle pain going up and down stairs but compared to before BTKR it's a "good" pain, even a great pain, reminding me of how bad the bone pain used to be. Basically I'm back to my old activity levels of twelve years ago.

Feeling is starting to return in the skin on the lateral side of the incisions where there was a numb patch about 3 inches across on each knee. It's kind of an odd process - once every couple days I get a burning sensation there, like a little cigarette burn. It lasts maybe 15 seconds. Since that started happening, about a month ago, the skin seems to be a little more sensitive or rather the numb area seems smaller each time I check. I have this mental image of microscopic gremlin nerve electricians in my skin doing some soldering and throwing some switches, day by day working their way across the numb area. Anybody else experiencing anything like that? I welcome those episodes of burn because I take it as part of the final stages of recovery.

The lower shin pain upon waking is totally gone. I changed the Sleep Number of the mattress to softer and I think it put my legs into a better position overall when sleeping on my side.

 

[Stefny]

Analysta....Thanking you so much for sharing your five month update. It is very helpful for those of us who may be sitting on the fence about surgery. Wishing for you continued success in your overall recovery Analysta!!

 

[analysta]

Hi Stefny, great to see you again here!

 

[metalheart]

Glad to hear your recovery is going well. The stair thing does get easier, but it takes more time than I thought it would. During both my recoveries I had the little burning sensations, almost in the same spot on both knees. The black circle in the image shows how localized it was, but it was an intense burn and sometimes the skin at that spot was extraordinarily sensitive. ON my August knee, I can still sometimes feel a bit of sensitivity, but it has most gone away. I interpreted it as some kind of nerve healing, but who knows......

 

[analysta]

@metalheart --- very very similar to what I'm experiencing! Thanks!

 

[Dearjr]

@analysta hi glad your doing well
I am getting some sensation back on the lateral side but isolated areas. I'm used to it being numb.
Mine clunks a lot but I can walk up
And down stairs fine.
We still have 5-6 months till that magic year

 

[Wanttobebiking]

The numb area on my knee has almost completely woken up! I just wrote a business story on the company that makes Sleep Number beds. Now I want one. Do you like it?