Hiyah!
The TKR surgery was six weeks ago Thursday...and it’s been a roller coaster...
Three weeks ago, after the wound vac had been removed and I was feeling really good, I went outside (using the cane) to see if it was easier getting in and out of the car. It was and I also had no problem with the pedals...yeah me!
I was walking around the back of the car to get to the sidewalk and thinking about no more bus rides and driving again when 66yrs of "right foot automatically first on the curb" took over. And yeah, the right knee collapsed and I ended up backwards in the street between two parked cars. Thankfully the kids were home and after yelling a couple times they all came running and got me up, inside and back on the couch. I was barely walking because I had pulled/overextended the IT band on the surgery leg.
After getting chastised for not having my phone or at least a spotter, I took a couple of Tramadol and they started packing my leg in ice. My knee felt fine - just the upper outer thigh was bad. I rested the remainder of the weekend and cancelled the Monday morning PT session.
By the next PT session on Wednesday, I was able to get on the transit bus (using a walker, of course) and got to PT. It was a painful bus ride, but most of them have been.
The fall set me back almost two weeks, but I think I am almost where I should be. The PT assessment two days ago had my ROM at 107 (up from the 92 at last assessment) and my knee flat (don’t know what it’s called) is at 5 or -5 (almost all the way down, but not quite). The PT said no worries - there’s been improvement, so all is good.
I saw the OS yesterday for the 6 week follow up and he was a happy camper. The incision looked good, balance was good, I'm off Tramadol completely and ROM was good He authorized six more weeks of PT three times a week. And he said I passed the four criteria for driving, so I am good to go!
I went out this morning and drove to Starbucks and got my first Coffee Frappuccino in six weeks...happy sigh...knee did good. I had a little tightness. And there still is some little bit of swelling and bruising that was expected. I know I won’t be able to sit in traffic for an extended amount of time, but the odds of that happening here are slim to none.
As of Monday the family taxi service is back in business with drop offs in the morning and pick ups in the afternoon. But the very best part is not having to ride the transit bus twice a day, three times a week. The city transit bus service sometimes forgets you, sometimes shows up an hour late and sometimes they don’t let you know when there is no driver for your scheduled ride. On top of the painful experience of actually riding the bus from anywhere to 10 minutes to an hour to get home which is 10miles away, not needing this service is the very best part of being able to drive again.
I know when the other knee is done (probably in January), I’ll need to take the bus again. But the right leg will be strong and hopefully I’ll only need to take the bus the first two weeks.
The last thing on the list is getting off the couch and back up to my room on the third floor. After six weeks down here in the living room, we are all ready. The other day I did climb up the two flights of stairs - one step at a time. Going up was good; going down a little shaky. But there are railings, so a little slower going down.
I greatly appreciate all the information and support. My brother-in-law is having a bilateral TKR early next year and I have already told him to stop here.
Thanks and have a great weekend!
Katie