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Finally found my thread to post! I am not that savvy with the forums so it took me a while to find this. Happy for those that are having such a quick and wonderful recovery. I am just not "there" yet.

I am 10 weeks out and started by out patient PT 3 weeks ago. I found a super PT and have been really pleased with my progress, it's small but it's is still progress. My home PT just wasn't getting me there. When reading my insurance benefits, I took it as unlimited home visits and 20 out patient visits for PT. I called Aetna yesterday and they are saying they have it as 20 PT visits total! Well home therapy came 17 times before my doctor said start out patient PT. When I started out patient PT they checked my insurance and it said I had 15 visits left, which is why I called. They informed me that home PT hasn't billed for all the visits yet and now I am 9 visits into out PT. Has anyone else had this problem? I was on the phone with Insurance after PT when is discovered this. Needless to say I cried most of the evening know I am over my PT visits and now have no visits left when I am finally feeling like I am getting somewhere!

They told me I could send in an appeals but not sure how long that will take. Will talk to PT Monday and see how much they charge if I pay for it myself. Anyone have anything similar happen?

Thanks!
 
Sorry to hear about the mixup with the insurance. It might not be a bad idea to see how much they charge out of pocket for a few more visits. You could do your pt at home and then check in with them a few more times if it's not too expensive. Of course you may be just fine to continue the exercises on your own at home.
 
Do check with your therapist to see if they can cut you a deal for cash payments. Sometimes they'll work with you. You can ask your therapist to print off exercises for you to do at home. That should be only a minimal cost (or no cost since you've been going there already). Then you can do them on your own. That will work just fine if you can't work something out with the clinic.
 
Thanks for the advice on the PT. They are super nice and working with me. It is helping so much I just don't want to give it up. I do have another question that I could use some advice with. I am 10 weeks out, still on my pain meds 1- 10/325 Hydrocodone every 4 hours when not at work and 1 tramadol every 4 hours when I am working with 2 Tylenol. I have tried getting off the pain meds but when I do the pain and aching keep me from doing anything but sitting and elevating on the couch. But between the pain meds (which doesn't take away all of it) and constant aching, I feel extremely fatigued! It is sometimes hard to keep my eyes open at work and I am still not working 8 hours a day. Can anyone suggest any vitamins or supplements that might have help with energy levels? I am open to any suggestions. Thanks for all the help I have received from everyone on this forum!
 
Also, not sure how to get the Green Bilateral TKR sign by my name? Sorry, I'm not very forum savvy.
 
Im wondering if you have a stationary bike ? Its so beneficial for recovery. Lift the seat high if you have to . Perhaps you can learn important exercises from OPT than join a gym for 2 months which would be much more cost efficient. I have Aetna as well . I havent used all my PT up. I think I used 7 in home PT and so far 7 OPT. Im 6 weeks out. Aetna has been pretty good about everything and answer any questions if I have any . Best of luck .
 
A lot of the fatigue is normal to recovery--energy drain. But it you are a little anemic, iron can help. (but it stops you up, so be sure to have your veggies)
 
Thanks for the help. I have a stationary bike at home that I love. It has been wonderful. I am really getting so much more from my outpatient PT then I did my home PT. I wasted 17 visits for home! My OS is 2 hours away so I was told my GP could take out the staples. I didn't see my OS till my 6 week check up. When he found out I was still having home PT, he said oh no, you need outpatient PT! I was never told that! The hospital set everything up.

I am doing home exercises but my right knee was much worse and it is not coming along as well as my left. My PT has really been helpful.

I will try the iron! You may be right. I know a huge part of it is my knees but the last few days the fatigue seems to be off the chart. Thanks again for all the info and ideas.
 
Don't be afraid to nap if you need to.:zzz:
 
I have added the BTKR prefix to your thread. Please be careful taking iron supplements without a doctor's advice. Taking too much can cause some fairly serious problems. It would be better to have your GP do a blood workup and check first to see if there are any problems there that could be causing your fatigue.

But....my opinion is that you are experiencing normal energy drain that follows this very major surgery!!! You're not even a full 3 months out from a bi-lateral knee replacement. Please go back and read those articles from the BoneSmart Library that were posted for you. It explains all this and more. It's normal for one knee to lag behind the other. It just happens that way....most of the time, in fact.

The fact that you've gone back to work this early will also contribute greatly to your fatigue. Usually we don't recommend that folks start back to work until at least 12 weeks and that's with ONE knee. Having two knees done would normally take longer. So, all in all, you are doing very well. All that's needed is some patience with your body so it can complete the healing process.
 
Yes, indeed. Determining anemia and the iron would need to go through a doctor. I had both energy drain and anemia. But most people "just" have the energy drain. And that's nothing to sneeze at!
 
@rfricano , just wondering how your doctor's visit went today and if you got any good feedback on the swollen knee. Here's hoping you get that under control! :thumb:
 
rfricano said:
Left knee is coming along well. Still doing PT but right knee is being a son of a gun. Can't get past 93 after 12 weeks. Can't keep the swelling down. Will see about a manipulation!
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@rfricano I quoted this comment from a post in another thread as I am concerned about your idea of having an MUA. You are only 11 weeks out which is a little early to be considering this.

What did you doctor say about it?
 
Hello to everyone! I have only been lurking for a while. Went through some pity parties and some depression. Saw OS last week to see if he wanted to manipulate. He said I was at 90 and he thought I didn't need it. Asked me to try the JAS System. He was so surprised when I told him I had been looking at that. Told him I had seen some mention of it on bonesmart.org forum! So we are going to try that on my right knee and he put me on a different anti-inflammatory and gave me a series of cortisone pills to take over 6 days. That was a week ago and I feel so much better! I am getting around better and feel like a productive member of society...finally! My knees are healing...slowly, but still healing! Even lurking and reading about everyone's recoveries and problem solutions, helped so much! You are an amazing group here!
 
rfricano said:
He said I was at 90 and he thought I didn't need it.
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Quite so - MUAs are not usually considered necessary once the knee as achieved a ROM of 90. You sound so much happier now!
rfricano said:
he put me on a different anti-inflammatory and gave me a series of cortisone pills to take over 6 days.
Click to expand...
NSAIDs and cortisone? Don't do that any longer than the 6 days.

So what medications are you one now? How much of each are you taking and how often?
 
The cortisone was only for 6 days. I don't normally like to take the cortisone but I was getting desperate. I am on taking the anti inflammatory and tramadol for pain when needed. I have been having a problem getting swelling down on my right knee. The left knee swells and goes down, the right knee just won't go down. They both still have that "band around the knee" feeling but from what I read, that is normal. I am the poster child for every knee heals different. Doing the same thing for both knees and they are healing completely different.
 
Sounds like the cortisone acted as a little jump start to working on the swelling and you're back on the right road now. :ok:
 
rfricano said:
I am on taking the anti inflammatory and tramadol for pain when needed. They both still have that "band around the knee"
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That's pain!

I also suggest you don't take anti-inflammatories but Tylenol which is a perfect companion for Tramadol. Take it at the rate of 1,000mg up to 4 times a day. MUCH more effective than Anti-flams!
 
I will try that. I like to keep my drugs to a minimum but I won't quit taking the pain pills. I did phase out the hydrocodine because I didn't like the way it made me feel. The tramadol seems to be working great. Overdid a little yesterday and slept a little late this morning. But on my stationary bike and that really helps stretch them out. Stretching feels WONDERFUL! I will continue to keep lurking. So many great ides/solutions on here. Love this site. Thank you all.
 
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