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Banjaboy's recovery thread<

Oh boy, night 3 of no sleep! Just cant find a good position, no position issues with first knee so im a rookie with this. Can I lie on my non operated side with pillows fully supporting operated leg? Does my leg have to be straight? I gotta get some sleep tonight im exhausted


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8 days after surgery, looks good but doesnt show the pain lol!


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Following your thread and anxious to see how you do following the Bone Smart way of no painful PT! That's what I'm working on. Today has been rough however. I can't seem to even get up and walk to the bathroom without swelling and subsequent stiffness. Very discouraging... I must have overdone it yesterday. Happy Turkey Day!
 
Well, last knee I did painful pt and have 130 plus degrees but im not going to be so hard on myself this time


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banjaboy said:
Can I lie on my non operated side with pillows fully supporting operated leg? Does my leg have to be straight? I gotta get some sleep tonight im exhausted
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Yes, you can lie on your non-operated side with pillows between your legs.
No, your leg doesn't have to be completely straight. That's uncomfortable. A slight bend is fine.

I hope you get some sleep tonight. Don't forget, though, that you can take daytime naps. Don't try to stay awake during the daytime, thinking you will sleep better at night. It doesn't seem to work that way.

Sleep where you can, when you can, and how you can. All those little naps will add up to the amount of sleep you need.
 
Sleep when you can! The first few days I swear all I did was sleep off and on day and night. I have been having pretty good nights until last night. The pain was just too much and I could not get comfy. Keep trying different positions to sleep. Hope you get some rest tonight.


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Thats great advice ladies! Each surgery is different and I simply cant remember the recovery progress after my first one. Perhaps thats natures way of letting us go through this twice


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I know I'm going to feel much more prepared when I have my other knee replaced. Things I especially try to remember :
1) This too shall pass
2) Just let my knee heal for a while and my system recover from the op and all the meds
3) Sleep when and where you can. For me if the bits of sleep added up to 7 hours across the day I'd feel OK (note:OK not necessarily brilliant)
4) Find a sensible, up to date, kind PT
5) If MUA is required it's not the end of the world and not to be feared. It could be just what's needed but, I'd hope that taking it easy during the first few weeks might make it unnecessary.

So take it a day at a time but only review progress weekly or even monthly!
Good luck!
 
Great advice, this too shall pass. I will keep that as my mantra


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Any thoughts regarding getting on my gym quality stationary bike. When should I start?


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A stationary bike is a great help even if you can't make a single rotation!

  • Set the bike to zero resistance
  • If you can't make a rotation, set the saddle as high as possible and rock the pedals back and forth as far as you can with discomfort but no pain
  • If you can make full rotation:
  1. Set the saddle at a point where a single rotation is a challenge; difficult but not painful. When a rotation becomes easy right from the start, lower the saddle a max of 1cm.
  2. Gently turn the pedals.
  3. Continue until the knee is 'warmed up' and the rotation is now easy, or for 2 minutes, whichever is the shorter time.
  • Repeat whichever exercise you can do several/many times a day
  • Do not pedal fast or for more than 2 minutes, this is a stretching exercise, not training.
  • And if you get any pain or swelling in the 24 hours after doing this, cut it down until you don't
Here is a bit more chat and some pix https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/rom-and-extension-stretches.13159/page-3#post-423701
 
Here is my knee, 2 weeks post op, any thoughts, comments, suggestions?

[Bonesmart.org] Banjaboy's recovery thread<
 
Looks OK. It'll settle down to a silvery colour in time. Keep on keeping on @banjaboy!
 
Looks really good for two weeks! I still have staples at two weeks and when I finally had them removed at 3 weeks, my skin had covered most of them. 34 out of 35 hurt! You got yours out in time for you not to have that problem.
 
Thanks everyone! My other knee healed well and hope this one does. It feels stronger than the other one at this point but i did see a personal trainer 3 times a week for a couple of months before and im generally in fair shape for an old man. I feel ROM is not quite what the other was but hard to tell. Just wish i could find a comfy position to sleep in at night. Days are good, nights are bad. Im very VERY emotional, up and down, very depressed at times knowing the recovery curve im facing but all in all im hangingbin.


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Banjaboy, if you're having trouble getting comfortable to sleep, it may be that you need to up your pain medication right before bed. What are you taking (medication and dosage)? Also, remember that pain meds only last about 4 hours, so you may wake up in the night and need another dose. Another option is to ice both the front and back of your knee all night long with an ice machine or gel packs. That worked wonders for me. Remember this is the rough stage and it will pass.
 
Had my first physio on Monday, bit disappointed, almost 3 weeks in and only 80 ROM 10 deg from straight, not as good as the left one but i will work at it


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