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Well.. I went over to the steps and figured out these here stair lunges and well...they felt awesome! I got a pretty big bend too! I have been doing the bike too.. 10 minutes a day... but I have only made it around once and that was backwards and cheating..... but I keep trying. So.. I am still jealous, thank you for the info on the stair lunges!!!
 
@hbacres - my home physical therapist moved my bike seat all the way back (recumbent), loosened the foot strap, had me take off my shoe and slide my foot in as far as it will go. That makes going around easier. I have gotten to the point where I can go around with my shoe on. But, tonight I could not, as my knee is more swollen and stiff at night, so I took my shoe off and it worked for me. I do think finding a way to go all the way around seems to loosen me up a bit. But, I only do 2 minutes at a time right now. Anything more feels like too much.

Glad you like the stair lunge. It does feel good. After doing that, I find the seated heel slides are so much easier.

Another thing PT taught me is when I do the lying heel slide (my worst thing to do), if I cannot do it, just lie there and grab your thigh so your foot is in the air. Gradually, Gravity bends the knee and it is very gentle.

Those things help me. Hope they help you! :cheers:
 
I shall give it a try the next time I am up! I actually went upstairs for the first time.. got myself in the bathtub and took a nice hot bath... without getting my incision wet and then got myself back out... all by myself. My husband was hovering nearby... but it was wonderful for me mentally and physically. I was able to really work out my knee. I then gave our little dog a bath and swept the floors.. so I am beat now :yes:
The bath was the very best though...:happydance:
 
If you do stair lunges, please do them slowly and don't use any force.
 
@hbacres , I have no idea how you managed a bath, much less without getting your operated knee wet, or how you got in and out yourself. But now I am jealous! That does sound wonderful. I try to take a warm shower every night to work out all the tension that builds up during the day. I think it helps me sleep.

Maybe your husband can sweep the floor and give the dog a bath! Have a good night and a restful sleep.

@Celle - lunge is probably not the best word, although that is what my exercise list calls it. For sure, it is slow and gentle movements.
 
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving and don't work too hard! My husband is doing his very first turkey.. a breast in the crock pot! I am supervising from my recliner.. iced and elevated.
 
Sounds like a good plan, @hbacres! My husband has been practicing with a frozen turkey breast in a cooking bag that comes with its own pouch of gravy. He is cooking with a little direction from me. He got a couple store bought pies and that is about it. I roasted and mashed a squash yesterday that we are reheating. And really, it did not involve more than 5 minutes at a time to make it, so I do not think I broke any rules! Good enough for our quiet little thanksgiving for three. Biggest issue - I am a bit nauseous today. Sipping Gatorade, nibbling dry crackers and hoping my appetite returns!

Knee-wise, it is a good day. I did 2 sets of PT and I seem to be getting some good flexion with relatively little effort or pain. Took an early nap while my guys were at the football game and have been icing and elevating. I seem to have less swelling. I hope I can maintain this!!!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving meal! We can be thankful for all the dear husbands who cooked today!
 
Started off with a great morning. Lots of easy flexibility, not much pain. My first set of exercises went very smoothly and I think I got a really good ROM. Then, not sure if I overdid time on the bike, or if I sat at the computer too long, but I got all stiff and swollen. This knee is a temperamental thing! Icing and elevating for the rest of the day. Hoping tomorrow goes smoothly! My e-stim TENS unit is coming tomorrow. Can't wait to see if that helps things.
 
Since the Dr is already cutting back my pain meds... last night I was feeling a bit of pain and I put my TENS unit on under my ice for 15 minutes and it calmed things down. I think you will find it does help! I love ice and E-STIM after PT.
 
@hbacres, I'd love some lessons on how you use it. PT is coming Monday and can show me but would love to try it tomorrow. I think I know basically where to place the pads but not anything about settings. Any info is most welcome! Thanks!


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Mine has a setting button for knees and I do it for 15 minutes and I set the power part to just where I can feel it tingle.. which is usually around six. I put 4 pads on my knee.... each set of two pads has a positive and a negative line and those go diagonal to each other. I imagine yours will come with a booklet that shows the diagonal set up for you. if your knee is a clock face you put pads at 2, 10, 4 and 7 around the outside of your knee. Here... I took a pic of mine
[Bonesmart.org] Bionic LaxMom
 
Thank you @hbacres! Your knee looks fabulous, by the way. You have no swelling and your knee looks like a knee. Looking forward to giving it a try! Hugs!


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Hi@LaxMom and @hbacres I'm very interested in your experiences with the TENS unit. Does it help with quad strengthening? I'm going to PT again on Monday and think I will ask about it. Sounds like you are both doing so well. Keep up the good work!:)
 
Hi @sandbar525, you should be able to get outpatient PT to try it on you. If you like it, you can purchase them on Amazon. If I like mine, I can send you the Amazon link. My home PT recommended the unit I am getting. And @hbacres was good enough to explain and provide a picture of hers!

Yesterday was an up and down day for me. It started out so great. And then came the swelling and stiffness. I really did not think I overdid anything, but j must have. Here is to a better day today!

Oddly, I do not get my first follow up appointment until January. Not sure why that is. I am going to call Monday with a bunch of questions. Like, can I switch to outpatient OT soon, can I get off the remaining dilaudin and just use Tramadol, return to work date, things like that.

My short term disability plan approved my leave until December 22. I guess that is 6 weeks and maybe I will be ready to go to work by then, but right now I feel so far away from that next step. I was hoping to return after the new year.

There are just so many moving parts to this knee thing!!!


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Hi @LaxMom Talk about parallel journeys...right now my short term disability has me returning to work on Dec.22, too! However, at PT today, Jim said he thought that my return date should be no earlier than Jan 4, 2015. He said that even though I was doing well, it was very different than being ready to sit at a desk with my leg down for an extended period of time. My short term disability insurance sent me a form to have my OS fill out and return if I needed to extend and I plan to take to my six week appt on Dec 19. I've revised my back to work to Jan 4, 2015 (part time for that first week).

I will mention the TENS unit at PT on Monday. Please keep me posted on how it works for you. Hope you have a better day today. It truly is one day at a time, isn't it. Check in later today!

PS @hbacres Thanks for posting the picture of the TENS...worth a thousand words and all that!
 
Hi @sandbar525. That is funny about the disability! At one point they called me and said I only needed 4 weeks because I had a desk job! I think that is nutty and agree, I cannot see myself sitting in one position all day. I want Jan 4 as well. I'm hoping my OS will help me extend. If not, I am going to see if I have vacation days left and if I can use them as a supplement. I don't know about your work, but I do know if I return on Dec 22nd, there will be nobody to work with! Everyone will be taking holiday time off.

I also think when I return I am just going to work from home. I typically work mostly from home but do go to an office a couple times a week. One option is an office that is a 90 minute drive. I cannot even imagine being ready to do that!!! The other option is to take a train and then a shuttle bus into Boston. Stepping on and off a bus or train is more like a step and a half distance to the ground. That is just not going to happen for a while either! The logistics of actually going into an office are staggering! The other good thing about working from home is I can jump on my trusty bike to loosen up a few times each hour.

I am a bit frightened by the whole thing, but then again, we are not even to week 3 yet.

On a happy note, I did all my PT today including 1 minute backwards and 4 minutes forward on the bike. Then I showered and am now icing, elevating and semi-napping. I feel really good. Fingers are crossed for a good day!!!


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Hi @LaxMom That sounds like a killer commute. Very glad you have the option to work from home. You're right about the last two weeks of December. There won't be anyone at work anyway and most customers that I deal with will be off, too. Think it's wise to join the crowd and just stay home! I think today is going to be a good Saturday. :)
 
I am going to start working today. I work from home, on the computer. I am a contractor and if I do not maintain 200 tasks in a 30 day period my account goes inactive and then I have to re-apply and r-test for my job. So, I worked in advance to bank tasks that took me to today... so I must get started. I have been doing training tasks for about a week to get my mind set in that direction again. Luckily I am at home for work..no commute or anything. I will just work the minimum to maintain my task numbers for awhile..... I can't imagine thinking about going back to a job with a commute and the like.
 
@sandbar525 and @hbacres - the joys of getting a joint replacement young and before retirement, right?!? @hbacres, maybe you can use your laptop while you are lying down and your leg is elevated. You would need some kind of a platform or mini fan but it might help.

Well the TENS unit arrived and I am hooked up. Feels glorious! I tried to take a picture and upload it with my iPhone but it did not work. I will do it from my laptop once I get out of this thing.

Meanwhile, this is the one I got on Amazon: Tens Mini Massage Machine in Silver - Pain Relief and Relaxation on the Go (Relaxation, Anytime, Anywhere). Latest Stylish Design with LED Screen. Re-chargable Long-life Battery. Hands, Needle and Drug Free Physiotherapy. 10 Intensity Levels, 6 Modes. My physical therapist liked it because it is rechargeable. Again, I will send the link later. Limited with just the iPhone.

Hugs! It is indeed a good Saturday so far!




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Ok, I am back from my first TENS treatment, followed by PT. I think I maybe should have done it in the opposite order, which was my plan, but hubby is vacuuming, and I am trying to get out of his way. Anyway, I feel great!!! The sharp achy pain in the lower inner knee is more of a dull ache, tight band feeling. Hooray!

This is the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L07J92W/?tag=ate362da-20

And this is my knee, all hooked up!
[Bonesmart.org] Bionic LaxMom
 
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