Bilateral TKR Blakqueen's recovery

[GrandyGirl]

H Kim,
Some days are like that. Just hang in there, ice, elevate, medicate, rest.
Dori
aka GrandyGirl

 

[skigirl]

Kim, when you do not have full extension, your quads cannot fire properly which means that your legs are not fully supported by your muscles. Your bones have to take over and that is a little hard on them. It looks like you are doing the right thing--rest, ice, elevate and just wait for a little more time to pass. You are still early days on your rehab, your poor knees are still trying to heal. K

 

[BLAKQUEEN]

Hi everyone it has been a while. I am five weeks out now, WOW going so fast yest so slow. I am still doing home PT, which is going well so far, my pin hole leak has cleared up, no more problems with that. My PT has me doing the foot pedal bike I know that some of you, Jacky for sure are going to outpatient PT and is using the stationary bike, I am still having a problem with my ROM in my left leg so it is difficult in the beginning to get rotation using my left knee. MY pedal bike has arrived I just put it together not that it would have come together or partially together Every piece had to be assembled with screws, nuts and bolts that God for easy directions and included tools!!!!! So I have gone out to walk, three long blocks and back, just tired, don't go out in crazy heat!!!! My PT wanted me to try a four prawn cane, so I order one it came on Thursday right before his visit, PT adjusted the cane and we practice walking properly with it, need way more practice!!!But and all I am coming along fine. I cook everyday nothing too much, did some laundry today with help and walk more around the house. My legs have healed up great still swelling, more after PT. all is good this week continue......... will explain last week
KIM

 

[BLAKQUEEN]

Hi all so let me explain my week from hell, well you know that I am staying with my Mother and granddaughters, who are 10 and 11. My mother lives in South New Jersey, Atlantic county, near the shore; so on Friday, June 22 there was a severe thunder storm all the electricity went out for about three hours, and yes it was hot!!!! My granddaughter were afraid of the storm and everyone but mom was in the bed with me, dog under the bed!!! On Friday June 29th there was another storm, high winds, thunder and lighting crazy hurricane like weather. All the electricity went out not to return; HOT, HOT HOT no air condition, no TV, no internet NOTHING AND TO HOT FOR OUTSIDE I am stuck with pre teens in a hot house . I read a book and stayed still, no they just couldn't, oh I forgot no phone service house or cell!!!!! My brother arrived that knight to visit for the week he came for VA, stating that it was bad in D.C as well as Maryland. Sunday My mother and brother went and brought a generator to at least kept the food cold, mother just went shopping, home depot only had the large ones so needless to say my brother and I will be helping pay for it. We had to get all the fixings, extension cords and gas and fans. Although the fans were fanning hot air it still was better than nothing, we put one TV one and played dvd movies for the Kids, what a relief. We were told that we were not going to have power until July 4, but we were lucky the power returned by 9pm Sunday, a joy for everyone!!!!! It was HOT HOT HOT!!!!!! Everyone did not have power until July 4th, my PT did not have power until July 3rd so it was crazy what pleasures we are use to!!!!!!
Kim

 

[kneeper]

Ooh, that does sound miserable. We've had a few days over 100 here--not normal for us and a long stretch of 90s. I think today we may get lucky and it might only (!) make it to 90. But luckily no power outages...

Congrats on assembling the pedal contraption. Sounds like things on the knee front are progressing fine.

 

[bottomshollow]

Wow! Kim, truly a hellish week! Teenagers with nothing electronic to amuse them would be pretty bad on its own--but no power and unbelievable heat! You can face anything now! Keep up the good work you've been doing and stay cool.

Judy

 

[Jacky48]

Kim! You are a real trooper! I live in the northeast also, however we didn't get hit like you guys! We saw on the news all the mess those storms caused and you definately were not in a good place!
I'm so glad to hear that your leakage has stopped. We always worry about infection when there's any opening that's leaking. Your ROM in your left knee will come along when it's ready, as everyone keeps reminding us.
Wow, your a woman after my own heart, getting that bike together and all, good job! Just go slow there's no rush to the finish line, because there is no finsh line, except for the big one in the sky and no one's in a rush for that one!

 

[reetpteet]

Feel bad complaining about UK weather - sorry x

 

[bottomshollow]

No need to feel bad about it, Rita. Complaining about the weather is a universal activity enjoyed by all of us everywhere. Of course, weather is really not good or bad or indifferent, it just is. It's how we perceive it that makes it what it is. And we're never satisfied with it anyway! Its kinda like complaining about your job--I always felt, when I was working, that 50 percent of the fun of it was gripping about it.

 

[BLAKQUEEN]

Well had a good and hard day with PT. He stretched my legs to loosen up my stiff knees, ROM was right 95; left 80. PT will be taking me out next session to walk withmy new cane on the cement not looking foward to it. My knees hurt the rest of the day, they were very swollen. I elevated, iced and rested the rest of the day.
Kim

 

[BLAKQUEEN]

Hi all hope you all are having a great pain free weekend! I went out with my PT for a walk on Thursday with my cane did great, he alsoo had me getting in and out of my car, which is a Kia Serento suv very high, did ok with that. I went out on Friday just to order food and return home to eat it. We waited maybe 40min by the time we got home and I fed the children, ate my pain was crazy. I stop my morphine on Tuesday and was just taking percosets at nite will I really don't know what happen. I started having restless leg syndrom, I was rolling around and feeling a little nauses. I 'm still having not really pain but uncomfortableness and sometimes just pain at nite then first thing in am. I need to get this under control, I can't sleep, have to put a pillow between my knees and I flip from side to side I'm going to try Ultams in the am and perts at nite to see if that helps then we will see if it needs adjustment after I start out patient PT!!!
Kim

 

[Jacky48]

Hi Kim, sounds like you're having a rough time lately. Hopefully you'll get some relief soon! It looks like you're doing great progress with your cane and getting in and out of the car, all great stuff!
The pain issue is a real bummer though, and I hope that gets straightened out for you as well. I also sleep with a king size pillow between my knees and change positions often. Most of the time I will put the pillow along side of me (right or left) then I'll keep the bottom leg straight or slightly bent while I have the top leg bent and resting on the pillow, sometimes that will give me comfort for a couple of hours and allow me to sleep without moving position. I've tried to keep my knees even to each other with the pillow between them, but that causes aching in my knees to quickly. I know this first stage in our recovery is discouraging at times, but I know there's a bright spot coming our way I keep looking for it every day and I do see small rays of sun between the clouds of recovery on a daily bases, although small, they are there! Try and stay positive my friend! I hope your meds get straightened soon and you get relief!

 

[BLAKQUEEN]

Hi all had a really big day on Thursday. In the city which is an hour and half from my mom's to go to 3 doctors appointments first my pcp, then the rehab doctor and finally my OS. First appt was quick, then down to the hospital to see the other docs, well my first appt there was at 1:15 we arrived at noon, visit my office, ate lunch and proceeded to the appt. I register and then waited for a little over an hour to be called, mind you my next appt was at 3pm. So after see that doctor and him pulling and bending my left knee, the one that is not flexing well, I had to hurry to a different building to see my OS. The wait to be called was not long, but the wait in the back to see him was. My OS ask the same questions how was I doing, what was my pain like and what is going on with by left knee. The rehab doctor stated that I should try to stretch it out more, he then said you do not want your OS to have to take you back to the OR for MUA, WOW it really is not that bad at ROM of about 90 but my right is about 110-115 depending on who is looking. My OS wants me to do another stretch exercise that makes me go up and down in a chair with my legs back and my bottom coming down on the front edge of the seat, that hurt a lot!!!! So at the end of the day I left with a script for outpatient rehab, my feral for that, and my pain meds script. Due to the long day and the cloudy conditions my knees were crying, now I had to ride all the way back home. I did get my eyebrows waxed for me I looked horrid, just bushy, so I got in at about 8pm, talk to my mom, she wasn't my ride, ate, took meds and went to bed. Now I am up and it is raining and I am off to bed again.
Kim

 

[bottomshollow]

What a day, Kim! I'm sure you were exhausted and your knees were crying. Do take it easy when you go to PT---don't let them hurt you or have you doing too much. It's still early days in this recovery.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.

 

[Jacky48]

Awe man Kim, you had an awful day and a long one to boot! I hope you be nice to yourself and get plenty of rest for the next couple of days.

 

[BJ Mac]

Goodness Kim, hang in there and take it easy! Rest.

 

[BLAKQUEEN]

Thanks for your support guys, I am worried about outpatient PT, which by the way I have to wait for them to call due to the fact that I need to be picked up and the facility has to coordinate the ride with the appt. So my doc wrote for more aggressive PT on my left knee. Trust and believe I am not going to let PT hurt me!!!!
Kim

 

[BJ Mac]

Try not to worry. You have already decided that you are not going to let them hurt you. You will be fine. (((((hugs)))))

 

[BLAKQUEEN]

Hi All hope all of you are well, I have caught up on a few threads so I guess I need to catch up on mine. bout ten days ago I went out for my usual afternoon/evening walk, which is anywhere depending on the elements/temp from a 1/4 to 3/4 of a mile. When I returned home my rt leg was in soooo much pain, pain that I hadn't had in a while that all I could do was medicate and . So this was right before my first scheduled outpatient therapy, which went well. Sat July 28th I was talked into going to our family reunion, at an amusement park, small yet still an amusement park. Silly me thought that I could get a wheelchair and be fine. Well first it was about 102 degrees out and when my brother, who stood in a loooong line to get the chair, got to the counter he was told there wasn't any more left. So now it is hot and I have no wheelchair and I am getting dizzy from the heat. So I went to the pavilion where my family was and fed my grandchildren lunch, drank plenty of water and just cooled off. Next my brother and I took the children to the wave pool, what a relief cool at last. I got into my bathing suit and was in the water feeling great. splashed with the children for a while then the waves became too much for my knees, I had to give it a rest, by then it has cooled way down due to the storm that was coming. Of course the rain came in buckets and my 5yr old and I were trapped inside the ladies room, until we were rescued by my brother and a umbrella, oh we were just outside of the ladies room. We did stay until the rain stopped, two of my grands rode a couple of rides and then we headed home. We picked up dinner and I was ever sooo tired and sooo much in pain. The car ride was about 45 mins each way and it was such a long day that I was in bed all day Sunday.
Kim

 

[BLAKQUEEN]

So my script for therapy states that my left knee need aggressive therapy, really . My left knee ROM is only about 85 and has been for a while, my rt is 115. So yes we need to work on it but not push it. My therapist has been good so far not to push past what I can do. So I tried to walk at least every other day and I do my stretching exercises, my lower back is killing me and nights still are restless and most times painful not real bad but still pain. I go see my OS on Thursday, I will talk to him about my back and of course my PT script , my first one only gave me 8 visits that is what the insurance company authorized for my referral. What were they thinking, I received 12 visits last year when I had one leg operated on.
Kim