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Revision TKR Bruising 3 years out

Sorry, I came home and passed out yesterday. I was there for about 3 hours. They didn't find any blood clots or anything like that. They said it's the muscles cramping up because they're not used to being used anymore. Kinda bummed me when they said I couldn't put heat on it because that's what I usually do for muscle pain
 
Xanaphia said:
Kinda bummed me when they said I couldn't put heat on it because that's what I usually do for muscle pain
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I am glad that you got the good news that you have no DVT's---however, if you put heat on the calf, you will most likely only aggravate the swelling, as heat allows the body to pump fluids to the inflamed area.

I would not only ice the knee, but also ice the calf muscle as well, in order to reduce the swelling.
 
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I had terrible upper calf spasms in the year preceding my RTKR. The only thing that helped, it seemed, was icing and gently stretching it out.

Glad you're okay and have no clots!
 
Yeah the icing does help a little bit. I am also glad they didn't find any DVT. I do have a question tho. My doctor used some kind of glue to close my incision (the nurse said all the stitches are inside and will disolve on their own) and I'm just over 2 weeks post op. Is it normal for it to still bleed a little bit here and there?
 
Some seepage can occur for a while with the incision. As long as your knee is not red and hot and you're not running a fever over 101 degrees, what you'ree experiencing is in the range of normal.
 
Oh today is horrible. :( I woke up with some bad vertigo, I feel like the world is spinning. I'm really starting to think maybe I would be better off giving the pain meds up totally. Before my TKR I never had problems like this, now I don't feel normal and haven't for 3 weeks.
 
Then these are the wrong pain meds for you. Many people cannot tolerate certain drugs. Options are available. See your doctor.

I was able to wean down and stop my pain meds fairly quickly after both TKR's, but I'm a bit of a stoic and I needed to drive myself around town more than I needed pain medicine. I won't lie and say I felt like a million bucks, but good ol' extra-strength Tylenol helped me through the rough spots. I had three different prescription pain meds to choose from, but.. meh, preferred Tylenol. Again, see your doctor.
 
I went to see the doctor yesterday and she said I had a sinus infection and a buildup of hard wax in my ears and the combination of the two was making my brain fuzzy and my ears ring and messing up my equilibrium. She put me on antibiotics and some stuff to clean the wax out with. I am feeling better today. My knee is hurting quite a bit but that's probably because I've been up on it alot today. I also need to find a different way to sleep because I sleep the same way every night and now the side of my knee feels like it's bruised
 
I just finished reading your thread and it brought back lots of memories for me. I remember the pain which I too had trouble with at first. They started me on oxicontin which I turned out to be allergic too then changed it to hydrocodone which made it manageable but it still hurt. Eventually I progressed to tramadol which did not make my head so fuzzy.

I remember the swelling too. Like the others I relied on ice and elevation. I found that ice was a great friend in the way of pain relief too. When I overdid it like you it was two steps forward and one step back. Remember your still early in your healing and the joint is trying to mend all the stretching and incisions it had; not to mention the bones were cut. That is going to take time. As others have said this is major surgery. It was 3 1/2 months before I went back to my job which is on my feet all day and very active. And even then I only went back at four hours a day at first. I still now wear thigh high TED hose to keep the swelling at bay since my knee was always one to swell even before surgery and I am busting it on my feet all day. You might ask your PT or nurse if those would be appropriate for you. My PT lady at the rehab center I went post op put me in them and it was a big help for me.

I remember the blues too. I told my Mom somewhere about 3-4 weeks out that I wished I had never done it and wanted my old knee back. Now I realize it is the best thing I have done for myself and I have my life back. I'm so glad I did it with no regrets. So hang in there better days will be ahead. I can walk now and do around 40 minutes four times a week. I could not even make it through the grocery before without pain. Hang in there you'll get there it just takes time.

Your flexion and extension sound great and your only a few weeks out. I think you are doing wonderful.

This website is a wonderful place and they will be there for you at all hours and be able to help you with worries and questions. I am so glad you found it. Welcome to Bonesmart!
 
I have been off line a bit and was wondering how you are doing. Sounds like you rounded the corner...and then sprinted to some imaginary finish line. I did the same thing with RTKR. Rounded the corner and then did too much. That put me on my back with ice packs the next day big time.

My mantra for my LTKR is "relax". All in good time. I'm doing minor ROM exercises at home and see my PT person once a week. My ROM is 110 (pushing it), extension -5. Since I know these will improve over time, I don't push beyond mild discomfort. Quads and IT Bands on both legs need to be strengthened . I'm starting a few exercises for those.

You will have bad days. Over time the good days will outnumber the bad. Just don't give into the bad day blues. Go slow..and before you realize it..it will be behind you.

Best of luck.
 
@kneeworn Unfortunately my extension isn't nearly as good as I thought it was, as I had been going by how straight it gets laying in bed. Today during my visit with my PT I got on the floor and on that firm surface I realized my extension is HORRIBLE. I can fit my whole hand under my knee and that's as far as I can straighten it. My bend is great. Bending I'm sitting right around 115° maybe a little bit more, but try as I might I cannot get my leg straight at all. I know ROM comes in time but I have my follow up on Monday and now I'm worried because I know my doctor is going to have a fit and get really upset about my refusing outpatient physical therapy due to the fact that I just cannot afford the copays for the visits, and right now I can't guarantee from one day to the next if I'll be able to drive or not. I have good days and bad days and they are unpredictable. What do I do? I'm so frusterated today. Before surgery I could straighten my leg all the way and now not even close. I wish Monday was weeks away :bawl::headbang:
 
Oh yeah and I had another question. I have a lot of muscle pain in my calf because of exercises and the muscle not being used to being used. Since I cannot apply heat or soak in a bath, would TED hose help with the pain??
 
Don't worry about the extension. Time itself will take care of it. Your extension is not horrible. There are a couple of things that are very easy to do that can help. I sit in a chair and I put a stool or another chair across from me so just my heel is on top of it. Just relax and don't try to push it down. Gravity will work its magic. It doesn't happen over night but slowly it gets better. Try walking so your heel hits the floor first and then roll off the ball of your foot. That's all you need to do right now.

For tight a tight calf you ca put both hands on the wall. Bend your right knee and put your foot flat on the ground. Put your left leg out to the back with your heel on the ground. Only out far enough to feel a stretch and hold there. That should help.
 
After my RTKR, my extension was terrible. Much like yours. Sitting with my heal slightly raised and allowing gravity to work KILLED me. The max I could do was 1 minute! But slowly over time I was able to tolerate it more and more. Another exercise I couldn't hold for more than a minute was laying on my bed on my stomach with my lower legs hanging off the bed. The edge of the bed should be right above your knee, so your knee to the foot is hanging in air. Relax and let gravity pull your leg straight.

It's a killer. Do it for a minute...next time 90 seconds. Slowly the extension will get better. My extension was as bad as yours with the first knee....and it is nice and straight now.

Relax...it is not a race.
 
I have a dedicated taped-up towel roll for extension stretches. I extend my leg and place the roll under my heel/ankle occasionally while reading or watching TV. Got the idea from a PT at the hospital. At first, as everyone says, only aim for 30 seconds or a minute and relaxxx into the stretch. Eventually (NOT NOW!) you'll be able to go longer and maybe add some soft, light weights.

You are only 3 weeks post op. There's no reason to worry about what your OS might or might not say or think or do. This exam will be structured and busy, and will go by quickly. Your OS probably won't even ask about PT, and if he does, just tell him you're doing the exercises on your own. He'll likely respond with something along the lines of, "Yay, good job!".

My 6 (7!) month post op visit is tomorrow. I'd much rather sleep in than struggle through weekday traffic, but I've already postponed this appointment once because of a headcold.
 
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Xanaphia said:
Unfortunately my extension isn't nearly as good as I thought it was, as I had been going by how straight it gets laying in bed. Today during my visit with my PT I got on the floor and on that firm surface I realized my extension is HORRIBLE. I can fit my whole hand under my knee and that's as far as I can straighten it. My bend is great. Bending I'm sitting right around 115° maybe a little bit more, but try as I might I cannot get my leg straight at all. I know ROM comes in time but I have my follow up on Monday and now I'm worried because I know my doctor is going to have a fit and get really upset about my refusing outpatient physical therapy due to the fact that I just cannot afford the copays for the visits,
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Please don't worry about your extension. Its still very early days and it usually does take longer to achieve extension than flexion. Extension will come, with time. there's no need to rush.

As for your surgeon - let him have a fit if he wants to. It's his blood pressure, not yours! As far as not going to PT is concerned, it is what it is and it's entirely your choice, not your surgeon's. He can recommend, but you can choose whether or not to accept his recommendation. You have a very good reason for not going to PT. he'll just have to accept that.

The following article gives some suggestions for doing things at home that will help to increase your extension. Don't go overboard. Just choose one of two exercises and only do them for a few seconds initially. Never do them to the point of pain.
Extension: how to estimate it and ways to improve it
 
Celle said:
Never do them to the point of pain.
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Yeah wish my PT understood that. Today was brutal as she had me on the floor forcing my leg down trying to straighten it. She's been very sweet and understanding so far but today it was almost as if my not being able to straighten my leg was going to cost her her job. She told me "you better work hard on that extension all weekend because you know your dr isnt going to like you not straightening it". She also told me that most of the reason people have problems with ROM after TKR is a mental thing. "It's all in your head". She says it's the fear that keeps your ROM painful. I have to disagree with that. I see the results of aggressive physical therapy in the form of badly swollen calf and frequent muscle spasms and major increased pain. I can go all weekend barely taking my pain meds but when PT starts again the swelling and pain skyrocket. I'm so close to giving up on PT tonight it's unreal. I keep asking myself is the pain and agony really worth it?
 
Xanaphia said:
Yeah wish my PT understood that. Today was brutal as she had me on the floor forcing my leg down trying to straighten it. She's been very sweet and understanding so far but today it was almost as if my not being able to straighten my leg was going to cost her her job.
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Look, it's up to you to control this situation. Stop being a passive victim.
You do not have to obey your PT. She has to obey you. Have you told her to stop? If not, why not? If you have told her and she keeps on doing it, then she is assaulting you.

Simply, don't get down on the floor. Don't argue or discuss with her. It's your knee and you decide what happens to it, not her. It is your job to protect your knee from harm.

Your PT's job is her problem, not yours, and it is not your responsibility to help her. Her job is to help you - and hurting your knee is not helping you.
 
I should have stopped her. But I've been so angry at myself lately. Those few days in the hospital, they had my cpm machine set to 0 , but a few days after I got home I could no longer straighten my leg and I guess I blame myself for that. I don't know what I could have done to cause it other than refusing to use the CPM machine for 8 hours a day on top of PT 5 days a week. But I woke up this morning and I can't even walk normal again, yesterday I was fine, until PT and I've been in alot of pain ever since and when I walk my leg gives out on me, bending backwards real hard and fast and now I'm afraid to walk :( I feel like a dummie for letting her do that
 
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