Bilateral TKR BTKR ~~ May 13, 2013 ~~ Post-Op

[izzie]

Hi Bev, Thank you for thinking of me and bless you for tagging Josephine. Please read my post to her. I appreciate your concern and prayers. You're an angel!

 

[izzie]

Hi Diana, I appreciate all of your support. My Mom has been hearing from me a lot lately - thanks to you! Lymphatic massage would definitely do some good. I'm going to ask today if I can get a little home health care before going directly to out-patient PT. Maybe a home PT would be able to do some massage. Thanks again for everything!

 

[izzie]

Hi Janet, Were you laying with your legs elevated, icing the knees? What was your favorite place and position? I don’t plan to “sit” when I get home. It will be much better for me if I can elevate my legs on my bed or a couch (if I can get up and down from it). I wish I had not followed their directions when they kept telling me to stay in the recliner. After surgery, the TED hose were put on me and I remember looking at my ankles which were not very swollen. Now, they just won’t go down. So glad the Doppler showed no clots.

 

[bottomshollow]

izzie, just a suggestion for you. You need to tag the individual members you are posting to be sure they get your message or you need to go to their threads to post direct to them.

To tag a forum member, all you have to do is to type @ directly in front of their user name with no space between the @ and the user name. Be sure that you correctly type the user name or it will not work. To be sure that the member is tagged, look at your post after you have clicked "Post Reply"; if the tag worked, the user name will now be blue and underlined.

Do not follow the user name with a hyphen (-). The computer recognizes this as part of the user name, which it is not, and the tag fails. Also on occasion if the @ is the first thing on the line, it may be necessary to indent a couple of time to get it to work. This is why it is necessary to check your post after you have clicked "Post Rely" to be sure the tag has worked.

When the tag works, the member will get an alert at the top of his/her page, and by clicking the alert will be taken directly to your post.

FYI: For instructions on how to use the forum, hover your mouse or click on "Office" on the white bar at the top of the page. On the drop down menu, click on "How to Use This Xenforo Forum". You will find articles about the many things that are available to you when navigating the forum. Using this resource will enhance your enjoyment of the forum.

Hope this is helpful. So glad that you are getting a handle on your pain management. You'd think they'd know what to do for you at the hospital without your having to be the person in charge. So strange how different things are in hospitals throughout the US.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.

 

[puffin]

Hi Izzie
You are doing really well but don't let the PTs push you to do more than you can manage - no wonder that you are having trouble will swelling if you are being forced to be "up and about all day" and sit in an uncomfortable recliner that is probably causing swelling

If you do not feel like doing PT then cancel your session today and just do a few basic stretches on your bed and take it easier and let the swelling subside - even olympic athletes have a rest day.

I remember when I was in the hospital following my accident that a PT tried to get me doing stairs on the stone hospital staircase. I limped down there but after looking at the staircase I just knew there was no way and that it would be dangerous to try with a dislocating knee so I cancelled the session. Imagine my shock when I got home and a few days later a letter from the OS arrived to say that I must continue being absolutely non weigh bearing for 10 weeks That message had certainly never been communicated to me and the staff seemed to ignore it. It made me realise that a large part of recovery is knowing when it is time push and when it is time to rest and never to let a PT overrule those instincts.

One of the reasons I am happy to be going straight home from the hospital is to avoid pushy PTs in the early weeks - here in Sweden there is no compulsory PT and ROM is not measured for 6 weeks.

 

[schipp4me]

I had to have the dopler on my left leg, had swollen ankle, and pain caused by water on the back of the knee.. they said I was over extended, and that was what caused it.....so after taking it easy on that leg, it got better..........I guess its just one of the things that can happen......It will pass....hang in there Izzie..........

 

[scaredinCA]

Izzie please cancel pt for today. They can't force you!! You are in charge of your knees and they shouldn't be forcing you into doing things you aren't ready for. Don't let them intimadate you into anything you aren't comfortable with.

 

[Janet2012]

Hi Janet, Were you laying with your legs elevated, icing the knees? What was your favorite place and position? I don’t plan to “sit” when I get home. It will be much better for me if I can elevate my legs on my bed or a couch (if I can get up and down from it). I wish I had not followed their directions when they kept telling me to stay in the recliner. After surgery, the TED hose were put on me and I remember looking at my ankles which were not very swollen. Now, they just won’t go down. So glad the Doppler showed no clots.

I made my bed my command center. I got a bed reading wedge feather pillow for my back to prop myself up with support, and I had a leg elevating foam wedge (mine was from footsmart.com) which I put another feather pillow across the curved part for soft support which elevated well. When I wasn't using the leg wedge, I used two down pillows long ways, one under each leg. The headboard wedge could be flipped, so one way was more upright for sitting, and the other way was more reclining. I used my regular bed pillow with it as well. There were a lot of pillows involved! Reclining on the pillow in a slightly upright position, and with a pillow under each leg allowed me to sleep reasonably well on my back without feeling I was laying too flat. I iced my knees a lot! I was probably icing more than not. I'd just put the cold on and leave it until it wasn't cold. They kept me well iced in rehab as well.

 

[new knee in June]

Hi Izzie,
Please consider taking a day off of PT :iagree: You sound like a day of ice, elevation & meds. on
time is just what you need! You also need to REST that is how our bodies heal. You will get home
in due time
all my best to you !
Diana

 

[jiimbojunk]

Hi Izzie,

I hope you have a better day today! Hopefully the elevating will help the swelling. My right ankle never swelled, but this left one is. It is pretty bruised too. I just ice and keep an eye on it. I have a CPM machine but I am not fond of it. Too confining for me and I really don't think it does much good, especially after reading up on them. I don't worry when I don't use it. I am walking around pretty good, taking steps without the walker, but if I go on walks outside, I still take it.

My biggest hassle is the pain meds. They gave me so many in the hospital and didn't bother to consider that due to that they wouldn't last until the next 'script. So, I am forced to cut them down everyday. Pain is relatively manageable but I am just nervous about doing the PT. Frankly, I would like to just drop them all and be done with them, I am tired about thinking about them.

I get my staples out on Friday. When do you get yours removed?

Yes, I love the alcohol bags! My wife followed the recipe on this site, which I think uses 1 c. alcohol to 4 c. water. She doubled that and put them in the gallon ziplocs. No leaks and we have been using it for a couple days now! At first when I take it out of the freezer, it is not quite pliable but after a couple minutes it is great! I wish we would have done that for the first one! Much easier and no more listening to the freezer crush ice!

Hang in there, you are doing great and every day is a learning curve!

 

[izzie]

bottomshollow, Thank you very much for pointing this out to me. I had no idea. I will definitely read the information on how to use the forum. Yes, the pain medication management is a bit of a mystery to me. When I get home, I think I'll do better as I can keep on schedule. Thanks again!!!

 

[izzie]

Hi puffin, I followed your advice. When PT came to get me, I told them that I'd been in a lot of pain due to PT yesterday. She (a different PT than yesterday) said she would be very gentle and not do anything I didn't feel up to. We just did some basic exercises and she didn't push anything. Big difference from the last few days.

I remember reading about your incident after dislocating your knee. Lesson learned for all of us, thank you for sharing it. I like your Swedish system of not worrying about ROM early on. It makes total sense to let the knee heal while doing gentle exercises. Happy you're going straight home!

 

[izzie]

Hi scaredinCA, I did very gentle PT today. Different therapist - she did not push me at all. You are right, we shouldn't be forced to do something we don't feel is correct.

 

[new knee in June]

Good for you Izzie !! You spoke up & they listened Have a relaxing day
You've been working awfully hard, you deserve a day of rest. It can only help your swelling
Sincerely,
Diana

 

[MissJ]

Izzie
I'm a few days behind - am just learning about your PT fallout etc. I'm glad you're feeling better, avoiding the recliner, and speaking up. While all the doctors, nurses, PTs, etc. have good intentions...it seems that individual intentions vary a bit from person to person. You are the one with the new knees and the recovery to do!

In my rehab facility, a dr. checked on me each morning. In the space of 3-4 days, through conversations with the nurses (the people who actually gave me meds), I determined that the doc had administration of one of my pain med orders on "demand" and one on the clock. The next day I asked him to put both on the clock, which fixed that problem.

I also was not shy about hitting the call button 10 minutes before my meds were due. Like you, one of the biggest reliefs I felt upon going home was the ability to control my own meds.

I wore full-length TED hose on from surgery until six weeks out--ordered by the OS. After two weeks I was allowed to take them off overnight. I got pretty tired of them but also never had horrible swelling and no ankle/foot swelling. When my sis had single knee replacement, she never wore TEDS and suffered from swollen feet for quite awhile. I will probably burn the darn things now, but do believe they served a function!

It sounds as though you are right on track--including the tears. Hang in there! You will be fine going home.

 

[My way]

I think you could use more than a day of rest from that place! Only one more sleep and you will be Queen of the castle and in charge of your knees as well as your meds.
It still amazes me with the huge number of knee replacements that are done each year so many PTs,OTs and even some OS still push and push so early after surgery. For the love of Mike, you're are supposed to rest, ice and elevate a simple sprain! If a group of patients can figure out that gentle PT and rest works why can't they? I was thinking I might like to go to a rehab but, now I think home would be best. As soon as I can manage stairs I'm outta there! Bless you! I will check on you tomorrow.
Psssst....I think you have to get out while you still can! I'll be down tonight to bust you out.

 

[new knee in June]

My Way,
You keep the car running, I'll go get Izzie A little humor always helps
Izzie,
Are you going home tomorrow? I will check back after work ( 11:00pm) Hope you had a relaxing day

Diana

 

[My way]

OK Izzie, It's all planned start knotting your sheets together! Diana and I will be there at midnight. First stop is an all you can eat chocolate buffet.....

 

[eaglesnest]

Izzie, if I lived closer I would be right there, on my crutches and all to help you escape, I was so glad they didn't push for me to stay in rehab, I have done so much better at home. Won't be long now.
Take care
Hugs to you
Lee

​

 

[bichonmom]

Izzie..so glad Josephine got in touch with your posts..I had a feeling she hadn't seen your postings..as she is quick to help out anyone who seems to be having problems..she gives great advise, and is so encouraging . I hope you still get to go home tomorrow..you'll feel so much better! Keep in touch on here after you get home and are settled in..wish I lived nearby..I would be over to help you! I think on your way out the door tomorrow you should throw a firecracker under that stinking recliner! Hoping you get some good rest tonite..you'll have a big day tomorrow if you get to go home