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TKR Careful! There Be Dragons Here! <

I agree with kneeper. That sounds like you are going to do too much. I can tell you that the pool sounds like it's something that wouldn't stress your knee nor overwork your muscles I found that it was very easy to do too much. I remember my first pool session. It didn't seem like I was doing too much but as I got out of the pool I felt like I weighed a ton and had problems walking because every muscle was complaining. I had that class 2 months after my surgery.
 
Thanks for the input!

Completed my PT this afternoon. Something of a battle of the wills between the PT & myself, but I refused to let him push too hard. On one particular exercise, he had me place my heal on top of a large inflatable ball and he gave me a strap to put under my foot. He said, "Now pull your leg toward yourself. I'm going to let you do ALL the work." On the second or third pull, he started pushing my foot and I stopped him immediately. I said, "You told me that I was going to do this on my own." And he said, "I'm only pushing about 5 pounds of pressure." And I said, "But that wasn't our agreement."

Good news is…my ROM was 54 today. We are setting up therapy sessions 3x/week. The PT felt that 5x was too much, even if 2x was purely aquatic therapy.
 
Good for you Bill, for sticking to your guns with the PT! So many times it seems to be a battle of wills between them and us. Your bend sounds good for only 2 weeks. Are you healed enough to get into the water? I still have some scabs and I'm three weeks tomorrow. I'll be glad when I can get back into the pool at the Y. But, my doctor says not until my incision is completely healed with no scabs. Keep up the good work with protecting your knee!
 
@sistersinhim & @uva55 - Got my staples removed on Tuesday & the nurse put Steri-Strips along the entire incision. When the OS came into the exam room, he actually advised me to get into a pool or even the Gulf of Mexico (I'm in Pensacola) as early as the next day. He said the incision would be "sealed" within 24 hours of removing the staples. Just to make sure I understood him, I asked "What about these Steri-Strips?" and he said it could take several days for them to fall off on their own, but I could get in the pool before they come off.

RIDING THE JOHN DEERE!

I know everyone will think I'm crazy, but I actually cut my front yard yesterday. About three months ago, I bought a small John Deere Zero-Turning-Radius (ZTR) in anticipation of getting my knee replacement, since it does not have any pedals or require the use of my legs or feet. You could be paraplegic and ride this machine! We have a large front yard and a very long grass-cutting season in Pensacola, so I wanted to be able to keep my grass cut all summer. After spending an hour in PT, I wrapped my leg from the toes to my hip joint, I waited for the sun to set and rode the Deere for about 45 minutes. Really it felt no different than riding in someone's car. I was covered in a very fine coating of dust, so I took a shower and just hoped I wouldn't regret my decision. This morning I feel a little pain and stiffness, but I believe it's from 60 minutes of PT and not riding the ZTR.

[Bonesmart.org] Careful! There Be Dragons Here! <

TODAY

I'm very happy with my pain levels and I don't notice any significant swelling from yesterday's activities (PT & cutting the grass). On Tuesday my OS switched my pain meds from Oxycodone-Acetaminophin 5/325 (not managing the pain) to Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen 7.5/325 and I started this new medication yesterday. It seems a little better than the original Oxycodone, but I still have some pain even with 2 pills every 6 hours.

Thanks to everyone for your continued input and fellowship along this journey!!

:friends:
 
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Bill, what a relief to hear some great reports from you! I notice over and over among BS folks that just when people are feeling desperate and discouraged, they can have a big turn around quickly. Your story is a teaching moment for you and for all of us - we will have set backs but we WILL have forward movement as well. Your yard looks absolutely beautiful - I can see why you wanted to be able to keep it neat and tidy all summer.
 
Numbness & tingling in my fingers/hand

Has anyone experienced tingling or numbness in their fingers or hands following a TKR? My entire pinky finger on both hands, plus half of my ring finger and the ulnar (knife edge) part of my hand is affected by this, so much so that I'm having a very difficult time typing since I cannot feel my pinky fingers (I'm a touch typist). This could have major implications for my job, since about half of my time is engaged in typing reports.
 
Suggest you see your OS or MD, it could come from a myriad of things.
 
Are you typing on a laptop or iPad while lying down or holding it in a different position so that your elbows are resting onto the arms of a chair. I found I developed that problem you described from that and after I stopped all feeling returned but it took a couple of weeks.
 
@newlybionic - No, I noticed the numbness while in recovery and it has remained constant since that time. I only mentioned my difficulty typing because my occupation depends on it and I'm quite concerned that I may have to live with this nerve damage. The OS advised that the ulnar nerve does not pass through the knee, so it may have been nicked during the epidural or they may have had me positioned in such a way that undue pressure was placed on my elbow or forearm, causing damage.


Left Total Knee Replacement on Tuesday, June 7th, 2016.

Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
Then it's probably best to see your PCP for follow up testing. Hopefully it clears up soon.
 
Hopefully the numbness will resolve itself quickly Bill but I agree a visit to you PCP would be good.

You home is beautiful and your lawn is a masterpiece! GOOD for you to be able to spin around on your lawn tractor today! I love mowing grass and would LOVE to have one of those to play on-!!
 
Hopefully the numbness is just temporary...good luck!!!
 
Yes, please go see your PCP. Numbness is not normal. And cutting your grass! Wow! I have about an acre cleared that is needing string trimming and cutting, but it's no way I can do that. The vibration and bumps on the ground hurt my knees before my surgery. I can't imagine how bad it would hurt now! You are one tough man!
 
@sistersinhim - I had to go super slow to avoid the bumpiness that would definitely be felt at normal speeds. And unfortunately, the string trimming will just have to wait a month. I just couldn't imagine running a gas-powered string trimmer at only 16 days post-op.

Thanks everyone for the recommendation to see my PCP. I will call and make an appointment as soon as possible.
 
Well before I could get out of my 8:00 am PT session this morning, my OS's nurse called to tell me that I needed to be at the hospital at 11:45 am for neurological testing! Since I'm only driving myself to PT appointments, about 1/2 mile one way, I didn't relish the thought of driving 20 minutes across town with only 56˚ ROM in my left leg; however, I was motivated more by my concern over possible nerve damage. Thankful for valet parking!

I had no idea that neurological testing of the ulnar nerve would take a full hour…filled with nearly 50 different jolts of electricity to stimulate the various nerve pathways from my elbow to the tip of my pinky…on both arms! And when I thought it was over, another doctor entered the room and advised me that he needed to test my muscles, and this involved sticking me 15-20 times with electrified needles to measure the muscle strength in the affected areas of both arms. Once each needle was inserted into the muscle, I had to provide resistance against the doctor's hand so the machine could register the muscle strength/health.

I will not have the full results until next week, being that it's Friday, but they found a significant bruise on my left elbow and they believe the nerve was damaged by the way I was positioned on the operating table. Most people can recognize when a nerve is being compressed because it makes your arm or leg have "pins & needles" so we automatically reposition ourselves to relieve the compression. However, it doesn't work that way when you are sedated: in my case, I had an epidural and I suppose that I just remained in the wrong position too long, pinching the nerve near my left elbow and causing damage.

They are hopeful that I will regain my normal feeling in four to six weeks.
 
Wow...I'm so sorry, you would think someone in the OR would be responsible for making sure that doesn't happen...that's unacceptable!!!
 
What a scary and tiring day. How did your knee do? You're just two weeks out of surgery. I hope your tests turn out OK and that you get feeling back really quickly. Also, that you can get a good night's rest and no repercussions from your extended outing.
 
Bill that is very scary but I am really glad they were quick acting and are looking into the cause. I love what you said to you pt, that wasn't our agreement. Good for you. Take it easy remember less is more :)
 
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