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TKR Carole’s recovery thread

Despite this little bump, I'm glad you're healing so well. I have healed 'ahead of the curve' as well. I almost felt a bit guilty! Some of it I think is how much pain you were in before. Even though the surgery hurts, I found it different and better immediately compared to pre-surgery. Maybe that's where you are.

Of course, I've also been joking a lot about being from "good peasant stock". Accidentally chop off your leg on Tuesday, back in the fields by Thursday. lol It's been lovely to be ahead of the curve on a medical issue for once.

I will say that on the days when I had a pain bump, I thought about what I'd done differently in my activity and backed it off just a little. That line around 'too much' is a moving target.
 
Thanks, luvcats. You are so right about how our perception of this experience depends on what we were going through before surgery.

One advantage I (maybe we?) have is that I am used to using a walker all the time prior to surgery. Walking was so painful, and I spent most of my time sitting in a chair. My bad knees really robbed me of my mobility for the past few years, so I already adjusted to that and it doesn't get me down right now, for the most part.

I slept deeply for probably 10-12 hours last night after taking those pain pills. Then I just iced for an hour or so. I have another 4-5 hours before PT.

Edited to add: OK, I am almost ready for the day:
bathroom (check!),
sponge bath (check!),
dressed (check!),
night clothes taken to dirty laundry basket (check!),
emptied portable commode (check!),
refilled ice machine (check!).

So that's that, my morning routine after coffee. I'm ready to wrestle alligators (or for my PT session, whichever is my next challenge :rotfl: .
 
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PT came and went. I am amazed that she actually got me through all those exercises, when I was so tired and sleepy that I didn't think I could do even one. I got on and off the bed independently for the exercises that are best done lying down.

I was able to do the harder exercises better, although not perfectly yet. She added three more. The best part is no more PT until Monday, so I have a couple of days to rest and sleep. She said that stamina goes up and down during recovery sometimes, and just be careful and don't overdo when my stamina is high.

I love weekends during recovery, because there is plenty of time to rest, sleep, and recover. On Monday I have PT again but it will be a different person.
 
You don’t need 3 more exercises.

It’s not exercising that gets our range of motion back, it’s Time:

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Exercise as in strength training is counter-productive and in the early weeks does more harm than good. Normal activity is the key to success.
 
They like to give you new exercises--just use your judgment and listen to the knee. Your PT is right about stamina. Enjoy a laid back weekend.
 
I have been struggling with my compression stockings again, tonight. The one on the non-surgical leg is bearable even though it is probably two sizes too small. But tonight the one on the surgical leg is just more than I can stand. Plus, when a compression stocking is *that* tight, there is no way you can keep the top of it from rolling up into a tight rope or tourniquet. When my leg swells the stocking on the surgical leg does this. It is many sizes too small, and I can't imagine that it is healthy to cut off circulation on that leg. So, after having no luck in reducing the swelling with icing and elevating, I took it off again. When I can wear it, it does help with swelling; but tonight I just can't do it.

Maybe tomorrow.
 
If those compression stockings are too tight, they're doing more harm than good. I stopped wearing mine, because the tight tops were making my knee swell more.

If you decide not to wear them, do make sure that you keep doing your ankle pumps,to help prevent a blood clot.
 
I've had the same issues with my compression stockings. I normally wear them all the time, but wearing it on my post surgical leg just hurts too much from the swelling. If I could have one that was half high it would be perfect. lol My calf feels great with it on. But once I get up to about where the new hardware starts, everything hurts under any amount of pressure.
 
Thanks, Celle. I will continue doing ankle pumps. Today and tomorrow I have no PT, so maybe with rest, ice, and elevation I can get the swelling to subside enough to wear the compression hose later on.

Last night was another one of those level 7 pain nights that I think most of us have had at some point. Luckily my hydrocodone+acetaminophen pills work beautifully for that, for me. Two of them just wipes out the pain completely and within 20 minutes I am deeply asleep and comfortable. So, that is what I did last night.

Ankle pumps this morning, though. Also ice to help reduce the swelling.
 
luvcats said:
I've had the same issues with my compression stockings. I normally wear them all the time, but wearing it on my post surgical leg just hurts too much from the swelling. If I could have one that was half high it would be perfect. lol My calf feels great with it on. But once I get up to about where the new hardware starts, everything hurts under any amount of pressure.
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Just awakened or I would have answered earlier! Those pain pills are wonderful for helping me to catch up on lost sleep, and I have been drifting in and out of deep sleep all night. I think you can turn your compression stocking down so that it is half high. Don't know if it does much good that way, but it does feel a little better. I still have mine off.

First priorities for me this morning are coffee, re-filling the ice machine, and icing. Then maybe another nap.
 
Many OSs don't even use those stockings. With as active as you are, I think you'd be OK without them. I can't imagine anything that tight on a newly replaced knee. :dubious: I'm thankful that I didn't have to wear them.
 
This morning I put my compression stockings and a few other things in the washer and they are getting washed now. I have done that before but always hung them up to dry. This time I think I will put them in the dryer on permanent press cycle. If the dryer ruins them, then "oh darn, too bad, oh well, not worth buying another pair for the final eight days of wearing them" :heehee: :tada: but if they are not ruined I will obediently put them on as soon as they are done.

The last time I did laundry I overdid and lost a lot of stamina, so this time I am experimenting with doing a bit less. I plan to let my sweetie transfer everything from the washer to the dryer, and then put everything away for me once it is dry.

My compression stockings that I complain so bitterly about, are only as high as knee socks. So, they never get any higher than the top of my calf (the bottom of my dressing). I don't see how people manage to bear the ones that are thigh high. We have some very doggone brave people going through TKR recovery, that's for sure.

I love this little emoticon, which describes my TKR recovery journey perfectly thus far:

:good-bad:
 
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I washed my Ted hose this morning also. I have 3 pairs of them. I put the load in, Hubby put it in the dryer and brought it to me and I folded it.
 
@sewhat , that's wonderful that you were able to do that! You are doing really well so far. Be sure to pay attention to how tired you get or don't get when you do these things, and make sure you don't get overly worn out like I did. :)
 
Well, it turned out that the compression hose did just fine in the dryer. Oddly, they were easier to get back on after having left them off all night and part of the day. So, they are back on.

I slept for two or three hours this afternoon from about 4-6:30 or so. No pain pills needed yet today, Day 12, although I have been icing quite a lot.
 
I'm finally wearing my compression hose without pain around the prosthetic. I'm glad because I have a terrible problem with swelling even when I'm not post surgical. I'm generally more comfortable with them on than off.

You get so much lovely sleep. I envy that. Except when I was on the really good drugs, I don't sleep well or for long. Lifelong issue. But I wish I could.
 
Sleep is so helpful. I have felt like I needed a lot. Last night, the pain started up again. I finally had to take two pain pills (the maximum) at bedtime, hoping I could get to sleep if I wasn't hurting. I nearly fell asleep but instead I just stayed up late, posting in the middle of the night, "stoned" on opioids. All I can say is thank heavens for my ice machine. I finally got to sleep in my recliner around 3:30 AM or so, hooked up to the ice machine which was chilling my knee.

It's odd the way that pain seems magnified so much late at night.
 
Today I had PT with the head PT person, who I never saw before. I guess she was checking to make sure my regular PT person was reporting my progress correctly? I dunno.

Anyway, today (Day 13) for the first time my ROM was 90 degrees! Whew, what a relief. She also said that I have been doing all the right things and she thinks that my recovery is going very well. Can't ask for a better PT session than that! :happydance:

August 13: (TKR Surgery Day)
August 13: (No ROM measured; PT had me walk 120 feet with walker 2 hours after surgery)
August 14: (No ROM measured; PT had me walk 300 feet with walker before going home)
August 15: 68 degrees
August 16: 68 degrees
August 19: 69 degrees
August 21: 82 degrees
August 23: 82 degrees
August 26: 90 degrees !!!

I am icing my knee right now which always feels really good after PT.
 
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