TKR Cflower's recovery

[1ELISEA]

Sounds like you have a wonderful husband who sticks close by with a helping hand when needed.

But wow, hope you have a nice leisurely ride home with lots of stops. Too bad you don't have a couple of very fluffy pillow to prop it up on in the car.

 

[Josephine]

Well, you probably did but what the heck - you had a great visit and party and didn't end up actually screaming in pain so I'd say you had a pretty good trip. Just be prepared to have a few days of total rest and pain management until it's all settled down. You'll make up any lost ground eventually.

 

[Cflower]

I hate to be doubting Thomas but I honestly feel like I'm never going to have a leg tat bends freely. My quad muscles get so fight pt says when he tries to stretch me and even when I bend it with strap doing heel slides or trying to bend it back while sitting in a chair I feel like it gets to a point that I can't possible bend it any more. Why is that. I'm 9 weeks post op , 2 weeks post MYA. I just feel so mad at myself for not beating this. I like being in control and no matter why I do the knee has its own mind and we are not friends right now.

 

[jerseychick]

My quads, hamstrings, and IT band get very tight when I try to bend further than what I can do freely. Maybe someone can comment on this issue as it seems other members have this issue.

Cflower, it took me a long time to get where I am today, and I've said it before that you really need to be patient. Oh, your knee is the one in control, you are not. That is how recovery goes. There is nothing to beat, you have to recover and it doesn't happen overnight. Don't be mad at yourself, that will only make things worse between you and your knee. You should relax (I know easier said than done) but I have been there and talk from experience.

 

[RunA42K]

You will be fine CFlower! Just look at riding in the car as a nice rest for you! I am sure that you didn't lose a thing! Besides just being out around family/friends is so good mentally which helps you physically!

 

[Roy Gardiner]

I just feel so mad at myself for not beating this. I like being in control and no matter why I do the knee has its own mind and we are not friends right now.

Don't be mad at yourself, you cannot be totally in control of this. What you cannot do is set the timescale of your recovery -- if your knee is stiff or swollen or whatever today, that's it. But what you can do is to set the strategy. If, every day, you do the gentle stretching exercises you need, everything at 'no pain, more gain!' pace, and rest,ice, elevate -- you will win.

 

[Cflower]

I have another appointment today with the therapeutic massager therapist. The PT told me that if I could do that twice a week and she could work on soft tissue in the knee it could help. At $80/hour I may try one with her and then one with Massage Envy which I have a monthly contract and just see if she could also work more on the knee. Yesterday he said that I can get to 110 that but that is with him bending. I have no problems with any of the exercises. In fact, I really enjoy going to PT. I have OS appointment tomorrow at 2 with pt before that at 11:00. I am afraid he is going to be disappointed in the results of the MUA, but so what. It is what it is. I can''t try any harder. I'm religious about doing the pool exercises and trying to get on bike twice a day for 10 minutes a least at a time. I may just have to live with a stiff walk. I do feel like I backed off pain meds too soon. I have been going 10 hours during the day sometimes and then it gets sore. I may start trying to substitute the xstrength Tylenol more during the day. I'm really back to everything I use to do, cooking, blogging my recipes, going to movie, doing laundry. haven't started back to fitness center. I may get my butt out door today after massage and grocery shopping for the holiday weekend. My daughter and her husband are coming in and we should have a fun weekend just chilling out in the pool. Going to see my twin sister in a few weeks and our town is having a "class reunion" tailgating party over homecoming weekend. So that should be a good distraction and fun to see old friends. 11 hour drive though so we will either break it up in two days or some a lot. I have about 3 weeks though before that. I'm looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when it comes to my knee. I don't care how long it takes to get there even if I get impatient, I just want to make it to the end.

One of the other members, Janet, mentioned taping her scar tissue. Have any of you done that and did it help.

 

[Cflower]

Today I had pt in the morning. He said I had a pretty good bend. He didn't measure me though but said I I could get to 110. I really think the massage is helping although parts of it is retry painful. I had 9 week check today at OS I sat on table and when he came in te said ok let's see how far you can bend it. I started to use my other leg to press back and he said no do r on your own whatever it was he was pleased. He does want me to start straightening it four times a day just by pressing dwn on it. I have been putting rolled up towel under Anne and putting three lb weight on thigh for tree minutes. He said that hurts don't do it that way jst press down using my own muscles

Anyway we scheduled my right knee for October 1. He said if I still didn't have rom that I wanted he would do MUA on eft knee again wile I was out. My knee still feels tight but when I get up in the morning I seem to be able to get it to bend. I guess it may jst be right for awhile. He said swelling could last 6-12 months.

 

[bottomshollow]

You're really doing well at this point. Give yourself some credit and give yourself a break. Do work steadily on ROM, but please do not push too hard. Even your OS doesn't want you to do things that hurt. You will get there---it really is still early days. Take care, keep us posted, we care.

 

[RunA42K]

On Thursday of this week, Sherry aka Cflower came to see me at my place of work. I told her to come any Thursday or Friday so we could meet and she did. I had another employee take our picture. So nice to have a face to go along with the name! Enjoy!! Our picture is below.
Cflower in pink shirt on left and RunA42K aka Bonnie in black shirt on right!

 

[Dhare63]

I love it when our members can meet each other! Thanks for sharing the picture and I hope you had a great time!

Bonnie, if I ever get back to Texas,I will look you up! My sisters live in Blessing and my niece lives in Lake Jackson. I was there in April for her wedding and spent a few days at Surfside Beach.

Be well friends!

Dawn

 

[RunA42K]

I love it when our members can meet each other! Thanks for sharing the picture and I hope you had a great time!

Bonnie, if I ever get back to Texas,I will look you up! My sisters live in Blessing and my niece lives in Lake Jackson. I was there in April for her wedding and spent a few days at Surfside Beach.

Be well friends!

Dawn

You were very close indeed! Houston area is not far from Lake jackson. Me and Cflower met up in The Woodlands at my job. Well, I split my week between two stores the other one in Spring. They have given me a lot of trust since I went to work for them, open and close both stores each two days a week. Weekends and Monday's off, couldn't ask better than that!

 

[1ELISEA]

Great pic and that is fantastic you were able to meet each other!

 

[kneeper]

I know it seems like it's taking a long time and you're not completely happy--yet. You're making good progress, though. WArming up in the morning with some stretches helped me too to get things moving. How cool that you and RunA42k got together.

 

[Cflower]

Now I know why I don't like my picture being taken. Maybe that will inspire me to get to the gym.

My right tkr coming up October 1. I'm thinking of trying a few things different. First I may ask for in home pt for first week every day. This time I am asking for cpm machine to come home with me. On the first knee in June I didn't have it delivered until four days later. I may also try teds since they were not ordered the first time. I would be interested to see if it takes the swelling down quicker. I will definitely be on the xertrol (??) blood thinner from the beginning. Last time I started with warfarin for first two weeks and then switched to the new one which requires no blood test. If my rom hasn't improved in the next four weeks he said he can bend the right knee again. Has anyone else done a second MUA? I'm thinking why not I'm already asleep. Would I have two cpm machines on my legs when I wake up?

This weekend was hard on knees. Daughter and her husband and friends in for weekend. Under orders from me I didn't go overboard cooking like I normally do but what I didn't do enough of was the bending and exercises.

Yesterday evening around 5:00 we went out on the lake with friends who have a pontoon boat. We always take food, get in the water with noodles and float until we decided to get out and have dinner. I was so nervous about climbing down the ladder and then trying to get back up since my knee was not bending that well over the weekend. I was surprised that I did indeed get down the ladder, floated the whole time doing knee bends. After about an hour and half I felt like I needed to get out. I told everyone NOT to watch because I thought it would be such an ugly sight. I knew I had upper body strength to pull up but was not sure about the knee bending to get up the ladder that tends to move when you get on it. I had no problem. While others were still floating and drinking I dried off and used one of the onboard lines and did heel slides. No alcohol for me. Just la croix sparkling water. I finally realized any alcohol and my hydrocodone do not mix. Good weekend. Just should not have gotten out of my routine

 

[Cflower]

This week I only went twice to pt. today he got me to 115. I was excited to finally feel some progress. I still feel stiff and like I'm starting from the beginning each morning. He did say today that I'm doing a lot more exercises than most people at the same stage I'm at. Whatever that means. I hane been doing leg presses and today I actually had them move it down to lowest notch. I want to get past that stiff stage and have my legs just dangle freely when they hang from chair.

One new problem I have been having is the tops of my feet hurt so bad. Pt says he thinks it is the way I'm walking. I do have an appointment Monday with a podiatrist to check it out before my next surgery on oct . 1

 

[Cflower]

10 weeks post surgery yesterday. Am I suppose to still get exhausted from doing things. I had 1 1/2 hour massage today, one of those massage so intense it hurts all over but feels good when she's done. She stretches me like I can't believe. She does lymph gland massage. Ears inside out, all eg muscles back and then des a salt rub. I THINK it is helping my leg muscles. I guess it couldn't hurt.

I think what got me exhausted is after the massage I met up with two friends and we made hypertufu pots outside for three hours in 95 degree weather. I couldn't stoop over, kneel or sit on the ground. I end up sitting on a five gallon bucket. So my question is should I expect to be existed after that. Normally I would not have been tired. Elevator out at massage place today so I had to walk three lights of stairs.

 

[Cflower]

Here I go again. Going in Monday, Oct. 1 to have RTKR. I'm at 13 weeks on first knee and was released from PT on 17th at only 115°. I think he thought I needed a break and I would be back in 2-3 weeks anyway. I went in for Pre-ops and just got the call I have another UTI. I had one before other knee surgery that didn't go away and had to take second round of medicine before surgery. Now, here's another one. I have been drinking plenty of water so don't know if there is anything else that could be causing this problem. As far as the hydrocodone goes I'm down to 1 1/2 pills a day with some extra strength tylenol thrown in here and there.

Not sure what I'm getting myself into doing the other one so soon but I don't want to waste anymore time with this. Also my doctor said since I will be under if I want him to to the MUA again on the left leg he can't but will not do it unless I tell him to. What I'm wondering is if he does it will I be able to move it doing the exercises since there won't be much going on with the right leg. I don't want to take the chance that it might not get better than 115°. Am I crazy for doing my second knee so soon. I know others have done both at once. I could not have survived that I don't think.

 

[Josephine]

No you're not crazy for having the second one done as it's neither 'too soon' nor 'too' anything else. People have them done 5 days apart, like Judy and her husband. There's no reason one way or the other.

As for your ROM, 115 is pretty good for a mere 12 weeks out. You have months yet for it to improve. Have you forgotten these threads? It's never too late to get more ROM! and It's Worth the Wait for ROM. Both those posters got to really good numbers over a year later. However, if you REALLY want to have him to an MUA, there'll be no harm, though many surgeons won't do MUAs if the patient is over 100. I think you should view his caution as confirmation of that. He will do it but it's fairly obvious he doesn't think it necessary.

As for your UTI, why do you think drinking lots of water is responsible for it?

 

[speccybecky]

I read that as drinking lots of water to stop getting UTI but still got it anyway?!