TKR Cflower's recovery

[RunA42K]

I used an ACE quite a bit it help with swelling. I wore the TED hose for 2 weeks and hated them, but used the ACE after the TEDS. It really felt good to have the knee wrapped up tight having that compression. After my incision had completely healed I purchased a ZENSAH compression knee sleeve. I bought it from the store that I work at. But where you live, you can go to Fleet Feet Sports on the I45 feeder between Research Forest and 242, right next to Roberts Carpets and Hooters. My son Jake is the manager of that Fleet Feet Sports, I work at the Louetta location. Tell him that you are a friend of mine and he'll give you a discount. I have 3 compression sleeves and I do wear them still. On my feet too much my knee still swells and it helps. At work the air-conditioning is so cold that my knee gets cold then stiff so I wear the compression sleeve and I get around much better.

 

[Cflower]

Today I feel almost like a normal person. Wonder how long before the alien inside my knee shows up again. Two weeks today from surgery date. Last night I took pain pils (2)at 10:00 and did not set the pill alarm for 2:00. I woke at 5 or potty break and decided to take 11/2 pils then since it had been seven hours. Good sleep. I got on cpm machine and instead of only staying on for about 2 hours, I stayed on for about four and finally got it up to 85. I realized too when I was in the hospital I had it running for about fourteen hours and would increase it About one degree every fifteen minutes. So hopefully with a long cpm session this afternoon after some exercises I will finally make it back to 95 degrees. I would like to be able to tell pt I got it back. Little headache going on now so going to take a little cat nap. Got to get the rom going I do not want MUA.

 

[karmigirl]

CFlower,

I think what you mean is an MUA. At 2 weeks out it is ridiculous for anyone to think about an MUA. And always remember if you do not want one, at such a time it might be needed, you can always say no. All the OS of PT can do is suggest it but I have the final call wether it is done or nt.

 

[Cflower]

Does anyone have the pain -- the top of your foot....?...?? For maybe the last three months the tops of both feet, the boney flat part hurts when I walk and just flex. It has not been as bad since surgery but I noticed it was back today on my good foot. I thought maybe it was strain I've been putting on them from walking with bad knees. OS didn't think it had anything to do with knees vi may ask PT tomorrow

 

[Cflower]

End of second week PT. Got measured today and only have 64 degree flexion. I did 90 on the cpm machine yesterday but can't do that at PT. She had me on a table and my leg hanging over with me sitting up and pushed really hard to try and get it moving. She said we really needed more flexion but don't worry about it I would get there. Maybe I need to try harder at home. She also gave me an exercise to do on the stairs where I put new knee on step and other leg on ground and bend it. I'm going to try over the weekend to do something every hour when I get up. Still could not make full rotation on bike. I know PATIENCE is important but I don't feel like I've ever been a patient person. I don't like pain either and need to learn to push a little deeper in some of these exercises. I HATE the heel slides. I do better with both legs on big ball and try to roll the knees back.

Hope to have a good workout weekend and maybe make a movie tomorrow morning.

 

[speccybecky]

Think you are being too hard on yourself....I know, I did it too

 

[jerseychick]

End of second week PT. Got measured today and only have 64 degree flexion. I did 90 on the cpm machine yesterday but can't do that at PT. She had me on a table and my leg hanging over with me sitting up and pushed really hard to try and get it moving. She said we really needed more flexion but don't worry about it I would get there. Maybe I need to try harder at home. She also gave me an exercise to do on the stairs where I put new knee on step and other leg on ground and bend it. I'm going to try over the weekend to do something every hour when I get up. Still could not make full rotation on bike. I know PATIENCE is important but I don't feel like I've ever been a patient person. I don't like pain either and need to learn to push a little deeper in some of these exercises. I HATE the heel slides. I do better with both legs on big ball and try to roll the knees back.

Hope to have a good workout weekend and maybe make a movie tomorrow morning.

You will get there, some of us progress slower than others. It took me forever to get to 90 degrees. I found that the CPM machine isn't too accurate when it comes to measuring ROM. The CPM always said I had more ROM than I really did.

Don't push yourself too much at while working on your bend. You don't want to overdue it, then your knee will not be a happy camper and neither will you.

 

[Cflower]

Couple of things to discuss BUT FIRST. I went to movie ths morning with a friend while my husband was off golfing. Oh how I wish I could move like Spderman. Two weeks out from tkr pat Thursday so I was lad o get to movie.

First a question for Josephine. I've been so nervous about getting blood clots since I have the protein s deficiency. I Was on warfarin for seven days then doctor put me on xertrol(sp) for 14 days. My question is how does the doctor know another 14 das of thinner is enough. About six years ago when I first found out I had this protein thing I went to a hematologist. He told me since I haven't had a blood clot yet taking baby aspirin would be enough. We have reached our $2000 out of pocket so no charge for anything and that includes co pays even for pt. what I'm wondering is should I go see my blood doctor and let him know what's going on with the surgery and the thinners I'm taking just to see if he thinks I should be on thinners a little longer. I worry enough about the rom but don't want the added worry if I will develope a clot if I quit taking bt too early.

Second. -- I don't know I'd this is good or bad but I watched some you tube videos on rom exercises etc. I came across this one man who had one knee done and three weeks later doing the other knee. Ok, here is what he said he found that works with him increasing his rom. On his cpm machine he keeps the extension and flexion 15 degrees apart. He says he works on extension another time. So right now I have extension set at 70 degrees and flexion at 85 for fifteen minutes then I raise it to 75/90. It seems to work for me. I don't spend so much time going all the way down and then slowly crawling to get back up to flexion.

I am really feeling good. Going 6-8 hours between pills. Sleeping lie a baby. Just want to crank up some rom before I visit pt on Monday. I may try driving myself to pt. next week. Have a great and productive weekend everyone

 

[Cflower]

I seem like a worry wart these days. I've done my cpm machine this morning and then did all my exercises. just finished icing for about 50 minutes and looked down at my foot. My ankle looks black down by the heel. Not swollen at all there but I swear I don't remember this bruising. Is this something I should worry about
.

 

[Morning Glory]

Hi Cflower,
I heard ankle pumps keeps the blood flowing to prevent clots. A friend who had a TKR before me told me to do them all the time so every time I'm sitting I still find myself doing them. They're supposed to help with swelling also I think.
I'm not sure about the black spot. I never used a cpm machine so I don't know how your foot goes in there but could the bruise be from that ?
I'm glad you're feeling good & sleeping

 

[Cflower]

Here's the one thing that keeps we going -- both my parents passed away, six months apart, in 2008. I was 60 at the time and thought how lucky I was to have them for so long. I want to have the courage and strength both my parents had. My mother had colon cancer about 20 or so years ago. She struggled with the radiation and chemo which left her so burned that they never could reverse the bag she had to wear the rest of her life. Over the next few years at almost the five year mark the doctor found cancer in her lung and removed 2/3 of one lung. Three months after that she had more surgery to remove two tumors in her brain. At the last surgery right before the doctor came in and actually prayed with them, II will never forget my mother told a nurse that when it was her time to go she was going to be holding on to the door frames with all she had.

This surgery was not what took my mothers life. One day she stepped off a curb fell and broke her hip and eventually went to a nursing home where she stayed almost three years and had a stroke which in the end attributed to her passing. While all of this was going on my dad went through two open heart surgeries and in the end went daily to the nursing home to be with my mother. He died six months after my mother I feel from a broken heart.

I've told my self over the last few years that if I could not put up the fight that both my parents did with all their medical problems what kind of daughter am I. I plan on constantly reminding myself through this surgery and the other knee and whatever else I face in my life just what both my parents went through and the courage they had to face the cards they were dealt.

So I'm hoping the have them both with me while I'm in pt and thinking "I can't" -- I can and I will in their memory. Thanks for listening.

 

[bottomshollow]

A wonderful tribute to your parents Cflower, and I know that you will not let them down.

 

[Morning Glory]

You sound like a pretty great daughter to me. I'm sure they're proud of you. Even if you have a few struggles along the way no one would think any less of you. I lost my mom 5 years ago and I'm sure she was with me every step of the way.

 

[Nyland]

Hi Cflower,
What a perfectly beautiful tribute to both of your parents! Every word that you wrote was filled with love and admiration! You are one special woman! May God bless you abundantly!

 

[Cflower]

Good day at pt. they finally got me to 90 degree flexion but who knows if that will stay. With lots of pushing and bending and a few grunts from me I did it. My original pt had been gone for a few days with birth of new baby. He had first thought I was t 68 but his assistant said something about that be a active measurement. Not sure if I heard that right but when he had me on the table and bent, bent,bent some more he said I was at 90. Before coming to that measurement he mentioned something about there is a splint??? Or something he could use in a couple of weeks if my number didn't come up. Have any of you heard of such a thing? He said something about it making your knee bend more then you walk and then he mentioned the dreaded MUA but he said normally I was doing everything they asked, trying hard and motivated and sometimes that is used when people aren't trying. So I've put myself in the TRYING HARD category because I do not want that.

I will be three weeks from surgery on this Thursday. Pt said I have gone up 5 degrees this week. Wish I could keep improving like that. I actually ACCIDENTALLY made two revolutions on the bike today. Hurray!

When they bend my knee they say they can really tell I'm tightening my muscles and I could get more bend if I were relaxed. How does one relax with someone bending a knee when it feels like its oing to burst. One of the pts said that she likes to have her patents do some kind of visual relaxation techniques. She said like picturing a stream in the mountains and the water running down the mountain is the pain running out of your body. She said that if I tried that while on the cpm machine I would probably be more relaxed and get better results. That would probably work because I phase been watching Breaking bad on Netflix and that is one stressful show. I may plug in my headphones tomorrow and play my favorite soundtrack from the movie French Kiss and see if that works.

Tomorrow I have no therapy so I want to walk more and push a little harder. I only have the pm machine one more week.

If anyone has any relaxation techniques I would like to hear about them.

 

[jerseychick]

Cflower, it sounds like your PT was talking about a Dynasplint. I think one of our members is wearing one. Not sure if it really works or not. But, you are only 3 weeks out from surgery and I think it is way to early to start thinking about wearing one. It will most likely make your knee swell more from keeping it jammed in the bent position. Just stick with nice gently exercises and you will be fine.

 

[Cflower]

Today I'm at three weeks from surgery. Got the cpm to 95 and right now that is the best I can do. I'm not sure if this is a normal problem but I can do 2 1/2hr on cpm then do my exercises, walk around kitchen a little, lay down on sofa and elevate and ice then it seems like my leg tightens up all over again. Then I start the afternoon with same routine. By the time I go to bed and lay with legs out straight and watch a little tv my legs feel stiff and tight like they won't bend at all. Is this tightness and stiffness normal. I guess I think if I can get to. 95 rom it will stay that way. Should I be sleeping with my legs elevated?

Also I'm on my 5th refill of 5/325 hydrocodone and feel like I should taper off. My question is should I cut down from 1 1/2-2 pills every four hours to 2 every six hours or try 1 pill every four hours. I'm trying to wait every five hours now.

I Ordered a Marcy cardio mini bike for rom exercises. Put it together and sending it back tomorrow. Slides around floor and I think will be totally useless. Looked on Craig's list and found some used recumbent bikes for $200. Once I feel like I can get back to 24 hour fitness to use their equipment I will but until then I would like to have something to use at home

 

[bottomshollow]

Cflower, how many times must we say do not let a PT cause you pain---bending your knee when it feels it will burst is TOO MUCH. All this does is cause more swelling.

Just because they want you to get to a certain degree of bend has nothing to do with what your knee is ready for at this point in time---VERY,VERY EARLY IN RECOVERY! You have weeks and months to improve ROM. ROM WILL improve at your knee's pace--not at anyone else's.

You probably would have been much better off this first 3 weeks with no CPM machine and no PT. Just lots of elevating

and icing

, gentle stretches and bends off and on during the day, restricting walking to the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Your knee needs to have some time to heal before it will be able to work on all that other stuff that you and others are pushing on it.

Yes, sweetie, you need to take deep, deep breaths and RELAX and STOP doing so much. As Tim always says--you have to work smarter not harder. Smarter is giving your knee time to heal. Take a week off from PT and all the extra activity you have going on and elevate and ice lots and lots and see if things don't begin to improve. Improvement usually comes in small increments---you will not suddenly be back to "normal" just because that's what you want. This really is all about THE KNEE.
Give yourself a break, give your knee a break, take care of yourself and keep us posted. We care.

 

[Nyland]

Hi Cflower!
Good luck with the bike shopping! Best to you!

 

[Cflower]

What a bummer day. Are tears and depression normal. I've been trying to cut back on hydrocodone to 1 every four hours instead of 2 every 5-6 hours don't know if that is the reason for more pain or not. I hate the negative feelings but I feel like I'm never going to get there. I will be four weeks this coming Thursday. Rom not great. I did get CPM machine up o 95 and 98 this weekend. I used machine 2 hours this morning then I did my exercises then I probably only iced about an hour today. My husband bought me a recumbent bie. I did that about 10 minutes could only make two complete rotations and that was backwards. The rest of the time I just rocked t back and forth. After a few tears I went to sleep with knee hurting and woke up with it hurting. Husband took me to grocery store bthst was hard. He kept pointing out to me I was walking stiff legged. I felt like I was really trying. I don't like being a failure at anything and I sure don't want a splint or a MUA but I feel like I'm doing all I can. Going crazy with this routine. My morning is machine,breakast, exercises, shower, and by that time it's 11:30. I ice elevate and lay on couch for couple of hours then start all back over again. I'm tired of this and see no end in sight.

I have decided to try and get out to 24 hour fitness even if I can't do anything but upper body exercises. The only reason I'm trying to cut back on pain pills is that I'm afraid the doctor won't give me more.

Are these normal feelings? I WANT MY LIFE BACK. :(