TKR Chubanana 15 weeks in from TRKR. Progress Report.

[71Beetle]

Oops forgot to tag ChubbsterPT TRKR 18th March 2014


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@ChubbsterPT
You can put that tag in your signature so you don't have to type it in each time

Great car you have! We do have a local VWBug Club in Ottawa - I don't intend on putting to much into the car through. I only use it when I have a short distance to drive. I don't drive it to work as it is 25km each way and I don't want to put any unnecessary mileage on it. I don't trust it to go very far either. I just keep it around more for the sentimental value.

You are doing remarkably well for someone that just had surgery in March! Good for you!

 

[ChubbsterPT]

The journey continues.

Thanks for the big up on my recovery. Once I got over the "I will be better in a month or so" and realised that nearly everyone suffers the same regardless of age and fitness. I suppose my only advantage is being a Personal Trainer and not carrying any excess weight, I have a pretty good knowledge of the human form and make up. Of course I know the muscle groups that need working on. BUT most of all I don't try and force anything. My extension is slowly improving but my flexion is pretty static. Still swollen so not concerned.
TRKR 18 March 2014.


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[71Beetle]

@ChubbsterPT I find I get better movement on my exercises every day and that keeps me motivated for sure.

Are you still in Spain? Where do you live?

 

[ChubbsterPT]

Hi. I live in Beckenham in Kent. South London. Spain house is in the Hills above Benidorm, Costa Blanca. Sunny day today so I will be warming my knee in it. I am here until late Friday and fly home around 11 pm.


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[71Beetle]

Morning @ChubbsterPT. I lived in Europe for a couple of years a long time ago. Loved Spain and London! I was just out in the sun for an hour. Felt great but due to the rain we have had, the mosquitos were brutal and drove me back inside.

Have a great day!

 

[MCD]

We haven't seen the Mosquitos yet....still black fly season here. It is nice out in the sun though. Can't decide if I want to go sew for a bit or just sit in the sun.

 

[71Beetle]

I would vote for sitting in the sun @MCD

 

[hopefaith]

@ChubbsterPT how are you? I was not sure what your wanted me to see a week ago and I was amiss in finding it. How are you? It sounds like you are doing really well. Yes, here in the U.S. P.T. is Physical therapy or physical therapist. we call a personal trainer a personal trainer. Funny the small differences. There are so many terms on here that the U.K. uses that I have never heard of. Sometimes I ask and other times I just try to figure it out. My Piriformis/sciatica has settled down quite a bit. I still get the aching down the back of my legs at times. Wanted to drop by and see how you were.
~hopefaith

 

[ChubbsterPT]

Hi @hopefaith

Well I am about to return from Spain tonight. I have had a restful 9 days doing very little but laze on my patio sunbathing. I have used the gym next door 4 days out of 9. Gently on my knee as it still doesn't want to flex much over 90. Extension is a little better. I have been working hard on my upper body to regain muscle I lost over 2 months. I also did some quad exercises and leg press. Not letting any but the slightest pain on knee. My right ankle is still aching and showing bruising 9 weeks later. I think that doc upset the ankle which was broken in1997. I have a follow up June 2nd so will be mentioning this. My friend Jim hd his rt knee done 2 weeks later than me on Spanish National Health. He had little pain and is off pain relief. Our knees are about the same swelling wise and he like me has just over 90degrees flexion. Weather today is the best as thermometer hovering on 25 degrees C in the shade. UK weather is horrible and I am not looking forward to returning tonight!!

TRKR 18th March 2014


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[Pumpkin]

Chubbster,
Hope your trip home was uneventful, hope the horrible weather does not upset you new knee.

 

[ChubbsterPT]

RECOVERY CONTINUING AT A FASTER PACE. YIPPEE!!

Hi. Well back from nice sunny hot Spain to the most foul damp weather in the UK. Well my new joint decided it did not like that and I noticed a bit more ache! I have been working in the gym and started using both the seated quad and hamstring strengthening resistance machines. Also started using the leg press with 40kg of weight and just let it push back slightly to give me more flexion. Now my ankle that was causing so much grief from the initial bruising is pretty much ok and I can stand on the stair edge toes forward and let my bodyweight lower so my heels are below the step level. This is stretching my calf muscles.
I went for my last physio under my package yesterday (weds 28th May) and the lovely lady EFTA was more than pleased. I managed 110 flexion and my extension is down to 7. Last time it was 95 and 12. I have a physio friend in my Chiropractors and he is going to give me three sessions a week to get more knee movement. He is very knowledgable on joint rehab. I will let you know how I get on.
My appetite has come back and I have been eating what I term rubbish foods like Pizza, cakes, loads of bread, cheese. Anything to try and get weight back on. So from 74.9kilos pre op I dropped at my lowest to 68.8. Now I am up to 69.8kilos. My upper body strength is recovering well. More than happy at dropping two inches off my waist from 34 to 32 inches. Only downside so far new jeans, new shorts and swimwear! I now need to get some new suit trousers. Anything 34 on me and all I need is a flying carpet as I look like Ali Baba from the cartoon!!

ChubbsterPT TRKR 18th March 2014


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[71Beetle]

Hi @ChubbsterPT - welcome back from your holiday. Sounds like your recovery continues to go well. I was thinking the weather may affect my knee but today is proving that wrong. We are having a gorgeous day but my knee is killing me! I know that it is from overdoing it and not managing my meds properly but it would be better if it was raining and I could blame it on the weather!

Good job on your flexion and extension. It will be good to continue with private PT to keep everything running smoothly. Your weight appears to be getting to where you are happy. I was sure i would lose weight after my surgery because I wasn't eating very much. I weighed myself at the 4 week point and had only lost 4 pounds. UGH. Oh well, I am not going to worry about it at this point.

Keep doing what you are doing...it is certainly working for you!

 

[ChubbsterPT]

It is now 15 weeks since my operation. As I mentioned in earlier posts the bruising to my leg and particularly around my ankle seemed to have upset the joint and caused such pain that I could not physically do the exercises given to men by the hospital and the physio. This took almost eight weeks before I could bend my ankle without horrendous pain. I still had bruising marks up until 10 weeks after the operation. This was the ankle that the talus bone was broken in a 1997 motorcycle accident.

At 12 weeks I only had around 85 degrees flexion and 20 degrees of extension. I consulted with my chiropractor friends and George who was new to the practice told me he was also a physio and he would see me three times a week for as long as it took at no charge. (Excellent!!) We started a couple of weeks ago and using lots of Arnica cream massaged into the knee George then pressed down on the knee to improve my extension. Initially it was very painful but after only three visits I was down down to 17 degrees and after six visits it is 12. The initial painful stretching has almost gone and my movement and walking gait hugely different. George said that unfortunately as I could not do the initial exercises the muscles had seized up and although I could just let it slowly recover it would take forever. If you have read any of my earlier post you would remember I am itching to ride my motorcycle again this year.

Now to flexion. My knee was virtually solid at the 85 degree mark and I would just say to people in the gym try pushing against it. They were amazed how solid it was trying to move it. George said the only way to get it to move was by using a bit more bending force! So after the extension stretching he would fix and ice pack and after five minutes just put my leg over his arm and onto my bent left leg and then push my right knee towards my bum. The pain was almost unbearable but there was an immediate difference in the flexion. He does no more than 5 presses, each one a bit more painful than the last. He only hold the pressure for a maximum of 10 seconds, though it feels like 10 minutes too me!! We measured the angle after six sessions and now I am at 102 degrees. I can now walk with an even better gait.

I continue to ice the knee constantly and the swelling has reduced by 85%. Although it is painful I can feel the quad muscles gradually loosening up. George is aiming for 120 degrees and zero extension. I reckon at 110 degrees I will be able to get on my beloved Triumph. I can weight bear with an awkward kneel and am pleased with that as many people never get to kneel again.

On the downside I lost a total of almost eight kilos not feeling like eating and taking eight Tramadol a day. I managed to reduce this to the occasional one a day at night. I have put on over three kilos now and a holiday to Spain lazing in the sun took away the deathly pallor that I had inherited!! Friends, gym members and my training partners said they could not believe how ill I looked up until my holiday a month ago.

I have suffered for some years with the dreaded Restless Leg Syndrome and this has been proving a difficult problem at night for me now. As long as I am up and walking or doing something I am ok. Once I get home or sit to rest the leg movement begins. I find icing and elevating helps but sleeping has become a bit hit and miss as I cannot seem to find a comfortable position.

I also am suffering from hot sweats (Manopause as I titled it) and then a loss of energy. I have been trying reasonably hard in the gym I work at but last week I started training on Friday and nothing in the tank. I had to stop completely. I had a revision appointment on the NHS and did not see my surgeon but his Registrar whose people skills left a lot to be desired. I got he feeling that all he wanted to do was get me out as quickly as possible. I asked for a blood test to eliminate any underlying problem and the Registrar said no you don't need one. He said normally at three months they would sign me off but because I didn't have the amount of movement they would like I have another appointment in September.

This week I went to see my local GP and she was most sympathetic and sent me off for a whole series of blood tests to see if there are any problems. I await the results in a few days.

Overall I am feeling much stronger in my physical fitness but still tire quite quickly. Thank goodness for catch up TV as I never seem to see the end of a programme before I am asleep. I have been back training clients and taking my Circuit classes in the gym but only on three days per week. I train and stretch my quads in the gym three days a week and my muscle tone is coming back.

Hopefully the blood test will show up any deficiency or viral infections.
Sorry it is a long post but it I have not posted for some time.

Chubanana TRKR 18th March 2014.


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[ChubbsterPT]

So long since I Posted I had put my other handle Chubanana instead of ChubbsterPT DOH!!


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[Pumpkin]

Thanks for the update, glad to hear you are improving and your ROM is moving in the right direction.
You will be on your motorcycle before you know it!

 

[IrishMike]

Hi ChubbsterPT,

I am about 8 weeks ahead of you (TRKR 14 Jan 2014). In the early stages I had very tight quads, hamstrings etc., which seemed to be impacting on my knee.

My physio tried to do deep massage but the muscles were too tight etc. so he used "dry needles" (electronic acupuncture?) on my muscles, tendons etc. for 15/20 minutes - it is pretty uncomfortable during the procedure but the results were instantaneous and long lasting. I had a couple of dry needling sessions and haven't looked back since.

I visit him once a week for a massage/rub down just to keep the muscles loose - I am currently training 5 days a week (2 days Altitude Spinning & 3 nights in the gym).

Mike

 

[71Beetle]

Hi @ChubbsterPT,

Welcome back from your vacation. It sounds like you are doing well with your recovery. It is great that you are visiting your physiotherapist at no charge! It sounds like it is doing you a world of good.

I hope your blood tests come back without any concern. The recovery from TKR can be exhausting and Manopause can wreak havoc as well.

Wishing you all the best. Look forward to future updates!

 

[Josephine]

I merged your threads as per this request One thread for your recovery please?

I'd comment on your last post but won't because I have steam coming out of my ears!

You can put that tag in your signature so you don't have to type it in each time

I do believe that people on smart phones and tablets using the mobile skin, cannot see signatures.
But I've added his surgery date in there anyway!

 

[ChubbsterPT]

Hi another progress report at 20 weeks.

Well not been on for a while as lots of catching up to do. For the past month I have been having physio three days per week at my Chiropractor friends. George who is also a physio is treating me for free. He started on my extension and flexion which was still bad after 15 weeks and progress was very slow. So I have taken a somewhat painful route. Within a month I have almost full extension and both legs are equal. On the flexion side the scar tissue has built up and the only way to get this moving is to compress the knee into flexion. This is to say the least eye watering lay painful but has made an immediate effect. After two weeks I began cycling on a spin bike but could not sit as not enough flexion. Three weeks and I could just sit on the saddle at its highest and cycle. Four weeks and I have managed to sit and cycle for ten minutes and then lowered the saddle another inch and continued. The main pain is at the back of the knee on the outside part from the normal strewing of the quad muscles. I still ice regularly and George uses Arnica cream and massages the knee before bending. I know there are many who say if it hurts don't do it but I have to work and I am in a gym enviroment. I was also determined to ride my motorbike by July which I managed two weeks ago. Only 30 miles and cannot get on rear brake pedal yet. Rarely used anyway! I am also training in the gym again and working on my quads along with stretching Hamstrings and Quads. I suffered terrible tiredness and lost the eight kilos in weight. Now I have added four kilos or around 10 pounds. My waist dropped from 34 to 32 which I am happy about.
No painkillers for weeks now and knee joint is firm and stable and I can jump up and down on it carefully. Still does not have great lift because of need to flex more. Heading for 120 degrees. Oh and I can kneel on it as long as not a hard surface. I do some house maintenance as well and have knee pads. Hopefully I will be at almost full flex within six to nine months.
It took me a while to realise what a brutal operation knee replacement is and from what my many friends and associates said for the first three and a half months I looked like death warmed up with a lovely greyish pallor!!! Thankfully a holiday in Spain got some tan in and I am off to Turkey next week with my long suffering partner. I will post again when I have more good news
@Chubbster PT



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[ChubbsterPT]

PS the blood rest came back ok apart from lack of vitamin D, so taking a natural one rather than the pills the doc gave me and of course sunshine. Also cholesterol was 6.5 and before doc could even mention STATINS I told her the reason it's up is because I have been eating absolutely anything and everything good or bad to put on weight. Now back on sensible food plus of course fitness training is accelerating.


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