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TKR Cindy's new knee

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Fawkes said:
I think it is typical to feel a little overwhelmed about 3 weeks out. Progress is slow but steady.
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Yes---you are correct---at three weeks, you are still in the "Dark Days" of recovery, so even the little things can be issues now and then.

You just have to hang in there, take it a day at a time, and know that you are getting just a little closer to your destination fo being fully recovered!
 
Fawkes said:
I also had a rough day.
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These recoveries are a great deal like a roller coaster ride. One day, you feel pretty good, and then, for some reason that you cannot figure out, you are having a rotten day the next day. I gave up trying to figure out what caused it.

You just have to realize that these rotten days will slowly disappear and soon you will be left with a great new lifestyle---pain-free and fully recovered!
 
Hello Fawkes,
I sleep pretty good at night because I was so used to sleeping on my back because of such bad pain before surgery that I am used to it. I am hooked up to CPM machine now and not really in the mood. I'm ready to sleep in my own bed but I know I would continually wake my husband up. He needs his rest for all the stuff he does for me during the day! I'm ready for a big improvement but I'm not going to hold my breath. Can't really complain about my recovery so far. Nurse comes tomorrow and PT on Tuesday. Last week for both, I think. Then I have to start going out for PT.
 
Keep up the great work. You are doing very well. Its always great to hear . Sounds like you have it down pack. Medication, ice and elevation. Way to go .
 
Hi .you sound like you are doing well. I worked with P.T. Today and she had me walking without my cane, doing fine. I have my post op appt. tomorrow to have all my questions answered. I really appreciate referees comments and support.we are kind of in limbo. Really encouraged in some areas and sluggish with baby steps in others. I should also start out pt. P.T. Next week. I hope they are nice, and listen. The one coming to the house has been awesome.
Continue your journey and be encouraged, 3weeks out, how awesome!
 
Hi Fawkes,
I'm dreading my appt. with OS next week Tuesday. He wants me to be at 120 degrees on the CPM machine. It took me over 3 hours to get to 101 degrees today. I only move the machine up one degree at a time until I feel comfortable and know I won't hurt myself. No way I will be at even 110. I walked all day at home without a cane and it felt good. I can tell my knee isn't completely straight and I know I need to work on it but that is the most painful thing to me. They gave me this big foam cube to put my foot on for 20 minutes at a time to stretch and straighten my leg. I can't do it for 20 minutes. I've started putting my foot on this little pillow while sitting in the recliner. It really hurts when I take my foot off the pillow. I have to lift my leg with my hands and s-l-o-w-l-y set it down after a couple of minutes. I'm iced and elevated now. Can't believe it has been almost 3 weeks already!
 
It is interesting to note that many OS's set this schedule up and expect all TKR patients to adhere to it.

The truth of the matter is, we wll heal differently---at different schedules, different times, and in different rates; in actuality, your OS does not set the schedule up for the ROM---your knee does.

I would not worry at all about it---you are not even a month removed from very traumatic surgery, so you have a lot of time yet, and a lot of time yet to do it.

Where he wants you to be and where your knee will let you get to are often two different things!
 
If you can't do 20 minutes don't do 20 minutes. Try it for as long as you can. The OS can want what he wants but he can't make the healing follow his schedule.
101 is nothing to sneeze at. The cpm has its uses, but maybe you'd do better just doing your exercises with less time in the cpm?
 
The cpm machine goes back tomorrow. PT came today and she was happy with my progress. She said she could see improvement from when she was here last Friday. After PT, I went to a little get together at a neighbors house. Came home after an hour and slept 2 hours! I had to listen to women telling me they were off pain meds at 2 weeks and had a range of motion of 120 before leaving the hospital! Good for them. I'm not there yet. Why do people feel compelled to tell someone who just had surgery those stories? Geez Louise!
 
Very nauseous last night and today. Haven't had a pain pill since last night at 11:00. I've got to get these stomach issues resolved. I made an appointment with my GP for tomorrow to get my meds straightened out. Hopefully he can give me something to calm the stomach down. I've been a weepy mess and I am so sick of it.
 
I hear you about the recovery stories.

Seems like everyone I know has a friend, cousin, neighbor, aunt who managed to play tennis, win a dance competition, roller skate, mow the lawn within two weeks of their surgery...

Sick and tired of just nodding and murmuring, "how wonderful for them" while I'm biting the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming!

Jacki

Edited to add that I had my first excursion out of the house (dressed in capris and a blouse!) tonight to Outback Restaurant for a group dinner. My mother-in-law, her boyfriend and another relative were celebrating their birthdays there.
I found the chair uncomfortable (the bane of being just over 5' tall with a 23" inseam lol) so I got up three times during the two hours to walk around and sit on a different chair in the lounge.
It helped a bit but my meds were wearing off and I was tired so relied on my cane quite a bit tonight.

As I was leaving to go home, someone asked my mother (aka my driver Hoke) why I was limping with a cane. She explained to her that I'd had both knees replaced five weeks ago. The woman's response? "Oh, shouldn't she be walking better than that by now? Is she okay?"

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr yeah, I have surgical incisions, I'm not deaf, lady.
 
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The doctor gave me anti-nausea meds and they have helped a lot. He cut 2 of my regular prescriptions and said if they weren't helping with my recovery, it wasn't going to hurt to cut them out for a couple of months. Happy about that. I was able to eat 1/4 of a hamburger, a few chips and a couple of bites of ice cream for dinner. More food than I have had all week. I feel so much better. Hopefully I will start getting a little energy now that I am able to eat some. I sure hope I don't have anymore setbacks for a few days.
 
My knee is pretty stiff today. Worried about losing the little range of motion I have.
 
Hi Texan, it amazes me how "helpful" people can be. In this third week I have had good days, and some really uncomfortable nights. I am not listening to anything that is not encouraging. We have had major surgery, and our knees are as individual as we are. Life is too short to listen to "should haves". I have not used the cpm machine, and I do have a wedge, and I can't keep elevated on it for too long either. It hurts. I have been doing the exercises the P.T. Gave me. I do the best when I sleep, which is rare. My hubby has gone to the guest so he can get a good nights sleep
I've heard that week 3and4 can be difficult, and I am finding this true. We are in a frustrating place. Seeing progress, but anxious to get on with it,and want to be pain free,( not happening yet).
I have had a few of those weepy moments too. Feel stupid and powerless. But they are lessening. I am just trying to take a day at a time, and I know you are doing great. Be good to yourself, and I hope the anti nausea med. helps. I am getting my appetite back some, and trying to pace pain med.
Take care, and listen to the encouraging voices.
Fawkes (sue)
 
Each day can be so different... Thank goodness! It's really been quite a dance - one step forward, two steps back, dip to the side, twirl in place, three steps forward!
Hang in there!
Jacki

Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk
 
Hiya! Figured I would hop/hobble/limp over to your thread. I hope you realize how pretty amazing an ROM of 101 at 3 weeks iS!. Many would kill for that!! For what it's worth, here's what happened for me. I was 75 degrees 3 days post op. I got up to 90 the following week. I then fell back to 85 and got 'stuck for three weeks!! Of course I panicked and 'worked harder' which just made everything worse. After I finally started to take heed of all the smart advice oh here my ROM started to slowly increase again. I am 10 weeks out and just measured at 135 last week. There is time. There is no deadline. Your OS can hope for whatever random number he pulls out of the sky, but everyone is different and you have GREAT flexion for so early on!

I know it goes against all reason, but if your knee is truly stiff and sore moreso than usual, then I would skip PT tomorrow. No, really. You will be surprised what a day of nothing but ice and elevationcan do!
 
I had PT today and we walked a little further than usual. I told her I was worried that I had lost ROM but when she went to measure, I had gained 5 degrees! WooHoo!!! Still struggling with getting that knee straight. During P/T I don't feel like I am really pushing myself but then in the afternoon my leg hurts behind the knee and is really tight. OS was happy with my progress today even though he didn't ask or measure ROM. I think he was more impressed that I didn't use my walker or cane. I came home and took a 2 hour nap!
 
I was released to drive (left knee) and was so excited. Drove 15 minutes to the closest town, shopped 15 minutes and was totally wiped out. Came home and took a 2 hour nap. When am I going to have more energy????
 
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