Bilateral TKR Crow22 Recovery Diary

[Jozilla]

Great to hear you are home and all is well! Rest as much as you need to!

 

[referee54]

My rom was good for each leg at the hospital but I know from reading many posts here that it tends to get less with the swelling and then will get better again, so I'm not getting fixated on that yet.

ROM is very much like a roller coaster---you will have gains some days, and then regress on some days---and, for the most part, for no apparent reason. Let the PT folks obsess with #'s---you just hang in there and keep on keepin' on---and know, that, in the end, your ROM will be just fine.

 

[BigBend]

What @referee54 said is true: there are lots of ups and downs. As long as you remember on the bad days that good days will follow and become more and more frequent, you can handle those days where one knee or the other reminds you it is in charge!! My BTKR was a little over 4 months ago. I don't think recovery is any more difficult than having just one done...and it is a lot shorter if you do both but one at a time. Happy healing!

 

[ljrfrm]

Hey there my bilateral knee sistah- I've bee thinking about you but between my funky tablet and medical stuff, I haven't been able to get on here. I'm SO glad you're home. I'm heading home this morning - and once I have my computer it will be so much easier to keep in touch. We've got this!!!!!

 

[Crow22]

Heyyyy @ljrfrm you have been in my thoughts and prayers. So glad that you are coming home today, I think it really makes a difference being home in your own space. I hope your nausea is better and they got your meds right for you. Let me how you are doing when you can. The visiting nurse is coming this afternoon for our first visit, and tomorrow I will have my first home PT. I have been gently doing some of the PT that was given to us at the hospital, and it does feel good to get things moving. It's just slow and that is just okay, slow is good right now. Thanks @referee54 for the great words of encouragement, I will endeavor to keep on keeping on!
Thank you also @BigBend and I agree with you about one knee vs having both done at once. I am really amazed how much energy this all takes! lol

 

[madinana]

@Crow22 you are having an awesome recovery, thinking the positive attitude is what helps and to think you got two done awesome . I am 4 weeks out and still get tired. The ride home from the hospital was hard for me too, getting leg in car and getting scripts and home I started out in recliner and eventually bed. have an awesome day and nap when ya want lol

 

[tiredwife]

@Crow22 Wanted to stop by and check on you, sounds like all is good! You are 2 days ahead of hubby. can't believe you are home already. Hubby's doc is overly cautious and keeps his people in for 3 or 4 days. Remember baby steps.

 

[ljrfrm]

Just checking in now that I have my computer again...........hope you're doing well. Good luck with PT - I go tomorrow too. Unfortunately, I have to go to outpatient PT , not in the mood to get in the car and drive there. Luckily it's close.

 

[Crow22]

Happy Saturday. PT yesterday went really well and she changed up how I'm doing some things. Working on getting more quad strength, but she was really good and listened to me. I have to agree with @gr82cu2 I'm wiped out and have to take my "cat" naps. It seems by 9:00pm I'm done and can't stay awake any longer. It's really cool to see how my mobility is coming back, today I walked a few steps without the walker! Yea! I'm icing lots and it's like the best thing ever after PT. I'm doing really well, just frustrated at times on not being able to just jump up and... you know! But right now my main focus is getting better, healing and just taking care of myself.
@tiredwife how's hubby doing? @madinana how are you doing?
Hope everyone is well and recovering in a good way.

 

[ljrfrm]

@Crow22 You're doing awesome!!! Keep up the great job - but keep napping!!

 

[tiredwife]

@Crow22 Sounds like you are doing really good! Got hubby home today. We are both wiped out. Just gave him his pain meds. He is making up for all the missed sleep from the last month and a half. has been sleeping all day.

 

[leejaa]

Congratulations on being home. There is no place like home for recovery. Sounds like you are doing great - slow and easy. The energy drain will take a while and napping when the body wants to is the only thing to do and the best thing to do. Go with what the body wants and you cannot go wrong.

 

[Crow22]

Good morning @leejaa Yes I am doing well. Today is a little hard for me as I'm fighting a little nausea, I'm trying to go with the flow today and just get through my PT. Even though it's difficult at times (pt) I do feel more flexible afterwards. I'm keeping to our BS mantra and I really feel that ice is the key to controlling pain and swelling. So far my inflammation has been really minimum and I believe that is due to the icing. Its funny my at home nurse and Physical Therapist keep telling me, don't ice for more than 30 mins. Crazy! Thanks for all the good words, hope you are enjoying this awesome weather.

 

[leejaa]

You must not have the same PT that I had - both times the PT I had at home had no issue with me icing pretty much non step except when exercising or walking. I, too, believe that it is the secret to less swelling as long as you elevate at the same time. Less swelling equaled more flexion for me without stress and strain.

I am sorry you are having nausea issues - I was lucky and did not have any. I know may form members made sure they had some crackers or crackers with a bit of peanut butter any time they took their pain meds and it helped them. I hope you find something that will work for you. If it continues, you might want to ask to have your pain meds switched or some meds for the nausea.

Best wishes. Lee

 

[kneeper]

It sounds like you are off to a great start. Did your doc prescribe anything for nausea? If it's not too bad, making sure you eat something with your pills may help.

 

[ljrfrm]

Just checking in.......thinking of you and hoping you are feeling better!!!!

 

[Crow22]

@kneeper Thanks for the advice, I'm taking my night meds with some crackers and it really has helped. @ljrfrm Hey, sorry I've not been on. I can emphasize with all you are going through. After my afternoon pt my knees are really stiff and it's hard to get up and down. I am very fortunate in that I don't have much swelling, and I do try to get up and move around at least every hour. (during the day). Like you I am finding that I can lift my legs up on the bed without any assistance, and it really feels like I've accomplished something. Everyday brings some little nugget of gold, were I find myself doing something, maybe a little better or stronger, but it is work. My pt agrees with yours in that you will get some pain, when doing the exercises but when you stop you should not be hurting. She lets me take a break when I'm struggling and tells me to add more reps as I get feeling stronger. So it sounds like we are on the same track.
Sleeping at night I'm like you, I only get about 3hours at a time. I've been having leg spasms at night and it's been keeping me up. It's funny last night I had leg spasms for about 2 hours, but when I woke up this morning, my knees felt like a million dollars! go figure. I'm being very religious about my meds and taking them on time.
Bending my knees to sit or stand is still hard, but it's better than last week, so each little step, each day it's gets better.
I'm sorry to hear that your swelling is bothering you, and I know that, that too will lessen as you continue your pt. I have a love/hate relationship with my pt exercises. I love how they are helping me, but man oh man what a work out!
I will be getting my staples out on Monday, so hopefully I will be able to shower! yea, Although our tub is upstairs, and we won't be doing stairs until Tuesday of next week.
Take care my Bilateral sister and know we are working side by side even though we are states apart. Hope you feel like a million dollars soon too.

 

[ljrfrm]

@Crow22 It's so helpful reading all that you are doing - as it puts my recovery into perspective as well. Think of how far we've come......from those days of counting down until the surgery, going to info classes, getting medical authorizations and the procedure. Let's keep it up.......as I've said before, "We've got this"!

 

[Crow22]

So yesterday I had to go for an ultrasound. A few days ago I noticed a lump on the upper back part of my calf. Wasn't hot, no fever, no redness, but it was tender to touch. I called my Dr.s office and they scheduled me for an ultrasound to rule out a blood clot. There is a hospital, not the one I had surgery at, about 30 mins from where I live, so it was there they sent me. So me and my trusty walker, walked from the front of the hospital, to pt. check in and then Down to radiology. When I got to the actual ultrasound room, I was able to get up on the gurney by myself and could move my legs to accommodate the techs requests. my "lump" turned out to be my bakers cyst, or what is left of it. Whew, I was really grateful to hear that. Even though I didn't present with any real symptoms of a blot clot, you know that there is always that possibility, esp with having two knees done.
When I got home I felt pretty good about being to walk as far as I did and at how mobile I'm getting. My knees were protesting a little at all the days activities, so I had a nice sit down with my pillows and ice.
I noticed yesterday, or more accurately I got a glimmer yesterday of how free from pain I will be and how awesome my new knees are. I could walk arthritis pain free for the first time in I don't know how long, and I felt really strong.
Reality did return as my knees needed to take a rest and be pampered. I'm still swollen and I have discomfort when I bend my knees to sit down, but yesterday was a good day, and it gave me hope. I'm walking more around the house without my walker, and I'm realizing that now I have really good posture. I'm taking it slow and have to remind myself to walk heel to toe.
You don't realize how much arthritis has taken from you and how much pain you lived with day to day. Yes it's hard work, and lots of times I'd like to hide from my PT, but I guess today I'm grateful for this new opportunity to live again, to be able to see that in the future I will be able to enjoy life, and not just endure it through the pain of arthritis.
@ljrfrm keep on keeping on there sister, we do got this, and it's a grand journey isn't it? lol

 

[ljrfrm]

@Crow22 I'm so glad it wasn't a clot. BUT, I'm even more glad that they got you in there quickly to make sure it wasn't. Great job with getting yourself to radiology, etc. It shows just what progress you made. It's helpful to get those "glimpses" into the future on what life without arthritis will be like - as it helps us get through the day to day difficulties of recovery. I'll post an update on my thread soon - I'm hanging in there. I still have such ROM difficulties - one side improved a bit and the other got worse. I guess it just depends on the swelling. I know it will eventually go down. The good news is that I also feel stronger each day and can do more and more for myself. I too need to remind myself to walk heel to toe. So yes, let's keep on keeping on........We've got this!!!