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TKR Cutter's Mom Lapsing into old habits

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I had my 3 week postop check with the OS on Monday and got good reviews. As a matter of fact the staff asked me (teasingly) if I had a knee replacement 3 weeks ago. He is really pleased with my progress and I don't need to go to outpatient physical therapy. I am back to the Y and my personal trainer. My pain has been minimal and is usually taken care of with Tylenol. Except for muscle soreness, my knee pain is less than it was preoperatively. I continue to ice and elevate, especially after working out. I told my surgeon about this site and he thought it was great to have a good support group when undergoing this type of surgery. Again, I can't thank everyone enough for their preoperative support (when I seriously got the jitters) and the information and feedback postoperatively. It has been reassuring to me especially since I do not know anyone personally who has had a TKR and everyone helpfully offered me horror stories of their neighbor, uncle, etc. who had a terrible time with their surgery. I'm sure everyone else experienced this helpful phenomenon too. I truly appreciate it!
 
@Bentley's Slave My Cutter turned 1 today. Here is his birthday pic (or at least the only decent one I could get). He is bored with winter and can't wait to get out walking again. I figure by the time the snow melts and the weather gets a little warmer, my knee will be up to the challenge.

[Bonesmart.org] Cutter's Mom Lapsing into old habits
 
Hello again @Cutter's Mom - I am so glad that everything has gone well with your recovery. You sound like a model TKR patient.
And Happy Birthday Cutter - he is so handsome!
Things are going pretty well here - I'm getting about OK, but still quite tired. I don't have my post op check until 6 weeks - so I have some time to go before the OS surveys his handiwork.
Hope your snowy conditions improve soon and it wont be long before you are getting out and about with Cutter and your super new knee.
ChrisX
 
Hi everyone! Just a quick update. Tomorrow will be 4 weeks postop for me. I am doing well. I have the blues now and then and my appetite hasn't quite returned fully. It kind of depends on what sounds good. Planning a meal is difficult because I'm not hungry. I'm working out with my trainer and he is very respectful of the knee. I now have the pulling/tugging sensation down my kneecap that is a little uncomfortable. My hamstrings and calf are intermittently sore and sometimes keep me awake. It's not actually my knee that will bother me, but the adjoining muscles. It helps if I stretch before bed. I continue to ice and use Tylenol prn. I managed to walk my dog for a short distance which went well. I also put on a pair of heels to go to dinner Saturday night and for the first time in months, both knees actually felt stable instead of wobbly. It was great to not feel unstable and trust my knees again. I still can't do water therapy because I have scabs from the staples but I'm sure I'll be in the water as soon as I can.

It hasn't been easy, but really not as bad as I feared it might be. Doing the therapy work is not a lot of fun, but I keep reminding myself it's going to pay off in the long run. It isn't going to happen overnight so I just need to patient. Thanks again to everyone on the site for encouragement. It is so helpful!
 
Hi @Cutter's Mom - good to hear that you are progressing well. Hasn't the last 4 weeks flown by?
I so agree with you that therapy is not much fun - but if it gets results, what's a few rubbish weeks in the scheme of things?
Fancy you wearing heels for dinner - that information alone gladdens my heart and probably that of lots of others on here both pre and post op.
Same here with the calf and hamstrings hurting - I have ice on the knee and heat pack on the achy bits!

I am happy with my progress - as you say we have to be patient, there is no instant fix. But as I told my PT today, my knee is already vastly better than it has been for years and years.
Hope everything continues brilliantly for you - and when those staple scabs heal, you will so enjoy the water therapy.
Take care
ChrisX
 
Goodness, out to dinner AND wearing heels at just 4 weeks out?! That's pretty amazing! I'm so happy for you! The blues will lessen and it sounds like you're doing great, so keep up the good work!
 
Glad to hear all going well @Cutter's Mom...wearing heels and going put to dinner....greAt progress....the blues seem to be very much part of the recovery ...think you just have to roll with it! Take care Chrissie xxx
 
Cutter's Mom said:
@Bentley's Slave My Cutter turned 1 today. Here is his birthday pic (or at least the only decent one I could get). He is bored with winter and can't wait to get out walking again. I figure by the time the snow melts and the weather gets a little warmer, my knee will be up to the challenge.

[Bonesmart.org] Cutter's Mom Lapsing into old habits
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Hi @Cutter's Mom - Cutter looks adorable and is still soooo fluffy. Bentley has lost a lot of his fluffy puppy coat.

Wearing heels to go out to dinner - wow - that is progress and so early. Well done you. You are doing really well and much better than me. I am now able to drive and feeling more normal. Take care. PS: Bentley is behaving really well.
 
Hi @Bentley's Slave! I've been wondering how you are doing. About those heels ........ I didn't wear them down the stairs, putting them on after I descended. I wasn't that brave! I didn't have too far to walk either. But my knees felt really stable this time. It used to be that when I wore heels I felt like I was wobbling all over the place. I used to tape my knees for extra security. I didn't wear them long, but it felt nice since they are my favorite shoes. It sounds like you are progressing nicely. Just driving and getting around town can be tiring. You also had general anesthesia and I think it takes longer to recover from that. I get tired still and I was lucky to have a spinal. This surgery certainly takes a toll on our bodies (and for me right now, the blues). Remember this is a long recovery and a lot of hard work. I have to remind myself everyday.

Cutter still has so much of his puppy fluff but I am starting to see his adult hair along his back. At first it looked like angel wings, but I knew better since he is a little devil. He has more of an English Cream coat than American Golden. I'm sure Bentley is glad to have you up and about. They are such wonderful dogs!
 
I had my LTKR on 1/28 and have been doing very well. I have noticed within the past week or so I have lapsed into my bad habit of bending my surgical knee while standing. My hamstring and calf on that leg are sore, achy behind the knee, etc. I ice, elevate, the whole regimen. I am doing gentle stretching along with my physical therapy. I am just curious if anyone else has experienced this. I I just realized this today. My last extension at the doctor's office was 0 4 weeks ago, but I feel like I may be backsliding. Common at this stage? Also, I have noticed that my left quad or tendon is popping when descending stairs. Is this part of the healing process? It is not painful, just weird. I am not unstable at all while walking. Insights would be appreciated. Unchartered territory for me.
 
Hiya @Cutter's Mom ! All 'normal'. Annoying, but normal. Yes, I think at the beginning (and for those of us with extension issues) that you need to keep working on your extension exercises. That's why behind your knee is hurting. That's the hamstrings and they're all about extension. One of the best exercises I know (that doesn't make me want to stab myself in the eye with a fork) is to lay on your tummy on the bed or couch and hang your TKR leg off the side (from right above the knee), with some sort of a weight on your ankle (could be a couple cans of soup in a grocery bag) for 5 minutes. I've had to work hard to get my extension to zero, but I find that it wavers, so I have to keep working on it. As for holding your TKR leg up when standing, you're going to need to concentrate on not doing that and instead put your weight on it and practice straightening it as much as you can while tightening your quad muscles. Some old habits die hard, but now that you're aware of it, I bet you don't do it as much!

As for the popping, yes, that's normal too. So many strange sensations during this recovery. I actually thought I could feel water running down my lower leg a couple of times too! Freaky! You will have spasms and popping in your quads and calves, so not to worry.

I'm glad you're doing so well! Keep up the great work!
 
@DogLoverx3 Thanks so much. The suggestion about hanging your leg off the bed makes total sense. Thank you also for relieving my mind. I began to think I was being a hypochondriac about my knee. So many new sensations. My first thought on hearing/feeling the pop was I broke my new knee! I know that wasn't true but I was concerned. It helps talking to someone who has been through this. Much appreciated!
 
Glad I could help. There are so many new and exciting (aka - annoying) sensations that happen during this recovery that I completely understand being worried. You'd be hard pressed to have something happen that at least one of us on here hasn't been through before!
 
@Cutter's Mom I have merged your latest thread with your original recovery thread. Please post all your updates, questions and concerns here rather than starting a new thread. It really helps to have all the past recovery information easily available when we make a response! If you decide you would like a different thread title at any time, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.

Those pops (and a host of other odd noises) are perfectly normal as your new knee "makes friends" with its new environment. Everything must get used to the new parts and alignment and it just takes a little time.....actually quite a bit of time for some. Any stretching (gentle, of course) is good for you. That should help you keep the range of motion you attain.
 
@DogLoverx3 Thank you so much for your suggestion of dropping my leg over to the side with a weight on it for my extension and hamstring relief. After a day of physical therapy and walking the dogs, the back of my knee nags at me pretty good. I do the stretch and almost immediately after taking the weight off I can feel my hamstrings easing up and the pain is gone from behind my knee. I know that it will creep back up so I just drape my leg off the couch while watching TV at times even without the weight. I think it's even helping my flexion too! Thanks for responding. This site is a treasure of information and great people. ~Joy
 
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