TKR Daveboy1810 My August 11 TKR (left Knee)

[Daveboy1810]

Is this an exercise, or part of a movement you need to do to change positions? I can’t imagine why you need to do this.

It's part of the exercise regiment the PT has for me. She's actually very good and has provided good advice. I am able to do much more with the assistance of the stretchy bands they provide; I think they are a help.

I do hope that one goes soon, but you can be sure that it will be replaced by a different one for a while yet!

Truer words never spoken! I swear I'll get pains in my arms and other joints that are directly related to the TKR. That's why Bonesmart is so important, you learn the real truth from others with actual experience, not just talented professionals that have treated patients but don't know first hand!

Day #8
Last night was kind of rough, lots of what I call bone pain, shooting down my shin. Also my thigh muscle seems to involuntarily spasm on occasion as it heals. Bruising is at it's peak, I expect it to be slowly fading away soon. It's nice to know that eventually these pains will fade and *almost* disappear by the time I get to 3 months post op. I know this because this is my second TKR so to all you first timers, rest easy these pains wont last forever or be permanent.
Watching TV has become my only pastime while I recover. I'm not much for musicals but I enjoyed LALA Land yesterday, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were very good together. It's hard to believe that Gosling learned to play the piano so well for that movie.

 

[Daveboy1810]

Day #9
Another day under my belt. The bruising is beginning to fade. I'm feeling a little bummed still basically riveted to my recliner while my wife and kids are enjoying blues, chicken and waffles at a local vineyard just down the street.
I mentioned before that I became quite bowlegged with age (64 now). For me getting my 2nd TKR will finally correct my gait. With only my right leg straightened, I was at least a 1/2 inch taller as a result on that one side, but now that both legs are the same length and I can tell already I don't have the hobble I had before. Happy about that for sure.
Not much improvement today, my heel/toe exercises are still painful.

 

[Daveboy1810]

Day #10
A gorgeous Saturday morning here in the Old Dominion. I'm feeling pretty good today.
I went down and up the 2 stairs from my front porch onto my driveway this morning with no issues. The most important thing to remember when dealing with stairs is "Down with the Bad and Up with the Good", which basically means when you go DOWN stairs place the foot with the replaced knee down first and follow it with your good leg. When you go UP stairs it's the opposite. Place your good foot on the stair, followed by the operative leg.

Another tip I would offer is to those that have rocking chairs. Rocking chairs are a great way to introduce flexing without the pain caused by friction. Just let the chair rock gently to do the work of moving that knee. You can fine tune range and introduce those movements which are just right for you.

Probably the biggest problem for me is getting up out of chairs. Here's one from my PT: Grab a sturdy upright post at about waist level, like a bed post or a porch column. Then just stick your butt out and pretend your going to sit down while holding the post and come back up. I do about 10 of these twice per day.
I echo what most folks here on Bonesmart say: Don't overdo it. If you feel too much pain, just stop. It will all come in time.

 

[Sisterpat]

Daveboy, sounds like you are progressing nicely and have a good grasp of the BoneSmart way! Slow and steady is the key. Sometimes, you don’t notice improvement from day to day, but from week to week it becomes more obvious. Keep hanging in there.

 

[Daveboy1810]

Day #11
My recovery continues slowly but surely. Bruising and muscle pain is declining. I can walk but very cautiously without my walker, but I do it only on a test basis across the room with the walker nearby. There is no way I would leave the walker behind for a longer walk yet.
The bone pain comes and goes. This is the pain I feel where the bone and prosthesis have been cemented together. This is to be expected as this "bone pain" lasted for approximately 3 months with my first TKR.
Always err on the side of being cautious. Cautious with too much exercise, cautious of overdoing things (chores, sex), cautious of exposing yourself to potential falls, cautious of diet and negative effect of pain meds (e.g. constipation caused by oxy, etc) JUST TAKE IT EASY. YOU WILL HEAL IN TIME!
Avoid becoming depressed. Try to develop a sleep schedule, facetime your kids and friends!

 

[Daveboy1810]

Day #12
PT visited this morning and and after some exercises she introduced transitioning from the walker to a cane and its proper use. When recovering from knee surgery the proper way to use a cane is to hold the cane in the opposite hand of the leg that has had the surgery. (e.g. For a left TKR hold the cane on right ride in your right hand.) Keep the cane in sync with the operative knee's foot, so when your TKR foot is placed forward your cane should move forward and touch the ground at the same time. This movement actually puts MORE weight on the surgical leg, but adds stability.
Because of the PT, I'm feeling the pain tonight.
Last night I had some really gruesome nightmares and I think it was brought on by the generic Ambien (sleep aid). Funny the PT told me she experienced sleepwalking on Ambien. Has anyone had similar sleep related experience with sleep aids?

 

[Susie-Q]

I've heard sleepwalking can be common on Ambien. Kind of scary, especially if we're not very mobile! I bought some Tylenol PM today to have ready in case I need a little "help" getting to sleep after my surgery.

 

[FCBayern]

Because of the PT, I'm feeling the pain tonight.

That's your new knee telling you that was too much activity for this early. This is definitely not a "no pain no gain" recovery. You'll have your best recovery by listening to your body, and that means when you do something that causes pain that night or the next day, it was too much and you should back off some. Don't let a PT hurt you and definitely don't let them physically push it for ROM.
Prior to my TKR I was aware of the BoneSmart gentle approach to recovery as opposed to rigorous PT. I was lucky enough to find the site before my TKR. Even though I knew about the BoneSmart approach my OS was all about PT and "whatever ROM you have when your scar turns silver is all the ROM you will ever have." He was the trained surgeon that has done many, many replacements, he must know what he's talking about right? So off I went to my first visit to PT, about 2 weeks out from TKR. The next day when my knee was more swollen and I was in much more pain I opted for a BoneSmart recovery. I never went to another PT session. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only did I suffer less pain, but my ROM has continued to improve over two years. I've been hiking over rough terrain for good distances, scuba diving, and just living a happy active pain free life with more ROM than I ever thought I would have again after many painful years. I've now had a hip replacement with equal success following a BoneSmart approach. You don't have to suffer needlessly to have an amazing recovery.

 

[Daveboy1810]

Day #14
Feeling pretty good today after a decent night sleep. I tried skipping my evening dose of oxy and ambien two nights ago and had a restless, painful night, so last night I decided to go back on both and with good results. Ambien and Oxy should not be taken together, so I space the doses by at least 2 hours.
Today I have both physical therapy and a nurse's visit to release me from home care. The nurse will also remove the zipline from the incision. I'll soon be picking a facility for outpatient PT.
Range and flexibility continues to improve but ever so slightly each day.

After removing the zipline they put these cross strips across the incision. Don't really think so many are necessary but I'll leave them on for a few days anyway.

 

[Daveboy1810]

Day #16
Yesterday was very rough because I overdid it by mowing the lawn (riding mower). Right before my surgery I mowed but it was looking pretty overgrown 2 weeks later, so I mowed. The brake on the mower requires me pushing on it with my left foot, my operative side.
I did 2 oxys before bed and it definitely helped and this morning I feel much better. Believe me if you over work your new knee it will set you back by days and you will feel the pain. The weekend is here and I intend to just take it easy all weekend.

 

[#sully#]

Hi, thank you you for your detailed progress, much the same over here in the UK, as we have a national health program over here we don’t have pay out for health care, I’m on day 24 post op, (age 68) I dont need walking aids now, but I still have to walk very carefully, my main problem is in the evenings, the pain attacks me as soon as I lay in bed, no matter what I do regarding pillows scattered all over the bed, & medications, I cannot get the pain to subside, I end up getting up every hour & have a walk round our home, hoping somehow I can walk it off look forward to seeing how you progress

 

[sistersinhim]

Yesterday was very rough because I overdid it by mowing the lawn (riding mower).

Many think you shouldn't have pain if you use a riding lawn mower, but I also found that not true. Even without using the brake that much you still have the vibration and bumps to shake up the knee. Those of us who had to do can testify to that! You need to rest a little more than usual for the next few days so your knee can settle back down.

For such a short time out you are doing amazingly well! I think having experience with your first knee has helped you be more realistic with the recovery expectations with this one.

 

[Daveboy1810]

my main problem is in the evenings, the pain attacks me as soon as I lay in bed, no matter what I do regarding pillows scattered all over the bed, & medications, I cannot get the pain to subside, I end up getting up every hour & have a walk round our home, hoping somehow I can walk it off look forward to seeing how you progress

I'm on my second TKR. In my experience this type of aching evening pain subsides between 11-14 weeks. Rest assured it will go away! I'm actually feeling it now...owwww

Many think you shouldn't have pain if you use a riding lawn mower, but I also found that not true. Even without using the brake that much you still have the vibration and bumps to shake up the knee. Those of us who had to do can testify to that! You need to rest a little more than usual for the next few days so your knee can settle back down.

Yes maam you are so right, and I have a pretty bumpy lawn!

 

[#sully#]

Just got out of bed for my first walk around of the night, awful pain
11 weeks ! Oh no

 

[Daveboy1810]

Day #18
Wow time is flying my and it is almost September. I see the surgeon on Wednesday for my 3-week post-op checkup. I continue to recovery slowly but surely. A couple of things I would offer today.
First, I'll offer a suggestion for beating the blues which are sure to come due to being isolated during recovery. If you are lucky enough to have friends or family close by, see if you can't arrange for them to come over for a visit when you are ready. Just socializing is a great way to lift your spirits. My 4-year old granddaughter and I picked tomatoes yesterday and then watched several episodes of Pokemon, and it was a very sweet visit and it has greatly lifted me up.
My second suggestion is that of massage. For me it has really helped to use a nice light massage oil (I use Weleda Arnica Massage Oil) and apply it to your sore calf and thigh muscles and just rub it in with slow long strokes. A 5-minute massage several times per day is most soothing and I believe it helps your circulation and expedites recovery.

 

[jaspa]

@Daveboy1810 or anyone who can answer if you know what is the difference between Weleda Arnica Massage Oil and the hylands arnica gel which I have been using on my knees for pain? @Daveboy1810 glad you had a nice visit with your granddaughter.

 

[Daveboy1810]

@Daveboy1810 or anyone who can answer if you know what is the difference between Weleda Arnica Massage Oil and the hylands arnica gel which I have been using on my knees for pain? @Daveboy1810 glad you had a nice visit with your granddaughter.

Wish I knew the concentration of Arnica in each. So far Weleda is the only stuff I have used. I am considering growing my own Arnica and making my own infused oil next year.

 

[Daveboy1810]

Day #20
As I mentioned before this is my 2nd TKR. My PT told me it was unlikely that the recovery of my left knee would be exactly the same as my right knee was, and she is right. There are different areas of pain and muscle soreness. There is an area of muscle pain in my thigh that sometimes "twitches" involuntarily when I do my stretch exercises, and I am sure this is part of the healing process.
My ability to walk is much better in the mornings than at the end of the day. This is why I insist with my home care therapist on doing my PT in the mornings. She has been great as far as not forcing me to do too much too soon and has offered lots of helpful tips. Tomorrow is my 3-week post op meeting with my surgeon, so I need to come up with written questions in advance, because he is an 'in and out" sort of guy, I'll be lucky to spend 5 minutes with him so I best have my questions written down.

 

[Daveboy1810]

Day #22
Well yesterday's 3week post op meeting with y surgeon went well. He wont do an x-ray until our next appt in October. The meeting lasted all of 5 minutes. Dude is an in and out sort of fellow. He did extend my temporary handicapped placard for another 6 months which is very helpful, I never thought I would be one of those people you see riding the carts at Sam's Club but yep...that's me.
I opted to NOT take the oxy last night and although I slept well without it (using only Ambien) I am not walking as pain-free this morning. Continuing to ice both my knee and upper thigh muscles, where the tourniquet was applied. You would think after 3 weeks the thigh muscle pain would be gone, but it's not yet. The bruises are gone however. It really does take a LONG time for tissue to recovery after TKR.
My wife is showing her first signs of caregiver frustration, saying this morning something to the effect that I am "acting so helpless". So I will try to resume some of my normal chores to keep her happy.
Edit: Although I have a script for outpatient PT at a location of my choice, I am debating doing any of it this time around. I did not find PT to be all that helpful with my recovery last time, but I will see how I feel in a week.

 

[Jockette]

Maybe your wife should read some posts here and see others who are just like you and some others who are worse. There is so much misconception about this surgery and recovery. I sure was clueless!

Be careful not to overdo, it isnt worth the price you’ll pay!