Day 4 Post TRKR

[dcdowden]

Glad to be home after three days in hospital. Had PCM in hospital up to 80 degree flex. Don't have PCM at home but have pushed knee to about 90. Will see PT at home later today. Was able to sleep pretty well on my sides at home last night. Much better than with either prior hip replacements. That was a very pleasant surprise. Some exercises like leg raises much easier than with hips. Other exercises are harder. Getting up the stairs was definitely harder last night. Planning to stay upstairs today and take a break. Sent home with polarcare for icing knee. Definitely a must for knees. Didn't use much ice with hips. Taking darvocet for pain and is not bad unless I am pushing the knee. Hoping that things keep getting better every day. Thanks to all for all your stories. They were inspirational. Will keep you posted.
Doug
Naperville Illinois

 

[Texas]

Hey Doug, Im glad you are all done with it...Well the easy part...lol....kidding oh course.....Thats really good ROM for 4 days geez. Thats what i did stay upstairs shower was there...lol....I hope they get better and better for yo Im Glad you posted was wondering how you ere take it was you will get there .......

 

[Jamie]

Doug, so glad to hear you are doing well. Things will get even better as you can become more active. Keep up the great work and let us hear updates!!

 

[Judles]

:thmb:Doug!!!!

 

[sykeRN]

Hi Doug---sounds like a good beginning! I had surgery on 8/10--so I'm just a little ahead of you.

I hope home PT will be good for you---I love my workouts. I can even ride the exercise bike with the pedals going around!!! So far I have 110 flex. (of course I'm bragging--but now have an ice pack on my knee and I'll be ready for an early bedtime).

So-best of luck in the days ahead! Keep posting. Nancy

 

[calling_all_angels]

Doug,
So glad to hear that you are home!! There just is not any place like home!!!!
Now recovery begins. Let me know how PT goes.

 

[Motherofmany]

Doug,

Glad to hear you are doing good. Take it easy, recovery is a process. Sounds like you have made a great start.

 

[tooyoungforthis]

Doug, There is no place like home,so happy that you are doing great and before you know it you will be going up and down the stairs with ease.

 

[Max Wallace]

Great progress!

Try heat as well as ice. I found heating just before PT and bed did wonders. I always iced after PT.

 

[dcdowden]

Thanks to all for words of encouragement. I saw PT at home today and she was great. My right knee was injured in a car accident 13 years ago, and I haven't been able to fully straighten since then. The PT gave me a couple exercises specific for the purpose of stretching out my hamstrings and getting my quads to work at full extension. She also helped me stretch it out as well. I am walking better today and decided to do the stairs again - much improved over two days ago when I first got home.

My biggest issue now is that it looks like the Darvocet is now causing agitation and problems sleeping. I am cutting back on the Darvocet and plan to only use it before PT. I am taking Tramadol at other times. I also have a call into my Doc for some better recommendations. Vicodin makes me feel hyper, so I don't like that either. Any other suggestions for a medium pain reliever? I saw that the FDA has recommended that Darvocet be pulled from the market in US and that it is no longer available in UK and some other places. Fortunately, my pain is fairly low except when moving around or doing PT.

Thanks,
Doug
Naperville, Illinois
RTKR 8/14/09
RTHR 6/20/08
LTHR 3/6/08

 

[Linda2]

How about Tylenol with codeine--also known as Tylenol 3. I can't take Vicodin, but Tylenol 3 works well for me. By the way, I can't take the Tramadol because it makes me hyper--cannot sleep if I take it. My back up for pain before the surgery was Darvocet, and that never made me hyper.

 

[cindy88fan]

Sounds like you are doing well !!! Keep up the great job and remember to ice, elevate and relax! There's one more thing you need to remember to do but I forgot...:sct:. I'm having a brain man. Anyways, keep in touch! Take Care!!!!

____________
BTKR 7/20/09
Cindy

 

[cindy88fan]

Now I remember...when you try to stretch your hamstrings out try this...lay on your back on the couch with your feet clear down at the arm rest. Put your heals up on the arm rest and let the rest of your leg just stretch out. Also, you can sit in a chair and put you legs up on the end table or another chair, just so that the thing you are putting your heals up on is higher than where you are sitting so you can feel that pull from your hamstrings. The gravity will pull your knees down...it feels so good!

__________
BTKR 7/20/09
Cindy

 

[Timmy N]

You should talk to your Physical Therapist about trying a TENS unit for pain and possibly even consider purchasing one for future use at home. Had a Total Knee done in Aug/08 & I still have pain still. To me having good knee flexion should be your utmost concern. Mine can't bend more than 115 degrees. More only if I have someone manually force it.

 

[dcdowden]

Well, I am now at 12 days post RTKR and just completed my at home PT session today. Good news - I was able to use my recumbent bike at home. What a thrill to make my knee bend enough to go around. I am 6'4" and the seat only goes back so far, so it took a knee flex of 95-100 degrees for me to get the leg to go around. My therapist has also given me an exercise using a basketball which I do several times a day. I put my heel on the ball and fully extend the leg to do quad sets and stretch the hamstring. Then I roll the ball back toward me with my foot to work on the flexion. I still have significant swelling around the knee and considerable bruising from the surgery.
Thanks to all for suggestions on the pain last week. I am taking tramadol every four hours and I also take a couple Tylenol prior to my PT sessions and prior to bed. That seems to be working better combined with ice therapy every few hours.
Doug

 

[Judles]

Yep!! It ALWAYS boils down to ICE!!! Now THAT'S an oxymoron!! :pnc:

 

[cindy88fan]

Doug,
Sounds like you are doing good! Keep up the great work!:thmb: I have the opposite problem with my bike. I'm very short so at the beginning I only had one more spot to where I could move my seat up which I did just the other day because it wasn't a challenge any more. So the next step will be to put pillows behind me to make the bend harder. Good luck with your recovery!

 

[Josephine]

Yay!! Tramadol with paracetamol is the biz in my book! :cool: