TKR Di's Recovery Thread

[dianehelen]

Just getting back into this forum, as I anticipate my surgery. I really feel for you and at the same time scared from what I am reading.

I had a hip replaced, and because of an infection it became a real nightmare. I am now facing knee replacement, and can NOT even imagine it being worse. But from you are experienceing, im really scared. But it is somewhat encouraging that you seem to be making some progress. Im assuming you did not go to a rehab place after surgery?

I also wanted to say, and this is something very few can say. JOHNSTOWN , PA! I lived there for 2 years when I was a kid. I lived at 110 Venango Street , right down the street from the Incline. Is that still there? ;), some very happy memories, and monster amounts of snow, to play in.

Keep healing and feeling better...

 

[ACIM]

@dianehelen
Wooeeee! You lived in Johnstown? Wow! I've been here just a couple of years as I came to stay with family for awhile- toewn has changed so much...very sad, really, but pretty much everything has closed down. Such a picturesque place though. I'm loving the small town community atmosphere here as I actually was raised in the D.C. area which is a pretty large area.

Don't be scared because of what my thread here says...I haven't had the easiest recovery but then again it certainly hasn't been the worst either.
Your tkr may go just beautifully- as you'll read on this forum EVERYONE has their own type of recovery. I'm around the corner now, so to speak, so things are getting easier for me...I'm sure you'll do just fine. And you'll be prepared because you will have so much information from this website. Good luck!

 

[ACIM]

...wondering if I did too much today- entire leg swollen, not too much, but throbbing a lot. Here's what I did:
Changed sheets on bed
Cleaned bathroom
Climbed up and down two flights of stairs (2 flights each way) about 15 times (7 times alone to get fresh ice pack)
Emptied full dishwasher of clean dishes
Walked almost 1/2 mile
Two hour nap
25 heel slides
Bathed
Various other little ten-step errands throughout the day
Sure feels like I overdid it.

Thoughts?

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Welcome to the ODIC! Any time your knee is throbbing and/or more swollen than usual, it's telling you you did too much. Rest, elevate and !

 

[Creation]

I think your knee is telling you loud and clear. I is hard to find the right balance of activity at every step! Unfortunately we allseem to know how much is too much once we hurt and swell!

 

[ACIM]

Yes, agreed. I can only tell if I've done too or just enough at the end of the day- it's almost as though my knee is "tallying up each movement I commit to during the day and then gives me a "total" at night, lol
Like, "ha ha you silly body, you went FIVE POINTS OVER you movement limit today, NOW YOU'RE GONNA PAY!"
One note about pain meds too- I've experienced some "masking" of what I should have recognized as pain, or doing too much, but DIDN'T sense it because the pain meds were covering it up. Sometimes you think you can do more than you should be doing because you're really NOT "sensing" the need to stop while under the influence of a CNS acting narcotic (which doesn't allow for full sensation of bodily "communication" to you). So be be careful...
A beautiful Spring day here in PA

 

[ACIM]

Ok. Did it. Switched yesterday from the Oxycodone to Tramadol- feels kind of weird.
My body feels really sleepy, and, as Celle already suggested, am experiencing some skin sweating and body aches that I think are part of the narcotic withdrawal process. I must say, I DO NOT want to be on narcotic meds anymore, unless the pain becomes so unbearable again that I have to.
Last Oxycodone pill taken yesterday at about 8am in the morning...I have no commitments this week so can rest as long and as often as I want.
Feedback please? Thanks so much.
Di

 

[Celle]

I'm sorry you had a few bad effects, but I think you're doing OK. Well done!

 

[ACIM]

Thanks Celle...just woke up again (for the 2nd time) after taking 2 naps since 11am. (it is now 6:30pm here)
Leg feels kind of yucky but attributing that more to narcotic withdrawal than to Tramadol not working.
Besides, did quite a bit of walking today as I parked at the wrong end of the hospital today with regards to having to see my GP for f/u for the knee surgery and had forgotten where her office was, ha ha

 

[newlybionic]

I'm not sure where you are in PA but in the northeastern part today is was in the 70s and sunny. I usually use he valet parking at the PT office but they were so backed up I parked it myself and did the long walk to my PT session. It seems if immnot out somewhere I'm always sleeping except at night of course!

 

[Eyesnlegs]

That's a tough one Di, withdrawal must be hard, in some ways I'm really glad I couldn't take them and did it on paracetamol only! But I wouldn't have said that in the first few weeks.

Had my OS follow up today and he was very pleased too, he loved the straight leg and the bend, he moved it sideways and said yes that's a good solid one lol.

Unless I need him I'm to see him again beginning of next year and at that point we will X ray the left one and make a decision. We are both hoping the left one calms down as this one gets stronger.

How are you today?
xxx

 

[ACIM]

@Eyesnlegs

So glad to hear your appointment with OS went swimmingly well! I know, for a FACT, how much hard work you've been putting into your recovery. Yes, glad to be off the narcotics- my personality is starting to come back...thought about you a lot and how you managed to do it all without pain medication- wow!

I had f/u with my OS last week..,he looked at the scar and said, "...good, good..,". He looked at my flex extension and said, "...good...". He then moved my knee around a bit and said, "...hmm...". Now WHAT the check did THAT mean?!

Too funny, the way I listen to every "oooh" and "ahhh" that comes out of his mouth. Wants to see me in a month which would make a total of SIX f/u visits for the knee. I only had two f/u visits for my hip replacement, ha ha

@Celle
Thanks for continued words of encouragement. I will tell you a secret-- before I had the knee replacement done I did have the most OMINOUS feeling, truly- I'm pretty intuitive and never had this feeling before any of my other joint replacements...but before the knee replacement, I DID. Not a feeling like it was going to fail or anything like that; more of a feeling of a very dark experience ahead of me...a feeling like this might be a fight I couldn't win (whatever that means)
Glad to know that, though my intuition was right, the battle itself has been hard fought and worth it, as I'm winning now. Hugs,
Diana

 

[Celle]

Diana,
I'm glad I've been able to help. That's what we're here for.
I had so much help from people on here when I had my knee replacements, so I decided to stick around and try to pay it back by helping others.

 

[ACIM]

Omg, just had a great walk and then, upon returning, opened the front door to my house...immediately started yet ANOTHER crying jag...pain in knee again. Tramadol not really doing it for me- may go back to hydrocodone for a week and then try the Tramadol again.
I hate this, hate, hate this. Going to sleep now to run a dream marathon,..

 

[Eyesnlegs]

Di,

Your still overdoing it sweetie xxx
My Physio told me last week that weeks 6-12 are the ones were you ask yourself over and over "why did I do this?". Because you feel better in yourself but it's still early days and lots of healing still going on. My walks are no more than a short potter for about 500 yards and then a rest of a minute it two and I'm only 3 days behind you.

Remember the problems walking before the op with the knee? They took years to happen so your not going to get better in just a few weeks. A friend of mine had hers done when she was 48 years old, she told me that one year later she was still discouraged, 2 years later it was great, but 5 years later it's the best thing she's ever done! So that kind of timescale is kinda what we are looking at.

Sending hugs and hope you get on top of the pain, try not to use meds to mask the pain or you can overdo it easily.
Did you get my pm?
xxx

 

[ACIM]

Eyesnlegs:
I hear you loud and clear- don't even know how much of it is the knee itself or just the general overall feeling of worthlessness and feeling of having no value-
As you know I've worked my entire life and now living with family...have worked only sporadically over the last 2 years and I KNOW they are disappointed that I'm not back to work yet, seriously, my sister has done so much for me (back to the guilt and shame again on me) but she doesn't have a clue as to how difficult this recovery is...I've asked her a couple of times to please look at the website here but she hasn't.
Anyhoo, cloudy and rainy here and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, yuk! Not helping.

Icing the knee now and resting it today- I'm on a much lighter narcotic than I was before and knee is feeling pretty good after yesterday morning's "tantrum"...
Also thinking that (and maybe this is silly) that my recovery is starting to speed up a bit because I've worked out consistently for the past 30 years- there's got to be SOME payoff in that, right?

 

[Eyesnlegs]

Well they do say that you are better off being fit before you start! I've got the MS to contend with so have weakness on the left side and my balance is awful. Not really starting from a good point so I'm taking things very slowly.

ROM was 104 yesterday and Physio wants to see me in 2 weeks instead of 1 as I'm doing so well. They're not concerned about how far I can walk. I'm going to build that up very, very slowly. But I couldn't walk far before because of arthritic pain!

I'm glad your resting and icing, now promise yourself to do that more and walk in smaller doses! Your sister hasn't got a clue! You will need to grow a thick skin and look after you. Work is not your only worth woman, you are worthwhile just for being you!

Sending hugs xxxx

 

[ACIM]

@Eyesnlegs
such super advice and support! We all need (well...at least I need) to think I have value other than work. You have reminded me of this with your post.

Your ROM sounds great. I don't think I'm even at 85 yet, but my OS wouldn't measure it last time so I don't know...

One day at a time, right?

 

[KarriB]

I'm glad you took it easy today. I tended to putter around my house rather than go on walks. Then I could stop and rest my knee if it got sore. I'd dust a few rooms and sit for a while, vacuum and sit for a awhile, drop something in the crock pot and sit for a while. I wasn't walking distances longer than 5-10 minutes until month 4.

Being in good shape doesn't necessarily mean you'll have an easier recovery from what I've read from others here on BoneSmart. I am going to build up my left leg quads before I have my LTKR because that was the hardest for me.

 

[ACIM]

@KarriB
Not sure yet whether working out (omg, excuse me but JUST SAW THE SUN peaking out here in Johnstown!)
...Will make a difference as it's been a less than satisfying recovery so far- ha!
But the being in good shape really made a difference with both my hip replacements...that being said, my poor body is total flab again after no workouts in 8 weeks. This just isn't right.

How is your weekend looking? Told my sister about the recipes you sent. Wanted to try them this past week but wasn't ready (physically) to stand for that long in the kitchen. In fact, I really don't like standing, even with my cane, for more than 10 seconds at a time.
Will let you know how my dinners turn out when I make them. Haven't had a lot of cooking experience so I do appreciate the recipes.
Di