MUA Done in Time for the Carolina Basketball Game!

Helizabug

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Surgery went well. Drinking ginger ale, in some tolerable pain, waiting for Oxy to kick in. Here we go.
 
congratulations.jpg
and welcome to recovery.

Here's the post-op reading we give to everyone -lots of helpful articles:

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

6. Access to these pages on the website


The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Wonderful! Be sure and read the articles left for you by Celle. You will find them very helpful in your recovery.
 
Happy to see you on the other side, now can start healing.
 
So glad it all went well & congrats on your 1st walk
 
Congratulations on your first walk- eventually you will see light at the end of the tunnel- main thing is keep positive xxx
 
@Helizabug Welcome to the other side!! Now you get to develop a new skill, Patience. I think that is one of the hardest parts. The MOST important thing you can do now is give your body time to heal! Trying to force your body to heal faster that it is able to, will only set you back. I did it to myself! I pushed to hard, and set myself back several weeks.
Slow and steady wins the race.
 
Right now, the biggest struggle is the pain that comes from straightening my leg. It amps up the pain by leaps and bounds. I’ll see if there’s anything in the literature to help.

I’m home. My husband has to go back to the pharmacy because only one is open and everyone who needs a script filled is going there. Alas.

He also has to take some loaner crutches back to the hospital tomorrow because the guy who ordered them ordered the wrong ones. Fortunately, the company will deliver mine tomorrow, to my house. Unfortunately, they won’t take the loaners back to the hospital for us. I think the good fortune outweighs the bad.

My sons are setting up the ice pump.

I’m so thankful for my support network!
 
I hope you have a smooth recovery! I have an ice pump and I love it.

Happy Thanksgiving.
 
Can’t figure out how to delete a message. Sorry.
 
This bit about keeping my leg straight is really killing me. Everything else is tolerable, but long periods of keeping my leg straight is not. Does anyone have any insight on easing this part of the process? Can I have a little bend when I’m resting?
 
I think there are even pictures of a 3 pillow elevation and they talk about the bend being OK, here on BoneSmart....I believe it's kind of a PT "thing" that if you are allowed to bend the knee too much you'll develop flexion contracture or something.

I'm not sure if it is really a problem though? I only heard it from the PT at the hospital and my other PT didn't ever bring it up...I do remember it being very painful the first few days, also!

If you ask @Celle or Jamie I'm sure that they can recollect what I am talking about.
 
This bit about keeping my leg straight is really killing me. Everything else is tolerable, but long periods of keeping my leg straight is not. Does anyone have any insight on easing this part of the process? Can I have a little bend when I’m resting?
You don't have to keep your leg straight all the time - it hurts too much. It won't make any difference to your eventual extension if your leg is bent a little.

You can elevate it on 3 pillows, stacked length-wise, like this:

Images 2.PNG

The leg is bent slightly, with no pressure at the back of it.
 
Thanks guys. I’m working with three pillows, but my husband keeps worrying that my knee isn’t straight. I’ll show him the picture and we can compare.
 
It's such early days to be worrying about your extension this will come with time... I'm 7 weeks post op and still haven't got a perfect extension but I know it will get there in the end my PT says this process takes up to a full year.
Now is time to allow your incision to heal many layers were cut open ( maybe ask your husband to view photos of knee surgery) after your stiches/staples come out healings is still going on in the under layers hence the knee is feeling tight be patient with yourself take this time to look after yourself.
I rarely lie with it straight in bed I use a pillow between my knees and sleep on my side have done so since week 2 and on the sofa I use a couple of pillows and have a slight bend - it will get straighter with movement walking tall - make yourself small tasks so that from time to time you get up and walk exaggerating your heal to toe walk.
Lying with it straight just makes the bend more painful movement / gentle exercises are much better for you
Don't despair just be positive xx
 
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@Sara61 this is what I thought from everything I read on BoneSmart. Everyone is helping so much. thanks. So far, all the other pain is manageable, though we’ll see what happens when the nerve block wears off totally. It’s just the idea of long stretches of straight leg that’s demoralizing.

I see PT on Tuesday. This will be a tough part of the conversation, I think; but she’s been good with my husband’s different kind of knee surgery, so I think she’ll be good with mine.
 
@sistersinhim i read that article and I might get that pillow so that I’m not guessing at the elevation and angle. I just haven’t decided yet. Is it really better than regular pillows?
 

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