Dragonfly's New Knee

[Dragonfly7]

The morning went well. 3 - 4 hrs are my limit. I was pretty slow but my system has lots of checks & balances built in in order to prevent mistakes.
PT this afternoon was not pleasant. [emoji27]


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[newlybionic]

If you have to go to work this early post op then it probably would be a good idea to try to skip PT on those days. Come straight home, grab the ice and take some pain medications an take a nap.

 

[Dragonfly7]

My plan is to work a bit, come home & nap, then go to PT.


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[Celle]

Going to work will be sufficient PT for your knee. You don't need PT as well on work days.

Have you looked at the pictures and videos of what a knee replacement entails? Even with a partial, your knee is cut open, soft tissues are pulled apart, the ends of two bones are cut, and large metal pieces are hammered and cemented into them, then everything is put back in place and stitched up again.

That is major trauma. Your knee needs time to recover and heal itself. It doesn't need to be rushed into too much activity. Doing too much at this early stage can irritate and inflame your healing tissues, which will slow down your recovery.

 

[Dragonfly7]

I worked 4 days this week about 4 hrs each.
And yes, I get tired but I'm doing great. I saw the doc yesterday and he agrees a few hrs a day is ok. I quit taking Percoset a while back and am now taking Lortab as needed. Sleeping pretty well, too. Miralax is my friend and my appetite is good.
PT is tough. Really tough. She pushed me too hard Monday, had to decrease on Wed., we'll see what this afternoon's appt brings.
Thank you for all your help.


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[sistersinhim]

PT is not supposed to be pushing or hurting you. That causes more swelling and pain and brings your ROM down. You really don't need to take PT as active as you are now. Your daily living will rehab your knee. I never took PT after 11 knee surgeries including this tkr. I have done great! There are quite a few of us that didn't take PT, just used our knees the way it was intended to be used! Yours will be the same way without the painful therapy.

 

[KarriB]

Don't do anything that causes pain. I wasn't here (BoneSmart) during my recovery, but I don't like to hurt and refused anything that hurt the first time in out patient PT. They had me do squats, after one I said, nope, not more.

 

[LindaO]

Wow! Back to work already! You are tough! Hope it all works out for you!

 

[Dragonfly7]

Today was a much better PT day. She didn't push my knee to get better flexion thank goodness. I was able to get to 118 by myself!
Tired, nap time now.


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[sistersinhim]

Wow! Fantastic! And doing it yourself is what really counts!

 

[KarriB]

So if you can get to 118 by yourself there's no need for anyone to push your knee. I didn't like anyone lifting or touching my knee at all, so no way was anyone pushing it!

 

[Dragonfly7]

Thanks KarriB , sistersinhim, lindaO, Celle,
Really appreciate your words of wisdom & positive comments. It really does help[emoji106]


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[Dragonfly7]

120 degrees yesterday at my best PT session yet. And, last night I didn't wake up for pain meds.
I think I may have turned a corner. Yippee!


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[LinKay]

120 degrees yesterday at my best PT session yet. And, last night I didn't wake up for pain meds.
I think I may have turned a corner. Yippee!


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Yea!!! Congratulations


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[sistersinhim]

Wonderful!!!

 

[Dragonfly7]

Left Partial Knee medial replacement, 3/22/2017, Smith-Nephew Zuk model

 

[Dragonfly7]

Here it is, no steri strips, and mostly no purple pen markings at 23 days post op.
I think my incision is healing well.
I'm almost liking PT these days. At first, it was so uncomfortable I dreaded going.
Swelling is an issue now as I've had more ankle edema lately. My PT told me to slow down, walk less, elevate more, start wearing TED hose to work but to continue with quad strengthening.
I've gotten a great little under desk Exercycle that seems to be working pretty well.
It is hard to slow down as I'm usually pretty active.
Trying to take baby steps and relax more.
Maybe I should try meditation. Ideas?


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[KarriB]

Your PT is right, the best thing you can do at not even a month post op is do less walking and more elevating/icing, especially as you've gone back to work so early. Everyone want to get back to an active lifestyle, however your knee and body is still healing from surgery. The activity will be there when your body has healed.

 

[sistersinhim]

Beautiful photo!

 

[bill 3/20]

Thanks for your note. You are recovering very well. My PT still encourages walking, "as tolerated." The challenge is figuring what "as tolerated" means. I have been trying to back off and it is easier on me to do less. But the whole "as tolerated" thing for everything but the basic post PKR stretches is a challenge to figure out since I only know if I tolerated an activity after the fact. Your incision is looking great!