TKR Eeek’s recovery thread.

[Eeek]

And today I rode the exercise bike for 5 minutes. No tension, it was pretty easy and not tiring. Three months for knee#1, three weeks for knee#2.

My PT wanted me to do squats - basically sitting down and standing up, but I told her that last time I tried the squats it hurt so much I cancelled PT for the next two weeks. So instead, we did more stretching exercises.

Then I met a friend for coffee....sitting for over an hour was tiring, so when we came home, I iced and elevated.
And now I feel better. But, going to rest now.

I find sitting for more than about half an hour uncomfortable. Quads, calf muscles, maybe sciatica....i don’t know. Need to elevate my right foot. Luckily my recliner is comfortable.

 

[sistersinhim]

It sounds like you're coming right along! Especially, that infant knee! My recliner, ice machine, and my Lounge Doctor were my best friends for a couple of months!

 

[SherrieT]

You'are doing so great! I'm loving my exercise bike more and more. I seems to help with my quads better than anything. I have the seat as low as it will go.

Keep these updates coming please

 

[KarriB]

I figured I did plenty of squats just getting up/down out of my chair every day. Sounds like you’re moving along nicely!

 

[Eeek]

From reading other people’s experiences, I have learned that each leg is different. Mine sure are different. My right (newer) knee is much faster to recover. Of course, the left was always worse, and my hope is that having a strong right knee will help the left recover even more. We’ll see, but it is pretty good.

Ah yes, those squats. So I held on to a rope attached to the ceiling with handles and bent to do squats. Much easier than from a seated position, and I could feel the stretch in my quads when I straightened. Not so much pain, but just tired. I did not do many, came home, iced, elevated and ready for bed.

 

[Spex10]

My PT suggested that I lean my weight against a wall and squat from that position. Much less weight on the joint as I slid up and down the wall. If I had. Which I didn't!!

 

[Eeek]

And I am happy to report no ill effects from yesterday’s pt. Of course i’ve iced about 3 hours this morning.

 

[Laurenkate]

Ice is just the answer for most things pertaining to a tkr, isn't it? After my first pt session yesterday, I iced for 2 hours before dinner and then kept the ice machine on all night.

 

[Eeek]

All these fancy ice machines! I have a manual, gravity driven cryocuff. If I put a block of ice from a 1liter storage container, it’s good for about 3 hours, though it has to be refilled and recirculated every 45-60 minutes.

I also got one of those swirly, old fashioned ice packs. It came with a neoprene/Velcro holder so you can fix it to your leg.....sometimes it’s easier to manage than the cryocuff.

I hated the cryocuff at first....got the canister top stuck and it leaked, spoke to a rude customer service person, but now I like it very much.

For my first tkr, the PT guy who was the head of patient training was very dismissive of ice. For my most recent one, the nurse kept bringing me ice packs in hospital and my pt therapist says I should ice. Whatever, right.....in the end, we do what we want!

 

[Jockette]

Whatever, right.....in the end, we do what we want!

Exactly! We consider the options and advice, then we make our decision about how we will recover!

 

[Mollymax]

My PT told me to ignore the squats on the exercise sheet she gave me. I couldn't have done them anyway.

 

[Eeek]

This weekend, we went to a wedding. At first I wasn’t going because it sounded a bit too rustic. But then, we were told, oh, it’s just about 200 meters on a level path.

Hah!

First we had to walk at least 400 meters up a hill, about 5 sets of stairs. Fortunately it was well lit with a railing and I had my crutches. My husband kept saying “are you all right” I wanted to whack him with my sticks. But I made it. Nice and slow and not even out of breath. But I was fuming....why did I agree to this? I brought my small ice pack with me and iced my knee. So that helped. And I rested my leg on a bench, but that wasn’t truly comfortable.

I got tired though and left early....had to walk back down the hill...husband came to make sure I got down ok, and my legs were tired. Wobbly muscles. So back to the hotel....no ice. Took a paracetamol and went to bed. That was 10pm. Husband rolled in around 4. I wished I could have stayed longer. On the other hand, I’m glad I just took care of myself.

Anyway, we got home an hour ago and i’ve been icing and elevating ever since.

Not too much visible swelling. Just tired legs. And the ice feels sooooo nice. Going to rest. A lot.

 

[Jockette]

I’m glad you got through it. I can relate to “why did I agree to this”!

 

[sistersinhim]

You have earned yourself quite a few days of tlc!

 

[Spex10]

Oh gosh that sounds tough! Hope you benefit from a few days rest!

 

[SherrieT]

You are doing amazing for 4 weeks out of latest TKR. I thought people were crazy when they kept telling me that a couple of Tylenol 1000mg would work so well on post op pain. When I took it pre-op, it didn't do a thing for the pain. And icing is still the best!

 

[Eeek]

I never took Tylenol/acetaminophen- almost always ibuprofen for headaches. Though in retrospect, when I had a lumpectomy in 2010, i also had acetaminophen and it worked well. When I had waves of bone pain from neulasta (stimulates blood cell growth) during chemo, my oncologist suggested alternating NSAIDs with acetaminophen - that was the worst pain i’ve ever had, luckily it lasted less than a day.

This is more a dull ache and muscle pain (quads, I guess) when I stand or sit. Last week I told my husband it hardly hurt! Well, it hurts a bit more today though I’ve just iced for more than 2 hours.....really, ice does help.

 

[KitKat64]

Ice is just the answer for most things pertaining to a tkr, isn't it?

I am 18 weeks post surgery, and still ice and elevate on most weekday evenings, after getting home from work. I have a very physically demanding job, lots of walking, bending, etc., so I have been experiencing some minor swelling and aches, usually by the end of my work day. Icing and elevating really do help!! I don't have an ice machine, I just use those ice pack things with the cloth bag they gave me in the hospital after both my TKRs.

 

[Eeek]

Huh. Well, I spoke too soon. I really overdid it on Saturday and my knees let me know who’s boss. But sometimes you’re in the middle of something and you’re stuck! Yesterday was miserable. Quads hurt when I stood and calf muscle on left (good knee) was really tight. Right leg felt like a log. So I iced, elevated and took my acetaminophen. I felt very sorry for myself last night. And then, I had the worst night’s sleep in ages!

Finally fell asleep around 3. Anyway, I canceled PT for today, iced and slept. Quads feel much better, and I bought myself a tens machine online when I was having problems sleeping. There’s always shopping, right? But it is good to know that when you overdo it, you absolutely need to rest.

So glad I had the excellent Bonesmart advice to keep me company. No more heavy duty walking for a while.

 

[beachy]

I'm pretty amazed that you could do all that walking and hills a little over 3-4 weeks out! Hope you bounce back soon!