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PKR Eileen's knee journey.

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I was not on BoneSmart with my TKR, so I learned about PT the hard way. Here's a few things to watch for:

1. Watch hands, don't let anyone push, pull, stretch your knee or leg with their hands.
2. It's too early for massage. It'll feel great at 3 months.
3. No squats, they told me to do 10, I did 1 and yelled over, "that's not happening again". Squats are just too hard on your new knee and traumatized muscles/tissue.
4. Don't let them put heat on your knee as it will increase swelling. My first group put heat in my knee to work on extension. It wasn't necessary and although the heat felt good, it wasn't good for me knee.
 
That is my plan :) on a good note was getting very stir crazy and my mil has offered to give us money towards a new dishwasher (ours died and has been being used as a large drying rack lol) so hubby got me in the car and I'm gunna get in one of those carts and go get a dishwasher lol. It is needed so when I can stand long enough I can do my dishes at least without killing myself. I just needed to get out of the house bc I was going crazy lol.

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
@KarrieB I will definitely keep those points in mind. After my bone graph years ago I had one PT who pushed me very far and being only 17 I didn't know better. I believe that some of my future knee issues came from over doing it and not healing properly bc of her. I have since then at times literally walked out of PT office and never went back... got yelled at by my docs but...

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
I sure hope you had a ride in something when you went to buy a dishwasher. It's really much too soon in your recovery to be doing things like that.
 
@Celle, I rode in one of those motorized carts that lowes has. I do agree that it was too much too soon but mentally I feel better. I will not be going out again untill my PT and postop next week. Personally this next week is going to be emotionally hell with recovery and being my oldest sons 11th birthday and the 11th anniversary of his passing...
I have decided that I am going to ask my OS for pictures of my patella if he has them and do a formal complaint against the last OS I saw in December 2015. He did a scope of my knee, after surgery he told my hubby that he "trimmed some fluff" but that there was absolutley nothing wrong with my knee and no reason for my pain or it giving out. When I woke up he never came in to talk to me. 3 weeks post op i fell and called him becasue i had developed a "pocket" on the outside of my knee. He said he would look at it at my post op appointment. When I went in 3 days later he did not remember talking to me and I asked several times what he had seen in my knee, and what he had meant by "trimming fluff" he never answered, only kept saying your knee is fine. At the next appoinment he said my knee shouldnt be still giving out on me but since it is he would give me a wheelchair..... it was than that I went back to my GP and asked for a secind opinion and found my current OS. I would like to know how 10 months ago my knee was perfectly finw and nothing was wrong to my petalla was done, and I had a PKR....
 
So was doing well for a week out. Pain had become tolerable and was able to just be taking 2 norco every 4 hours and not needing the oxycotin. Crutches caught on bathroom rug today and down I went.... thankfully not a direct fall on knee but enough to need oxy again. Now I am having sharp stabbing pains in my kneecap... really hoping didn't do any damage and that my knee is just yelling at me...

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
Ouch! Sometimes just trying to catch yourself from falling can hurt. I've heard others say it's had to damage the knee, but your OS will take x-rays when you go in for a 2 week check up.
 
Thank you @KarrieB [emoji4] meds, ice, and elevation and it's feeling much better. Still random sharp pains but not going to let myself stress about them... I will tell my OS when I see him Thursday and go from there.
Do have one question for you guys... my incision looks pretty good but this one section just looks... wiered. I have never seen skin do this with any of my other surgeries and I am sure it's nothing but was hoping someone else could look at it and set my mind at ease.

[Bonesmart.org] Eileen's knee journey.
[Bonesmart.org] Eileen's knee journey.



Thank you. Reading thru all of your recoveries gas helped keep me from getting over worried and keeping the post op blues at bay.

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
Could be where you irritated you incision during your fall? When do you get your staples out? Should be soon.
I am going to tag @Josephine to take a look.
 
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@Pumpkln, the skin area has been like that for a day or two. It is almost see thru. I get my staples out on Thursday. Thank you :)

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
It could be fracture blisters, but I'll see what Josephine says.

If they are, it doesn't mean that you have a fracture, but rather that they are the result of swelling.
 
Sorry to hear about your fall. It must be pretty scary when that happens. I hope everything turns out fine.
 
So I started having nerve pain and foot spasms today. I know it's all a part of the healing process. The part that is concerning me is I am having severe pain at the top of my thigh. It is a deep pain and is bad enough to wake me up crying. Has anyone had this type of pain? Is it something I need to be concerned about?

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
Please post pics after your staples are removed. I think your incision looks swollen and sore. Make sure to continue to ice and elevate and maybe take it easier for a few days. When my staples were removed I actually had a few spots that bleed. And I just finished getting my incision completely closed and I had my surgery June 23rd I had some set backs so please be careful
 
Are you taking your meds on schedule and do you think the pain could be from your fall? It can take quite a while for soft tissue to heal. Yours is still angry from surgery, then you had the fall on top of surgery.
 
@zzevi, thank you and I will. They come out on Thursday.

@KarrieB,
Still taking all meds on schedule except for the oxycotin. Pharmacy gave me less than doc ordered but he can't give me more until he sees me on Thursday. The part about this pain that has been bugging me is that my knee doesn't hurt, it's sore and I've been on the couch icing and elevating since the fall only getting up to go to the bathroom and kitchen but the top of my thigh is bad. It reminds me of when I had tendinitis in my elbow but not sure if that is a possibility.

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
It is normal for the thigh and calf area to hurt from surgery. You are still so early in recovery, just 11 days, there's usually a lot of different aches and pains. This is why appropriate pain medication is so important at this early stage. You can add some Tylenol if you figure out how much is in your OxyContin so you don't over the daily allotment if your trying to make the pain medication last until Thursday.
But you should be able to get the whole script from the pharmacy. Why didn't they give you the full amount?
 
@KarrieB, thank you. I'm not sure why they didnt. The nurse on the floor gave me all my meds and I didn't realize that the discharge paperwork said one amount and the prescription bottle said another till I realized I had 2 doses left. I'm nervous to take any more Tylenol due to an existing liver condition, can I supplement with a aleve or ibuprofen?

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
I don't think Aleve will do the same thing as Tylenol. Have you talked to the OS or the office? I'd call them tomorrow morning, let them know of the problem that happened and your pre-existing liver condition. At 11 days I was taking pain meds on schedule without deviating from drs. orders. You're really a week too early to cut back on pain meds.

When I left hospital rehab there was also a problem with pain meds, only completely opposite. The hospital dr wrote a script for 160 7mg oxycodone! The pharmacy refused to give my sister 160, she said they looked at her like she was a drug seeker. We hadn't even looked at the scripts, she just took them into the pharmacy. We cut the 7mg in half after calling the OS the next day, because 7 mg was a lot! That's why I asked why the pharmacy wouldn't fill your script fully.
 
So had my first pt today. They were very good about not pushing me. Rom is 66 :/ and extention just resting a 9 if I try and extend it at a 1. Pt said I have extention much body just doesn't like it right now which is better than not having it at all. I am not going to do as much at home as they say I need to bc I know that I don't want to over due it. Will pick and choose and see what my knee says is ok.

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
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