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PKR Eileen's knee journey.

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The PTAs are the worst. I had one who seemed to think she knew as much as an actual PT. Not! She was of the no pain, no gain school too. shudder
 
Joined the ODIC again tonight :( I thought would be ok to cook dinner for my family today. Nothing special just chicken in oven and rice in pressure cooker but now the pain and exhaustion are worse than they have been over the past week... time to back off on what I'm doing here at home again :(

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
First meal I made was around 3 weeks, but just threw chicken, a can of soup, sour cream and stuffing into the crock pot. Ice and try toes above the nose for a while. When I over did it I'd lay on the sofa flat with my legs up on the sofa arm and pillows under them for an hour or two. It helped to lessen swelling faster than the way I normally elevated.
 
So tonight I was massaging around my incision, specifically over my old incision where internally they had to cut thru scar tissue and my hubby and mom both commented on how bruised and swollen my knee looked compared to last week, the whole knee has a blue grey tint to it. It's something I noticed after my last PT session on Thursday but I thought maybe it was the lighting and I was not seeing it right. Turns out that after that hellish appointment where I was being treated like a 3 month post op rather than 1 month did more damage than I thought it did :( my concern is I have pt in the morning... I have no idea who I am seeing and I know my knee can't take much. Since Thursday I have barely been able to do anything. Tonight my knee almost gave out on me while walking thru the house. I am going to be stern in not doing anything that causes any pain tomorrow but know I will meet resistance, just hoping I can be a strong enough advocate for myself. Also hoping that when I call my OS for a norco refill he will give it to me, while I've been able to cut back to 1 pill every 5 hours and 1 oxycotin and norco at night I know my knee isn't ready for nothing. My friend asked if I was sure I needed it still or if I just wanted it. I took her question seriously buy can honestly say if I didn't need it i would not want it.. I hate how they make me feel. On a good note having my left knee mri tomorrow after pt so hoping for some answers soon on a plan for that knee, looking forward to a day where I can wake up and not have pain in my knees..
Sorry for rambling, this is the only place I can really express my concerns, fears, and questions on my knee. My hubby tries but he is the "push thru the pain and no doctors" type.

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
Stay strong and don't let the PT therapists do anything to your knee that you don't want. It's your knee. If you don't like what they are doing, walk out and don't come back.
Don't discuss. Don't get involved in an argument. Just be firm and remember that you don't have to please them. They have to please you.

It's perfectly possible to rehab your knee without PT therapy anyway. I know - I've done it for both my knees.
 
@Celle, thank you. Tomorrow is last official appointment. Have a re-evaluation on Tuesday and regardless I won't be staying at this clinic. Seeing my knee this bruised after that session was an eye opener for me. I was doing really well until than and now I feel like I am at week 2 again. Thank you for the pep talk I needed it.

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
At my first PT group I refused to do things because they hurt. I didn't realize they were doing things that were bad for a new knee until a year later because it didn't hurt at the time, so I'm glad you know to say NO, nicely. :yes:
 
PT today was better. PTA I had was one who did my initial evaluation. I told her what happens last week and showed her the bruising. She said we would only do what my knee sind it could. 8 minutes on the bike a few exercises and 20 minutes with the tens unit. Also had my MRI for my left knee. OS called and I am picking up new norco script in morning. Other stuff has been going on pertaining to my son and health issues at school, it is amazing how much energy I do not have and how much stress effects my knee.... oh and with PT they saw the damage done last week in my ROM which had been at 86 and today is 78. :(
Never again, I have learned that I have to speak up louder, simply saying no didn't work now I will say no and move to what I feel my knee can handle.

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
We can't always trust those working on us or with us. We have to be advocates for ourselves. This is just one more tidbit I learned with my TKR.
 
Had pt reevaluation today. Pt said I'm doing well. I asked to be sent off post to new therapists because they are closer to me and because they wanted to put me permanently with the PTA who thought I was at 3 months postop instead of 1 month, even after I told then what she had done and how bad she had hurt me and my progress. I also got upset with her bc when she was measuring my ROM, which is back to 86, she recorded it than without warning pushed my knee and re measured it at 91. I screamed bc it hurt and she said well the extra degrees are worth the pain. I looked at her and told her never to do that to me again and that no they were not because that wasn't my knee that was forced. I didn't let her touch me again the rest of the visit. Just got the call that they are approving me going to a different facility.

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
I'm glad you'll be going to a different PT facility. Well done for being firm again.
Do be aware that you will have to set your boundaries with the new PT place right from the start - no pain, no pushing or pulling, no excessive exercising.
 
That's good news that you can go to a different therapist. Make sure up front that you tell them to never touch you unless they tell you in advance exactly what they want to do. If they start to do anything at all that hurts quickly tell them to stop. You don't want to do any squats, leg presses or weights until you are 3 months out. Hopefully this will be a better experience.
 
Good for you! I watched the hands of my first PT like a hawk! I knew she had pushed down with her weight on my dad's knees and bff's. After the infection surgery I changed groups and they were wonderful, gentle and never pushed or pulled on my knee. The PT always asked if he could touch my leg to massage or feel the knee. What a difference!
 
Question for everyone... after the PT decided to force my knee those extra 5 degrees I have had severe stabbing pain in my knee (under kneecap) and have felt and heard it pop a few times. The pain is similar to what I had preop and I have not heard/felt popping at all postop until today. Is this something normal or should I be calling my OS in the morning??? Thank you!

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
Rest, ice, and elevate your knee tonight. If it's still very sore tomorrow, do phone your OS. It's probably nothing significant, but it is wise to play it safe.
In any case, your surgeon should be told what the PT did.
 
Sigh.... it's days like today that I hate being seen at a military facility :(... so because my OS is in surgery all day today along with his nurse I can't talk to anyone else and my only option is to go to my primary (which knows nothing about knees) or go to the ER who can do absolutely nothing for me and would tell me to call my OS... knee this morning is so painful and tight that I can barely walk, still popping, and my hubby had to wake me up at 330am to give me pain pills because I was crying in my sleep and woke him up. I feel like I'm back at week 1 or 2 not 4 1/2. So plan is to rest elevate and ice and call them in the morning unless it gets worse today than I will try calling again or call primary.

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
Good plan, the OS will probably take an x-ray if the pain continues. But sometimes it can take a few days to recover from a bad, painful PT appointment, especially when you are just a month into recovery. I hope your knee is feeling less sore as the day progresses. Are you still bruised?
 
@KarrieB , yep still bruised. I am hoping it's just an ODIC situation bc of bad PT but want to make sure especially since at my last post op my OS specifically asked if I was feeling or hearing any popping in my knee and when I said no he said good. I did get an off post referal to new PT so just waiting for that to be approved, going to schedule first one with them after Thanksgiving. Taking a week and a half break from PT. I'm discouraged to bc I was down to 1 oxycotin and 1 norco at night and 1 norco every 4-6 hours usually at hour 5 during the day and has a pain level of 1-2 and now I am back at 1 oxycotin every 12 hours and 1-2 norco at 4 hours in order to keep pain at tolerable level..

Right knee patellofemoral anthroplasy ( partial replacement) 14 October 2016
 
I think seeing your OS is a good idea. He can check your knee and see the damage from the PT.
 
Hopefully everything is OK. You probably just need rest and ice and taking it easy. Do let the OS know to calm your worries and tell him about the PT caused this by being so agressive.
 
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