TKR Five Months Later

[kneeper]

However, I feel like he feels his work is done!

In some ways he probably does. After all, his "carpentry work" is done.

 

[sistersinhim]

After all, his "carpentry work" is done.

And now it's your turn to do the finishing work! Slow and easy!

 

[yesyvonne]

Hi @JG464, how are you doing now, all these many weeks later? We had our TKRs done just a few days apart in March. Curious to know if you are as happy as I am with the outcome.

 

[JG464]

Thanks for asking Yvonne! You seem to be doing wonderfully! I reach my 3 month anniversary tomorrow and only wish I were doing so well. I saw my OS last week and he was pleased with my recovery so far. My flexion is 120 and extension 0. Problem is I am still always stiff and sore-I am looking for the time when I can go about my life not thinking about my knee all the time! Doctor said don't worry, by the time I see him again for my 6 month check up I will be there - that is where he told me I would be after 3 months!!!! Feel like a carrot in front of me dangling from a string!!! I went back to work after 11 weeks-this is my third week back-I work a 4 day week (9 hours a day)-desk job but walking involved during the day-I have been hitting about 2 miles a day which I'm sure is why my knee is screaming at me but is part of my day-I do ice at work and sit, stand, and walk when necessary. I take Tylenol in the morning before work and evenings when needed. I have taken so much Tylenol since the surgery that I wonder where the point of too much is-it does provide relief but i fear liver or other organ damage.I ice before and after work and also have an ice pack at work which I use once or twice a day. I carry a cane and use for uneven areas but mostly carry around for psychological reasons and trepidation-I need to lose the fear that I will fall I guess! I continue twice a week with physical therapy-they are great-mostly one on one 'massage' which has helped tremendously with really bad swelling and muscle pain issues. I keep hoping for the day soon when I can recommend a TKR to everyone but that day is not here yet - patience is sooooo hard!!!! Again, thanks for asking and good luck with your second knee!

 

[SusieShoes]

Problem is I am still always stiff and sore-I am looking for the time when I can go about my life not thinking about my knee all the time!

Yep. That sounds about right for three months! Not to make light of it, but that's what my recovery was like, and what 98% of recoveries are like, especially if...

I went back to work after 11 weeks-this is my third week back-I work a 4 day week (9 hours a day)-desk job but walking involved during the day-I have been hitting about 2 miles a day which I'm sure is why my knee is screaming at me but is part of my day-I do ice at work and sit, stand, and walk when necessary.

... you go back to work early, as you did. You're right. All this work-related activity is why your knee is acting up. That's a lot of activity on a daily basis for a still-recovering knee. It's healing as fast as it can but the activity is causing inflammation that will slow down that healing, so your recovery might take a little longer than it would if you could rest.

I take Tylenol in the morning before work and evenings when needed. I have taken so much Tylenol since the surgery that I wonder where the point of too much is-it does provide relief but i fear liver or other organ damage.

You can take up to 4000 mg of Tylenol daily without risking liver damage. This means ALL meds with Tylenol (acetaminophen), such as cold meds, etc.. So you can safely take 1000 mg (two 500 mg. tablets) Tylenol every six hours. That's 1000 mg 4x a day. If you try that, it may help with your pain somewhat. Sounds like you're taking half as much right now.

I carry a cane and use for uneven areas but mostly carry around for psychological reasons and trepidation-I need to lose the fear that I will fall I guess!

I carried a cane on my daily walk for the longest time (until about five months, I think). One day I just forgot and left it at home. I took it the next day but then forgot it again. I started leaving it behind. It now lives in the trunk of my car... just in case I should need it. As you gain confidence in your knee you will soon be doing the same, leaving the cane behind.

 

[JG464]

@SusieShoes-thank you so much for your continued encouragement! I will try the continuous Tylenol and see how it goes-it does seem to provide relief...I try to rest when home after work but know I overdid this weekend-family did my usual task of opening my pool for me although I still clocked almost 5,000 steps ‘supervising’ the job!!! I did many up and down trips on my deck which has single step levels and I found my self lifting and bending and probably using muscles I haven’t in a long time...I did fail to mention the high point of going back to work-I put on my work uniform and the pants fell off-I knew I list some weight during this period but had to put a new notch in my belt!!!! Was so fearful of gaining during those weeks -but happy it went the other way-i am sure it helps my knees! My cane comes in handy for many well wishers who see me walking in hall and stop to talk-i appreciate being able to lean on cane after a few minutes. Again, thank you for your encouragement!!

 

[SusieShoes]

Yay for the pants falling off! Mine did too after I started walking longer every day. It's such a rush to say, "I have to buy smaller pants!" That's never something I had to say often.

Activity is so good for us in so many ways. I know we're always saying to cut back on activity, but that's only until the knee heals more. The GOAL is for all of us to be able to be active!

For what it's worth, it took my knees several months to be stiffness-free, and a few more months after that to become as "loose as the original knees (younger version)" when getting up from sitting, etc.. I have an outdoor situation like yours with the steps up and down, and this past weekend I did a ton of it! Last year I couldn't have done it without pain as the price. This year... no pain at all. It was easy-peasy. Something to look forward to!

 

[JG464]

My goal is to get back to walking every evening with a good friend...it has been a few years! Also forgot to mention-I was really afraid of not being able to go in my above ground pool-had a real hard time getting out on ladder last year-my youngest son surprised me on Mother’s Day with a set of stairs with hand rails-solved the problem!! Gets me out of pool and on to deck which then has Audry steps down...I can’t wait!!!!!

 

[JG464]

Tomorrow I will reach the 4 month mark after my right TKR on March 5th. This past month has seen many changes. Stiff and sore but pain has greatly diminished. I have officially retired my cane and am walking unassisted!! I have been back to work for about six weeks now and am able to get around well on most days. I keep an ice pack in my freezer in the office and use when needed. I have been walking at least two miles a day on my job, which although it is a desk job, has me walking to different places in the facility as many or as few times a day as I would like. I try to make sure to get steps in to help my recovery. I had an appointment with my internist and he (and I) was pleased to see that I have lost 25 pounds during my recovery – an unexpected blessing and gift which I will work hard to try and keep off! My appetite is returning but I am trying to control it as best I can. I am a type 2 diabetic and see my endocrinologist next week who should also be pleased with all of my testing results with the weight loss. An unexpected extended visit from my son (who is sporting a broken foot with limited weight bearing) and two grandsons (12 years old and 20 months old) has tested my limitations but I know when to stop. It is now day 9 of the visit which is expected to last about another week or so. It truly does take a village and I have other family members chipping in to get through the days. With the current heat wave here, my new pool steps (Mother’s Day gift from one of my sons) have been the best ever! I am able to get in and out without a problem (which my old ladder definitely would have been). The kids and I are having a great time in the pool together. I am still going to physical therapy once a week and expect insurance to cut me off after two more approved appointments. I am really happy with the staff and what they have done with me to help me reach this point. I still have a long way to go in my recovery but can definitely see improvement on a monthly basis.

 

[JG464]

Time sure flies! So, my five month anniversary came and went on August 5th and I am still waiting for the day that I can recommend TKR to someone….I am still not at that point. As much as I felt progress a month ago, I feel like I have taken a few steps back. Insurance cut off physical therapy two weeks ago, and although I was weaned down to once a week, I was still looking forward to the ‘massaging’ of my leg which worked out any ‘kinks’ and issues that I might be having. I truly miss it and think it had been helping. I have been walking in my pool for exercise which although feels great while doing it, leaves me with what I guess is muscle issues and pain afterwards. I am having pain on the inside of my thigh just above the knee-feels muscle related vs. the knee itself, but leaves me with a limp which was going away last month. Also still have pain and stiffness when getting up from sitting too much at my desk. I do try to get up and walk around at least once an hour and do clock around two miles a day during my work day. I still ice every morning before work and afterwards if needed. When will I reach the point that I do not think about my knee with every move I make?!!! I understand that recovery takes a full year and I guess my patience is wearing thin, but it is so hard to keep a positive attitude without any noticeable progress! My family says that I complain less now than before but that is because I am consciously try NOT to complain as I must drive people crazy! They say that I am walking better and faster and that they see the progress. And, if one more person tells me something must be wrong with me because their father’s brother’s neighbor recovered fully from TKR in a month, I will scream! My reply is that I guess we all heal at our own pace and I am one of the slower ones. My next visit with the orthopedist is next month. Thank you, Bonesmart for letting me vent!!

 

[sistersinhim]

if one more person tells me something must be wrong with me because their father’s brother’s neighbor recovered fully from TKR in a month, I will scream! My reply is that I guess we all heal at our own pace and I am one of the slower ones.

Everyone of us has been sick of those words. Your answer to them was perfect! You could also mention that the inside of every tkr knee is different and has to have different work done to it. It's not a cookie cutter surgery.

 

[Jockette]

I just had a funny thought! Next time we hear that we should put our fingers in our ears, close our eyes, and stamp our feet while yelling “I’m not listening!!!”

I bet they’d never say it again!!!!

On second thought, maybe we shouldn’t stamp our feet, it would probably hurt.

 

[Laurenkate]

WHHHYYYYY do people feel it necessary to point out how "someone" they know recovered from a tkr 8 hours after surgery and were dancing at their anniversary party the next week? When someone tells me that I just heave a great sigh and say something along the lines "yeah, well, you know, I'm fat, lazy, and have always been a little slow; why should this process be any different?"
Of course, then the bad part is when they nod their head and agree.

 

[JG464]

Thank you all so much!!!! It is so good to know that others know and understand what you are going through!!!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

I think we should all carry little cards with big eye roll emojis on them to hand out as needed. I'm just feisty enough to look them dead in the eyes and say, "That's funny, you don't look like my Orthopedic surgeon. Oh, that's right, you aren't him".

 

[kneeper]

Those "quick recovery" types probably toughed it out at work and then collapsed at home with their spouse waiting on them... ;)

 

[hopalong61]

I had a home visit from my manager when i was 8 weeks out from my TKR. She told me her husband was one of "those" She said that at 3 weeks he'd walked 10 miles on his new knee. I wanted to be like my teenage daughter and say "yeah, whatever !" It didn't bother me because i'd found Bonesmart by this time and knew it would take me much longer than i thought. I went back to work at 14 weeks and she still mentions her bionic husband, i have trouble not rolling my eyes.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Yea, right, if he walked 10 miles at 3 weeks, then I'm an Olympic gold medalist...............People forget the actual ups and downs of this recovery, their own or their spouses'. Maybe it's like childbirth-we forget all the pain and suffering we went through and only remember holding that new baby.

 

[Laurenkate]

@hopalong61....he walked 10 miles 3 weeks from surgery? Your manger should be embarrassed to say something so ridiculous unless you didn't realize she was married to Superman.

 

[JG464]

Any ideas how to help what I think is muscle pain inner thigh just above the knee? Thought I overdid it walking in pool but it has been a few days now and still really sore.......