PKR Floridoris's Recovery Thread?

floridoris

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If this is what a partial feels like, I have no idea how anyone manages with a total. Makoplasty (robot-assisted) was done yesterday, 6/19. I'll be spending 3 nights in the hospital (as I had planned) but it is a lot more painful than I was expecting, frankly. It takes all my effort just to stand up, and it hurts all the time. My god, the pain! And I've had a C-section! People say the 2nd day is the worst, and I hope that's true, because today has been awful. I'll be going to a rehab facility (again, planned on because I live alone and have a small, unruly dog), but there is NO WAY I could go home on Saturday. I need assistance, a walker, and a good 15 minutes to get to a toilet less than 10 feet away from my hospital bed, and I still haven't showered yet.

I'll be brief, because even typing this is exhausting. I just don't understand how (some) people bounce back so quickly, and I should have known I wouldn't be one of them.
 
I’m sorry you’re in so much pain. Have they tried any alternative pain medication? If not, ask for something else.

I’m going to tag @Josephine to advise you.

I also had a partial, and I said the same thing you did, if this is a partial, I can’t imagine a total! It was nothing like I read about before the surgery.

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Pay special attention to the articles about physical therapy, as often we are encouraged to do more than our new knee is ready for. Don’t allow any therapist to cause you more pain, you have enough already. You are allowed to set the limits of what you are willing to do. Especially keep this in mind in the rehab facility.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?

Energy drain for TKRs

Elevation is the key

Ice to control pain and swelling

Heel slides and how to do them properly

Chart representation of TKR recovery

Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
 
I had a partial last year and can honestly say I had more discomfort and pain on early days recuperation than this time (same knee) with a TKR. Every knee is different, and don't believe anyone who says a partial is easier (maybe for the surgeon) and quicker to recover from.

Things will get better when you are on top of your pain meds.
 
It takes all my effort just to stand up, and it hurts all the time. My god, the pain!
Yes, having a kinee replacement is painful, but tha pain should be controlled.
As the others said, ask for more pain relief. Your pain needs to be controlled before you leave the hospital.

I also had a partial, before having a total 11 years later. My recovery from the partial was no easier than my recovery from the total.
There really isn't a lot of difference as far as the surgery is concerned. The one difference is that both parts of your lower femur are cut and shaped in a TKR, while only one part is done in a PKR. Otherwise, the trauma is the same.
 
People say the 2nd day is the worst
I've always believed that week 6 can be the worst period.

I'd really like to offer you some structured advice but in order to do that, I also need to ask you some questions. Are you willing for me to do that?
 
It has been 2 weeks today since my surgery, so I thought I would post an update.

I spent 3 nights in the hospital, and 10 nights in a rehab facility. I came home yesterday. For the first several days, I was in quite a bit of pain that finally relented (somewhat) around day 6. After day 6, I found I didn't need pain meds every 4 hours as I did before. I still need them every day, just not as often.

Being in the rehab facility had its pros and cons. Many of the cons might be facility-specific, so it is hard to say whether they're true across the board. The therapists there were very good, and I received occupational therapy and physical therapy every day while I was there. I used a regular walker for a day or two there, and then I moved to a fancier one with 4 wheels. I went home without a walker.

I was nervous going home without a walker. By the end of the day yesterday and last night I felt pain in both my legs from the feet on up. I hadn't realized how much weight I had been offloading onto the walker. I haven't been used to bearing my whole weight for two weeks. Wearing the compression hose today made a big difference in how my legs feel, though. I do have a cane, but it doesn't seem like I will need it.

At my post-op appointment with the surgeon last week, he seemed very proud of his handiwork. (He acted like he had just given birth!) I don't know if having robot-assisted surgery makes a difference, but he was very excited about it.

I had out-patient physical therapy today. I'll be going 3 days a week (my daughter will drive me there and pick me up). I also had my first unsupervised, unassisted shower today in my own bathroom, and it went fine!

As far as managing with the dog, I am trying to wear long pants so she won't scratch my leg. I've been trying to discourage her from getting on my lap, so she lies up against me instead (for now anyway). I haven't been able to walk her yet, and likely won't for a while. My daughter will be walking her for a bit, and I can let her out in the yard as needed to pee.

Speaking of, I highly recommend getting a high toilet commode. It's an adjustable metal frame with plastic seat that goes over your toilet. It makes sitting on and getting up from the toilet so much easier. (And my toilets are new and higher than the old style.) I got it online from Walmart. It is a Drive Medical brand. I think it was thirty or forty dollars.

I wish I had had the surgery sooner, especially in cooler months, because the heat is just brutal. According to the weather people, it was unhealthy to be outside today, so I will only be walking around the house for a while. But at least my daughter could be here for a while.

My surgeon said that 4 weeks after my surgery, if I felt up to it, I could try practice driving in a parking lot. Since it's my right knee, I am of course wary of being able to quickly move from the gas to the brake and making a sudden stop. I personally don't believe I'll be driving at 4 weeks. But I have made a lot of progress in the last 2 weeks, so I suppose anything is possible.
 
Which partial did you get, lateral, Patellofemoral, or medial?
 
Sounds like you are making fantastic progress, take it easy and keep it going just don't get to over confident your knee is still very sore on the inside.
 
I had the same surgery on my right knee as well and it is the most excruciating pain in the world!!!
I came home the next day in severe pain and did not get it under controlled until the 3rd day after eating pain killers every 2 hours for two days. I truly believe that the majority of surgeons are clueless about the procedures they perform. @Josephine has more knowledge than most of these OS combined and she helped me greatly. It has taken me over a year to recover from this operation. My brother had a LPKR the year before mine and was driving and back at work in 3 weeks. He says he occasionally has a little stiffness and takes Tylenol. He only needed pain meds for 2 weeks and completed PT in 3 weeks, not typical.....:chinstroke:
My left knee is now experiencing the same issues as the right, but I am interviewing several surgeons and their patients before I proceed with going through surgery again.

Utilize this board and Josephine, they will help you get through. You will get depressed and you will go through a lot of ups and downs. Celebrate small victories and keep working on your recovery. It takes time, lots of time...:flwrysmile:
 
Which partial did you get, lateral, Patellofemoral, or medial?

Medial.



It's been 3 weeks today. I'm trying not to take the hydrocodone too often (the Percosets, which were stronger, sadly ran out a few days ago). I still have pain, though. I take 1 or 2 pills (5 mg) about 3 times a day. I take the prescription strength ibuprofen in between, as well.

I am not good about doing much (okay, any) exercises on the days I don't have physical therapy. I know I need to but it's just something I hate doing even though it's good for me and I know I should. I'm not walking as much as I should, either. I know it's a vicious circle - the less I move, the stiffer the knee gets, the less I want to move.

Why do you say that week 6 is often the worst?

Sure, fire away.
 
Glad you have made some progress, and hope that continues. Bonesmart really helps.

I have had 2 partial laterals and was surprised at how quickly I was up and walking. Also regained ROM and strength faster than I had expected. And although there was pain, it was much less than I expected.

I had both done by the surgeon who did the first PKR in Florida and has done more than 20,000 since.

Would like to hear more about differences (pain, recovery, etc) in the different types of partials.

Perhaps medials (yours) hurt more?
 
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I am not good about doing much (okay, any) exercises on the days I don't have physical therapy. I know I need to but it's just something I hate doing even though it's good for me and I know I should. I'm not walking as much as I should, either.
No, you're wrong about that. Read this No exercising: what does that really mean?. 'No exercising' does NOT mean you do nothing. Read the article.
 
I had an excursion today - to the grocery store. I did fine, though I was only gone an hour and of course I didn't drive.

I have the most trouble getting into and out of the car. I can't seem to bend my leg very well at all, so that is frustrating. I have to slide over (in the backseat) with the front passenger seat pushed all the way up in order to get my leg in the car.

I went on a walk on my street yesterday, or tried to. A neighbor's dog (a 50+ pound Boxer) ran out of their house and jumped on my back. Thankfully, I didn't fall and I saw it coming (the reason I turned around). But that was the end of my walk.
 
How much time are you spending icing and elevating? That’s about all I did that first month. Ice and elevation will help with the swellI got which will help with bending.
 
Lots of time elevating (my default position pre-op, to be quite frank!) Not enough time icing, but I'm trying to be better.
 
I couldn't sit or get into the front seat of a car until week 4, so I think you're doing fine. :) My knee would bend just enough to get in, but I couldn't keep it down long enough to go anywhere. The pain and swelling was just still too brutal for me.

I agree that you're too worried about the exercises at home. They're just not necessary. At my 4-wk post-op visit, my surgeon had me drop from 3 PT sessions a week to just two, and he had me cut them in half time-wise. He said to do no home exercises unless I wanted to, as all of it just keeps the knee inflamed and angry.
 
Interesting. My daughter has reminded me how much difficulty I had sitting and getting out of a car before the surgery. I guess I've forgotten how disabled I had gotten. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I should have had the surgery 3 or 4 years ago. I was afraid and hoping for a miracle cure.

I have physical therapy also for tendinitis in my shoulder (that pre-dated the surgery). For the knee, the PT has mostly consisted of icing and walking around the large facility. He also has me do some stairs sometimes, and some exercises for balance that I find helpful, as balance is one of my top concerns.
 
I'm the same, so difficult to remember how it was before.
 
Did you read the recovery articles in the second post of this thread? Activity progression for TKRs I think not!

I don't have much to do in the way of activities for daily life, I'm afraid. My house is on the small side and not set up for much walking. So it was good for me to walk without turning around after three steps - and to alleviate my cabin fever a bit. I didn't feel like I "paid for" it the next day.

I'm certainly not going to push myself to either resume walking my dog or drive. It may be months before I feel I can do either of those things. Maybe longer. We shall see.
 

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