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TKR Freedom works on recovery<<

@Freedom , I am a mere six days ahead of you! We both still have infant knees! Even at this stage, my knee is quite stiff all of the time, with the same sort of tightness you describe. I do my exercises once per day, and ice and elevate the rest of the time. From all the reading I have done here, I realize that what I see on the outside of my knee is nothing compared to what is going on inside! This baby needs time to heal, so we need to be patient (although I am so sick of being in this recliner). My ROM has been steadily improving and although I am only at 108 this week, it was only last week that I could barely manage 90. Minimum exercise and maximum icing/elevating/rest seem to have been the key to my improvement. One day at a time. You too can do this!:yes:
 
OK thanks.

PT was just here, and we talked about this. I made it clear she is NOT going to do that hurty stuff. She agreed that should not happen. She said there may be times that, with my permission, she will touch me and maybe offer a bit of resistance, but she is never going to have me in tears. Whew!

Snowdrop well done on the 108!!! Today I was 73 and minus 14. And that is fine with me. I know my body has its own timeline which tends to be slower than most. I am one of the folks who pull the average down ha haaa. So I am not concerned (yet) about this.
 
Oh, absolutely! No need at all for concern! As I said before, my ROM came along on its own without any gruelling exercises whatsoever. I'm glad you had a chat with your pt. At least you are now both on the same page! :yay:
 
Freedom said:
PT was just here, and we talked about this. I made it clear she is NOT going to do that hurty stuff. She agreed that should not happen. She said there may be times that, with my permission, she will touch me and maybe offer a bit of resistance, but she is never going to have me in tears. Whew!
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That is great news. Way to take charge of your recovery----nver, ever, let anybody push you or bully you.

A TKR recovery is all about knowing that "Less is more" and it is not about "no pain, no gain"---rather, it is about, "No pain, more gain."
 
Sounds like a reasonable PT. The first couple of weeks for most of us our knee is just like a big ball of swelling. It takes a while for that to go down. No way to bend a ball. ;)
 
Hey everyone, I am a new woman! A friend came by for 3 hours last evening. I had a shower (don't need help with that, do need someone in the house for my safety), I had a hot meal (I called in a take out order and she brought it), good company and nice chat. She brought staples - mostly perishables, which I couldn't stock up on ahead of time. AND she spent half an hour outside with a flashlight, using boards to block under the fence where Frankie the puppy slips out. She said she used half my wood pile ha haaa. She also got laundry in washer and then dryer, before she left. Wonderful!

I slept ok overnight. Not great, but better than it has been!

VNA nurse just left. They take measurements for swelling in the surgical leg: foot, ankle, below knee, at knee cap and above knee. From last Sunday (first VNA nurse visit at home) to today most measurements are down by HALF! WOO HOO! Ice, elevate, drink fluids, get that swelling down, it works.
 
Today marks 4 weeks since my LTKR.

Today is 4 weeks post op. Have turned a corner, feeling great! Two good nights of sleep thanks to Benadryl. Made oatmeal for my breakfast (used to have this daily, first time since Jan 20th surgery). PT just left. Bend is 85 on my own! Extension is 7. She is happy with the numbers, said to keep on doing what I am doing. Next week PT continues at 3 x week, following week we drop to 2x week for 2 weeks then discharge and I will start out patient PT; which means I will be driving! Feeling up and over the moon ha haaa!
 
That is a great report!

Driving is another milestone that means we are getting ever-so-closer to being fully recovered---driving is another step in chasing the normalcy that we all crave.
 
I posted on Freecycle, got 2 exercise machines. One is a stationary bike, which will help with bend. The other is a cardio glide which will help strengthen quads and improve flexion. Speaking with the guy on the phone, when he learned I am recovering from TKR he said he would deliver them! Those arrived Thurs PM, and PT came again on Friday morning. She was happy to see both, got them set and told me to use each one for 10 minutes, 3 times a day. I can already feel improvement!


Surgery was Jan 20th; 4+ weeks. Here is my scar today. I am still having inhome PT. Stopped prescription pain meds yesterday morning was the last one. This afternoon, I wanted to see if I could get in my car. Yes, if the driver's door is completely opened! Well, what the heck, got my jacket and purse and went for a ride. FREEDOM! No, I do not have permission, but wow did I enjoy that spin lol. Came home got the dogs in and off we went to the field. They were so excited they were whining in the car on the way over, then once out they just ran and blitzed until all 5 were panting. Been a tough time for them as well!
 
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Thank you, Time to Live. But PT is not thinking I am progressing well, as I still can't get that 90 degree bend. My flexion is coming along well, was at minus 4 on Friday morning.

She showed me how to use the Bio Oil. Just a bit on the finger tip and circular motions over and around the scar. Staying on the top for now; the bottom was the last area for the scab to drop off, so she said to leave that be a little longer. I know there is a sticky on here about not massaging the scar. As I am of Mediterranean descent, I do develop keloids. So I have been told the Bio Oil (or Vit. E cream) will help with that. Not doing any pressure like a deep massage. PT did say she can feel little tiny bumps and she wants me to work those slowly and they will spread out and flatten with time.

PT said I am on the borderline re needing an MUA as I have so much tightness that I can't bend the knee. I've just read (or re read) the MUA sticky on here. I think I won't worry about it yet!!! I see my OS for the first time post op on Mar 4th. That is about the time I am due to transition to off site PT.

Because I do develop keloids, I worry about scar tissue building up inside. So the scar tissue vs adhesions was an interesting read.

And I just read through this entire thread. Boy was I loopy when I first started posting! Plus having to use the smartphone teeny tiny keyboard made me nutty. I normally type 80 words per minute. Much happier now I am home and using the laptop.
 
Freedom, based on reading through your thread you are doing great! You have to remember where you started and how much better you sound now! That extension of -4 is SO much better and so important. And if you feel you are making progress, I would just tell the OS you want to try a little longer for flexion. Love the T-shirt - when I had my hip done, my hospital gave out shirts that said "I'm part bionic" and I'm wearing it again. The dog video is cute too - my cats often sit with me while icing (they love sitting on my bed any time) Good luck!!
 
Freedom said:
PT said I am on the borderline re needing an MUA as I have so much tightness that I can't bend the knee. I've just read (or re read) the MUA sticky on here. I think I won't worry about it yet!!! I see my OS for the first time post op on Mar 4th. That is about the time I am due to transition to off site PT.
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It's far too early to even start to think about needing a MUA. Just concentrate on trying to reduce the swelling, by doing as much rest, ice and elevation as you can. It's the swelling that is causing stiffness and preventing you from bending your knee.

I don't think that there's any relationship between keloid scars and developing adhesions. They're two completely different things.

While the Bio Oil may not do any good, at least it won't do any harm, as long as you're gentle with your incision.
 
Thank you so much Charmed Life. I do need to remember where I've been and how far I've come.

Celle, I appreciate your input! I have been stressing about needing an MUA since week 2! My Mum used to say I do enough worrying for 10 people. LOL

I put on some Bio Oil last evening at bed time. Keep in mind this is a HUGE step for me. First time I have actually LOOKED at my incision. I've done a few quick glances, but never really studied it. First time I have touched my knee at all in any way. I didn't do any massage, just smeared it around to help with the dry skin. If I happened to move over the upper end of the site, fine, but I didn't focus on that. What shocked me was how much I could FEEL the swelling. Hadn't expected that. When I stand, I feel like I have a water balloon on my knee. Touching it last evening, it felt like one as well!

Because of my keloid proclivities, I've done reading on them several times over the years, saw 2 different skin specialists. Vit. E and / or Bio Oil are the number 1 things suggested to assist with healing better with less of a build up. I hadn't investigated if that relates to adhesions, so glad you have said they aren't really the same. I am much calmer than I've been in weeks!

One last thing: at one point I was talking with one of the pet sitters; they are still coming in twice a day to help with the cats. Scooping 9 litter boxes once a day and filling food bowls twice a day, topping off the water. I'm not bending well enough to do all that yet. I have taken on the dogs care since my 3rd day home from rehab, as that is mostly opening the door to let them out, let them in. Prevents me from sitting too long. I do feed them once a day, but they eat in the kitchen, a wide open area, I could maneuver with my walker. Anyway, I said something to her about having lived like this for about year. She walked me over to the calendar on my wall and showed me it had been 3 weeks to the day since surgery. I was shocked! I sure did get lost in the fog of pain and pain meds! I am starting to wonder if I need a completely different pain regimen for the second knee.
 
Hi Freedom Yes I did some pretty strange things when I was on higher doses of Tramadol. It was real interesting trying to straighten out my checkbook !Scary thing was I thought that I was doing everything right. Made me realize I needed to be careful till I could reduce the pain meds. Didn't want to leave the stove on & start doing something else ! Hope your recovery goes well.
 
My head is spinning, and I am in shock. Had several phone calls from the nurse at the nursing home where my Dad is, in less than 2 hours, he passed. I am 86 miles away so could not have gotten there, my brother who lives 7 miles away didn't make it either. Trying to absorb this along with my knee issues.
 
Oh, I am so sorry to hear of your sudden loss. This is such a shock for you. Sending you strength and hugs.
 
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