Full of questions....

[ladyblue]

I had a TKR on 1/2/08 and there are so many questions....! I start physical therapy on 1/14/08 and I am a little nervous. Since I came home from the hospital I have done the PT exercises that I was given to do (already had done these when I had my arthroscopic in March '07). My skin is so tight and my back is killing me from all the shifting around. Don't feel much like doing anything and I have trouble sleeping for more than an hour at a time. Is there light at the end of the tunnel. Can't wait to get the staples out on 1/15. I don't know where I would be without my husband and my daughters especially my youngest Tiffanny! I am 47 and have always been active till now. Thanks for lettting me vent my frustrations!!

 

[lindaolson65]

Having had my TKR in August, I certainly can give you some perspective from my own recovery. PATIENCE is the key to the whole process because recovery takes lots of time and can seem very slow at times. By all means, work on your ROM (flexion and extension) throughout the day because that is so critical! My first couple of months I worked on rehabbing my knee 6-8 hours a day. It was my top priority. Now, at 5 months out, I have full extension and 150 degrees of flexion. That did NOT come quickly or easily...it was simply a matter of work, work, work. I had the same problem you do of pain throughout the night. That can go on for months, and I still get woken up by pain during the night, primarily when I try to straighten my leg after it being flexed for long periods of time. It DOES get better, and you WILL sleep longer and longer intervals. I was stunned at how long it takes to work through that, but I am so much better than I was in the first couple of months. Do a LOT of icing and elevating ABOVE YOUR HEART. It will help your swelling and pain dramatically. Keep flexing/extending your knee as often as you can (day and night). It really makes a big difference. Good luck!

Linda

 

[referee54]

I had a double TKR done on 11/08/07. I am now walking around w/o a cane or crutches, but I still have some muscle stiffness--they say this takes a while to go away. I too, have trouble sleeping, but since I am back to teaching school, the MD prescribed some Ambien for me to get my sleep schedule back on track. I still have pain theugh, in the middle of the night, i just sleep throughit now. Everybody I talked to who had a TKR done says that sleep will come---eventually.

PT is serious work---and, as the saying goes, you get out of it what you put into it. I don't know if you have read any of my other posts, but this is what keeps me going:

I have a part of miy sons's commencement speech that I read everyday--he was class president of his senior class---and this is part of what he told his classmates :

"If perhaps you get knocked down along the way, get back up! You must never accept failure! Never take the easy way out, and don't quit! If you have to, do it over and over again until you get it right. And when you get to that certain place where you are heading, BE COMMITTED. Be committed not only to your work or job, but to your family, your friends, and to yourself."

That, guys, from my son, is what keeps me going through all of this.

Hang in there, things will get better---it takes taim, though, don't look at where you were yesterday or tody---look to where you were last week---or last month! Look ahead to the good times!


Tim C.

 

[referee54]

I bet you haven't been able to shower yet, have you? Let me tell you, it is amazing how good a shower feels,and how much more human you feel, as well. Psychologically, it really picked me up---I had to wait 3 full weeks (I didn't have staples---just one big suture, I guess).

Things will improve, trust me!

Tim C.

 

[Josephine]

Listen to them, ladyblue. They know whereof they speak!

 

[divabyday]

Hi ladyblue;

I had LTKR on 11/26/07, so tomorrow it will be 7 weeks, but who's counting? My recovery hasn't been easy or predictable, but I AM determined to get my life back, so I'll do whatever it takes. Every body is different, so your recovery path will be your own. The one thing I have learned --the hard way--is that doing too much (standing, walking, or even PT) is not necessarily a good thing. If 4 sets of 20 quad lifts is good, 8 sets is not necessarily better. Listen to YOUR body, and work at your own capacity.

 

[Sue]

I am really beginning to understand what an individual journey this recovery is for each of us. I had my right TKR on 10/18/07, so I am nearly three months post surgery. My sister had her left TKR about 4 weeks ago. I am visiting her in order to "take care of her," but she is doing really, really well! She still has trouble sleeping at night due to pain, but during the day she is doing great. The only way I can help her is if I beat her to the vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, cat box or whatever! My own pain at 4 weeks was too much to be able to spend much time on my feet at all, so I am amazed by my (OLDER!) sister.

 

[lindaolson65]

Regarding the guy who hadn't showered in 3 weeks, here's a tip for anyone who cannot get the incision wet: Just take plastic wrap and wrap it all around the affected area (give a wide berth to ensure against any moisture getting in), then seal the edges with duct tape. If you're nervous about leakage, you can even tape over all the wrap. I promise you'll have a perfect seal. I've done this for years (I've had more surgeries than I care to count), and it works flawlessly. I agree with Tim that having a shower feels wonderful, so why suffer needlessly.

If stability is a problem, I bought a shower stool, and while I was shaky, I simply sat on the chair in the shower. It's critical to be safe at all times. We even put in hand holds in the shower, which added security.

We have sliding doors in our shower that made it very difficult to get in and out of the shower with crutches, so we removed the doors themselves (NOT the frame), and put in a shower curtain (on a tension rod), which enabled me to have full frontal access to the shower opening. That made getting in and out of the shower far easier and safer.

Hope this helps you all. It really made showering soooo much easier all the way around.

Linda

 

[Josephine]

Doh! I never thought! You can always get one of these. They are intended for casts and might be a bit tight getting on. I would suggest getting one for a full leg cast. You can also cut off the foot as it will not be necessary as long as the water is running down! Your hospital's plaster technician should be able to suggest a source.

 

[Bev55]

Wow... I'm amazed at the discussion on showering.

I came out of surgery with the wound lightly bandaged but taped over with a clear waterproof bandage that covered a large area over the front of the knee. After all the tubes came out, the first PT was to give me confidence to shower on my own... sitting on a chair and then progressing on as I felt comfortable. The two bandages were changed after the first week and remained on for another two when the surgeon examined the wound and gave it his stamp of approval for being healed. They used dissolving stitches on me, so talk of staples here is foreign to me.

As Tim said, showering was wonderful. It fascinated me to see the water just roll off the bandage!

 

[lindaolson65]

Doh! I never thought! You can always get one of these. They are intended for casts and might be a bit tight getting on. I would suggest getting one for a full leg cast. You can also cut off the foot as it will not be necessary as long as the water is running down! Your hospital's plaster technician should be able to suggest a source.

Hey, Josephine! I actually bought one of those for an earlier surgery where I couldn't get the incision wet, and I didn't like it at all! I found Saran wrap (or any plastic wrap around the house) was soooo much easier and efficient. Imagine spending all that money for a product specifically designed for such a situation and not having good results! First, I tried a garbage bag, believe it or not, but truly, just wrapping the area in Saran Wrap and sealing it with duct tape works flawlessly and costs next to nothing! I use this method for any incision anywhere on my body.

Happy New Year!

Linda

 

[Josephine]

Hmm! Have to remember that. Plastic wrap and duck tape! Best ideas are always simple!