TKR gavinmac’s From hip to knee it’s a long and windy tale.

gavinmac

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Well I did it! I have a new custom made knee (total right knee) replacement. It was done yesterday in Germantown MD. Surgery at 7:30am and discharged at 2:36pm the same day! Since we live almost 4 hours away we spent the night at my so n and d-n-laws. So I had lots of caretakers yesterday. I neede that because there house is not handicap accessible. But we managed and now are safely home. Anyway after surgery the OS can in and said after seeing my knee ‘you’re going to love this knee’. So 5/17/21 is my knees birthday!! I’m in a fair amount of pain but trying to really ice it. And
 
(I hit post by accident.) Last nigh I had to remind myself that I had knee surgery today. And now I’m saying it’s only post op day 1. No wonder I’m having pain and difficulty moving. Anyway, for know that’s my story. I am having some numbness around my ankle if it doesn’t clear up or gets worse I’ll call my OS tomorrow Thanks for all the support you all give.
 
@gavinmac
Welcome back and to TKR Recovery.
You will notice I have moved your knee recovery posts from your old hip revision thread to the Knee Recovery Forum.
Congratulations on your new Conformis knee!

Sounds like like you are doing well so I will leave you the knee recovery guidelines.
The articles are short and will not take long to read.

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
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

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 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.
 
Welcome to Recovery!

Some temporary numbness is normal, your whole leg has endured a lot of trauma. Always check with your doctor if you’re concerned.

Best Wishes!
 
Well the numbness is almost gone. Unfortunately that also means I’m in more pain. I’m supposed to start PT tomorrow and not sure how that will be possible. I think I made a mistake about going straight to out story rehab instead of starting with home health.
 
I’m supposed to start PT tomorrow and not sure how that will be possible. I
Remember that you can always say no to PT. Do not let anyone push you or your knee. I agree - it is a bit early to be starting PT. That knee needs to calm down a bit before any additional activity.
 
Welcome gavinmac! This forum is the best place to be. You can always postpone PT till your new knee calms down a bit. You definitely don’t need anyone pushing on it now - or ever, actually. Some gentle stretches, lots of elevation, icing, pain meds. You really need to baby this new knee for a while. The 1st 2 weeks are tough. We’re all here for you!
 
After advice here and some people I know who have had knee surgery, I changed the start of my PT to next Wednesday, I tried fir Monday but they had no opening. I’m really in just too much pain right now. But I did take the dressing off and the incision looks great! Thanks for the support!!!
 
As has been said, you can say no to PT. Right now though your job is to ice, elevate, medicate on a schedule around the clock then do it again tomorrow. Get up and move some in the house, but nothing too much. That baby knee needs rest.
 
Glad you found this forum, GavinMac! I have friends who owns a store in Germantown MD, too... and very wise to wait to start PT for a week, too. I’m just at 3 weeks out, so will follow your progress too. Welcome to the recovery side!
 
I am 4 days post op. I’m taking my pain meds, icing and elevating. When still, in bed or recliner, I have minimal pain. However, with any lifting type movement it is immediately excruciating. To the point that I can’t lift it. I expected it to hurt when doing my exercises. I was not prepared to not be able to lift my leg. Is this a ‘normal’ type of pain?
 
I don’t think there is “normal “ pain. I am four weeks post-op and have never had what I would label as pain. Discomfort yes. But my pre-op pain was 15 on a scale of 1-10 so my perspective is triggered by that memory. I only took three oxycodon in the first 36 hours and have been making it with acetaminophen. Your pain is unique to you and can’t be compared to anyone else’s. It is a journey and this board is great company on the way.
 
I'll give you the short answer - yes, for some of us. Not what you want to hear, but it does get so much better.

You can use a dog leash or a belt and put it around your ankle. Then use your arms to lift your leg. There are exercise loops that are meant for this very purpose also.

When icing and elevating, make certain your knee is higher than your head. You might also try icing the back of the knee to see if that helps any at all. This too shall pass. Hang in there.
 
I been reading some other people’s experiences and it seems that not being able to lift the leg is something that happens to many. That’s a relief. I had hip surgery in 2019 and couldn’t lift my leg and discovered I also had a fracture. So I was concerned. As long as it’s temporary I can deal with it. Also I don’t think I’m elevating it high enough. Need to work on that. As miserable as it is at times, I’m really happy to be on the recovery side. I have no idea how the people that have bilateral knees done get in and out of bed.
 
Yes, the not being able to lift the leg is common, I’d say, and I have loose pair of sweat-type pants that I just grab the ankle end to lift my leg up into the pillows, bed, etc. I’m 3 weeks out snd only need to do that when pretty stinkin’ tired or did too much! Most times I can lift it now, but couldn’t until maybe day 15 or so... it will come back! Your quad was messed with so needs recovery time!
 
I could just move my leg up and down in the hospital until that block wore off. Then I couldn’t move it without excruciating pain right over the knee cap. The one PT said it’s just pain it won’t hurt your knee. I just looked at her like are you nuts. It’s a 10 on the pain scale, it would take my breath away kind of pain. Why would I subject myself to that!! I was shocked at her statement! Anyway I had to use a band to lift my leg every time I got in and out of bed. It finally resolved I think at about 10 days. I haven’t had that pain since. Then I started getting bad pain on the medial side of my knee when flexing. I’m 3 1/2 weeks out and thankfully that is starting to get better. So it’s a process is all I can say. I think the worrying about the different pain we get and the uncertainty of, “is everything ok” can be daunting in the early days. This site is great because there’s always someone who can relate to something we’re experiencing. Prayers things go more smoothly.
 
Not to worry. It would be unusual, I think, if you COULD lift that leg after all the nerve blocks and meds wore off! It will take some days before you can lift it, but all of a sudden, one day, you’ll find you did indeed lift it getting onto the chair or bed, etc. It just comes. I had my Sister here to lift the leg whenever I needed to readjust. If you have a helper, great! If not, a strap or you can actually lift the leg with the other non-operative leg. Hang in there.
 
Tomorrow my baby knee will be one week old. It actually is very much like a baby. It occupies 100% of my attention. It screams periodically during the day and in the middle of the night keeping me awake. During the day it wants to be moved but often isn’t happy being in one position for very long. It needs to be picked up and manually moved as it can’t lift itself. I keep looking at it’s scar like it is going to change expression and it does, the bruising is more pronounced and colorful each day. I can’t wait for it to be a little independent.
 
Welcome. I used to get hubby to lift my leg into bed until I could do it myself. As for p.t., I didn't go to it until I was 6 weeks post op, which was a blessing. (I was so nauseated, constipated, gas pains and then diarrhea, no appetite) from the narcotic pain meds which I stopped at 3 weeks, that I wouldn't even have physio come to my home at the time.

Sorry to see your experience with the hip replacement ~ what kind of fracture did you have at that time? That must have been awful.

I would wait until you feel a little more stable before going out to p.t. Not all of course, but many p.t.'s that I've read of here tend to want to push you into bending your knee more than it's ready for and they themselves will flex it beyond discomfort, trying to expedite r.o.m. This, in turn causes pain, inflammation and lack of r.o.m. There's no rush. At this point, just do what you're comfortable with, most importantly rest, ice, elevate and take meds as appropriate. Use a walker or something to get around the house and monitor your health. Good luck on your recovery. Let us know how things are going.:console2:
 
I keep looking at it’s scar like it is going to change expression and it does, the bruising is more pronounced and colorful each day.
I had a fascination with my scar too. :heehee: I wasn't worried about it, just interested.
 

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