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TKR Getting my Life back on May 1

We had over an inch of rain in the early morning so it was cool again when I got up. I went out and took a mile walk again which feels good. I'm trying to cut way back on the ibuprofen I've been taking because it does bother my stomach some so we'll see how that goes. Other than that, I just take one Tylenol arthritis pill when I need to.

Dang IT band is still waking me up at 4 or so in the morning and it aches. I think I roll over and sleep on it and that is causing it to flare up at night. I've been doing the exercises my PT gave me before I was released, icing, using a heating pad and, so far, nothing much is helping. I know time is probably going to be the greatest healer here but I'm getting impatient. The massage I had helped quite a bit but it did tighten back up eventually. I'm thinking about doing another massage……

Roxie
 
Well at least you can massage your troubles away. I haven't been able to walk distances since my issues started and now I just make it around campus and to my office
 
I'm sorry, @wberry . I know that I really have no room to complain. That has to make things difficult for you. Are you at the K-State campus? That's a big campus -- my son attended there. At least you get one doctor's opinion next week for which I'm grateful.

Roxie
 
Yes, at KSU, that's where I work.
On your IT band, have you tried mixing heat and cold. Heat to loosen things up and cool for swelling after exercise?


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I just realized it had been quite a while since I'd posted -- I guess that's a good sign and means I'm going along living my life. Things are pretty good with my knee. I'm walking a mile most days -- except the mercilessly hot ones -- and riding the recumbant bicycle several days a week as well. It seems to me that staying active is actually helping with the residual swelling that is left.

As far as the IT band goes, extra stretching seems to be helping that too and, while the pain is not completely resolved, it is improved quite a bit. I do sometimes notice what seems like a pulled muscle behind my knee but it's pretty minor and I can generally stretch through it.

While I really don't worry about my flexion anymore (it was 120 when I finished PT at 4 weeks), I did use an app on my phone and measure it the other day just to make sure I wasn't going backwards or something. It measured at 128 which seems about right. I've also noticed that my quads in my TKR leg have gotten pretty strong and I have no problem with steps, rising from a chair without using hands, etc.

I hope all of my bonesmartie friends have a great day!

Roxie
 
Great report, Roxie! See you could have gone back to school instead of retiring! Seriously, you'll have to let me know how it is. I'm not nearly as excited about going back, but it may be the warm weather (no air in my classroom) or just how difficult Sept. is in first grade. Things may change as I meet m students...
 
@KarriB , our district does have air conditioning in all of its buildings -- we go back so early it's kind of a necessity in southern Kansas. How close are you to retirement?

And yes, I am sure I COULD have gone back. But I'm still glad I didn't have to!

Roxie
 
This is year 34, I'll receive more monthly if I put in 35 years. So I'm looking at 2 more years. I'm just torn, as teaching has been my life. Hopefully cooler weather will help my attitude. I don't like being in a classroom of 25 kids when temps are in the 90s. Our first day with students this year is Aug. 31st, but that's just because Labor Day is so late this year.
 
It's a tough decision, @KarriB and I understand everything you are saying. Someone told me once that I would know when it was time and I did although I think my knee had something to do with it.

I'm just past the 3 1/2 month mark and things are going pretty well. I still have some swelling but the tight band feeling around my knee is very minimal now. I am taking one otc Aleve in the morning and one at night and it helps with the swelling and, unfortunately, pain in my "good" knee but that is the only thing I take. I'm hoping to cut that back to one as the swelling decreases and eventually to none at all. I have found as I increase my activity level, my other knee hurts worse which isn't making me happy. I'll ask my OS what he thinks when I see him in early November. I'd just as soon put it off as long as possible but, like I've said before, I almost waited too long with this knee and, because of that, I've had a lot of muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc. that have been scrambling to settle into my new normal. It's happening but takes awhile.

My IT band still gives me trouble from time to time. It irritates me because it's better for a couple days and then flares up again -- I suppose I let off on stretching and icing it on the good days and it's backfiring on me. I need to be more consistent about it but at least I'm having some good days. I still have some general aching down the outside of my leg into the outside of my ankle that feels like tendon or ligament pain -- another of those things adjusting, I suppose. It bothers more when my IT band hurts and sometimes seems to "snap" or "pop" a bit. Another thing to ask the OS about when I see him in November if it's still there.

I also still have a bit of tenderness and swelling on the medial side of the incision but it's slowly improving. It's right where the OS made the big inner "C" shaped cut and there's even a tiny bit of discoloration right around the line where the C was made.

I have increased my walking to 1 2/3 miles in the morning and another 1/3 in the evening giving me a full two miles. I'm planning to do that for a week or two then try to increase it to two miles at one time. I can tell I'm getting a lot stronger and credit the walking for it.

I told my husband that I'm finally at the point where "most of the time" I'm really glad I did this. It is a bear of a recovery though!

We are driving down to Oklahoma City tomorrow with friends to see the memorial and to eat at a favorite Thai restaurant of theirs. Then on Thursday, we head to Wisconsin for a couple days with long-time friends we haven't seen in awhile. They are taking us on a tour of a Frank Lloyd Wright home which should be fun.

Roxie
 
@Kansas Teacher ...nice to see an update, its been a bit. Glad its going well. I am almost 10 weeks now, back to work in little over 2 weeks...just for 4 hrs a day for a couple weeks. Dreading it physically, but mentally...I am beyond ready!!! I still havent done much walking, other than around the house...store...etc. It still causes alot of swelling/stiffness if Im on it alot. OS and PT say its because the knee was super bad really sonce I was 10 so 33 years of muscle imbalance and strange walking stride.
Have fun in Oklahoma City, sounds like a great time!!
 
Sounds like you are doing well too, @kmann . Sorry to hear that you're so close to going back to work but it's great that you can ease into it with 4 hours a day at first. Hopefully you have a job where you can sit and elevate now and then. I would agree with you that it will take awhile to get your muscles and gait back to normal. My knee was super bad for a year and I've had to overcome some muscle/ligament/tendon soreness while everything tries to adjust.

Best of luck to you!

Roxie
 
My boss went to Wisconsin for a conference last week. I joking asked her to bring me some cheese. She brought me some ten year old cheese. It is beyond delicious. I hid in in the refrigerator, and savor a little bit each night. Have a wonderful trip!
 
@Kansas Teacher im feeling same way with my left knee. When it's time I'm hoping to do it in the spring so I won't have to go back to a substitute. Plus I could at least sit outside a bit in the spring instead of being couped up in the house. I had the shots in my left knee in the spring and was just wondering when it would be time again. I'm doing some of the exercises and stretches I did with my TKR with my left knee to keep some muscle tone, but I can't use it for steps at all.
 
Tough decisions, @KarriB . I also feel too that when it's time to do the right knee, I'm not going to wait so long. Too many other parts of my leg were impacted so they're having to adjust too. I'd like to avoid that next time if possible. There's just so many things to consider.
 
Yes, hard to decide on the best time. Last year I said spring, but I wasn't hurting too badly. Getting up from a sofa or chair is painful for my left knee. My Left knee sometimes gets stuck when I flutter kick while swimming. So weird, I let out a yelp underwater.
 
@Slainte , we brought cheese back from Wisconsin too -- along with some great wine from a local winery near our friends. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't realize Wisconsin was such a beautiful state but it really is.

Even though we stop and get out and walk frequently, riding in a car for hours and hours doesn't make my knee terribly happy even at 15 weeks out. It gets stiff and swells and I didn't take my trusty ice machine this time. One day, we visited the "House on the Rock," a house full of all kinds of bizarre collections of anything and everything you can think of. It took us 4 hours to walk through the house and look at everything and it was slow walking on hard surfaces. That did not make my knee happy either. But this morning, I got up and walked 2 miles at a brisk pace without any pain at all. Walking briskly doesn't bother at all but walking slowly and standing around does cause stiffness, swelling and some pain. I'm learning that if I wear my good walking shoes in the house when I 'm going to be doing a lot of standing, it makes a huge difference for the better! I have noticed that my IT band pain is less than it was and rarely wakes me up anymore. Gradually, things are returning to normal and doing things like walking for a decent distance is encouraging to me because that was my favorite exercise before my knee got too bad.

Roxie
 
Hope this is sign of improvement with your IT band issue. I wish I could walk more, I loved it in my earlier recovery. At OS in Wichita, wavering at ya since your near


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