TKR Had a difficult time, feeling better<

[mamazipp]

Thanks @Tabbycat. I know you are also struggling. It's so frustrating.....I'll keep you posted.

 

[Majella]

@mamazipp
Nice to hear you had a good time at the concert and your knee held out.
I can relate to those JOLTS of PAIN!...I use to get them at night quite often and, yes they are breath catching and sometimes almost leap out of bed pain! once in awhile I will get one, but hang in there, they will slowly go away. My OS told me they are muscle spasms that occur when the leg is at rest and most often at night.
I'm still doing leg raises with ankle weights and wall slides that I think have helped. Squats just irritated that heck out of my knees! so I gave them up.

 

[PolarBear60]

Mamazipp, if it irritates the quad area, maybe you're trying to go too deep into the squat? Try not going as low, or if it's the bridge that's causing problems, maybe you're trying to raise too high?

I do find them helpful. You'd think I'd do them more often because of that, wouldn't you?


Jean

RTKR (Stryker Triathlon): 21 June 2016
LTKR (Stryker Triathlon): 21 April 2015
Right Knee Arthroscopy: 25 July 2006
Left Knee Arthroscopy: 10 February 2005

 

[TML]

@mamazipp PT started me on a quad stretch that has helped my quad tremendously - I do it every day now. I hesitate to give advice since I'm not a professional, so you may wish to check with your OS or PT first. Directions are for my left leg, which is my TKR side:

I tie a loop on my bathrobe sash and place it over the end of my left foot, holding the ends loosely in my left hand. Then I lie flat on the very edge of the left-hand-side of the bed. I let my left leg dangle gently over the edge (takes a minute to get into this position so you don't feel like you'll fall off the bed), let the knee bend naturally and then pull the ends of the sash towards me until I feel a gentle stretch I'm my quad. I've been able to get a strong bend and stretch now after doing this daily for several weeks. If I don't feel the stretch, I need to let the leg drop more towards the floor.

So happy to hear you got the OS appointment coming soon!

 

[uva55]

I'm so glad you had a great time at the concert,

I hope your OS can come up with an effective plan for the pain!!!

 

[sistersinhim]

I'm so glad your knee behaved the whole concert! Now, it deserves some TLC!

 

[mamazipp]

Thanks @TML. I will try it ( in reverse) and see If it helps. Are you able to weight bear on your quad without pain and do stairs?

Thanks @uva55 for the good wishes. Let's hope the OS will have some good advice.!! He better!.

@sistersinhim my knee treated me well for the concert.


Now I have that post concert let-down and my knee is complaining as well.



But the very good news is that summer finally came last week. It's warm/hot and sunny, no humidity here. After months of freezing, I'm finally warm. Natural vitamin D coursing through my system. Enjoying it while it lasts.

 

[mamazipp]

@LaylaHips are you a teacher in Bellingham?

 

[Floridagal]

Had I know it was cold there I would have mailed you some of our heat! I am sick of it. I'd love some of your cool weather. My family is gathering in Vancouver for Christmas but I don't think I'll go. Just a little too much family for me and it is so far away and I don't want to leave my Chihuahua home. She is so attached to me.

 

[mamazipp]

@Floridagirl I do understand the too much family! It gets a bit much sometimes!

So after enduring really painful periodic jolts in my kneecap, and realizing that pain meds weren't helping, I put the ice machine on and slept like a baby. Knee feels good today. The ice machine is the gift that keeps on giving. 6 months out and I still need it.

Not to be a complete whiner, but while I woke up with my knee feeling great, I woke up with my same side hip feeling sore. This is a new feeling for me.....don't know what triggered it. So now I'm sitting with a heat pad.
My life needs a lot of props! Maybe I should hit the pool and hot tub today.

My ice machine is borrowed from my ex, who had knee surgery 6 months before I did, and will be having the 2nd one done sometime in the fall. I will hate to give it up. It's late in the game to buy a new one. I wonder if they're available on eBay. I've never used eBay but I know others who are more savvy. I will need the machine for life, it feels like.

 

[uva55]

Yesterday was the first day in almost 10 weeks that I didn't have to use ice and so far so good today, now I am having my kids over for dinner so I may need it later.

Mamazip do you have Craig's list in your area, you may be able rind an used ice machine there there.

I've had to use a heating pad on my back and ice pack on my knee at the same time in the past, our bodies must get so confused, haha

 

[mamazipp]

We have UsedVictoria.ill check there first.

 

[newlybionic]

I'm glad that you did so well at your concert. I'm still using ice packs and my ice machine fairly regularly at the end of the day. I it does still help me feel better.

 

[TML]

@mamazipp Yes, I've been weight bearing on my quad and using stairs normally for several weeks. The exercises from PT seem so simple but have helped me build muscle tone. I ride my stationary bike almost every day for 10 minutes, which keeps the stiffness away and I have a Pilates reformer that has really strengthened my quads. Yesterday and today I've been more sore than normal, so I took a pain pill and iced and elevated more as well. Our weather is changing, only in the high 70s/low 80s during the day and high 50s/low 60s at night. The highest mountain peaks got snow yesterday. I wonder how much weather changes will affect our baby knees?

 

[LaylaHips]

Hi @mamazipp, No, I'm not a teacher, I'm an occupational therapist and I work with kids at the reservation here (school and head start). In a way it's easier than being a teacher, because I only work with one to a few kids at a time. I do have to lift children at time and have on kindergarten boy in a wheelchair.

I am so glad we are finally getting summer here! Day 2 of summer weather, we even had to pull out a fan!! I hope it stays warm for a while!

 

[mamazipp]

@LaylaHips isn't this summer weather fantastic? It took long enough didn't it? Let's enjoy it while it lasts. Days are getting shorter......

My daughter was a special Ed teacher in Bellingham, a middle school, that's why I wondered. She's now an asst principal in Seattle, hence apt in Seattle, house in Bellingham. OT is hard work with disabled kids I'm sure.

 

[mamazipp]

I'm so glad Bonesmart is back online. I missed hearing about everyone's updates and just the general support everyone gives. I saw my OS in Seattle yesterday. He's happy with my ROM and feels that I need to strengthen my quad muscle. He feels that surgery is a big trauma to the muscle and mine needs to continue to exercise. He suggested bike, and bending gently while standing only on the TKR knee. Swimming/pool work also good. X-rays looked good, other knee will have a few more years before needing replacement. So that's the story. No need for follow-up unless I have a problem.
So I still need to keep on working on it but I also had little strength in my quads beforehand due to pain in the knee.

 

[newlybionic]

IMO for those of us who have gone into surgery with muscle or tendon issues will need just a bit more time than others to get to our final result. I know for me I wasn't able to straighten or flex my knee for several years and while it seems it is taking a long time I am still slowly progressing.

 

[mamazipp]

@newlybionic with all that you've been through I find that comforting to hear. My flex and bend was hard won, but I got there, and my quad will strengthen.

 

[TML]

Great report @mamazipp and those quads will get stronger. Sounds like your OS gave you some good exercise options and your continuing your quad strengthening exercises will also help. By 2017, you'll notice a big difference!