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Bilateral TKR Hard night

gerilari said:
I am now exactly one month post op. I don't have the bend I need. Only about half way there.... but I think I have finally figured out why! I am so excited about this and I tested my theory today and I think it's a go!

I have had "redesigned" knees since I was 11. So for 50 years I have walked differently, not bent my knees much, not squatted or knelled or climbed stairs like other people. Every think I do has been adapted so I could do it. I can go off a curb fast and easy without bending my knees much at all. I hope this makes sense. I'm thinking, most people just have to work on getting back to what they are used to doing... since they did it normally before the surgery. Now that I am almost pain free, I am so happy to just walk around I haven't really noticed that it could be better for me. No pain it wonderful, but I realize I need to put a lot of conscious effort in thinking about how the knee should bend when I pick something off the floor. I still am doing it straight legged. Lots of other movements as well... in fact, almost all of the things I do! So today I worked on saying to myself, as I sat on the edge of the chair, "I can bend my leg even more and more and use them to help stand". Even just that self talk helped me to get move bend and action that I have in the last month.
Click to expand...

Since you have a long history of knee problems, I think it's understandable that you will be slower than most to get good ROM post-TKR.
Your muscles and tendons will all need to readjust to the new norm, and you've already realised that you will need to re-train them. It seems you've found a good way to do that, so carry on doing it. Well done for finding something that helps!
 
I went to the surgeon for my six week check up yesterday. I was really wanting to talk to him to find out what he thought of my progress, or lack of it. He was a bit concerned about a snapping on the left side of my right knee.. like a tendon or something sliding over another. He said it could just be the horrendous inflammation I am still having. In the notes they sent home with me from the hospital, it told me to stop the anti inflammatory and aspirin also for swelling over a week ago. He told me I shouldn't have stopped and to start up right away and don't miss a pill. He also told me to up my pain meds to at least one every six hours. He is worried about my ROM. I am finally at 90 on my left and almost that on my right but I am extremely stiff. I can get the bend and five minutes later it gone back to 45 and I have to start bending all over again. I hope it stays a bit more soon.

When I stand, I have to stay there maybe 30 secs to get my legs to move. I am bent over also and have to really work to stand straight and get those thighs to move me forward. It then takes several minutes so get moving. I drag and pull and shove and anything I can do to move forward. Even if I get more ROM, it won't help that will it? Does anyone understand what I'm talking about when trying to get up and move?

Thanks you guys! ;)
 
Yep I do! I am 13 weeks and it literally has only just eased somewhat this week, mainly affecting one leg that has been the problem child all along.
My rom has been very slow, I left hospital at about 70, 6 week check up about 80, now about 110/100 again the problem child is slow, also on full extension. My PT is not concerning with the slowness and says It's a marathon not a race. Dont compare to others who have seemingly sped through with no issues. You will get there in the end.
 
Thanks DebM. I think I develop so many doubts because it takes so long to feel better. My problem knee has me up again in the middle of the night looking for pain pills. Just when I was so happy about sleeping through the night then I go back two steps. So thankful I have somewhere I can come and tell my woes to even late at night.

I haven't done any real walking yet. I only walk in my house or when I have to go to PT or docs. Do you walk much and do you think it helps?
 
I too have had and still have doubts and worries, though much better than my very teary self for the first five or six weeks. It's so hard when you are living with it day to day, it is certainly not a quick and easy recovery. We really need to try and look at it week to week .
I have been walking in water at the local heated pool for the last week and I feel that it may have been responsible for the improvement in the getting up/movement pain. I walk backwards forwards and sideways, encouraged by my pt, who also said to go gently as it is easy to overdo it in water. I don't walk the streets as such but walk the local malls a couple of time a week. I felt insecure walking the pavement in case I tripped or got halfway around the block and had a lot of pain. I gave up my remaining cane about 2 weeks ago so still getting my confidence that my knees are now strong.
 
Thanks for the reminder KarriB! I have been doing way too much, even if it is only at home.
 
It is so easy to get carried away when you're feeling better, then pay for it later. Please take it easy.
 
As @sistersinhim stated, that's what did me in yesterday. Felt good, got outside for a short walk, then was in pain for the rest of the evening.


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
Hey KarriB. I'm doing fine. It's been eight weeks and I'm plugging along. Boy it sure IS a slow process. As I sit here, inside my house looking out, I see all the weeds and bushes that need me out there! It's killing me not to be able to do anything I want. Wow. I'm such a brat. I'm learning how to applicate the lovely gradation of green in all the different weeds, and the flowing beauty of the overgrown bushes. In the past, like yesterday, I would have felt driven to be out there pulling and chopping away! Patience is what I'm learning here. I've had a lot of things in my life, but this recovery is very different and there is no control. I am working at getting very good at resting with my legs up. I need to get the deck setup now so I can do it out in the sunshine!

Before I forget, I am doing well, I have bend now that I thought I would never get. I still feel the tightness on my knees but it's moved from all over top to bottom to just over the top part so It's getting better. On very few meds now but swelling and inflammation is still a big problem.

I hope everyone is enjoying the parts of spring that they can. I'm going out now to see if there are any critters in my yard.
 
It's good to hear that you are doing better. This recovery is definitely for the faint of heart. Those weeds will be there whenever you are ready to get to them.
 
Great that your bend is better than you thought it would ever be! Have fun with your critters! We have rabbits, foxes, possums and the dreaded raccoons! Oh, and of course, my cats!
 
I think setting up a place to elevate and rest outside is brilliant! Is there anyone who can help you with the lawn work and by help I mean do it for you? I recovered in the winter and my nephew came to shovel snow, my niece actually was setting up my Christmas tree as I arrived home from my 2nd surgery. That's a sight I'll never forget as it was snowing like crazy and I just wanted to be home for Christmas. It was hard to accept help, but what a great lesson it was for me and I cherish those memories.
 
Our retired pastor's wife told me something about 15 years ago that I have never forgotten. When we accept help from someone, we are allowing them to be blessed by being able to help us. Truly a smart lady!
 
I would love someone to help but it seems that I have always been the "helper" and it doesn't always come back to you. I have grown kids and they love me, and have nice husbands but they don't even do their own yardwork. They have been over to visit but I'm the mom and, well, I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. My husband is a wonderful man and will help me with anything... except the yard. I am the fixer/builder/plumber/painter/electrician... landscaper. So. I'm going to fine beauty as it comes to my yard naturally, weeds, bugs and critters and all this summer. I'm dig it all out in the fall. That's my plan anyway. Has anyone gotten into heavy home landscape maintenance after their surgeries?
 
I bet heavy landscape work is a bad idea soon after surgery of any kind. Why not consider this a "fallow" summer. Just let nature do its thing while, all the while, you observe and plan. Keep a notebook. Read some landscaping books or magazines. Come up with some new landscaping ideas about plants you want to try, or put in a new bed, or get rid of a hideous shrub. Perhaps a storage shed. One can be ambitious with daydreams or on paper. Then when your knees are up to the work, you can implement. And you can always take pictures of your yard to show here, so we can tell you it looks just fine. :wink:
 
At 10 weeks I did some light lawn maintenance...picked a few weeds, picked up twigs and seed pods that fell out of the trees. I only did this for 10-15 minutes a day.

At 16 weeks post op, I was able to do much more substantial work in the yard. My husband trimmed all of the trees and bushes, and I hauled all of the branches from the back yard to a pile in the front for bulk trash pick up. No pain. No weakness. Have a before/after picture on my thread.
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/9-months-progress-in-12-weeks.38221/page-7#post-989736
 
@sistersinhim did a lot of yard work. She can certainly advise you on how to handle that and your knees. I think I recall she joined the ODIC a few times with her yard work. :nah:
 
Yes, I have a 5 acre lot, with about 1 acre cleared. For a little over 3 weeks I couldn't do a thing outside and the grass and weeds went crazy. I have a brick patio and the stuff between the bricks had grown to about 18" tall. I started working on that first. It's 24'x24', so it was a lot of grass to pull out from between all those things! I would work about 15 minutes and come in and ice/elevate for at least an hour. It took me over 2 weeks to clean up just that part.

I tried my riding lawn mower for about 10 minutes the next week and that was a huge pain. I got a neighbor to do it for me the next 2 times. I was on my own after that. The string trimming went undone for a few more months. I was unable to walk that much before then!

The biggest thing to remember is to do little bits at a time and rest about 4x more than you work. As soon as you come in, ice and elevate and leave everything else alone. It can be done, but it takes a long time to do it. What I could normally do in a day or two took 2 weeks! Slow and easy does it, and you'll be OK! If your stuff isn't too tall you can just spray apple cider vinegar on it, and it'll kill it. But, it needs to soak down to the roots.
 
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