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TKR Help! I've developed right hip pain 3 months after LTKR.

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@sunny-island

Hello,

It's a long time until Tuesday and if you are worried, perhaps ring your doctor and let them know you have a concern and should you be seen sooner.

They may tell you the waiting until Tuesday is o.k. And that may ease your mind.
Or they may suggest something else, either way, it's important for you to know what is the best thing for you .

Cathie
 
Your PT is right. Leave it alone and show it to the nurse, as you planned.

I don't think you need to see anyone else unless it starts to look inflamed, or gets sore. Just keep an eye on it.

If you're worried, do phone your doctor.
 
@tiredwife. I guess I could but I'm not sure it's necessary. The little spot was probably a small scab. It was still there this morning but is gone now. I think a new scab might be forming but it's so small it's hard to tell. The rest of the scar looks great. That area, the very bottom of the scar, is a bit red whereas the rest of the knee doesn't look red any more. If it looks inflamed tomorrow I'll post a picture.
 
@tiredwife. You're thinking possible infection. It just doesn't look like that but I will keep an eye on it. I'll try to insert a photo. The spot with redness is at the lower edge.

[Bonesmart.org] Help! I've developed right hip pain 3 months after LTKR.
 
sunny-island said:
she says I should not ice for more than 20 minutes at a time because the body detects the freezing and sends fluids to the area to protect it.
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Actually it's entirely up to you. Do whatever you feel comfortable with. However, what she said is a MYTH and I have no idea where it comes from. There is no evidence at all that icing causes that to happen. What you must do is make sure you have a protective layer of cloth between skin and ice pack. No freezer burn please! That would cause problems.
sunny-island said:
@Celle. I have a new issue that worries me. My PT noticed a tiny red spot at the very bottom of my scar. She said it looked like it might be a stitch working its way out and that I should leave it alone. She said it would work its way out. That was the day before yesterday. This morning it remains unchanged. No obvious signs of infection. My 6-week appt with the OS's nurse is coming up - next Tuesday. If it still looks the same I'll ask her about it. I'm wondering if I should try to see someone sooner (I'd rather not).
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It often happens though it shouldn't. It's just that the surgical assistant didn't cut the internal stitch close enough so one end is rather close to the skin. It's not a problem and won't get infected if you keep it covered with a little sterile Bandaid. When you get to see your surgeon, have him check it and get it trimmed shorter. But don't try to do this yourself because it needs to be done with sterile scissors. But one thing it won't do is 'work it's way out'. The knot of the stitch is firmly attached several mm below the skin so leave it well alone!

Edit to include: just seen your photo. That's definitely a stitch emergence. Keep it covered until you see himself. No rush. It will probably be easier to see in a few days when it's emerged a bit more and he has something to grab hold of!
 
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@Josephine. It seems to have disappeared. The entire scar feels smooth and there is no longer anything sticking out. I wonder if it might have been a tiny scab? It could have fallen off in the shower. I'll see the nurse tomorrow (routine 6 week appt), I plan to ask her about the area of slight redness at the lower edge of the scar but the little thing that was sticking out is gone now. Maybe I'll tell her about it and have her take a close look, just to be sure.

Thanks for the info about icing. I really want to be able to use icing a lot - it's one of the best pain relievers there is. Yes, I do know to protect my skin from it.

Could you change the title of my thread? (Or tell me who I should ask.) It no longer makes sense.
Call it "Living with my new knee". Thanks!
 
I'll bet my frilly cap it was a stitch. But things change and it could have just drawn back inside for some reason.
Let's hope it heals up without any further problem.
 
Hi @tiredwife. Nice of you to ask. Here's my update. I'll be 7-weeks post op tomorrow. My ROM is 129 today. Extension is almost zero. My pain level is low to medium now, I still wake up several times each night. I've tapered off pain meds, taking half doses every 4 or 5 hours during the day and a full dose before bed to help me sleep (have both Tramadol and Norco, both seem to work well enough).

The area of greatest difficulty is stairs. Our house is one level so I don't have steps to practice on. I'm working on this in PT, going twice a week. Yesterday my husband and I took a short walk on the beach. To get to the water we have to walk up a ramp over the dunes and then down a few steps. Well, THAT was a challenge. So I know there's quite a bit of work ahead before I'll be able to do ramps and steps.

I'm part of a long range study my surgeon is doing, gathering data, over time, from his transplant patients. This will help doctors in the future but I've already found that it's helping me which I didn't expect. They took a series of balance and strength measurements pre-op. At my six-week post op appointment they took those again. To my surprise my surgery leg is already close to pre-op strength and is nearly as strong as my right leg. Just knowing this has given me a psychological boost.

I wish I didn't tire so easily. But maybe it's good as it makes me take the time to ice and elevate.

How's your hubby doing? And you?

Do you know who I should ask to change the title of my thread to Living with my new knee.
 
@sunny-island Sounds like you are doing great! Just need a little more practice on stairs. We have stairs in our house so hubby gets lots of practice. I think it would be great if they did those tests on everyone! Hubby will be 7 weeks Wednesday. He got to 130 flex but backslide to 127 last week and extension is pretty stagnant at 3. We now it will change so we aren't worried about it. Hubby still isn't sleeping all night through either, but he did sleep pretty good last night. Still takes 4 to 6 Norco a day. Like you he still tires easily. I am doing okay. Same old, Same old.
You are suppose to be able to change your thread title by going to the top of the page and clicking on your name, but I haven't figured out how, so I will tag in @Jamie and maybe someone will change it for you.
 
To change the name of your thread, go to thread tools right top, above the posts. You can change your thread title there. If you have trouble a moderator will change it for you.
Glad to read you are doing so much better now! :yay::flwrysmile:
 
@tiredwife. This ROM thing... Even though my PT is pleased with how I'm doing, I'm not satisfied. It's obvious to me that I'll have no problem getting to 135 and she thinks that's great. I got the impression for her and from my OS's nurse that it's unlikely I'll go beyond 135. That's ridiculous! There are people here on Bonesmart who have higher numbers and I intend to be one of them. My surgery leg, both legs really, was very flexible before surgery and could bend much further back. Is it realistic to think I can regain my pre-op ROM?

Your hubby is on the same time line that I'm on and it sounds like we're both doing well, at about the same point in our healing exoeriences. But he started out better than I did - I remember that his ROM was good in the first week. The weariness isn't a bad thing even though I'd like it to go away. Being tired forces me to slow down and I know that's good for the healing process.

Thank you @bottomshollow. I couldn't find "thread tools" and I didn't see any tools when I clicked on my account.
 
@sunny-island It is fine to try for better ROM and you will probably get better ROM. I think the highest flex I have seen on any of the threads I have read was 140. A leg will only bend so far. If you have skinnier legs you could probably bend further than someone with chunkier legs. Muscle and fat of the back of the thigh and the calf of the leg will eventually stop the bend. My knees aren't that bad (no TKR) and I can bend my leg back far enough to almost touch my foot to my butt but I don't know what activity I would do that would need that type bend. Hubby had lousy ROM before his TKRs and with the 1st knee the OS said he could probably only get to 120, so he is content, just wish the extension was a little better.
 
@tiredwife. An ROM of 140 is the best you've seen... Hummmm. Well, hopefully I'll get to 140, then I'll better know if that's good enough. At home I've reached 127, at PT only 122 so far. But my non-surgery leg bends further and my surgery LEG DID bend further before surgery. My legs aren't heavy so that will help. There's still some swelling, too. It's going to be a while before the swelling is completely gone - that should mean a little more ROM. That tight band above my knee, where scar tissue is nuilt up, is holding back ROM. Is there a way to whittle away that band of scar tissue (without excruciating pain, that is)?
 
Hi @sunny-island - no personal experience to speak of (I'm up in January!) but I do have a colleague who had hers done last year and she is at 145 - pretty much the same as her non-op leg and she IS a larger woman so even she was not expecting that. Hope springs eternal! My non-surgical knee is 150 (well, I assume so since I can touch heel to buttocks) and the surgical is probably 143-145 now so I'm hoping to match that post surgery.

And I've read that massaging the scar will help significantly.
 
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