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TKR Highlander's New Knee

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Yikes, I say get out of there....I did not have that aggressive PT when I went to Outpatient PT at 3 weeks!!
They must be "All about the numbers" there..., probably looks good on the "marketing side". I just said to my husband the other day. Once the PT's are all done with me...who is every going to measure my ROM again? My OS didn't measure, he asked me to flex and straighten and said "Good, that's Great" when I said I can't lock my knee, he said..."so what, you'll get there". So now I liken my "numbers" to the Algebra they told me I needed to learn.....haven't used it since I learned it!! LOL
 
yes Josephine- I meant thick, no tight on the dressing. I actually did not get the thin, waterproof dressing because of the curvy snake of an incision he had to use. They had to get to a lot of bad osteophytes on sides and back of knee and
[Bonesmart.org] Highlander's New Knee
[Bonesmart.org] Highlander's New Knee
he said he was navigating through my other scars. But it a lot straighter I think. :) See before and post op pics here
 
Day 3 starting up- I have a lot more swelling and tenderness in the upper knee, thigh area. Pain is a 4 to 5 at times. I started running a low grade fever yesterday which has fluctuated between 99 and 100.2. This am it was 98.8- so I will try not to worry bout it. I was doing leg lifts rather easily 24 hours ago and left the hospital for home yesterday about 330pm. I cheated in group PT a little and did not do near the reps they prescribed. But felt better because of it. I left the hospital at 97 degrees/2 degrees.
Today I know there is NO WAY i can get anywhere near that. Leg feels very weak, heavy and ROM is tight. I start outpatient PT on Monday. Should I do anything other than walker/ankle pumps/Gentle heel slides until then?
First BM this morning- YES!
 
No don't do anything more than you suggest. Just focus on recovering a bit. Re BM - its a wonderful moment isn't it?!!
 
@highlander That is way too much PT for the condition you describe. Take it easy for 3 weeks then slowly begin PT. Your swelling looks pretty mild for the severity of what you went thru. That incision needs to be treated like a baby for a few days. Cannot believe PT put you through that much.

Ping pong ball how on earth did you stand the discomfort?

Don't be a hero like us men try to be and you will come out better in the end. Believe me it has cost dearly financially and medically for being a member of the over did it club.
 
@Bikesouth. Thanks for the advice. I guess I have a pretty high pain threshold. He said he took off and out a ton of junk in there. These PTs and OS's seem to have a one size fits all mentality and it's very confusing to the patients. I read and hear very wise, logical advice on this site, and then the PTs and my OS say- oh you have to move it or lose it. It really frustrates me. But to your point- I toned it way down today. Only doing a mild version of the PT they sent me home with. I basically walked on the walker two or three times, mainly to the bathroom. Did my ankle pumps and quad flexes and then did a few very gentle heel slides to nowhere near pain. And Im icing, elevating and napping. My low grade fever is gone, and my pain came down from 5 to 2. So my new knee must like the kinder gentler philosophy!
 
The move it or lose it is old school.....guarantee anyone is better off to let the swelling go down, tissues heal and then work on strength/reps.

Give you an example I sprained my soft tissue 1 year ago on my LTKA. It got so bad I had to quit work mid November. After a few weeks I can finally kneel & stretch my quads. In three weeks time I have gone from 6" of gap above my heel to my butt just about touching my heel. By next weekend I will have my but resting on my heels.

Has it been easy or pain free NO but it proves you can push thru. Most medical professionals would say after a year you would never be able to get that flexion back.
 
Thanks @Bikesouth. Laying low tonight with elevation, ice and a little compression. I have read its normal to run a low grade fever for a few days. Mine has been anywhere from 98.8 up to 100.5 briefly for last 36 hours. Usually running around 99.5 today. Any others have experience with that. Incision looks good, no additional or throbbing pain.
 
Yes, I went thru waves of temperature change the first two weeks. With your long incision I imagine you had more trauma than the average patient.
 
Yeah! You're home and away from those mean PT at the hospital. A low grade fever is very common and don't be surprised if you get some night sweats. I took my temp regularly and reached 100 one time. The night sweats stopped once I was off the OxyContin

The next days were my worse, but I didn't have the best pain control either. Seems after about day 8 or 9 I was feeling less pain. Carry through for the next week and don't do anything that makes you hurt at PT.
 
When I first tried heel slides, I couldn't move my foot more than about 2 inches. I didn't try to do them regularly, just would try occasionally to see if I improved. It was weeks before I could move about 6 inches. I could flex my knees at least to 90 degrees at that time, but those heel slides were much more painful so I decided they weren't of much use.
 
Thanks guys. Day 4 starting up. The usual- redressing, re-applying ace wraps. on the walker to bathroom for personal hygiene. Then decided to go ahead and do my self paced PT. Did ok with that- but about half the reps prescribed. My temp is back down to 98.3 this am! @jaschrembra I hope your pain meds are worked out and you are doing well! Doc sent me home with 5/325 oxycodone which he says I can double up and take two if needed every 6 hours. Im on 2 aspirin a day for blood- is that normal? I thought he would prescribe a thinner of some type- guess aspirin works as well?
 
I was discharged on 2 aspirin a day for 6 weeks as blood thinners. That was fine by me. Others had to give themselves injections into their tums. I had those while I was in hospital but much preferred take the aspirin!
 
Day 5 recap: I went to my first outpatient PT today. We live in a remote mountain community but do have a new $4 million medical center, and I was really pleased to see a new state of the art PT center. The PTs have a great approach of nurturing and not pushing into a lot of pain. So I am excited. Today they just asked a lot of questions, go to know me, and then measured me etc...we will start PT Thursday. They said to rest, elevate and ice, and not to do anything that brings on increased pain! So they are bonesmart too! :)
The main pain issue I have now is my inner quad. It is really painful and tight!!! With a little deep blue color. It seems to be the main thing affecting flexion. I am starting to get spasms on my inner thigh- from that inner quad up into upper thigh. Those hurt. They come and go. They gave me flexeril for those. I hope it helps . Based on the bruising on my upper inner thigh, groin area- Im assuming a lot of tourniquet use is the main culprit.
 
Day 6 has been tough. Lots of pain in middle of night last night. Aching, spasms. The inner quad and upper thigh continue to be the issue. When I try to do heel slides- even minor angled gentle ones- the inner quad is just a tight, hot steel band of pain. And it keeps me from being able to get anywhere close to the good flexion I had in hospital. All the OXY has me drunk and weak. And my mental state has hit a rut. I'm a pretty tough guy, farmer, former college football player etc etc...and I actually found myself actually crying this am as I walked around the kitchen with my walker, trying to get some mobility into my aching leg. I think the pain, frustration, lack of progress in last 2 or 3 days and a feeling of going backwards just caught up with me. My wife is a godsend and is there for me as a caregiver, coach and psychologist. She's helping me get my chin back up. Im also beginning to think you can ice TOO much. An ice cold joint and thigh for 80% of the day and night might be contributing to my pain too. Certainly makes things stiffer. I going to try less ice (50% of day) and more elevation with no ice in between. Any opinions?
 
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Might heated pads be worth a try too? Heat can be soothing.
Bear up. This bad time will pass. You won't always feel like this.
 
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