Josephine
NURSE DIRECTOR EMERITA
Transition when YOU feel up to it, not when other people did it. Some manage to change in week 3, others (like me!) didn't ditch the crutches for 10 weeks! It doesn't matter a bit.
TKR I had my RTKR
- Thread starter cowchick
- Start date
- Status
I want to say it was along the lines of ten days when I coaxed PT to let me use a cane--However, at least part of my reason for making the transistion was it was easier for me to walk correctly with a long stride and a heel to toe landing using the cane--I am a klutz and could never quite get the hang of setting the walker down at the right time--in fact PT thought I was limping at first. I had been using a cane for months before the surgery and had the hang of it much better. My walker didnt have wheels in front--probably I couldve managed better with a wheely-walker. I had been using the cane at home without PT's blessing anyway for short trips when I wanted to carry something that wouldnt fit in the shopping bag I had strapped to the walker.
Having said all that--I'd say talk it over with PT, especially if you have never used a cane before--and as Josephine said, dont compare yourself to others. There's ALWAYS going to be someone "ahead" of you and someone "behind". I felt wonderful about how I was doing before I saw a video of somebody performing a rigorous set of physical challenges so as to work as a contractor for the Army in Afghanistan--gentleman who was something like 3 weeks postop bilateral TKR or something equally spectacular.
Having said all that--I'd say talk it over with PT, especially if you have never used a cane before--and as Josephine said, dont compare yourself to others. There's ALWAYS going to be someone "ahead" of you and someone "behind". I felt wonderful about how I was doing before I saw a video of somebody performing a rigorous set of physical challenges so as to work as a contractor for the Army in Afghanistan--gentleman who was something like 3 weeks postop bilateral TKR or something equally spectacular.
icep707
post-grad
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2013
- Messages
- 1,274
- Age
- 61
- Location
- Sonoma County, CALIFORNIA
- Gender
- Male
- Country
United States
Hey Cowchick. Did you ever get your med situation sorted out ? Did you go to your primary or OS come to his senses. ? Ironically my OS gave me enough meds to kill a gorilla , two times over. I got two bottles of oxy sitting here. I will properly dispose of after I complete OPT ,, which starts tomorrow. I doubt I will need them . You will ditch your walker when you ditch your walker. Than move on to a cane . There is no magic day. Im 3 weeks in and about 10 days ago I had a AH HA! Moment. My knee wouldnt bended because I was doing to much. Internal swelling!!! It wasnt fat and swollen , it was hard and tight as a drum. I called it a ceramic doll feeling . Would not bend . So back to the drawing board . On bed with 2 body length pillows under my leg and ice over 16 hours a day . Yes 16 hours a day. My pain never, ever went over a 5. My alarm goes off every 5 hours,EVERY 5 HOURS! energy drain and lack of sleep is a different story but my expectations werent very high to start with . My expectations were pretty gloomy pre op. After reading horrific stories. Doesnt have to be that way. Proper pain management, and elevate and ice all day !! Really !! Best of luck . Iceman
gami
senior
Hi Lisa how are you going today, hope you are beginning to feel you are getting just a little better...checked out your post op scar pic ...looks pretty good, I think my knee was still a lot more swollen than yours at the same stage in recovery. 
Did you have a go at walking with the cane? My no pain no gain take an extra pain pill physio was a jerk but he did pick up that I needed orthotics in my shoes which I must say has been an ongoing bonus for my feet. 
Hope you are smiling
Hugs Gami
Did you have a go at walking with the cane? My no pain no gain take an extra pain pill physio was a jerk but he did pick up that I needed orthotics in my shoes which I must say has been an ongoing bonus for my feet. Hope you are smiling
Hugs Gami
Josephine
NURSE DIRECTOR EMERITA
Generally, it's never a good idea to wear orthotics so early, especially not a mere 2 weeks out. It could hinder the quality of your recovery.
cowchick
junior member
Hi all, I am 3 weeks 2 days out. The last 2 days my pain level has been very high. I am now on hydro 7 every 6-8 hours. I am taking it every 6 hours but the pain is really bad after only 3 hours. Dr. says I don't need to take anymore. Should I be in less pain by now? Am I just being s baby? This has been the worse 3 weeks of my life. I can only sleep about 2 hours at a time each nig I wish I would have just got my leg cut off. Also, how much walking should I be doing a day now? I feel like I am so behind. I feel I am at the end of my rope. I never dreamed it would be this hard. Sorry for winning so much.
Lisa
Lisa
The doctor is full of...something. It is perfectly normal to need pain meds at 3 weeks. Everyone's pain level and response to meds is different. I don't think you're being a baby. I think at 3 weeks I was on an every 4 hour schedule. Maybe that would help.
You should be getting around the house and doing your pt exercises but not much else. I think I was walking up and down the driveway with my walker a few times--maybe 5 minutes at a time once a day at your stage.
You should be getting around the house and doing your pt exercises but not much else. I think I was walking up and down the driveway with my walker a few times--maybe 5 minutes at a time once a day at your stage.
Jozilla
supremo
You certainly have been thru a lot. I would say what others have and that is that you need better pain management. I was also on Percocet 5 - two every four hours round the click until five weeks out. The hydro 7.5 is not that strong of a dosage. Your OS seems like he doesn't have a clue with handling the pain. Can you go to your GP or a pain management clinic? I think they might be able to help you more. And ice ice ice. I iced day and night for probably 7 weeks and then as needed. I wish you the best and am sorry you have had to suffer.
chestnc
big-cheese
@cowchick, just picking up on your thread. You seem to have been and are going through a lot. It will get better in time. I think the pain meds needs to be bumped up or changed around to give you more relief throughout the day. I did fine in the hospital with one pain med then the next day I got home those meds were not working and I immediately called my OS and told him I needed him to bump up the pain medication. He mailed me the hard copy script and I started taking that. I also have a pain management doctor so I made an appt. with her and she gave me DS percocet and I took them every 4-6 hours as ordered. If you are not comfortable it is difficult to heal and get the proper rest you need to heal. It is okay to whine here that is what we are here for, but I would be on the phone every day to the doctor's office whining until I got some relief. I don't do well being in pain for long. Sorry, just call me a baby.
As far as ditching the walker cane business it's whenever you feel you are ready. Two days after I was home the first week my son would be yelling at me "Ma, why is your walker in the bedroom and you are in the kitchen"? I actually would be already down the hall without any aid and forget that I did not have the walker. By the end of the 1st week the home PT had me using the cane for stair walking as she had me going down the steps in my home and I have a good bit of steps in my home.. I live in a split level ranch on a hill so there are steps outside as well. Everyone heals at their own pace so you will do fine in time. Just follow the mantras. But the pain management needs to be better. Hope you are feeling better real soon.
As far as ditching the walker cane business it's whenever you feel you are ready. Two days after I was home the first week my son would be yelling at me "Ma, why is your walker in the bedroom and you are in the kitchen"? I actually would be already down the hall without any aid and forget that I did not have the walker. By the end of the 1st week the home PT had me using the cane for stair walking as she had me going down the steps in my home and I have a good bit of steps in my home.. I live in a split level ranch on a hill so there are steps outside as well. Everyone heals at their own pace so you will do fine in time. Just follow the mantras. But the pain management needs to be better. Hope you are feeling better real soon.
Last edited by a moderator:
cowchick
junior member
I got hold of the OS and he said if I really had to I could break one of the hydro 7 mg pills in half and take that for break through pain. I will try that. So that will be 1 hydro 7 mg every 6 hours and 1 3.5 mg hydro for break through pain at 4 hours. Hopefully this will work. Thanks so much for the support. I really appreciate you all so much.
Lisa
Lisa
gami
senior
You really are doing the best you can so just hang in there...it will get easierhugs Gami
cowchick
junior member
Hi all, I am 5 weeks 4 days today. I am off the cane now about 95% if the time. My pain is still pretty bad a lot of the time. I am doing all the pt I am told to do. The swelling is really hurting my ROM. I elevate and ice a lot but I can't get it to stop swelling. My OS will not give me an anti inflamatory & my gp does not want to go against what the OS says. Do you all have any ideas how to stop swelling? At the top of the knee it feels like that muscle is as tight as a drum and there is a big knot like area on the outside of the knee. Is this normal? I was in so much pain before surgery I had no choice but to get my knee done. I just feel like I traded one misery for another one. Thanks for listening.
Lisa
Lisa
Last edited by a moderator:
bottomshollow
Former BoneSmart staff member
@cowchick, you do not seem to be in charge of what is going on with your recovery. Please keep in mind that your OS is just a man---he is NOT God!. You stop the swelling by icing, icing, and icing more while you are elevating and not doing all the exercises that others are insisting that you do. If you would reread all our articles and then adhere to what they tell you, you would be having a much better recovery.
You are only a little over a month post op, and this is a very long recovery. I had two knees done 2 days apart and did not have the trouble you are experiencing because I followed the BoneSmart mantras to the letter.
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
Please make your own decisions---your OS knows how to replace knees, but he has never had a knee replacement himself. Believe me when I tell you, he knows nothing about recovery from replacement. But those of us here on BoneSmart know what we're talking about. We've been there, done that, and have several tee shirts to prove it.
Please take care of yourself and keep us posted. We care.
You are only a little over a month post op, and this is a very long recovery. I had two knees done 2 days apart and did not have the trouble you are experiencing because I followed the BoneSmart mantras to the letter.
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
Please make your own decisions---your OS knows how to replace knees, but he has never had a knee replacement himself. Believe me when I tell you, he knows nothing about recovery from replacement. But those of us here on BoneSmart know what we're talking about. We've been there, done that, and have several tee shirts to prove it.
Please take care of yourself and keep us posted. We care.
cowchick
junior member
Hi all, I think I was unclear in my last post. I an icing and elevating my leg toes above nose for the majority of the day & night. My pt is not asking me to do things that are hurting me. He does not force my knee to bend or anything like that. I do not feel like pt is pushing me at all. But NY knee keeps swelling . I have been following the mantras. I can't make my os give me anything for swelling. I just wondered if anyone else had swelling even after icing and elevating.
Lisa
Lisa
gami
senior
Hi Lisa
I wish there was a quick easy answer but I'm afraid there isn't. It seems some people have more swelling than others and it's a real frustration when you know you are following the mantra and you are not overdoing the physio.
A lot of us got sick and tired of just waiting, waiting for healing, for a good nights sleep, for a knee that looked like a knee, a day that would pass that we could feel good about.
Lisa it will come, it will but as Bottomshollow said, You are only a little over a month post op, and this is a very long recovery. But although that sounds daunting it will get a little easier as time passes.
I want to tell you our son-in-law is visiting your part of the World right now, he's in Raleigh, but he hired a car and has done some driving around the countryside, he finds it a good way to relax from his work when he is over seas. He told us about forests of pine trees and countryside that he enjoyed passing through.
I'm glad that when I think of you are your journey it's these pictures that come to my mind. I pray you a have peaceful day and know each moment you are not alone.
Hugs Gami
I wish there was a quick easy answer but I'm afraid there isn't. It seems some people have more swelling than others and it's a real frustration when you know you are following the mantra and you are not overdoing the physio.
A lot of us got sick and tired of just waiting, waiting for healing, for a good nights sleep, for a knee that looked like a knee, a day that would pass that we could feel good about. Lisa it will come, it will but as Bottomshollow said, You are only a little over a month post op, and this is a very long recovery. But although that sounds daunting it will get a little easier as time passes.
I want to tell you our son-in-law is visiting your part of the World right now, he's in Raleigh, but he hired a car and has done some driving around the countryside, he finds it a good way to relax from his work when he is over seas. He told us about forests of pine trees and countryside that he enjoyed passing through.
I'm glad that when I think of you are your journey it's these pictures that come to my mind. I pray you a have peaceful day and know each moment you are not alone.
Hugs Gami
susanne
post-grad
@cowchick you sound just like I did at the 3 week point. It was the worse I am now 12 weeks out and still walking with cane. My surgeon said walking and to keep moving is the best thing to do. I lived with my ice pack and elevated non stop. I'm finally able to bend my knee back some but not great. Seems I forgot how to bend my knee when I walk. We all went thru this and as horrible as it seems it does get better but you need to be patient and if ur knee hurts take ur meds and elevate. I've had 12 PT sessions and the last 2 consisted of a lot of massaging and stretches
Good luck to you. Ps I also had 2 hip and1 shoulder replacement. This is by far the worse. But it does get better
Good luck to you. Ps I also had 2 hip and1 shoulder replacement. This is by far the worse. But it does get better
Last edited by a moderator:
- Status
