I just got back from seeing my OS. Have I got a BONESMART testimonial!!!! My appointment was at 3:30 and I just got home. I have been in pain that has been getting worse. My leg and foot are incredibly swollen. As soon the OS walked in, he asked where my TED stocking was. I told him that the PT cut it off. He asked me how long it was so swollen, and I told him after the Ted was taken off, it blew up out of control and since I did the CPM machine all night, it was worse, too. He asked who told me to do the CPM machine all night. I told him the PT. He threw down his pen and asked her name. Then he put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me to the vascular department. He sat there while the technician found each vein and artery and waited for good news for each one on each leg. No blood clots. The edema is pitted and tight. Then he wheeled me to Xray. He told the girl to do the regular set and then he needed a few special pictures. Finally back to his office with my husband. He asked me why I would listen to a PT that was hurting me and had single handedly reversed my good healing progress. I told him that I did call the PT service and say she wasn't welcome in my home ever again. He said GOOD! My directions until Monday are as follows: Ice and elevation and NOTHING else! He said he only wanted me walking to go to the bathroom until Monday. I told him that the same PT told me to pain no gain and to move as much as possible. He said that she was an idiot and that he wanted her full name next visit. Then he told me that after Monday, he wanted me to continue to ice and elevate, and do TWO exercises. He did them with me, gave me a sheet, and showed my husband how to help. He said these 2 exercises do not hurt and will gently bend and extend as my knee was ready. He told me as long as I did the ice, elevation, and 2 exercises, anything else that I wanted to do, was ok as long as it didn't hurt. I asked him about the PCM and he said that I didn't have to use it and he wouldn't want to if he were me, not after this swelling. He said to have PT come ONLY if they were gentle and listened to me. He said that I may want some gentle calf massages that feel good, or I may want to ell them to take a hike all together.
I told him what I was taking for pain meds. He told me that it was too much. (Again, that was the PT and my husband bought into her whole pain med regimen. I felt like I was always taking them.) He said to add up to 4000 mg of tylenol in a day if I needed it and he thought that cutting down to 2 oxycodone every 4 hours, I would need to add the tylenol. He gave me the prescription to take home. He wasn't cutting me off, but he was telling me that his advice and directions were what would help the pain. So, the CPM is back in the box, I am icing and elevating, and Gail can still come to do some nice gentle massages and I will get to my exercises after Monday.
My OS agrees with the BONESMART advice and thinks the PT that pushes is an idiot!
United States
The strange thing is that they say things like that to our spouses, significant others or our care taker, but they don't realize that those people don't even have a clue what we go through with TKR, oh sure they can sympathize, or feel for us and try to help as best they could, but only the person experiencing it can know their limits, no one else! So therefore it's useless for PT's to say anything to anyone other than the patient who's experiencing it! Otherwise the PT takes their life into their own hands! Another words we can say to them "Be kind or I'll unwind!"
I have a feeling if you requested someone else and you told them why, then they send someone with a heart this time. And hopefully, put a black check mark by Denise's name!
![[Bonesmart.org] I have a new knee!](https://data.bonesmart.org/attachments/2/2542-3608725faab3ca914c0e5100316327f2.jpg?hash=NghyX6qzyp "[Bonesmart.org] I have a new knee!"){kind=small}
![[Bonesmart.org] I have a new knee!](https://data.bonesmart.org/attachments/2/2543-323efd11272565a495e9ab9067fe3f2f.jpg?hash=Mj79ESclZa "[Bonesmart.org] I have a new knee!"){kind=small}
I was so lucky to have a home PT who knew what she was doing with post tkr. I started out with a low bend number but she seemed to understand her job was to meet me where i was, not that I should have been at some arbitrary number already. She always started a session by massaging a bit to loosen up my muscles.
I think Denise must be the old principal I had who was fired! Maybe she changed professions! 
