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Bilateral TKR I Made It! (KneedKnees)

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Re: I Made It!

karmigirl ~

I'm looking forward to the day that I can do ALL that I want to do without having to worry about the morning after! After all of the reading I've done here on Bonesmart - from threads and in the library, I know that it may take a l o n g time! I'm always amazed when people report that they really feel that it takes almost a full year to be 100% back to their pre-op, pre-pain selves. The doctors don't really tell you that! And having had surgeries in the past from which I've recovered much quicker (major surgeries!), I just didn't expect it to take that long.

But...now I'm resigned to the fact that it is a journey...with opportunities to rest, appreciate time, learn about myself (some good things and some things I might want to work on :rolleyes:), talk to God, listen for answers, gain strength (physical, emotional and mental) and grow.

Congratulations on your Anniversary! :loveshower:

Now, it's time for me to put my words into practice...:sleepz:
 
Re: I Made It!

KneedKnees,

Please don't take it wrong I could not have done all this at 3 weeks out with just one knee done. You are doing great and don't let anyone tel you your not.
I am 9 weeks ahead of you and I am very recently able to do these things.

I know what you mean about "bouncing back" because you have done it before, I also have ha some major surgery in the past and came back fast and strong, but this is so different. You just have to dig really deep and find the patience and fortitude to get thru this bumpy ride. Felt great and then horrible the next but it does get better. Believe a month ago I thought it would never be the same again, but it happens little by little everyday. Small steps at a time. All we can really do is try it, if it hurts don't do that again for awhile.

Hang in and you'll get there, just keep looking at the little progresses and it will help brighten your spirits.
 
Re: I Made It!

KneedKnees - From another bilat I can tell you that you are making terrific progress. Don not get discouraged with the down.time from extending yourself. I found that "overdoing" it some and then recovering well was How I made progress. I learned to anticipate, accept and even enjoy the recovery time as a sign that I was making progress. For me recovering well was learning how to get the swelling and pain under contoll and introduce more ROM. Again, for me what worked was extreme elevation (45 degees for at.least 45 minutes), massage and water therapy. Keep up the great work.
Kurt
 
Re: I Made It!

Thank you karmigirl and ruppbike!

I am definitely one who needs lots of encouragement, and I really appreciate your kind and encouraging words!

I think the hardest thing for me has been the realization and acceptance of how long of a process this is! I really thought I was going to be the one to defy the odds and be back to "normal" (as normal as I started out...lol!) very quickly. I didn't really believe what was written about the resting, elevating and icing, or that it would apply to me. And it's not that I'm in such great shape that I would be able to overcome the odds - I thought that since I'm pretty used to considerable pain (having fibromyalgia and arthritis) I would be able to tough it out and push through the recovery period quickly.

I now have a pretty realistic understanding of this journey. That's not to say that I won't have bad days, or that I won't push myself too hard, or that I will be the poster girl for BTKR! In fact, I know that I will try to do too much some days and will end up having to take it easy the next. But, that's the way we learn what our current boundaries are, and figure out what we can handle. I do know that my brain has done a 180 on this topic since I first contemplated BTKR.

Again, thank you for the encouragement...I need and value it!
 
Re: I Made It!

^so true that it takes some experimenting to see what your boundaries are. And you'll find they change week to week.
You're doing great!
 
Re: I Made It!

Kneed Knees, specially for you I made this chart to show the possibly progress of healing for a BTKR.
You'll note that the warmer colours indicate the more difficult phases, slowly grading off into the blues and then greens, meaning it gets easier and easier! Hope it helps some.

[Bonesmart.org] I Made It! (KneedKnees)

NB
This is just a graphic representation of the scale of recovery after hip replacement. It’s not scientifically produced, just to give you a general idea of how the pain and disability is higher in the first few weeks and then gradually tapers off over the first three months.
 
Re: I Made It!

Well, Jo - I like red, but I'm much more fond of blues and greens!!! Definitely a long way to go, but as I said, I'm realizing it and trying to embrace it.

Thank you! :biggrin:
 
Re: I Made It!

KneedKnees said:
I now have a pretty realistic understanding of this journey. That's not to say that I won't have bad days, or that I won't push myself too hard, or that I will be the poster girl for BTKR! In fact, I know that I will try to do too much some days and will end up having to take it easy the next. But, that's the way we learn what our current boundaries are, and figure out what we can handle. I do know that my brain has done a 180 on this topic since I first contemplated BTKR.

Again, thank you for the encouragement...I need and value it!
Click to expand...

Hang in there---you are doing quite well! This can be a long process---longer than we all would like. But, if you have patience and just keep taking it one day at a time, you will be amazed at how great you feel when the recovery is over. Remember, your knees are in charge, so you just have to go along for the ride that they have planned.

We have all made the mistake of attempting to do too much; just don't do it too often.

I can understand quite well how you feel. Just don't look too far ahead---you might get discouraged; don't set goals---just take things as they come.

Ice/elevate, rest/ and practice being patience. Normally, one knee will be a little more troublesome than the other---mine was my right knee. Don't worry about that---just belt yourself in for the roller coaster ride called recovery, and let the ride take you wherever it wants to go---it will come to an end and you will be really amazed at how great you feel---and how much you enjoy even the simple things in life.
 
Re: I Made It!

Josephine said:
Kneed Knees, specially for you I made this chart to show the possibly progress of healing for a BTKR.
You'll note that the warmer colours indicate the more difficult phases, slowly grading off into the blues and then greens, meaning it gets easier and easier! Hope it helps some.

[Bonesmart.org] I Made It! (KneedKnees)

NB
This is just a graphic representation of the scale of recovery after hip replacement. It’s not scientifically produced, just to give you a general idea of how the pain and disability is higher in the first few weeks and then gradually tapers off over the first three months.
Click to expand...
Nice chart Jo, thank you, something to look at and take heed.
 
Re: I Made It!

So many things in our lives now are governed by pushing the limits! In your work, you're expected to push the envelope to come up with new ideas or ways to accomplish more or be more fruitful for your company. In sports, your goal is to push yourself to the next level of fitness. In interpersonal relationships, you want to put yourself at a higher level of communication or intimacy with those you associate with. It seems that our lives are all about pushing the limits!

And yet, here we are, realizing that in this one place in our lives, we can't push the limits! We need to take our recovery slowly and not push ourselves to do more than we should. It's no wonder that it's so difficult to do, when everything else in our lives tells us the opposite! That's why we're impatient when we can only hobble instead of walk, or only walk instead of run.

It's a whole different mindset...one that I'm happy to say I'm finally embracing! I'm enjoying taking the small steps instead of the big leaps. And if this journey takes longer than I planned (lol), then it does - and that's okay. Better to do it right than to do it quick!:yahoo:
 
Re: I Made It!

OK - I'm not a happy camper! :no2:


The result of today's PT session is definitely one of the "downs" on my list of ups and downs! I really can't blame my therapist, because I think what we did was completely realistic - and I didn't complain at the time because it didn't really hurt! I went in today with my goal to talk to her about the tightness, especially in my right knee. I feel that my ROM has suffered (though the numbers were about the same) because when I've done the exercises at home, I've had pain and stopped trying to push - since I know you shouldn't have to. I was hoping she would spend a good portion of the time massaging my leg(s). She was very sympathetic, and did spend at least 15 minutes massaging. It was very tight. Then, she checked my flexion and extension. Both were good - no less than prior days (yet painful with the right knee), and actually more flexion with the left knee. Then...she had my lay on my stomach, and we did passive bending of my knees back. It really didn't hurt!!! I felt the pull, and she kept asking if it hurt. It was fine, and she held it until I asked her to stop because it was cramping. Then, we did two new exercises - flexion sitting upright leaning against the wall, using a towel around the foot to passively bend the knee - and resistance using a band hooked around the ankle. No pain with either of these.


This afternoon and evening, I feel as if I've been on a 10 mile hike! Lots of tenderness and aching in both knees. More stiffness when trying to extend my legs, and more pain getting up and down. Is this all from that new prone stretch??? It really didn't hurt! :frown:
 
Re: I Made It!

Every time I learned a new exercise in PT, even if there was no pain, my muscles & knees ached, but was relieved with ice or my trusty heating pad. Right now just ice, it was about 3 months before I used heat. I learned to immediately rest, elevate & ice my knees once I returned home from PT.
Even today, I can still over do & cause tightness, but it does disipate with the standard manta. Yes, its a broken record...Rest, Relax, Elevate & Ice...:loll:
You are doing Fabulous, 25 days post op...Wow!

Remember, This is Your Time to Recover! It's all about you & those new knees.

Thinking about you.
Darlene
 
Re: I Made It!

Yes, that's fine when it's like that. You're bound to have a payback on it. There's payback on almost everything!
 
Re: I Made It!

Sashayinglady ~

Thank you! Your kind words reassured me that all is okay! And, yes, I did come home and elevate and ice - like a good girl! I find that helps as well, and should probably ice more often than I do.

I'm sure that since there were new stretches, new muscles were being used that have now tensed up. I think it was just adding those on to the already tight knees that threw me over the line! Icing today, and going to try some gentle stretches so they don't tense up any worse.

Thanks again ~ I needed those words this morning!!! :console:
 
Re: I Made It!

I had PT again today, and told my therapist about the pain following Tuesday's session. She was surprised, as I hadn't indicated that it was hurting at the time. She asked if I had done anything else that might have caused the ensuing pain, and I really couldn't think of anything. She concurred that sometimes new muscles being used can "make noise" when they're stretched in different ways.

Today's session was better. She spent quite a bit of time massaging - not just the muscles but also the incision sites. She want to help release the incision from the connective tissues. There are still several place where it is clearly "stuck", and her gentle massaging has begun to loosen some of them (that or just time!).

I'm still feeling a lot of stiffness and tightness in both knees. Every time I go to PT I tell her that I'm nowhere near where I was with extension the session prior. And...it seems that I always do better! I guess it just seems soooo stiff that I feel as if I'm not going to make it.

My extension is fine - both knees are almost fully extended. My active flexion is (Left) - 110, and (Right) - 100. :biggrin: PT said that she would be happy to get my right knee to 115, rather than 120. Left knee should be no problem to get to 120.

I'm seriously considering trying to make the switch from Hydrocodone (Vicodin) to Tylenol. Italked to the nurse today, and she said I could try alternating the Vicodin with 325 mg. of Tylenol, to see if the Tylenol does as well as the Vicodin. If it would work well, I could completely stop the Vicodin and be able to drive again!!!

Time to rest...:sleepz:
 
Re: I Made It!

KneedKnees said:
.

I'm seriously considering trying to make the switch from Hydrocodone (Vicodin) to Tylenol. Italked to the nurse today, and she said I could try alternating the Vicodin with 325 mg. of Tylenol, to see if the Tylenol does as well as the Vicodin. If it would work well, I could completely stop the Vicodin and be able to drive again!!!

Time to rest...:sleepz:
Click to expand...

I weaned myself off of NORCO this past few days, and am taking ONE tramadol 50 mg (ultram) and ONE 500mg Tylenol every 4 hours, along with celebrex morning and evening.. (200 mg), and it has worked.. I do take ONE ambien at night.. Hope this helps you... I too wanted to get OFF the narcotics, and will be able to drive Sept 12... so says the OS.
 
Re: I Made It!

There are still several place where it is clearly "stuck", and her gentle massaging has begun to loosen some of them (that or just time!).
Click to expand...
It's just time!
 
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