TKR I'm 2 years out - Hooray

[susanne]

Thank you. When my physical therapist in rehab said to do squats my reply was. I never did squats before why do them now??

 

[RunA42K]

Thank you. When my physical therapist in rehab said to do squats my reply was. I never did squats before why do them now??

Squats put so much pressure on your knees. At 8 weeks my Physical Therapist had me do some 1/4 squats. With the big exercise ball behind the small of my back, but only go 1/4 of the way. He told me DON'T go any further even if you think you can. He says it's a marathon...not a sprint and I know he is right!

 

[kneeper]

Being so early in your recovery squats are likely to be counterproductive.

 

[susanne]

Any suggestions on what to do?? Woke up at 4 am got ice pack and.....Wait a half hr just passed so I must have fallen asleep in between. I remember from previous replacements that it gets worse before better. But this time I'm not buying it. 3 weeks tomorrow from surgery . I'm elevating icing and listening to advice from everybody on this site. Now I am getting totally discouraged and I hate to vent my problems to anyone.
Please any suggestions on what to do, I thought I was doing so well and then this happens.i seemed to have cut the problem out. It's 4:30 in the morning and I just woke up with intense throbbing and pain in knee. I waddled into kitchen grabbed a new ice pack a pillow case What am I doing wrong?? Feeling so good since my surgery 3 weeks ago and now this!!

 

[Campervan]

Hi Susanne, so whats happened to make you feel discouraged? We all have felt at some time that we weren't progressing as fast as we'd like, or read of others progressing faster. But it does pass. You need to have patience and realise that this recovery could take months rather than a few weeks, and as my physio said to me "it will be what it will be". Yes, some people do race along quickly and many many we don't even see on Bonesmart because they do so well and it is easy to get disheartened knowing this. With my own recovery I would not see improvement for days and then one day I'd realise I could do something that I couldn't do he day before. Think of the tiny little improvements. Maybe keep a notebook and document the little changes,or put them on your thread here, and then when you feel there is no improvement you can read back and see where you've come from.

 

[Campervan]

I think you edited your post while I was writing so now I see you're not sleeping. This is a biggie for most of us for maybe a couple of months. I would have a cooler bag full of blue jelly icepacks by my bed so that when I woke I would strap on a new one, relax the knee and usually get back to sleep. Are you still taking medication? I would take paracetemol (tylenol) during the night to ease the aching. Something else that helped me relax was a heated wheatpack in the small of my back.

 

[susanne]

Not only am I taking my oxycodne 5mg every 6 hrs but also OxyContin 10 mg every 12 hrs. The latter is long acting and 1 mg Xanax. These are the meds I was taking in rehab so they refilled for a week until I can see my dr. Unfortunately with yesterday's snowstorm and another 2 coming this week I'm having a panic attack that I won't have enough meds. I think I'm in such emotional state that waking up to this throbbing pain was so unexpected. It also didn't help that the ice water pack leaked all over the bed. That was my fault.
Besides getting new iced gel packs any other suggestions
I'm trying to make light if this. Sleeping like the princess and the pea but the 4 walls and extreme cold are getting to me.
Also when I sit and do excessive knee hurts, when I stand and do exercise it hurts my only comfy position is laying with leg propped on ice and flexing ankles
I feel this is not enough.
Anyone else out there in this predicament. I so enjoy hearing your comments, progress etc it gets me motivated and not feeling so alone and self pitying
Thank you a million times over for your stories words of encouragement and helpful tips
I wish I can hug all if you!!!!!

 

[DogLoverx3]

Hi Susanne. To be honest, weeks 3 & 4 were my worst. I was exhausted, my ROM got 'stuck', I still couldn't do a leg lift and I was just soooo frustrated with everything. I think I cried every day (at least once) My only suggestion is to take as many naps as humanly possible and know that it WILL get better! If you want to see what a whiny, self pitying recovery is like, read my thread . I'm at 7 weeks now and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It's still kinda far off, but I never thought I would be able to make it this far. Although it difficult to see any improvements since they come in such small increments, look back a week or 2 and acknowledge how far you've come. If you can just get thru this next week, I bet things will start to turn around for you. I know that doesn't help you now, but knowing that we all went through the same thing might provide just a bit of comfort. You're doing great!

 

[susanne]

Thanks for the encouraging words. Hate wallowing in self pity and not being able to do things for myself. But then I say to myself who cares if apt is full of dust, laundry, paper plates and a needy kitty. I'm glad I'm able to hobble around , like the line in moonstruck with Cher " snap out of it"!
Again thanks for the venting time. I'm going to now focus on what I can do vs what I can't. Napping is the easiest so I'll start with that. Talk to you all later. And thank you thank you thank you I look forward to this website and check it often. I feel like I've become a body replacement stalker

 

[merhlyn]

Hi Susanne, I'm a fellow New Yorker, I live in Queens (Queens Village).
Like you I spent 2 weeks in rehab, used the CPM machine 3 times a day for 2 hours each. By the time I was done, I had 120 degrees of ROM. When I went to my Phy. therapist 5 days after I got home the ROM was about 90 degree's. So I don't know if it works or not.
I'm glad you found this website early, I didn't until I was about 3 months out. (2 weeks short of 6 months now) Follow the mantra's, they work. I wasn't doing the ice, elevate and nap half as much as I should have been.
Take you medication ON TIME. (And my knee still buckles once in a while.)
It gets better, but for some (me) it's up and down. I've been doing great, but right now it feels like there's a band around my knee. Time to take it easy for a while. Ice, elevate, tylenol and nap.

 

[Jozilla]

Hi Susanne - don't hesitate to call your OS if you are running low on meds. Mine only gave me 7 days of pain meds at a time. I would call after six days to get a new script which he had no problem with and which i did for six weeks. The only issue was that someone had to actually pick up the script in his office. He stressed that he wanted me not to be hero and to take my pain medication. I am very thankful he felt that way as it made it much easier for me to recover. Welcome to bonesmart - it has been such a benefit for me!

 

[kneeper]

Sleeping like the princess and the pea !

Love that image. Too true. Nap when you can. Any sleep you can get will help you heal and also help your mood. Who can be upbeat when sleep deprived? It's normal but nonetheless.
Wishing you and more comfortable days.

 

[Josephine]

Do any of your meds have acetaminophen in them? If not, try adding 1,000mg Tylenol to your regime up to 4times a day. I suggest two of those you take when you go to bed and another two 4 hours later. It might just be enough to make a difference. If any of your drugs do have acetaminophen in them, then subtract what's there from the 1,000mg for that dose and also make sure you don't exceed 4,000mg per 24hrs.

 

[susanne]

Merhlyn I live so close to you. I also teach at lifeline center. Union tpke and Winchester. Small world. I've spent the whole day elevating icing resting and if course threw in a few leg exercises. Like you I also feel like there is a band holding my knee in place. I've been keeping a chart of times to take meds. Trying to do it like in rehab but don't feel the need to get up at 6:00 am just for a pill. Today is my 3 week anniversary. Hoping that the next 2 snowstorms they are predicting is wrong. Need to be outside to breathe in fresh air
Wishing everyone a peaceful nights sleep.

 

[susanne]

. Just wondering. Haven't ventured outside my apt yet but I love the idea of taking a Baggie for ice with you but my question is . And I've asked this question to everybody from the CNAs to the therapist to the nurses. What do you do with your leg. Elevate on chair, let it hang down. What do you do with it????when I sit in my living room I raise a little with ice pack then I can't straighten it out.
Am I doomed for a life staring at the 4 walls like in the old Bette Davis movies,
Suggestions so appreciated. Getting anxiety about having a small family birthday brunch for my moms 98 th birthday next Sunday even have outfit picked out. And since I wasn't given stockings to wear I'm good to go with boots when I had my hip replaced twice I knew to sit in high chair and not break 90 degrees so now I'm a confused mess. Nightmares about all these body parts getting stuck in each other.

 

[icep707]

Patience is a virtue !! By the way I downloaded MED COACH onto my smartphone and a alarm clock. I also purchased a kodiak polar ice therapy machine on ebay. It got to my front door in 4 days. The reason I mention that is because you need to be on medication around the clock , however you will need to get your meds refilled. Im beginning to think you had bigger plans this early on in your recovery. You might want to alter your expectations. Iceing might be needed for months longer depending on your activity level , so I recommend a ice therapy machine. Its not too late and works for hours at a time. Your tibula and femor were severed and soft tissue lacerated and a implant pounded and drilled into place. Recovery is long and sleep is rare at first. please be patient. Light exercise too

 

[icep707]

BTW. Have you read the MANTRAS. Josephine explains the proper way to elevate and ice. Check it out . And pain management.

 

[Bluetechseeker]

@susanne Our frame of mind is about the same right now. I definitely have cabin fever setting in, no doubt. And, I'm only now really starting to understand how long my recovery actually will be. I'm a week ahead of you, just had my month anniversary from BTKR, and absolutely think the last week or so has been the most difficult <sigh...> Maybe because I've seen some lovely improvements here and there, then just get more frustrated for not being further along, I don't know. I've tried explaining my emotional place to hubby, and he just doesn't understand.

We just need to take this a day at a time, and do the best we can that day to be kind to ourselves. Obviously, dusting and cleaning will always be there (heck, I've been looking at my dusty tables all day!!) - but, prioritize making sure you have your meds, don't put yourself in the position of running out. I can't imagine just all of a sudden having nothing, wow. I've progressed to having some deeper aching and random stabbing pains which I notice more in the evening. Taking the Tylenol before bed definitely helps me, I've adjusted my schedule to accommodate that. Just hang in there, try looking a couple of months down the road and imagine just how great you'll feel and the freedom you'll have with your new knee - that's what I'm doing!

 

[DogLoverx3]

I've gone to happy hour twice now with an empty zip lock for the bartenders to fill with ice for me (while I order water - boo). Sometimes I keep my knee down and hold the ice to it, sometimes I put it up on a chair. I usually look like I have a huge case of ants in my pants because I have to change positions a lot. You're the only one that knows what will be most comfortable for you. There's no 'wrong' way to sit when you go to brunch so do whatever is most comfortable and don't be shy in fidgeting a lot. ;) You do want to get up and move around just a bit every hour so your leg won't get too stiff. Also, although I don't need them to walk anymore, I do take either crutches or a cane with me when I go out 'just in case'. Kind of like a security blanket ;-) It took me. Weeks to be brave enough to venture out anywhere other than to the store and I should have done it sooner. A change of scenery will do wonders! Don't forget to take your pain meds with you as well and pay attention to the clock. Short outings will be best to start. You can do it!!

 

[Campervan]

This recovery does have its ups and downs. I remember somebody during my recovery saying "I can see light at the end of the tunnel" and somebody replied "yep, and then a bend appears in it and the light goes away, and next time there's light at the end its a little bit brighter".