PKR I'm Here.... PKR left lateral complete!

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Great to hear mcirish.
Soon you'll be teaching that little one the flying squirrel wrestling move with all of its flips.
:thumb:
@1ELISEA I would not put it past her lol....and if you need a girl to swing an "axe" in your all-girl band, she's got that covered too!
[Bonesmart.org] I'm Here.... PKR left lateral complete!
 
Hiya McIrish! Yes, the mantra truly is the key to success. Unfortunately sounds like you and I were/are kinda in the same boat which has prevented us from following it as we should (and, i'm quite certain, wished we had). You were back working at 12 days and I catered a wedding at 13. I've had to work pretty consistently since then (factor of being single and self employed) so not much down time. With you working and your family I'm positive you're doing more than you 'should' as well. ;-) I think as the time progresses, it absolutely is a bigger mental struggle trying to figure out all the whys and why nots of why our knees still hurt and trying to balance that with wanting to get stronger/better, but not wanting to be in pain all the time. (did any of that last sentence make sense?)

I am faced with wunderkind tkr patients at PT all the time. One had surgery the same day as me and basically walked in, free as a bird, with no limp and an amazing bend at just 3 weeks and then proceeded to improve from there. He always saw how discouraged I got being so behind so one day when we were talking he explained that he literally did nothing all day aside from rest, nap and ice until it was time to come to PT. You and I have not been afforded that chance and even though, to us, it seems like we're not doing much, compared to others we are. My entire 'graduating class' of TKR patients who had surgery the week of or prior to mine are long gone from PT, yet I still continue..... We will absolutely beat this recovery and get to where we want to be, it's just going to take a bit longer than either of us would like, I fear.

As for withdrawals, I never took Norco (that's vicodin, right?). I took 5mg oxycodone, 1 or 2, every 4-6 hours until I was able to gradually step down to Tramadol. No withdrawals, thank goodness. I've never taken heavy pain killers before as they've always made me sick, so I was actually surprised that I could take the oxy for as long as I did (I also took Zofran though to counterbalance it). Oh, and like you, I was driving much earlier than I wish I needed to.

Geesh, this was long winded. Sorry. I've followed your thread since the start and think that you're doing great! With the pup vs curb incident, the 35lb flying walenza move into your knee and all else that you're doing and accomplishing at just 2 months, it's pretty darn impressive. I know you're not where you want to be, but you'll get there! Keep up the great work!!!
 
she's got that covered
Oh My Gosh she is adorable and such a cutey!

And so serious; looks like she is writing the lyrics and music in her head.

Maybe another Adelle and she'll put out a CD each year with a title that corresponds with her age,.... 48 months and counting...... a high five.......
 
@mcirish Re minor league ball--time was we went to as many minors games as we could, when we lived close enough to a team--A ball, Sally league, some double A, triple A rarely, even an independent league out west--the sub-minors. My everyday ball cap is a genuine Durham Bulls cap, my Sunday go to meeting cap (seriously, I wear it to church) is from the Charlotte Knights! Tragically, I've lost my Chatanooga Lookouts and Toledo Mud Hens caps.....

Unfortunately now the closest teams are 80 miles or more away, just too darn far. I dunno that I'd rather watch minors as majors, though. There is a huge gap even between triple A and the bigs--maybe like the difference between Irish step dancing and ballet---I couldnt do either, could enjoy watching both, but one will take my breath away and the other wont. A big league game is one superhuman feat after another, sheer poetry.

Re your little rock star--I well remember just how cute a four year old is--now I have a step-grand who just turned four--note to self, go visit grandsons and their parents as soon as baseball starts up so I can catch another Knights game....they'll be playing Tball soon!
 
@DogLoverx3 catering a wedding @ 13 days! Yikes! That is really pushing it. Not sure how you pulled that one off. At least I got to sit down all day. Yes, the thrills of the self-employed. The company I contract with offered me a permanent position and I am thinking about accepting it. I would take a slight pay cut, but receive full benefits of course. I don't think much else would change. I have been self-employed for the last 14 years. It's been a mixed bag especially in this soft job market. Even if I chose to go the W4 route I am still going to pursue some entrepreneurial interests I have as my schedule allows. I really don't like working for someone else, but at the end of the day we all do, even as independent contractors.

The "whys and why nots"...makes total sense. 9 weeks out yesterday and I think I finally broke through the problem I was having with my quads. I can just FEEL it. Just in the last 2 days, I have reached the point where my leg/knee (and my body as a whole) is starting to feel good enough where I kind of stopped worrying about how I am doing.

The swelling is decreasing even more rapidly now and I don't feel that weird fatigued/sick feeling in my quads any more. I am starting to really be able to torque on the knee a little. I can squat down maybe 60-70 degrees and really put a good amount of my weight on lefty and push up and extend. The way the knee cap tracks now still feels funny and aches a bit when I flex my leg back and forth, but it no longer gives me that sharp/stabbing pain I was feeling. All of this really helps me keep the gains in my leg strength and I am finally getting some positive momentum.

I think a lot of my difficulties had to do with the tissue swelling in the joint which was causing a lot of discomfort every time I would try and lock my leg straight. Feels much better now....I think the meds/narcs were doing a number on me too. They can really kill a persons drive and attitude. I am down to taking Advil or Tylenol once or maybe twice a day now.

Thank you for taking the time to craft such a great post. I really appreciate your support. New picture btw. Nice smile!:)
 
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[Bonesmart.org] I'm Here.... PKR left lateral complete!
Yep, @mcirish, these are the secret of recovery. So with continued TIME & PATIENCE, you will reach that point where you actually forget about that knee. You're doing great, so keep up the good work and keep us posted. We care.
 
Just bumping it back up. 10 weeks post op today. Still struggling with the balance between doing too little and too much. Trying to find the just right "baby bear" zone. Really pushing it at PT so tending to be more on the "too hot" side as my last few PT sessions have resulted in some pretty good swelling and soreness. It's always short lived though and under control. One thing I am not sure I am comfortable with is they had me do knee extensions last time, which I have read can put a lot of stress on the joint. I tried it anyway and did not feel any pain as we only used 10 lbs. Actually, felt good in a way. Also doing leg curls, reverse lunges, leg press, all the normal stuff. Big milestone yesterday. Was able to go DOWN stairs without the holding the rail. Definitely not perfect, kind of more or less hobbled down, but I can tell that the quads are coming back and firing.

Hope everyone is doing great! Been very busy at work and with the fam damily. Will try and check in on my usual suspects this weekend.:)
 
Hey sir , sounds like you are doing well, 10 weeks already . That went super fast . Monday will be 4 weeks for me . You are doing so well . Just take your time , dont force too much. You are fortunate you have a office job . I suppose its less wear and tear on your body . I will certainly be phased back into work after 12 weeks . My company is pretty cool about that kind of stuff. Enjoy the weekend . The weather should be great . Well my friend , best wishes.
 
Awesome on the going down stairs without holding on!!! I can go down too, but am afraid not to hold on. Now, going UP the stairs is still less than pretty. 10lb for extension weights sounds like a lot. Careful not to overdo on your hamstrings. I had/have issues with my extension so work on it a lot and find that there's nothing like a good ice pack to the back of the knee afterwards.

I actually took this week off from PT. Was sort of hoping that my knee swelling would diminish due to the lack of it, but alas, it's still there. Boo. I was sort of worried about a potential setback from not doing PT, but I walk around so much as it is and have been riding my recumbent bike at home that I'm still good in that regard.

Yeah, a wedding at 13 days. Not my finest moment. I had booked it well in advance and that's just how the timing fell with my surgery. I had twice as much staff as I usually do to cover my slack and only lasted 5 hours before calling a friend in tears to please come get me and take me home. Wow, tough call on giving up your freelance/consulting for a permanent position, but gosh, after 15 years of being self employed, the security of that sounds REALLY good right now. When do you need to decide by? Would probably give you more time to spend with the family and alleviate that not-so-awesome fear that your phone may never ring again with another job. ;-)

Keep up the great work McIrish! You're doing so well and I love that you're remaining so positive!!!
 
@icep707 yea the time is flying for both of us. I definitely need to exhibit more patience. The silly PTs keep pushing though and it feeds the ODIC lol. I had some pretty good swelling Friday and Saturday along with some mild knee pain, but I took Sat/Sun. off and everything is pretty much back to status quo. Nice for you to have 12 weeks off, but then again, with a job like yours where you are on your feet all day, the clock is definitely ticking. You seem like you will do well in PT and if everything stays on track you shouldn't have a lot of problems going back to work.
 
@DogLoverx3 it is tough staying positive. I mentioned before that this recovery reminds me of my first ACL procedure back in the dark ages. Just the amount of time needed, the small gains, persistent discomfort and pain.....really tests me. Also, just the unknown wears on me. The pain will hopefully completely subside, but I have heard that in some cases it may never fully go away. Hopefully not the case with me, but if I have some pain permanently I have to accept it.

The change to being a regular employee is approved and in process. I am just waiting to receive the paperwork. I am so busy right now with other things in my life, it is really a blessing actually.

The swelling problem....do you use a knee sleeve or compression bandage? I use one religiously. Does a great job of keeping the swelling under control and shortens the episodes, at least for me.
 
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Hey mcirish, Hope all is well , you have been off the grid for awhile. I dont blame you . Time to test your wings . I went to therapy and had a different therapist . Not nearly as gentle. I mean the other therapist was too gentle . I hadnt done anything in 3-4 days in order to get my swelling down , you know the odic. This guy was tough. Thats all I say . My flexion went from , believe it or not 50 last week to 80 this week , I was relieved. Wont exhale till I get to 90 though. Than to 130. 4 weeks today , time does fly by . You have done very well. I so glad , I laugh thinking back to your pre op post when you ticked everyone off LOL ! Remember ??? Seems like yesterday . Weather is gonna be great this week . I lost almost 20lbs and alot of muscle. I need to get back into shape but will wait 4 more weeks till I hit the gym . I hope your job is treating you right, did you ever take that other job ??? Later BUD !!
 
Hey mcirish, it sounds like things have been real testing for you lately. Put your hard-hat on and keep workin though, it'll be another few months down the road and you'll have a whole new perspective on things.
Hey how's the patella situation? That seemed to be the difficult area of your recovery, just wondering how PT has affected things. I'm certain now that my procedure will involve some patellar work too, along with the PKR. That's fine with me as long at the long-term outlook is optimal.
 
Great to hear from you @mcirish ! I was just wondering how you were doing! Congrats on becoming an 'employee' again! I'm jealous! Built in benefits, ability to leave the job behind (somewhat) when you're 'off the clock', the stability and all else sound wonderful and I'm so happy for you!

You have a wonderful attitude about this recovery. I am not as lucky. I don't want chronic pain or swelling. I don't want to be patient. I want it all to be better now. :wink: I don't wear a compression sleeve. My PT told me not to wear one that doesn't have a hole in it for my knee-cap and when I wear one of my old ones that does, it just sort of pushes the swelling into that hole so my knee looks like a unicorn for hours after I take it off. I've tried wrapping it, but can never get the tightness right. It either slips down, or squishes the cr*p out of my knee. I even considered, for about a millisecond, wearing my horrid TED thingie that I still have from when I took it off at week 2, but the thought of that under jeans *gasp* doesn't excite me.

Eeek, looks like I'm having one of my pissy days. Sorry about that. Although I do wish your recovery was recovering faster and easier, it is nice to know that it's not just me. Thanks for the time you take to reply! I hope your week is off to a great start!
 
Great progress!
 
@icep707 The flexion will come bud. I think my PT said 135 is the minimum acceptable goal (I'm at 138ish...), but I would love to have more. We'll see. Yea, I remember being kind of jerky, really jerky actually, especially to Ma Bear Jo, who I really just adore now. I understand her completely, whereas I did not before...she good....live and learn a bunch. We are all here to support each other....muscle tone....yeeeshh. I was at the Chick's Sporting Good last week and I picked up a softball bat just to mess around....thing felt like it weighted 20 lbs.! Just pathetic how weak I've gotten. I have been so focused on my leg that my upper bod is just wimpy right now, but it's not like I have energy to do anything about it. Between my knee, work and my daughter I am just wiped out every night! Been slowly working in an upper body regimen at the gym. Amazing how much of your ODIC gets sucked up by the little ol' knee lol.
 
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@RedRider Been wearing the hardhat, but needed to drop it for the weekend. My knee was BARKING at me Friday night....going to hit the gym tonight....patellar is feeling better slowly but surely. The ever increasing quad strength is helping with that. I def. did over do it last week though, although I can tell that the knee is taking the increased activity better and better each week. Las Vegas sees so far away....unfortunately.:):sad:
 
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Note to self or anyone else. 10-11 weeks post-op PKR, one-legged squats....not recommended. Tried some last night with my work out, body weight only of course, total flex about 40-50 degrees. Managed to do 5. Lil' bit sore today :(
 
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Last Friday (11 weeks post op) was the 12th PT session and the max allowed by good old Healthnet. Can reapply for more just in case I need it. I have my 3 month post op appt on 3/20.

Thinking about taking a break from PT anyway. The last 2 sessions, they really worked me hard and the appointment I had last Friday left me feeling VERY sore....in fact, still sore from it today which concerns me. I didn't have any pain to speak of during the session, mostly just muscle fatigue and soreness, but since the day after the session I have had a dull ache 3-4, with some 5-6 spikes on the pain scale with weight-bearing. I know this is a no-brainer decision to take it easy, but it hasn't hurt me like this in a while. It has actually gotten better over the weekend, but I can still feel that dull toothache pain "pulse" every now and again, even if I am sitting down. I have taken to wearing my Donjoy brace again just to "unload" the lateral compartment to get some relief.

Sort of mad at myself for letting the PTs influence me, to push myself so much. I was actually out at one of the local parks this weekend with my daughter and just by chance met a guy who is a physical therapist by profession. Really knowledgeable guy. When I gave him my hx he told me I am right where I should be, not to push it and gave me some exercises to help with the quads. He also said that a big contributing factor to my complications was the number of surgeries I have had on my knee (7). (@RunA42K wanted to tag you on this since you gave me the info on @DogLoverx3 thread)

Aside from the number of times the quads have been atrophied/have been put through rehab, the number of surgeries also has some affect on the nerves and how effectively they can regenerate. This factor along with the lateral release, menisectomy and patelloplasty that was performed along with the PKR was what was hindering me from achieving "terminal extension" or being able to actively extend my leg that last little range from 5 to 0 degrees.

What can I do about it besides being patient and keeping up with my exercises? Absolutely nothing aside from NOT PUSHING IT TOO MUCH. Exactly the opposite stance from what the other PTs. This PT I met at the park was also from Kaiser (yep, surprised me as well given all the stories I have heard) so he did not have anything to gain by telling me all this, just seemed like a good guy. He also felt that this type of knowledge is/should be pretty basic stuff that practicing PTs should know if they have had proper education and training.

Live and learn I guess. I will have to see how long this deal will set me back since I am still having a bit of pain 3 days after the last session. Thanks for letting me vent, whoever is reading this. Don't let the PTs push you around! Hope to have a more positive update next time I post. Hope everyone's recoveries are going well. Been super busy without much time to check in with y'all.
 
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I had to look up what a DonJoy knee brace was. That's a very high tech looking monster contraption. Is it comfortable to wear?

I swear, we're having mirror rehabs McIrish. Found out Friday at PT that the pain that I had been complaining about to my PT for over a week (who just kinda nodded his head and wrote it down) before he put my through my usual paces, is Patellar Tendonitis. Another PT there caught it because while I was doing my same exercises as always, I was grimacing during certain simple ones (just like I did the week prior) and came over and asked me where it hurt and watched me try another exercise. Uhm, okay, so the PT that I've been doing religiously in order to keep me on track and help my recovery along is what's caused this? And even if it didn't cause it, they didn't identify it when I brought it up and most likely made it worse with the continued exercises. Not happy. I went out and bought one of those patella straps and it seems to help a bit, but my pains were/are like yours. Achey and sore even when sitting with really sharp pains when standing from a sitting position or when I place my foot oddly. It's hurt to walk and I have taken to using my cane again. :-(

I'm sorry you're having pain and wearing a knee brace again. Isn't that why we did this? So we wouldn't have to wear our knee braces anymore? You are more than welcome to vent as much as you need/want to. That is what we're all here for. We know how frustratingly slow this process is and how aggravating it is when the things we do to try to insure a better recovery ends up making it worse. :-(

I had heard with each knee surgery it takes longer to recover. I'm sorry for that. I am hoping that you start to feel better very soon and I agree with your decision to ditch PT. I think tomorrow will be my last one as well. I'm honestly only going because I want them to use the ultrasound thingie on my knee and also the stim .....

Hope work is going well!!
 
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