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

[RunA42K]

Sorry @mcirish that you've been having a hard time. I think that meeting that PT in the park was meant to be. And wow...he said what I had talked about and I am not even PT trained! It's true that we are in a hurry to gain strength and mobility after surgery but it's true what a lot of people don't realize...it's not just the surgery but everything that the knee has been through up until surgery. My revision was the 4th surgery in 3 years on my right knee. The atrophy that I have now is worse than with my TKR in 2011 (that was my second surgery). So even though I am pretty much pain free it's hard getting strength and ROM back because of everything before my revision. I'm lucky in that for over 3 years I've had the same PT who will not let me over do...saying it's a marathon not a sprint. My insurance lets me have 120 visits per calendar year. I'll be there slow and steady all year long. Today 114 ROM right off the bat, then peddled the stationary bike really well for 15 minutes. Today I was able to do 3 sets of 8 backward lunges both legs holding on to NOTHING! I got the balance back and am slowly gaining strength. Don't beat yourself up...live and learn is right!

 

[mcirish]

@DogLoverx3 the Donjoy is not actually a joy at all, but also not as uncomfortable as it looks. I can wear it under my jeans without a problem. I got it because after I am fully recovered I want to compete in some kind of sport again, maybe training to compete in ultimate fighting ..... or pickleball. One of the two definitely, but probably leaning towards competitive pickleball and I am a regular sized, albeit wiry and dangerous when fueled by Lucky Charms and Guinness. Sorry it is the eve of St. Patrick's Day, tried to post something more serious, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

[mcirish]

@DogLoverx3 I think someone hacked my account last night, some hooligan, not sure what happened there. The Donjoy...https://www.betterbraces.com/donjoy-defiance-iii-custom-knee-brace?zmam=66553244&zmas=1&zmac=2&zmap=DEF CUSTOM BRACE&gclid=CIbh1O_NnL0CFa9cMgodBGYAUA

This is the one I use, except mine is all black....I know typical guy. It takes some getting used to, but it is comfortable. Retails for about $800-1000, but my insurance covered it 100% so no money out of pocket! That is really the only reason I got one, but it does come in handy. I think I will probably wear it if I recover enough to play a sport like tennis again, which I fully expect to happen. Should help prolong the life of my implant since it will reduce the load on it. They are all custom fitted and mine helps stabilize the knee while also unloading my lateral compartment. Light and durable. Love it.

Yea, PT and the therapists are hit and miss it would seem. Hard to find someone who understands AND cares about each patient. With my guys, as time wore on, you could just see that they were as bored and indifferent about the whole thing as I was. Truth be known, I am probably one of the worst home PT guys in the world. I wouldn't call it laziness per se, just overly busy and exhausted! I don't do my home PT as much as I probably should. Riding the recomb. bike is my saving grace.

Sorry about your recovery as well. You are one tough cookie . With all you do and all the responsibilities you have.....and trying to move in a few weeks on top of that!....the brace, the cane, we do what we need to right?

 

[mcirish]

@RunA42K yes, both of us have had quite a go of it. I always find myself feeling like I should not use my surgical hx as an excuse, but it's good to understand the reasons and logic as to why people like you and I have had a lot of bumps in our road to recovery.....120 PT visits per year???? I am buying into the wrong plan! Wow.

Seems like you found a great PT to work with , very nice! Just reading your stuff, you are definitely in "the zone" as far as recovery goes. It really is a lot like running. Just being steady, consistent and in rhythm is what it's all about.

 

[DogLoverx3]

OMG McIrish, I was laughing so hard last night - I just knew you had to have been hacked by someone who was making the most of their heritage (or someone else's) ;-) I did have to look up pickleball though and thought it was a much better idea than ultimate fighting!

Glad you have that brace that you can wear even though it does look highly uncomfortable. One of the OSs I 'interviewed' prior to my TKR wanted to send me to get fitting with a custom brace, but I was afraid that if I got one, insurance would then make me wait X amount of time before they would approve a TKR surgery and I needed to have it before the end of last year as my out-of-pockets had already been reached. Kinda wish I'd gotten one now as I think that's a brilliant idea to wear it when you're doing impact sports or playing tennis (like you're not supposed to ).

Indifference is the perfect description of what's going on with my PT (and me, to be honest at this point). I'm like you in the respects of doing at home PT. I ride my recumbent bike, but that's about it. Aside from living my hectic life, I only do my 'proper' exercises at PT. But yes, you're right, we both do what we need to do in order to just move on and get on with things.

Thanks for the entertainment last night!

 

[RedRider]

Howdy mcirish, how are things up the 5? So is that an unloader brace? I didn't see the typical cross-strap (at least on my tiny phone screen). I got one the same way, free via insurance and it definitely works. I guess my concern is loading undue stress onto the good side of the knee. Whatever works for ya though. I put mine on recently after a couple years and was ASTONISHED at how much smaller my leg had gotten since the last time I wore it. Pretty disheartening.
Nevertheless, great to hear your progress. Keep on keepin on, life a garden dig it?? (My Joe Dirt quote for the day).

 

[mcirish]

@RedRider like the Joe Dirt reference lol. What happened to David Spade? I guess he only appears in Adam Sandler movies now? Kind of like Rob Schneider? No, the Donjoy I have is an athletic brace, but I was told by my OS that it can be used as both. The right side of my knee is asymptomatic, but I guess that can change, depending on activity, etc. I just want the PKR to get me through the next 15-20 if possible. Maybe the brace can help. Congrats on your pending nuptuals my friend. Keep me in the loop if and when you pull the trigger on your surgery.

 

[RunA42K]

@RunA42K yes, both of us have had quite a go of it. I always find myself feeling like I should not use my surgical hx as an excuse, but it's good to understand the reasons and logic as to why people like you and I have had a lot of bumps in our road to recovery.....120 PT visits per year???? I am buying into the wrong plan! Wow.

Seems like you found a great PT to work with , very nice! Just reading your stuff, you are definitely in "the zone" as far as recovery goes. It really is a lot like running. Just being steady, consistent and in rhythm is what it's all about.

Yes @mcirish we do have a lot in common, athleticism and lots of surgeries! I know I'll get to where I want to be, I refuse to believe anything else. Yes, I've got a wonderful Physical Therapist. I've been seeing him since Thanksgiving 2010, till now...all 4 surgeries. We are like a family now. It's his own business, sports medicine and sports performance training he is also a Chiropractor and acupuncturist too so I can get it all if I need it! And yes...120 visits a year, I've never been able to use them up in one year. When I meet my deductible (and I have) he does not even charge me a co-pay, just takes what insurance pays him. It's smart, because if I had to pay $100 a week in co-pays I would not go as long and as often as I do. Each time I go I am there for 3 hours at a time give or take a few minutes. It's not by the clock, it's by what work/exercises I need to do. When I am done with Physical Therapy I work with the trainers doing upper body and core, and will add cardio (elliptical/bike/treadmill) to that once I am able. They don't charge me a thing for working out any time I want to. Physical Therapy day or non Physical Therapy day, they tell me to come anytime...so I do! I am very lucky to have found such a good place with wonderful people. If was an OS who told me about this place, saying he knew I would be happier in a sports minded facility instead of traditional Physical Therapy. He sure was right, with losing my running life, I got a new one in strength training!

 

[mcirish]

......... @RunA42K this was org. posted on icep707 thread...... more learning. I was always told by the PT that the ache and pain I was feeling after activity was soft tissue and I am sure some of it is, but even today, after almost a week of just taken it easy, I had the achy pulsing pain today. So I google "knee replacement how long am i going to have this damn pain!" (12 weeks post op tomorrow) and stumbled on this website:broken link removed: https://www.ccmhonline.com/orthopedics/total-knee-replacement

The enemy now has a name. Bony. Stress. Pain.....click on the link, go to the middle of the page right by the x-ray pic. I read that and it answered the question that has bugged me since I got home from the hospital. Much of the throbbing pain we have from our little ODIC adventures is in the bone. From the remodeling.....well, and from us overdoing it with our activity levels. Read it and relax, I just did. I was always paranoid that I was doing something wrong or that something bad was happening in there, but it is just part of the normal healing process and I could still be feeling it at diminishing levels for up to 3-6 months post op. (the time it takes for the bones to remodel).

Of course even if we still follow protocol, we are all going to over do it at times, but at least now I/we know what is probably going on after these little post-ODIC episodes when we have our knees barking at us

 

[RedRider]

Makes sense. Perfect sense if you consider it a regeneration akin to a broken leg. Interesting to see the two factors are "quality of the bone and stress across the joint". You wouldn't initially think those two factors could cause so much variability in recovery across the board so it's interesting indeed. I'd love to see a study that digs further into that correlation: an analysis of recovery time compared with those factors.
Good find mcirish, new and informative reads are always enjoyable.

 

[kneeper]

That's good info. I know Bonesmart's page on "how long does healing take" talks about some of the time for things to heal including bone, but this is a good explanation of what's going on as far as pain with the bone healing. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jamie]

I agree.....interesting read. Tagging @Josephine to see it as well. Thanks for the post.

 

[mcirish]

Glad something I posted might help some of the other members. When I read the description of the pain and the delayed response it was like aha! It really helped put my mind at ease about the pain I was feeling and knowing it wasn't indicating some kind of long-term damage. Would be interesting to know why there is a delayed response to the pain.

 

[mcirish]

Should be working, but I'm postin' instead.....just a brief pause in my world of being overworked, underpaid and chronically fatigued! But this is the "new normal" right? lol

Anyway, good workout at the gym last night. This has become my PT since I am currently out of Healthnet pt tokens. recomb. bike 30 mins L8! Leg press 2 x 15 @40 lbs. 1 x 5 @60....I know, damn ODIC told me to move it up to 60 lbs., but I managed to control myself and just test the knee at 60 w/5 reps. Light ab & adduction and finally chest and upper/lower back! My energy level is definitely returning. In prior weeks I could not even think of doing some upper body work with my lower.

I noticed that the soreness is different as well, if that makes any sense. To try and clarify, now when I work out I am able to work with heavier amounts of weight, more reps and more exercises without a serious backlash from the dreaded "bony stress pain". It's still there, but in diminishing amounts. My biggest problem now is that the "bony" pain has been overtaken by muscle fatigue/failure and then muscle soreness....which means my knee is starting to give me back at least some control over what's going on! I can actually start to sustain my gains in strength and mass in the leg muscles in a significant way. Still woke up pretty sore this morning, but it wasn't bad and I did not have to put on my Donjoy to unload the sore joint compartment. Really pleased about this since this time last week I was very frustrated about how slow things were progressing. I just have to keep things in perspective and not try anything dumb like shooting baskets or jogging....I might try a short hike or something though. The weather is amazing today.

@RickSt Okay, really quick before I forget, sad story of my friend Jeff Gershon. I started out in commercial real estate with him and managed to find this old article on him. https://www.airea.com/AIRWAVES/airwaves20070719.htm
About halfway down the page. What the article doesn't say was that his blood infection was later connected to a dental surgery he had about a week before he became ill. Prior to falling ill, this guy looked like a NFL safety, in fact we used to call him "Ox". He wasn't the tallest guy (5'9"), but he was built like a brick you-know-what. In terrific shape muscle on muscle, weighed probably 210 lbs.....by the time he died he had been in a coma for 2 weeks and his kidneys and other organs had completely shut down and his weight had dropped to 140 lbs.....now this kind of thing is rare and probably will never happen to any of us, but just something to consider if you are facing the need for any kind of dental surgery.......

 

[Josephine]

Patients who try to do too much activity too quickly are also at a greater risk.

I think I heard this somewhere before .....

What the article doesn't say was that his blood infection was later connected to a dental surgery he had about a week before he became ill.

That was posted in 2007. In those days there were many myths and suppositions about peri-prosthetic infections and little or no substantive evidence to support any of it. We now know better that these infections are not blood born from other infections much less dental surgery. Quite simply, this was the myth of the time. It was just a very sad coincidence.

 

[mcirish]

@Josephine I think we are talking about two different things. I don't know about joint infections, but my friend died from an bacteria infection that got into his blood and went septic. Unfortunately they discovered it too late and it got out of control. There was a lawsuit later and it was traced back to the dental office. I think we are talking about different things. I think most dentist still prescribe prophylactic antibiotics for the more extensive oral surgeries anyway so that's what I was concerned about.

 

[DogLoverx3]

I'm sorry to read about your friend. What a horribly sudden and cruel way to go.

L8 on the recumbent bike?! That's awesome! I'm still at level 1 or 2. I do leg presses at 75lbs (using both legs, not just one), but aside from that, I'm a big ole whimp on anything else. Glad to hear your stamina is coming back and you're feeling more positive about your progress! Do me a favor though and hold off a bit longer before trying to take on ultimate fighting, K?

 

[mcirish]

@DogLoverx3 whatever you say doll...Seriously though I will try to keep things under control. One guy at PT who had a TKR was 12 months post op and he confessed to me that he had went jogging! I said "you're a bad boy Jim" when I was thinking "you crazy #@$&#@! Are you trying to & $# up your knee?.... that's my mentality so you don't have to worry about me. I need to find some outlet though. One where I can really just empty myself out. I used to love playing basketball until I was completely exhausted. I mean until felt like I was ready to drop. Something so cleansing about it. Not sure if I will ever find a replacement.

How did your day go? Gonna drop by your thread later and check in on you. Really sleepy right now though. Really jealous about the jacuzzi action too btw. I may need to raid someone's hot tub soon. I think it would feel great to run a jet on my knee right about now with a little cocktail..... for medicinal purposes of course .

 

[DogLoverx3]

Good morning sunshine! Uhm, pardon me for saying so, but what a complete moron that guy at PT is who admitted to going jogging on his new knee! I think that's line #1 on 'what not to do'. When I finally get my knee to where it makes me happy, I'm going to treat it like a Fabrage Egg. Thinking of getting it it's own hermetically sealed and cushioned protective box to live in. I NEVER want to have to go thru this again (although I fear that I will).

Hmmm, you're going to have to work on finding another sport/activity to do that you can exhaust yourself at that won't endanger your precious knee. Bowling? Curling? Competitive Thumb Wrestling? You may need to settle for just wearing yourself out at the gym until something hits you. What about water polo? I know, that sounds totally lame (such cute head-gear) and it's not like you could find a pick-up game whenever, but I'm sure there's some sort of league around your area and that's supposed to be one tough sport!

Thanks for asking about my day yesterday (by the way, although it's been since high school since you've been called 'doll', I don't think anyone has ever called me that, so thank you ). Unfortunately it didn't go so well. Although my client was happy, my knee was not and let me down big time. Gave out much sooner than I had hoped/expected. I came home very discouraged and frustrated and decided to go apply a margarita from a Mexican place down the street to it (medicinal purposes only, of course).

Hope you have a terrific Sunday!

 

[mcirish]

@DogLoverx3 Sorry to hear you still struggling at work with knee pain. Does take a while before it starts to hurt? Have you noticed any improvement at all the last few weeks? My Sunday is not going that well. Woke up this morning feeling groggy with a sore throat. Seems like I caught whatever my daughter had :(

This Tuesday I have a big test for my knee. My first conference of the year. These are usually 14 hour days with several hours of standing. I will probably bring the Donjoy just in case I start hurting really bad. It will be interesting to see how much it will hurt me compared to before the surgery. Anyway having a down day. Guess it was time for me to shut it down for a couple days. No margaritas or Jacuzzis in my immediate future lol.