TKR Irish471's Recovery Thread

[Irish471]

16 weeks (4 months) post op!!!

We went out of town last week. It was my first plane trip (San Francisco --> Minneapolis). I thought for sure there would be some kind of special pat down going through security, but they millimeter wave screening machine didn't detect a thing! I don't know whether to be happy about that or not, quite honestly. One the way home, we went through a line where they wanted me to pass through a metal detector and I informed TSA that I had a knee replacement so they had me go through the millimeter wave screener again. I should have done the metal detector just for fun

The knee did pretty well, over all. Some slight swelling from the flight, but not too bad. I made sure to do lots of heel pumps and generally moved my legs around as much as I could. There weren't many opportunities to get up and walk since the flight was just 3 hours. The guy sitting next to me probably thought I had ants in my pants.

My stepsons all drive pickup trucks and somehow, I managed to get into and out of them once I got over the anxiety and panic of how I was going to manage it! Thank goodness for running boards and those grab bars. That's all I have to say!

I brought my ice pack in my checked luggage and iced during my trip. We even took the little grandsons to the zoo one day. There were quite a few inclines going through the exhibits...not big, but enough to have me limping after 3 hours time. By the time we returned home after a 30 minute car ride, I was good. The tell-tale sign I consistently get when I've overdone it is pain in the back of the knee. Then the stiffness sets in. I really hope my level of endurance will improve so that eventually, that won't happen at all. Is that wishful thinking or is it something that I'll always have to deal with? I have to say that the back of the knee issues have been my nemesis.

I haven't been to PT for 2 weeks now, due to my vacation. It'll be very interesting to see if my ROM has improved! It feels like extension is a bit better? I am just about ready to call it quits on PT, I think. The surgeon told me I should continue to go until I feel like I am no longer making progress and I think I am at that point. We seem to do the same exercises over and over and it's nothing I can't do on my own. If my ROM has improved since my last session, I think it's safe to say that I'll be able to continue to make small improvements on my own. I'll update you all on how it goes

 

[eelainea65]

The guy sitting next to me probably thought I had ants in my pants.

Good one, Janet! =P

Congrats on your 16 wks! (10 wks for me)
I noticed you were wearing jeans. I can’t do that yet, even w/ my small weight loss. Having that material snug at my swollen knee... {shudder} But, boy, are you looking pretty! Happy you enjoyed your vacay and that it went without incident. =D

Elaine

P.S. If you’re done with your PT fella could you send him over to me w/ that TENS unit?! Ruckin’ shmuckin’ inflammation... >_>

 

[eelainea65]

On Monday, we decided to do a little shopping. It’s so funny how you find such a mixture of people when venturing out in public. You have the kind, considerate people who will hold the door open for you or patiently wait while you hobble on by and then you have the clueless and careless people that don’t look where they are walking or seem to get the fact that they are just plain rude.

NAILED IT!!!

I came back to earlier in your thread to look at where you were at 10 wks since I am today. Comparing is a slippery slope, but I often find myself asking, “Is this normal?!“ Upon reading, I was reassured that you sometimes still felt the need for pain relief. However, unlike you at this stage, I am experiencing a great deal of swelling and my knee is definitely not happy when I wake up. I am the tin man and, though the bathroom calls, I don’t look forward to putting weight on it as I get out of bed. The first few steps are horribly awkward and painful. I have to hold onto something to steady myself. I return from the restroom somewhat acclimated and unaided, but hobbling like a wino. >_<

 

[Irish471]

@eelainea65 , aren't you sweet! It took me a while to be able to wear jeans. I went back to work at 7 weeks, so that's when I forced myself to wear them. I much preferred the soft cotton pants and my PJs, but I couldn't quite get away with that in the office

Are you taking anything for the inflammation? I was on meloxicam for quite a while. I think it really helped! I am hoping that one of these days, it's just going to fall into place and you're going to wake up realizing that you've turned the corner

 

[Irish471]

Well, I haven't quite graduated from the PT yet, BUT I am going to cut back to just weekly check-ins. We talked about what goals I still wanted to work on and it's just down to one...descending the stairs at home! It will require more quad strength so that will be the focus from here on out.

AND....Bonesmarties will love this piece of news!!! I had an inkling that I had made progress on my own (just doing normal stuff) in the last 2 weeks w/o PT and low and behold....I am at 116 on flexion. I gained 3 degrees in 2 weeks. Extension is still +2.

 

[FCBayern]

@Irish471 Glad to hear you are doing well. It's so nice to be able to vacation and actually do thing without hurting the wI find that I can do more all the time but can still over do it. Spent last Saturday traipsing around Home Depot, Loews, etc. as we are redoing a couple of bedrooms. Walked over 10,00 steps with lots of standing. Sunday I had to break out the ice machine for the first time in quite a while.

 

[kneeper]

Good progress report!

 

[eelainea65]

No Meloxicam, Voltaren, Naproxen, Ibuprofen, etc. I’ve sworn off NSAIDS. Family history of kidney disease.
TY, I’d love everything to “fall into place.” The inflammation and resulting discomfort are maddening.

 

[Irish471]

@FCBayern , thanks! That's so funny you mentioned the ice machine. I just packed mine up this weekend

 

[Benay]

Today I'm icing. No idea why but swollen. Trying to have a do nothing day.

 

[Irish471]

Having a bit of insomnia. Yawn! Wide awake and it's 3:00 a.m. So what do I do? Go to Bonesmart and check in, of course

Not too much is new with the knee. Some swelling has gone away because I can finally recognize my kneecap. I am still stretching the calves out every day. If I skip the stretching, things are off with the extension. Still going to PT once/week. He asked me if I am still working on flexion at home and I told him not really, because when I do, I really irritate the back of the knee. When I just go about my day, things feel fine and normal for the most part. I think he really wants that magic 120 number, but I don't know if that's going to happen. At least not for a while. I really wish I knew what my flexion was before surgery. Oh, well! It is what it is.

I wore a pair of sandals this week with a small heel on them. It was a little weird at first but after a while, I got better at it It definitely worked out some muscles that aren't activated when you wear flats every day. I really want to wears shorts, but my scar is still purplelish. I am a little self conscious about it. Still trying to wrap my mind around descending the stairs. It will happen eventually. I am still experiencing stiffness after sitting for a period of time. I have to wait about 15-30 seconds before I can start walking. Same thing when getting up in the morning.

Hope everyone is healing well and making progress. Slow and steady wins the race

 

[eelainea65]

“I am still experiencing stiffness after sitting for a period of time. I have to wait about 15-30 seconds before I can start walking. Same thing when getting up in the morning.”

Isn’t that insane?! And heaven forbid you need to go to the bathroom pronto, ‘cause it just ain’t happening! =| I keep waiting for the day when that startling, albeit fleet, feeling of incapacity when I get up is behind me. Aside from persistent discomfort, it’s also a big reason I’m hesitant to return to work just yet. I drive long distances to pick up medical specimens and don’t wish a client to catch me hobbling. O_o

How very fortunate you work at a family business. Hopefully they are patient and understanding and cognizant of the length of recovery.

No heel whatsoever for me. No need for a twisted ankle on top of everything else! =‘D

Hope you got caught up on your Zzzz.

Elaine ^_-

 

[Benay]

My PT told me to slide feet backwards and forwards before getting up to start walking it really helped.

 

[Ladyala]

@Benay that's great advice, I hobble my first few steps after driving anywhere & I think that will help. If I remember to do it lol!!

 

[Benay]

It worked for me! Now I don't need to, but the time I did is still vivid.

 

[Irish471]

@Benay , good advice! I will try that tomorrow at work.
@eelainea65 , I actually work for a very large company but I have been with my boss for 17 years and he is super understanding, thank God! Being able to work from home was a huge help! I am still praying for you to turn the corner soon Oh and I did take a two hour nap today. It was heavenly!

 

[Irish471]

Hi Bonesmarties!
It’s been a while. I am at 7 months now. Woohoo!!! Things with the knee are going great I am doing the stairs just fine now. My tolerance for standing is good and I hardly ever think about the knee at all. I am actually considering an attempt at my favorite activity... hiking Nothing too rigourous. More of a long walk with a gradual incline.

I actually had to have surgery for a different issue last week. About a month ago on a Monday, I kind of felt like I had a bladder infection, so I stopped into an urgent care clinic and sure enough, there was blood in the urine. A couple days later, they called and said the culture was negative. Huh?!? How could that be? I decided there must be some kind of screw up with the lab and I continued on with the antibiotics.

I left for a weekend trip and was feeling better. But by Monday, I felt that something was really wrong. Upset stomach and pretty strong pain. My friend took me into the ER and they did a ct scan which showed a kidney stone. I have had them before, so I wasn’t surprised. They gave me pain meds so I could make the trip back home and told me to follow up with a urologist when I returned home.

On Wednesday, I ended up back in the ER, this time at home. They did an ultrasound and saw that the stone was obstructing the ureter and everything was backing up in the kidney. They gave me something to help dilate things so the stone could hopefully keep moving and more pain pills and sent me home.

Friday night, I couldn’t stand it anymore and we went back to the ER. And guess what? They sent me home with pain meds. I was at the end of my rope here. I managed to make it through the weekend and on Monday, I got an appointment to see a urologist. He took a look at all the various tests and said yeah, you’re not going to be able to pass this stone. It was 8mm and I had another one hising out in the kidney that was 11mm. So on Friday, they did an ureteroscopy laser lithotripsy to break apart and retrieve these stones.

I was super worried about getting an infection so I insisted upon being put on antibiotics. I am still a bit tender and sore, but otherwise doing good, thankfully.

 

[LindaO]

Glad to hear your knee is better but what a journey with the kidney stones! So glad you persisted! Just hate your problem wasn’t resolved sooner! Hang in there! Sounds like you are finally on the mend!

 

[Irish471]

Hi everyone! I am coming up on almost one year. I have had a difficult year, but mostly due to other health issues. I am currently recovering from parathyroid surgery.

After my October kidney stone surgery, I just felt like there was something else going on. I had days where I felt okay and days where I was so incredibly fatigued. I was nauseated at times, thirsty, and I felt like no matter how much I stretched, my muscles were always tight and sore. I felt like moving around hurt and it was a struggle to get going every morning. The scariest symptom was the inability to concentrate and the memory problems. My head was constantly in a fog.

I went back through all of my bloodwork and noticed that my blood calcium levels were always in the 10 range, just a smidge below the high end of the range. I ended up Googling kidney stones, blood calcium and some of my other symptoms and stumbled across hyperparathyroidism. I asked my primary doctor to test my parathyroid hormone level (PTH) and was shocked to see that it was off the charts! I was referred to an endocrinologist and was diagnosed as having primary Hyperparathyroidism. A ct scan found a tumor on one of my parathyroid glands and a week ago, I had the surgery to remove it.

The good news is, my body feels 100% better! It’s amazing how the body aches and fatigue have all gone away. My mind is clear! I finally feel like I have energy and will be able to exercise again!

I now know that the Hyperparathyroid disease was affecting my recovery from the Knee replacement. Before I was diagnosed, I honestly just thought, well, I feel crappy because I just had major surgery. And this is just what it feels like to be getting older. I am so thankful to know that it was something else entirely and the problem was found and addressed.

When I found out the parathyroid disease causes osteoporosis, I got really concerned about the integrity of the knee replacement and bone loss. I am told that my bone density should improve, so I am thankful I caught things now as opposed to later in life. The symptoms are so vague and so easily attributed to other health issues that it rarely gets diagnosed early.

 

[Jamie]

Wow! What a GREAT example of properly listening to your body! I'm so glad you went with your gut feelings and continued to have things checked out. Bravo for you and it sounds like you're going to start feeling a lot better soon.