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TKR JackiFL's Recovery Thread

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Lee was horsing around on our bed with our three year old grandson. You guessed it - one toddler skull meets one replaced knee!

It didn't hurt; I worried more about splitting my incision (which didn't happen) and my grandson's head (which was also fine). No more rough housing around this ol' Memere!

Bit of a bruise but my evening icing seems to have put a halt to that. It got me thinking...

So, my question is: After your TKR, what was the first time you "hurt" it and what happened afterward?

Thanks,
Jacki
 
You will be fine , just look at the big picture. Im like 11 hours away from the otherside! but im wide awake. Over here in California its barely 10 pm. Cant sleep. Girlfriend is on facebook and im on bonesmart typing away. You have to be patient, remember 2 new knees take awhile. please take your time. It will be worth it. Hope you get good food in your tummy and pain management under control. See you on the otherside.
 
Icep - your countdown begins!!! Hoping that all goes well for you tomorrow (well, today here since it's after 1:00 am on the east coast)!

You're prepared and ready - can't wait til you're on your way to being bionic, too lol :D

Nope, not sleeping well tonight either but I'm not going to let it bother me. Just doing some reading and your reply popped up - made me smile!

Thanks ever so,
Jacki
 
Hi Jacki ... Just caught up on your thread. I share your thoughts on grandchildren absolutely. My grandson Sebastian (3 in March) came over on Saturday mid-afternoon and was picked up mid-morning Sunday. We had a wonderful time. I was able to use my crutch to shoot aliens and I got to play Iron Man to Sebastian's Spiderman and I lay on the bed while Sebastian jumped on it and we were surrounded by sharks and snakes and I had star fish in the pool (who knew?) and I learned that we "don't touch spiders. They poison". And "We don't touch cockroaches. What cockroaches got in them?". So I said they had germs. Sebastian "What germs do". So I explained about getting sick and washing hands and he then said "we don't touch spiders - they got poison. We don't touch cockroaches. They got germs and might make you sick. We just stomp them". And I had to follow him around the house (quick, Nanna, quick) and rush his Spiderman mask to him whenever he lost it (it was imaginary). Oh what a delight. (Oh, and I also learned that we don't touch poos 'cos they stinky).
Jacki - you are doing so well and so positive, even though you do struggle at times. I try and try to be positive as there are so many people on this forum and in the world who would change places with me in a heartbeat, but I am struggling. Your ROM is fantastic and I think you are doing just right for your knees' recoveries. I am so glad you have the support of your family.
I was more or less off all medication, but in this past week have gone back to 2 x Panadol Osteo religiously every 6 hours while awake (supposed to be 3 times a day = every 8 hours) because I actually "feel" the knee more than I did even a couple of weeks ago. I tell myself it is a good thing and it is starting to wake up and nerves are starting to heal etc.
I am fixated on being able to ride a gym bike again. I should let it go - lots of people are unable to even get on a bike let alone ride one - but I can't. Yesterday I had a photo taken of the bend in my knee when doing a heel slide and compared it to a photo that was taken in the week home after hospital and there is no increase at all. Is it really my fat legs stopping the ROM? This still remains the worst thing I have every voluntarily had done to me.
Sorry to whinge (again) on your thread.
I am so sorry you have been in pain. I am hoping it is only from your activities the last couple of days and a day of ice, elevation and medication will have you back on top again.
Enjoy the visit from the kids and grandkids. They are really keeping you sane by the sound of it. And keep on with the good work. You are allowed to get frustrated, doubt yourself and to have days when positivity seems hard to come by, but you are doing so well at it and I honestly think that mindset helps with your recovery.
Take Care Jacki ...
Hugs .. Ellen
ave you back on top again.
 
Had my first outpatient rehab this afternoon. First, the evaluation. I'm only her third BTKR patient. Went thru all the questionnaires and measurements. Again with the measurements. Sigh. Zero on both knees. 104 on left and 116 on right.

First she had me do ten minutes on the NuStep machine (sort of a recumbent ski machine, as she referred to it). This I liked.

Then two minutes walking in place on a squishy mat. Two minutes on a balance board going slightly forward and back. Then two minutes on a side to side balance board.

Then TheraBand time. Four different positions with each leg, kicking (out, back, front, side) for a ten count each.
She wanted me to do 20 count each. I couldn't.

That was all. Then set me up with 3x per week appts for next 4 weeks.

Home now and icing my poor knees. I don't know how typical what she had me doing is.... but I'm grateful that I'm not going back until Wednesday since right now, in my current mood, I don't care if I ever go back there.

Jacki
 
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JackiFL said:
So, my question is: After your TKR, what was the first time you "hurt" it and what happened afterward?
Click to expand...
As the nerves heal you may start to feel those clunks more.
 
@Josephine

I don't know if I'm off base here but I know that you'll tell me!

I'm at four weeks post op and started outpatient PT yesterday and did not have an experience I wish to repeat (but WILL tomorrow).

Been considering what my goals are (to walk and stand pain-free) and was considering changing my PT to once per week but then walking laps in the heated gym pool every day. Figured that I could start with one lap, slow & steady, then gradually add more as my knees permit.

Am I crazy to ditch the outpatient PT? Will I regret it? Are there some super duper things that I would miss out on learning in order to make my recovery go well?

With thanks,
Jacki
 
Jacki, there is nothing magic in PT. Nothing you can't do on your own. Remember that in the UK and many other countries, post-op knee patients don't get all these PT sessions at all and they do perfectly well. If you remember in the list of recovery articles, there is this one Home physio (PT) and activity progress: suggestions which gives advice about a routine for exercising and this one that advises about Activity progression for THRs. Follow those and you won't go far wrong. Most of the difficulties encountered by TKR patients are actually the result of over enthusiastic PT anyway. In which vein I would advise against daily pool walks until you are a few more weeks further along.
 
Holy cow Jacki, you poor thing. The exercises your PT had you doing (aside from the pedal machine thingie) are pretty advanced! I'm 8 weeks post RTKR and I have yet to step on a balance board and just started doing very simple exercises to help with my wonky balance. Whether you ditch formal PT or not, I think I would explain to your therapist that you're still healing and need gentle exercises mainly focusing on your quads and hamstrings. You have terrific ROM for 4 weeks, so maybe she thinks you're stronger than your knees are allowing you to be right now. She seems to think you're in training for something when you're just trying to heal. ((hugs))
 
Bless you both - I've been trying to decide how to proceed!

More in the morning. Thank you! Thank you!

Jacki
 
((hugs)) oh, and btw, those exercise bands are pretty evil early on. I still can't use them without sending my knee into a tizzy. Doing all the sidestepping and back and forth motions WITHOUT the evil band for now work just as well.
 
I'm glad it wasn't just me! I cried, mostly out of frustration not pain, since I couldn't figure out how that was supposed to be helping with my healing.

She asked me if I wanted my "own TheraBand" to take home and use there. I said no, because I haven't figured out how this is helping me yet. She said nothing and walked away.

I feel so much less alone now. Reading over what Josephine gave me to make my plan of action. Oh, and going to try and sleep since it's now nearly 11pm here.

Hugs
Jacki :-)
 
Im in the mindset that if my PT was gonna be counterproductive than ill do it on my own. I too was gonna ask Josephine about this but im sure I knew what her answer would be. I have video on youtube and booklet from my OS. Just remember about the "dark days" Referee occasionally warns us about. Hang in there. You have us. I slept 45 minutes last night :-(.
 
I've decided to transition from outpatient rehab to a self-directed PT program using the information from this website, my handy-dandy book (Total Knee Replacement & Rehab: the Knee Owners Manual) and common sense.... combined with my health club (heated pool for walking, NuStep machines, etcetera) membership and just plain ADL (activities for daily living).

I'm letting go of PT's who say things like, "oh, I've never had a patient have THAT happen before" when I tell her that Monday's PT session left both of my knees so swollen that I couldn't do more than elevate, ice and groan most if the day on Tuesday. My ROM on Monday afternoon was 104 and 116. Wednesday morning it was 101 and 104. And she saw nothing wrong with that???

And PT's who want me to use weights on my ankles (seriously, I am retaining fluid right now that weighs more than those weights) and also the PT who tried to goad me into doing more reps of a brand new activity that was causing me pain..... because I didn't want to be a baby, now did i? Argh! And PT's who slough off my questions and concerns. And those who think that I'm not working hard enough because their motto is "no pain, no gain". And who think that my tears were a sign that I was finally working hard enough.

Yes, all in ONE physical therapist. I hit the jackpot, don'cha think?

I don't want to test out another PT. I don't want to try someone else in the facility. I don't wish to be a guinea pig, a statistic or a "failure". I don't want to be denigrated, disparaged or have non-founded medical opinions dumped on me.

I understand that this is their job, career and/or calling. However, this is my LIFE. And I am not a percentage or a statistic.

I went through nearly 3.5 years of being unable to walk more than 100 feet, using a cane, doing the bare minimum in my life, trying every cockamamie (and great ideas too lol) thing the various orthos wanted before having my BTKR.
I had lap band surgery to aid in my weight loss so that my recovery might be a bit eased due to weighing less.

I had this surgery so that I could walk to the park with my grandkids, without knee pain. So I could walk through the zoo, without knee pain. So I could travel to Ireland and walk, without knee pain.

I'm going to recover, rest and rehab the right way FOR ME for as long as it takes. This is not a race, it is real life.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled BoneSmart website :-)

Thanks for reading this far, and thanks especially to @Josephine !
Jacki
 
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You said it great! =)

I "fired" my PTs after they hurt me twice. I went home, did some computer research, found the BoneSmarties, and proceeded to do my therapy at home with the BoneSmarties' exercises. (That IT Band exercise is the best.)

As jeano says: "There is more than one road to Rome." =)
 
@JackiFL , you go, girl!! I whole heartedly agree. I told hubby before surgery I'd give PT a chance, but just wasn't going to be pushed and hurt in the process. Right now, they're ok - but, I've only went to two appointments. And, with the swelling I've had, there really wasn't a whole lot they could try forcing me to do. Now that the swelling seems to be more under control, I'm more than curious what their response and action will be. My OS agrees there's a time PT really does help, but he also agrees they tend to hang on and just push and push. I'm taking one day at a time, but certainly do NOT foresee extended outpatient PT sessions in my future, either!

You've got to do what feels right for YOU in YOUR recovery. I think as long as you follow that, you're going in the right direction :friends:
 
Well done Jacki. How great you are doing what feels right for you. With all the helpful aids you have there (books, Bonesmart etc.,) I am sure you will do great. I had a very good physio who only did gently exercises and moving the knee and then massage and stuff and now I feel that maybe I should have pushed it a bit more.

I envy you your positivity and ability to think things through and seek help from others and then formulate the best plan for YOU.

Best wishes to you for your home PT - you will do amazingly.

Hugs ... Ellen
 
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