TKR Jake’s Got a New Knee

[jakemedic]

We appreciate you! Thanks for joining us to share your journey. I am enjoying your progress updates.

I'm trying to envision the pull string bag idea you used for the water bottles and visualizing you dragging it behind you like Linus from Charlie Brown with his blanket, ha-ha. Whatever works!
Happy Saturday...hope its a good one!
@jakemedic

Hey Layla,
Thanks for the laugh, it was much appreciated! I told my wife not to throw the bag away and to leave it on the counter. While I did put 4 water bottles frozen I did manage to keep them off the floor. I’m down, but I’m not out! . I did learn some valuable lessons from my hip replacement surgeries, which I am quickly remembering for my knee.
#1. Adapt and overcome.
#2. So whatever it takes, no matter how ridiculous it may appear.
#3. Laugh more! Honestly, I need to work harder on #3. I’ve been wound way too tight for the last 6-8 months. Thanks again for the laugh.

 

[mendogal]

Those are good rules!

 

[Jtmav]

As a friend of mine said to me “you’re so lucky they can do this now, think of what it was like for people many years ago”. I agree, time for some humbling and especially humor for us. I am very grateful that this was available to me, and I had an exceptional surgeon as well. Impressed with your cleverness Jake. Stay strong

 

[jakemedic]

Hello and happy Sunday to everyone. Things are okay, not fabulous, but not horrible. My knee seems to be swollen and “tender” today, I noticed it last evening, with discomfort on the medial aspect of the knee joint in spite of my continued icing, like almost every minute of the day. I did sleep decent, although between bathroom and ice runs it got broken up some. i changed my ice bottles myself during the night twice, once at 0200 and once at 0600. I then slept till 0930, which is a rarity for me. Layla, I showed that I could do it myself so my loving bride slept right through it. Honestly, she would have gotten up and assisted me if I would have woken her. I chose not to. The sack with string handles continues to be my go to method. I am going to have my bride bring in a milk crate from my workshop for the bedroom to make changing the frozen water bottles in my polar cube easier at night.

Onto the question for the day. Please see photo. My right leg turns lateral and is most comfortable in that position. The surgeon noticed it, so did the physical therapist. I honestly think my leg has been that way for years, but just never noticed it. I use a towel roll to help align it to the left leg, unsure if it actually helps or not. Will this inh my recovery? Should I be making my foot be more lateral?

My plans for the day is to be a bit more mobile, get up and stroll about the house. I made my own sandwich today for lunch and had my bride bring it to me so it didn’t end up on the floor and Bella the greyhound having a delicious sandwich rather than me. I’m going to visit via FaceTime tonight with my son, who has been concerned about my surgery. He lives 6 hours away. My father in law came by today for a visit. It was nice chatting with him. He is a super kind person. That was good for my attitude. I need to shower today for sure. My bride has the shower chair out. I don’t care to stink when I go to physical therapy tomorrow morning.
This forum and its people are very special. Thanks one and all for your support, caring and friendship.

 

[Jtmav]

Good on you Jake! nice You could replenish the ice machine on your own. With crutches I haven’t figured out a way to do that safely. One of my sons visited today and it was nice to have a little company. As far as your leg tilting a bit, sorry but I’m not qualified to have an opinion on that, above my pay grade. Enjoy the day and good luck with PT tomorrow, I have it as well. We’ll get there. Stay strong.

 

[jakemedic]

Thanks Jim! Enjoy your day as best as you are able to sir! We got this!!

 

[selketine]

I can't answer your question about your knee/leg turning out like that BUT mine does the exact same thing and I noticed it right after surgery. It's hard for me to sit with my foot straight up and it's still doing it. I was very knock-knee'd before surgery and my foot turned out to the right. My leg looks straight now but it seems from the hip I want to rotate it that way. I was curious about it myself but don't see my surgeon until April 1st.

Sounds like things are going well - I hope you can get comfortable despite the pain - always the biggest challenge!

 

[mendogal]

I definitely see the turn out. Is the knee cap straight ahead or is it skewed as well?

A factor to clarify with your your surgeon is, did he straighten a skewed lower leg in surgery (as has happened for some of us) and is it that your muscles and tendons, being so accustomed to being short on one side and lax on the other all these years, are pulling you back into "normal"?

If your OS thinks this may be the case, ask if time will solve it or if GENTLE PT (light massage and stretching) might help.

 

[jakemedic]

The word of today is “shower”. Had my first since surgery on Tuesday. Went off mostly without a hitch. Thank God for the shower chair. It helped me safely get in and out of the tub shower. That makes me feel somewhat human anyhow. I will ask the PT tomorrow and the orthopedic surgeon on the 12th when I see him regarding the rotation on my right leg. My leg is most comfortable in the outward position, that is for sure. Back to ice, rest and elevation for the day. Funny thing my bride did to me, she went out for an hour this afternoon and set the timer on the stove to go off at an hour before she left. Of course I had to get up and shut that obnoxious thing off, so I made a full tour of it, restroom, ice, an apple and back to the chair. She doesn’t think I’m getting up enough. Take care, I got this!!

 

[Layla]

First shower post op is the best! Well, maybe actually the second or third shower is the best, because you're more relaxed and not as rushed to get out, at least that's how I felt. Also, you're less wiped out than you are after your first post op shower.

So...your loving caretaker bride left you alone for a time and you survived! Crazy as it sounds, it's nice to feel like you can fend for yourself, even if it is in slo-mo
You're lucky to have her though. Sweet dreams tonight!
@jakemedic

 

[MSuki]

I don’t know if your foot is the same when standing, but before surgery my foot wanted to go out like that, and still was doing it after surgery. My PT pointed it out to me and told me to straighten my foot when it did that. Funny thing is that at first when I stood with my foot straight, it felt like my toes were pointing in, and turning it out felt straight to me. But after making an effort for a short time to watch it, I’m not doing it any more. If you have been walking with it out like that check the heel on that shoe, you may need new shoes.

 

[jakemedic]

I don’t know if your foot is the same when standing, but before surgery my foot wanted to go out like that, and still was doing it after surgery. My PT pointed it out to me and told me to straighten my foot when it did that. Funny thing is that at first when I stood with my foot straight, it felt like my toes were pointing in, and turning it out felt straight to me. But after making an effort for a short time to watch it, I’m not doing it any more. If you have been walking with it out like that check the heel on that shoe, you may need new shoes.

My work boots have definite “odd” wear marks. Once I get through all this, going to invest in a new pair. My going out shoes are a new pair of merrell slip ons. The only issue is the right one is a bit tight as my ankle is still swollen. I have been trying hard to keep the foot straight while relaxing. It’s easier said than done though. Thanks for the response, I am very appreciative of your time!

 

[MSuki]

I was wearing a very old pair of merrell barefoot tennis shoes with the Vibram sole, the kind that you can pretty much roll up in a ball. It has a very thin heel but one side of the heel was almost gone. So now I’m wearing a new pair of very lightweight Merrell shoes. My husband thinks I should get the kind with the thick heel and a lot of support. Maybe I should but I like these. If I’m not going outside I am usually walking around in my socks or barefoot.

 

[jakemedic]

I was wearing a very old pair of merrell barefoot tennis shoes with the Vibram sole, the kind that you can pretty much roll up in a ball. It has a very thin heel but one side of the heel was almost gone. So now I’m wearing a new pair of very lightweight Merrell shoes. My husband thinks I should get the kind with the thick heel and a lot of support. Maybe I should but I like these. If I’m not going outside I am usually walking around in my socks or barefoot.

I have exclusively wore Merrell shoes for probably the last 20 years. I even shop for Merrell Sandals on eBay, looking for the ones I like that may have been discontinued. I think my last two pairs were purchased that way. I get “semi“ thick soles. With my last pair, the support was missing before the soles. I thought about purchasing a pair of Merrell insoles and try to rejuvenate them. I’ve purchased thick soles, and, well the only thing they really do is bring mud and chicken poop in when I wear them. The thinner soles seem to be self cleaning. Best of luck with your recovery!

 

[jakemedic]

Hello! Almost a week has gone by since my RTKR! I feel like I am trudging along well, don’t hate the surgeon and doing what is expected of me. I had my 2nd physical therapy session today. I think the therapist seen the expression on my face when he said that I was going to begin on the recumbent machine. I was scared to death! Once I got on the machine, it was just fine. Slow gentle movement for 5 minutes. He said he used it to get warmed up before exercises. Remarkably, I had little to no pain doing that. My stretches seemed to go well, although I still have difficulty raising my entire leg without assistance. Most importantly, he caused no pain. When I got done, I was very tired and came home to the trusty polar cube and have been sleeping and relaxing since. Another day down towards a “normal” life again. I thought it was neat, when I was getting out of the truck at home, one of my hens was singing her “I’m laying an egg” song. Brought a big smile to my face. Take care, and God Bless!

 

[benne68]

Most importantly, he caused no pain.

Yay! This is the kind of physical therapist we all need.

Glad you are feeling optimistic and that your hens are giving you reason to smile!

 

[Freyagirl]

Thank goodness for our caretakers who bring ice and water, make sandwiches, cheer on ridiculously small milestones and today (unfortunately) unclog toilets.

 

[jakemedic]

Thank goodness for our caretakers who bring ice and water, make sandwiches, cheer on ridiculously small milestones and today (unfortunately) unclog toilets.

I’m glad your caretakers will make sandwiches for you! Mine is mean And makes me make my own. Well that sounded tough, but she did carry it in for me. Last evening she brought me a bowl of soup she made and my greyhound decided to have a taste before I could pick it up. I know it sounds bad, but she only had two licks, I ate it anyhow. Sorry to hear of your plumbing difficulty today. I always hate dealing with plumbing. I’m sure your hubby did as well. God Bless both you and your caretaker!

 

[mendogal]

Happy hens and their sweet noises make great therapy!

 

[Layla]

i changed my ice bottles myself during the night twice, once at 0200 and once at 0600. I then slept till 0930, which is a rarity for me. Layla, I showed that I could do it myself so my loving bride slept right through it

Wow, you're getting good at this recovery biz! What a guy for letting her sleep.

My right leg turns lateral and is most comfortable in that position.

I had my right hip replaced and had an external rotation, just as you do, maybe a bit less exaggerated. I was reassured by my OS that surgery would correct it. Well...after surgery I still noticed it so asked about it at my first post op and was told that in time it would ease...and it did!

Hey, I noticed in your photo that I have that same gray padded tablet stand you have. I LOVE that thing!

Another day down towards a “normal” life again.

I like your attitude. Great way to look at it. Tomorrow will be a special day...Happy One Week Anniversary!
Thanks for sharing your recovery with all!