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TKR Jane B.'s New Knee

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@Jane B. @Celle @jeano @referee54

What are we like ?
We all hear the warnings of the ODIC and yet we have all joined it a few times again and again.

@referee54 has the answer it is Patience and that can be the hardest of the virtues to acquire and maintain.

My new prayer is, "Lord, please open my mind to the need for patience in my recovery".

Amen,
Cathie
 
@referee54, you have such good advice and are enormously helpful. Thanks. @marmora, you are a peach!

OK, four week anniversary today. My knee had been getting better right along, healing nicely, and then it became more swollen and stiff, since Friday.

Yesterday I was waiting for my home PT and wondering how to explain my knee stiffness. I went out for a short stroll in front of the house, with my cane, because it was a beautiful day. I didn't realize my PT was sitting in her car eating a peanut butter sandwich.

She came out of her car and walked with me a bit. She turned to me and said, "Your knee is wicked stiff!" (We are in Boston.) She also remembered that I hadn't iced as much last week.... Hmmm, less icing equals more stiffness? Anyone? Yes, I'm back to icing when I'm sitting or hitting the couch.

We had a session, she said, "Stiff or not, you need to graduate to out patient PT.
 
Besides not icing enough, there's the weather, sunspots, and microwave emissions to consider as culprits. Sometimes even my textbook perfect knees just decide they want to be as stiff necked as the tribes of Israel. This too will pass.

I've never had other than outpatient PT but am interested to hear from you how its different, if in fact it is. I really enjoyed watching all the therapists cajoling the reluctant and comforting the frustrated. Also they seemed to have wonderful camaraderie. Plus some interesting unwritten TV rules. The boy therapists controlled one side of the place and had sports shows going, while the women PTs had 'their' TV glued to HGTV. Why TV is deemed essential everywhere baffles me, perhaps it is a regional affliction. I can tell you I was always more than happy to escape Fox News in the waiting room.
 
Hi Jane @Jane B. & Hi @jeano

Jane,
The stiff knee for no reason or out of the blue or doing too much or not doing enough or not icing enough or sitting too long or standing too long or,.....

There seems to be many reasons for the stiff knee, and at 12 weeks it is still a daily occurrence - don't want to depress you, as yours may be over the stiffness way before 12 weeks. Saw my OS last Thursday and he a said he and I shouldn't be concerned if the stiffness lasted 6- 12 months in some degree.

Jane & @jeano
Never had home PT, attended a 5 week programme in the hospital where I had my surgery once a week, there were 5-8 of us in the class with two PTs and no TV in sight.
It was a circuit class, in that we were all on a different exercise for five minutes and then in a clockwise rotation moved on to the next exercise or piece of equipment.

I also go to a private PT once a week, but it is just her and me in her rooms, while the other PT in the practice is seeing another patient in the other rooms. And again no TV in sight.

Take care,
Cathie
 
I always knew that I would have to take my time and be careful because I am slow to heal after a muscle strain. So I will be careful to stay out of sunspots and stand still/not stand still. Oh, man!

Thanks, Ladies.
 
You're doing great for just 4 weeks post op! I never had in home PT and always went to a facility, so no clue what the differences will be. I know that outpatient will have lots of 'fun' machines and gadgets for you! Remember what Josephine says though (as seemingly every PT wants you to use it too soon), no leg press machines until at least 6 weeks! Sadly, your stiffness will be around for a while longer. That, and the rubber band feeling around my knee lasted forever, but they do both go away in time! Keep up the great work! xoxo
 
Jane B. said:
he also remembered that I hadn't iced as much last week.... Hmmm, less icing equals more stiffness? Anyone? Yes, I'm back to icing when I'm sitting or hitting the couch.
Click to expand...
Yep, many of us have been there, too---what you did was feel great for a while and you simply temporarily set aside your protocol that helps so much/

Trust me on this---there will be time when you do not need to ice---but, at four weeks, while you are beginning to climb out of the "Dark Days", there is still plenty of time to ice---to do what works and to do what helps.

That out-patient PT will help, too, as they can give you more exercises/stretches at the facility---and they can gently help you move forward.

Another positive about out-patient PT is that you will be getting out of the house for a purpose---on a regular basis---and this will help to establish a little bit of normalcy that we all crave so much!
 
I tried my knee out last night. Our grandson had tubes put in two days ago and developed a high fever, discharge, and pain. My husband and I drove our daughter-in-law and grandson to the emergency room. (Our medical student son was on duty at another emergency room in the city.) Grandson was happily playing with trucks. We were there for several hours. He probably has a new ear infection. They had ENT call in, gave him fever meds, and sent us on our way. And because of our grandson's amazingly sunny disposition, we had fun. We played trucks on the hospital bed.

So let's see how the knee did: I was out of the house from about 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. I forgot my cane and narcotics. I walked slowly through the maze of the ED, but I was steady. I wasn't uncomfortable in a chair. In the waiting room I did move a chair around to elevate my leg. I certainly missed my couch and bed, but I think the new knee did well enough.
 
Hi Jane @Jane B.
What a way to "try out your knee" fortunately playing with trunks on his hospital bed took your mind off your knee.

Hope that your grandson and you are feeling better today.

Rarely, do I hear anyone say that they had fun in ER - your grandson inherited your sunny disposition. :SUNsmile:

Take care,
Cathie
 
Jane, my big road test for the first knee was when Mr jeano had his stroke when I was barely four weeks out. I took cold packs with me and had a friend along for the festivities, but what I thought was going to be a four or five hour jaunt to get him sprung from Man's Most Prestigious Stroke Center turned into a 16 hour slog including miles of tramping through MMPSC and a midnight drive through 70 miles of deer infested back roads. With a late night invasion of a military base thrown in. No biggie. Should've sent the clone.

@marmora If you promise me no TV at PT i'll do any future joint replacements in Ireland!
 
@Celle - it certainly is! I feel so guilty watching my husband do all the grocery shopping, bringing in the mail, finding something for us for supper, taking care of the dogs, etc....He's been very good about it though and hasn't complained ONCE.
 
No TV for PT here, but tv seems to be everywhere else. Oh for a quiet waiting room to just read in.
 
While I am sorry to read of your trip with your grandson to the ER, it is great to read that the new knee is functioning as it should---that is what it is all about!

Down the road a ways, your new knee will simply become "one of your knees" and the "newness" will actually simply be "normal"---and that "normalcy" is something to celebrate.
 
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I'm waiting for my last physical therapist home visit, and writing this a day early:

Five Weeks:

The not so good:
1. Our younger dog chewed up my new Merrell post-op walking sandals. She never chewed a shoe before, thanks, Chili!
2. I can get cramps or spasms that take my breath away. It doesn't last more than a few minutes, but ouchy!
3. Boredom, patience, and trying to get things done: Yeah, we aren't going to talk about that.
4. I'm up more and more each day, but not for hours at a time that I'd like.
5. I've said that I have not had the difficulties with sleep that others have had. Ah, it just wasn't my turn!
6. I'm sick of narcotics, but still need a few per day.
7. I sometimes get very uncomfortable in the evenings. It's tough, but happens less frequently.

The good:
1. I'm so much stronger than the early days with all the anemia.
2. The knee still feels like it is the right fit.
3. I'm down to three narcotic pills most days, from five.
4. I can play with my grandson and don't think about The Knee the entire time. (I do tend to protect it from an errant toy truck, however.)
5. The clutter is getting to me, and I tore apart the kitchen island this weekend, and put it back together. Sort of.
6. I enjoy my walks outdoors, but I only do one a day. I may up my walking. The 90 year old couple next door walked their dog, and with all their infirmities, they were faster than I was!
7. I've lost weight, but it's all kinda lumpy. Not sure if that is because I'm in my sixties or because I'm sedentary.
8. My husband came with me, and I drove my car to the local pharmacy (CVS), to buy a birthday card. It was fine.

That's the report. See you, Smarties.
 
Hello Jane @Jane B.

Very good report, I'd give you an A+

At five weeks you are doing very good and it is the slowness and not being able to do what you want, when you want that can be frustrating.

Look back at this report on your 10 week anniversary and you will see how much further you will be.

Keep forward looking, as there are better days ahead.
Cathie
 
@Jane B. I can identify with so many of your statements. Thankfully, my dogs have not chewed up any shoes (I'm sure that was very painful for you). My Cockapoo was very curious about my new Skechers, but hasn't touched them. I am also frustrated by lack of stamina- there's so much I want to do and so little energy! It sounds like you're moving along- keep up the good work!
 
You're doing well. It sounds like you're reducing the narcotics naturally as you need them less which is good. So long as "tearing up the kitchen" didn't put in you in the ODIC, I say way to go! Sometimes it feels great to do something normal. And putting it back "sort of" is fine too. :wink:
 
I am getting cabin fever. I think I'm behind a bunch of Smarties, in that I don't get out much. We are expecting 3-5 inches of rain today, so a walk won't be much fun.
I realized I hadn't had narcotics since yesterday, so off I drove to a local cafe for some take out lunch. It was yummy.
Tomorrow I'm in for some real excitement, I'll be driving to my new PT's place.
Glaciers move faster than this recovery!
And later that same day, I realized I was "running" around the dining room table playing ball with our grandson. It's sore now, but what a knee!
 
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