TKR Jaye’s recovery thread

jaybird

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I go in tomorrow at 6:00 AM. I’ve had psoriatic arthritis for >15 years, so I’ve known this was coming for a while. Wiped myself off with the antiseptic wipes, put on clean PJs, and will climb into clean sheets in an hour of two (all per Kaiser). I have no illusions of getting any actual sleep. Anyhow, I have to get up at 4:00 to drink a carb drink they want before. Couldn’t I just have a Coke?

This is supposed to be day surgery, so I should be back here sometime tomoorrow afternoon.
 
Best wishes!

Here’s something to read if you can’t sleep tonight. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​


4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

6. Access to these pages on the website

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.
 
Thanks, Jockette. I’ve read pretty much everything on this site. I’m currently drinking my less-disgusting-than-expectedd energy drink and waiting for this morning’s Ativan to kick in. We leave for the hospital in just over an hour.
 
Especially read number 4 about PT.

I’m glad the drink doesn’t taste as bad as expected. I have a really hard time getting something down if I don’t like the taste!
 
I pray your surgery turns out better than you expected, just like your energy drink!
 
Wishing you the best in recovery! I too have psoriatic arthritis and am now 8 weeks post left TKR. By 8 weeks, all is going well. The first two weeks might be rough but it DOES get better!
 
Done and home. Was at 0/95 immediately following surgery, although I expect that will get worse before it gets better based on how much swelling I’m having.

They had to switch from the spinal to a general mid-stream, as apparently my leg wasn’t staying numb. Thankfully, I was on enough versed that have no memory of that whatsoever
 
Wishing you the best in recovery! I too have psoriatic arthritis and am now 8 weeks post left TKR. By 8 weeks, all is going well. The first two weeks might be rough but it DOES get better!

great to hear!
 
Was at 0/95 immediately following surgery, although I expect that will get worse before it gets better based on how much swelling I’m having.
Keep in n mind that ROM is directly related to the swelling. Your ROM will you improve as your swelling goes down over time (for months!)

There is no window of opportunity in which to regain your ROM, many of us even had more ROM after our one year anniversary, and I’ve seen improvement in mine after my second year anniversary. Don’t believe any PT or surgeon who tells you that you need a certain number by a certain date.

And,

Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.
 
PT just left. ROM now 95°/10° with no pushing or pulling on his part, which is apparently better than expected. He felt it was very good for <24 hours out, although it will almost certainly get stiffer over the weekend. I’m cleared to ditch the immobilizer (good, hated that thing), to go up and down the stairs alone, and with just a cane, and warned not to overdo it. I think I like this guy!
 
Great to hear that you're all done with surgery and back home in your own nest! Just remember, this recovery is a roller coaster, so if your knee stiffens and doesn't want to bend much for a time, it's all part of the recovery journey. I'm glad the PT didn't try to bend or pull your leg-they should never do that. Any ROM they measure should always be the ROM you achieve by yourself with no outside influence. I agree, don't overdo, just gradually add daily activities to your icing and elevating routine. The above articles Jockette left you are great to read, especially the "Activity Progression" one. I read that one often to remind me not to do too much, or too little, at any given time in my recovery. Good luck, and please keep up posted as you recover.
 
Well done! That first shower sure feels great, doesn't it?
 
OMG, Celle, yes, it did.

Of course now I’up at 1:30 waiting for my next dose of oxycodone. in ~10 minutes. Late yesterday, I got hit with what felt like a spinal headache (very intense, better when lying down, better after a diet coke) Luckily, that seems to be gone now.

Knee is quite stiff and swollen, which is to be expected, and I’m sure my ROM is way down from yesterday, but I’m not going to worry about it. I saw myself get it to 95° under it’s own power yesterday, and even if it never goes a degree further than that (which it will) I’m fine there. Any decrease is surely temporary, and due to the swelling.
 
Oh that shower sounds good! I’ve got a waterproof dressing. Maybe it’s time . . .
 
Just don’t do what I did this morning - woke up to take my oxyxcodone @6:30, went back to sleep, woke up again around 8:00, did my excercises (No Big Deal, 10 each heel slides - difficult, but not painful, and 10 quad presses, which are easy.) My surgeon promised a minimally invasive, quad sparing procedure, and although I haven’t seen my incision yet, I’d say it certainly feels like he delivered. Exercise and a shower was too much, so I’m back in bed with a wedge under my leg.
 
So easy to overdo in those first days....doesn't take much! Wow, I wasn't allowed a shower until day 9 after I saw OS! So interesting how different the surgeon's protocol. Maybe because my OS used glue on the incision and no staples/stitches outside...I don't know but glad you got that shower. Now rest and ice!
 
I have glue with a waterproof gel bandage over that. The bandage comes off on Tuesday, and if there’s no drainage, I’m free to shower like a normal human from there out.
It is funny how different different surgeons are - I imagine on some level, a lot of it is superstition. If there were actual evidence backing these preferences up, you’d expect there to be more agreement than there is.
 

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