TKR Jellycats' Recovery

[Benay]

Super progress and I love the cats, specially the white and black friend.

 

[Celle]

I've changed your thread title for you.

 

[ApricotPie]

Your story is inspiring.


RTKR July 15, 2019

 

[snowdrop]

I am currently a couple of days past week 4, and reading your thread has been very encouraging! Sometimes I feel like I will be stuck where I am forever. Thanks for posting your positive update!

 

[jellycats]

I saw my OS on August 23 at 18 weeks post-op for a check in. My pilates instructor measured my flexion a few days prior only because I asked her too (she/we wants to focus on what I can do, not the number) and it was about 108. Extension still great.

I told my OS my focus was on “doing” and he agreed—he said he feels more flexion will come in time. I can ride a stationary bike, go up and down stairs in the house and out with one railing, swim, get up from many more chairs without using my hands, etc.

I stopped PT the first week in July and started seeing my Pilates instructor for two private sessions each week. Once a week I see a massage therapist. Both have been so instrumental in a positive recovery. On my own, as my knee feels good about it, I swim, stretch with a yoga strap, ride my Schwinn Airdyne, and walk.

I’m writing this from Bethany Beach in Delaware and while sand-walking is a little tough, on the boardwalk and sidewalks I walk WITHOUT KNEE PAIN and without cane or need of any assistance. I haven’t used Tramadol since July 3, but do take Tylenol 3 times day—it helps in the morning and evening with achy muscles.

My OS gave me a cortisone shot in what is now my “bad” right knee—my surgical left knee is my good knee! Sometimes I go down steps one at a time to protect my right knee (serious grating and grinding). I’m thinking February for knee #2.

I am very grateful for the positive experiences I have had so far and very grateful to have Bonesmart to read and ponder and learn from! That one year mark is still far away and I’m sure I’ll have a rough patch or two. “Be patient” and “listen to your knee” is the best advice anyone could have given to me!

Keep on keeping on, fellow Bonesmarties! And if you’re at the beginning of your recovery, hang in there and be patient and listen to your knee!

 

[Jockette]

It sounds like things are going great for you!

What kind of massage are you getting that you feel helps? I’ve recently seen a massage therapist twice, but she has only done “energy” work on me. I’m going to tell her next time that I want the real massage done now, which is why I came to her.

 

[Benay]

Love your post, so interesting. Also you have beautiful cats, specially the white and black friend.

 

[jellycats]

@Benay —Thank you for complimenting my kitties! Lily is the white and black. Do you have cats, too?

@Jockette — The massage therapist spends 15 minutes on each leg, from hip to toes, top and bottom. Her emphasis is on quads, hamstrings, and glutes. The types of massage she talks about are trigger point and myo-fascial. A few weeks ago I had an IT band flare up and at that session she focused on the IT band. Yep—ask your massage therapist to go after the knots and tightness!

 

[Benay]

Yes I do. Love them. This is mine. Best boi ever. He's on my yoga mat in front of the mirror. Looks like 2 cats here but it's just one and he is Benay the Bengal or sometimes Monfils.

 

[jellycats]

On the 7th I flew for the first time since surgery (April 16) and I struggled with asking for wheelchair assistance. I can walk, I don’t need a cane, but the idea of walking through airports and changing planes was daunting.

I’m glad I did ask for assistance but somehow it still felt “wrong.” My daughter convinced me: she reminded me that if I did all the walking in the airport my knee would probably feel terrible once we arrived at our destination.

Have others felt this way about asking for assistance once things are getting back to normal?

So today at the hotel (heading to pool to exercise said knee) I actually could take a few steps down WITHOUT using a railing! Slowly and more than a little nervous but successful—my knee and quad did the job! I’m not planning to forego handrails but now I know I can step down a curb.

Yesterday we took a 2-mile walk on a boardwalk trail through a swamp sanctuary.

The Bonesmart mantra “be patient” is paying off.

 

[Jockette]

Yes, it’s hard to ask for help when “ we’re not as bad as someone else” but there’s a lot of walking in an airport, as well as other places. Plus, we live in an age where fitness is important and we don’t want to look like we’re not fit, or like we are weak.

You are not weak or unfit, you are healing from a tough surgery. By using that wheelchair you gave your knee the best circumstance to get through the airport without causing an unnecessary set back.

Wheelchairs are like any other assistive device designed to help us while we are healing. You were wise to use it!

And great job those steps and curbs, they might not have been achievable if you had done all that walking in the airport.

 

[jellycats]

I saw my OS this morning and scheduled my right knee for Feb. 6.

He’s very pleased with the left, particularly the 0 extension that has not wavered since the surgery. Flexion is 115, so I gained 7 degrees from late August to now. OS felt I would see additional gain of 5 to 10 degrees by the one year mark.

And as my right knee, though painful, has never had the stiffness or loss of ROM I experienced with the left, OS said he would expect the right knee to be more responsive after the surgery.

I’m very happy with my new left knee and glad to be having the right one done—looking forward to a matched set.

I’m betwixt and between—do I move back to pre-op?

 

[Celle]

I’m betwixt and between—do I move back to pre-op?

Your left knee is still recovering. I think you can keep using this thread. That way, you won't have to keep jumping between threads.

I'll add your right knee's surgery date to the February Valentines 2020 surgery list.

 

[jellycats]

So not too long before the RTKR. Since this is knee #2 (and thanks to all the good advice from Bonesmart last year before and after knee [HASH=203]#1)[/HASH] I have much less anxiety about the surgery and feel better prepared for the recovery. I have marshalled my resources for post-op -- ice, ice, and more ice. I tested my Aircast and cuff and put small bottles of water and my extra-large gel packs in the freezer. My cats have been put on high alert: Mom will require companions during frequent rounds of icing and elevation. Fortunately, they are all good cuddlers.

Weirdly, or perhaps not, I am focused on the logistics of the right leg being "out of commission." I think I have been so left-leg focused all these months that I'm feeling somewhat disoriented when I think about getting in and out of bed, the car, using a cane, etc. I was a bit spoiled last year because I was able to return to driving fairly soon (maybe at four weeks), but things will likely be different with the right leg and the need to make sure there is no pain or discomfort when braking. But February in Pittsburgh is usually cold, gray, and wet (snow, rain, some of each) so a good month to be housebound.

I remind myself that so many of you had bilateral knee replacements! If you can do it, surely I can get through knee [HASH=147]#2![/HASH]!

 

[Helizabug]

Good time to curl up with a good book . . . ‘Curl up’ being a relative term of course, depending on your flexion day to day.

You cat people make me wish I had a cat to cuddle.

Good luck getting ready and let us know how it goes.

 

[jellycats]

The RTKR on Feb. 6 went very well. All of Bonesmart's good advice and support last year has helped make these early days go smoothly.

So true that no two knees are the same! My LTKR was at 0 degrees extension rght away, but flexion was very slow in returning. My RTKR started at 6 degrees extension (now at 2) and 80 degrees flexion (now at 89). These first measurements were taken the day after surgery by in-hospital PT--with absolutely no assistance from them, and me saying "Okay, that's all I've got right now."

My surgeon prescribes in-home PT for two weeks, so the "now" measurements are after three visits. I'll start outpatient PT the week of the 23rd.

I am icing and elevating like crazy, and at about Day 5 post-op I could see and feel a reduction in swelling--everything around my knee felt softer and more pliable. The bruised feeling began to diminish, too.

The exercises are gentle and at my pace--the therapist is not pushng me to do more. She emphasizes movement--get up frequently and take a spin (figuratively speaking) around the living room, get a glass of water, dump food n a cat bowl, etc.

If you are at the beginning of your knee journey and new to Bonesmart, heed all the advice about not letting a therapist push you--literally or figuratively. And ice and elevate day and night! Every day will bring you a victory, and victories aren't always measured in degrees of bend or how many leg lifts you can do or how much weight is strapped around your ankle. I cleaned one of the cat boxes this morning and was so excited that I was bearing weight evenly through both knees! (Actually, this was probably a greater victory for my husband, who hates cleaning cat boxes.)

Sometimes people are interested in the drug regimen different kneebies follow, so here's mine: 50 mg Tramadol every 6 hours, 1000 mg Tylenol every eight hours, Celebrex once a day, Ecotrin (aspirin), twice a day. I have timers set in my phone to remind me when to take the stuff. Oxycontin and percocet make me itch, so my surgeon also prescribes Dilaudid to use as needed. Usually there are two times during the day when the Tramadol isn't enough and I will take a 2 mg tab of Dilaudid.

Good luck to all the post-op knees out there!

 

[Jaycey]

@jellycats Sounds like you have this recovery down to a fine science! A real pro! So glad the advice you got here has helped. Please keep us updated!

 

[Helizabug]

I thought I’d suggest some podcasts on your thread. Like @sondrals, I like weird stuff, like Welcome to Nightvale. I also like history from a new perspective, usually with a political angle —I’m a bleeding-heart liberal, so these won’t appeal to everyone, but Inreally liked White Lies, about the murder of a minister who marched in Selma. I also liked Seeing White or it might be called Scene on Radio, which talks about race and culture. And I think the New York Times series on race is amazing, called 1619. Hidden Brain is amazing. I tried a fiction podcast called Blackout, which stars Rami Malik, but I couldn’t get into it.

 

[jellycats]

Thank you Helizabug for the podcast suggestions! I agree: 1619 was exceptional. My heart bleeds as yours does ("liberally") so I'm eager to explore your suggestions.

Knee update: I saw my surgeon's physician's assistant on the 21st for my first post-op check up and I "passed"! He was happy with extension, flexion, reduction in swelling, the incision, and my pain medication protocol.

Many of us (self-included) struggle with the whole walker vs. cane issue because we don't see ourselves as people who need devices to help us with something as simple as walking. (Ha! Walking is not simple.) I'm still using my walker because the few times I tried the cane with my therapist I shortened my stride and took these tiny mincing steps. She immediately said to stick with the walker and focus on walking naturally. My surgeon's PA said the same thing when I found myself sort of apologizing to him for still using the walker. He said it's much better to emphasize safety, confident balance, and a good gait than to hurry up and transition to a cane.

I know many of us have experienced healthcare providers who want to push us faster than is good for us, so this is a little shout out to those providers who have their priorities straight!

Last year (left knee) my OS gave me permission to swim at 5 weeks post-op. I'm not scheduled to see the PA again until April 13, so I asked him how I could get him or someone else to evaluate my incision earlier and give a greenlight to swimming. He said I could take pictures of my incision, call the office, and they would give me a cell phone where I could send the pictures! He would review the pictures and then provide an assessment. I thought that was very cool.

I can't wait to be back in the pool so I have marked my calendar for picture taking at five weeks! Water is good for all body parts--including the brain!

On the 20th, the last day of in-home PT, the therapist measured me at 0 degrees extension and 95 degrees flexion. I was able to do a few step-ups with my right leg, and it felt good to see that I am beginning to weight bear with my new knee.

My flexion journey for the right knee is completely different from the left knee -- for the left, I just squeaked to 90 degrees at 9 weeks post op. Admins have said this often here at Bonesmart, my surgeon said it, other Bonesmarties have said their surgeons say the same thing -- every knee is different.

If you are struggling right now, and maybe thinking "Why isn't my knee bending like that??!!", I feel your frustration. Last year I had many tears of frustration, disappointment, and worry about what I saw as lack of progress in my left knee. Please be patient with yourself and your new knee and come to Bonesmart to vent. This recovery takes time, and you and your knee deserve all the time you need. Resist any suggestion that "No pain means no gain."

Perhaps the best part of yesterday was lunch after the visit to the doctor. My husband took us to a wonderful restaurant where we had a relaxing lunch -- tomato soup and grilled cheese, two of the greatest comfort foods ever! It felt good to be out of the house doing a normal people activity.

 

[Lovablenut]

Jellycats, hope the time until you can swim again passes quickly.

Love your cats.