TKR July 12th Surgery with Valgus Knee

[Titianlady]

Went to bed last night finally! I have been sleeping on a daybed in the living room since my surgery so my lack of sleep, getting up for ice, and tossing and turning would not keep hubby up all night. Last night I went to bed with my ice pack about 11:00 pm and slept soundly through the night.Didn't wake up until almos 9:00 am! Boy, it felt wonderful to be back in my bed again.

 

[bottomshollow]

Terrific! a really good night's sleep

makes a world of difference---makes everything look and feel so much better.

Hope you can keep it up. Take care, keep us posted, we care.

 

[1ELISEA]

Nothing better than your own bed!

 

[Titianlady]

Hubby and I went grocery shopping yesterday. The store was mobbed (DUH.. It is a holiday weekend stupid me) and there was not a motorized cart in sight. Soo, I walked the entire store. It took over an hour. I made it through! By the time we got the groceries back to the truck, my leg was getting a bit weak but no heat in my knee. Just sitting for the ride home from the store restored my leg, and I managed to put up all the groceries. Today, however, I am stiff and a tad sore. It seems my biggest issue is my thigh strength. I still cannot go up steps one foot after another yet, but I will get there. I think for being 8 weeks out I am right on course with my recovery thus far. I know that this time next year I will be able to get up steps like a normal person. I am making small, but welcome improvements weekly. IM so glad for BoneSmart! Without the education I'm getting here, I would be unaware of the fact that improvements don't come on a daily basis, but weekly or monthly and they may not be huge leaps. I am thrilled when I notice something that is improving..things that those that have not had this surgey and recovery take for granted. I love being able to share those " small steps" with fellow BoneSmarties as you all understand. I read the posts and get so happy when someone has a new improvement in their recovery! WAY TO GO!! I wish everyone the best recovery and I can feel the excitement when someone has a better day today than yesterday.

 

[1ELISEA]

Ok, I am 12 weeks out and still can't do stairs. No muscle strength. Though I was put back on crutches for a few weeks so that did effect my recovery period. But I will get there and so will you.

 

[Titianlady]

Went to bed about 11:30 last night and slept until 11:00 this morning. I guess my body really needed it. For the last 5 days my knee has been getting hot and stiff. I've been spending more time elevating and icing. Healing must be going on in there. It was perfect when I got up this morning. No heat, and no stiffness, but since I've been up, it is getting stiff and warm again. I got to bed with a squishy alcohol pack and lay on my side with the pack under my knee. Feels so good. I usually wake up with it still there. Well, things can only get better with time. I will try and get some excersises going in a few weeks for some thigh strength. Since I was not referred to out patient PT, I will be doing it myself. Been about 9 weeks or so since surgery and my PT said it would take until at least 3 months until I felt " human" again. Seems he is right. Things are going well, and every day brings me more healing. Take care everyone. Hope you all have a great day.

 

[Titianlady]

Well,seems like I'm keeping this diary of my recovery for myself, so here goes anyway..yesterday my knee felt great all day. No heat or swelling. I did a couple of things around the house, and then got in my car and went for a short drive. It was the first time I've driven my poor car since July 8th. Went just fine. Today is a different story all together. Internal swelling, heat, and not feeling like doing a thing. Even walking to the bathroom was tough. Soo stiff. I'm tired, but just can't sleep. Not because of pain,because I don't have pain,just messed up sleep pattern again. So here I am, going through the posts at midnight, and watching a movie on late night TV. Just me and my ice pack and my little cat.Hope tomorrow is a better day. Funny how one day the knee is happy, the next angry. Healing is such a strange thing.

 

[bottomshollow]

Just why I always say, a bit tongue in cheek, "Welcome to the wonderful world of recovery"

. Some days are great and some just stink! But as time goes on, more days are great and less stink---so just gotta' hang in there---and you are doing very well and you give great advice to others. Keep us posted. We care.

 

[kneeper]

Hope tomorrow is a better day. Funny how one day the knee is happy, the next angry. Healing is such a strange thing.

They're temperamental things, those knees, aren't they? Sounds like overall improvement is coming, though.

 

[Titianlady]

I didn't get to sleep until 4:00am this morning and didn't wake up unit noon! The whole day is shot, and since I slept such crazy hours I will probably be up all night again. GRRRRR. My knee is stiff and internal swelling on the lateral side where they did the release so my patella will track correctly. I called my surgeon and he is calling in a prescription for an anti inflammatory cream or gel to put on my knee. Since I cannot take NSAIDs orally, he said the ibuprofen, or ketoprofen will get into my system transdermally and would most likely not hurt my stomach. He said to take an acid reducer like Prilosec , or ranitidine, before I use the cream just in case. A small amount may get to the tummy anyway. I'm all for it! I know that not being able to take Motrin, or Aleve to help with the inflammation is setting me back. I sure hope this works. I am 9 weeks or so out, and want to knock this swelling down a bit without having to spend the entire day on my back, leg in the air, with an ice bag. This lack of activity of any kind can not be good for me. I want to be able to at least go outside on the patio, or in the yard, or to lunch with someone without the stiffness and swelling to worry about. Trying to do these things while swollen will not be good for the knee so I don't do them. Yesterday the only thing i did between elevation and icing was gentle bending to keep limber and massage my quads and straighten. Got to keep what I have and not let this set me back too much. Ah, the joys of recovery without the aid of anti inflammatory meds. I do have to say, I don't have pain. Of course stiffness and swelling IS a form of "pain" but you know what I mean. I am just taking an occasional Tylenol. No more narcotics are needed. I'm greatful for that because my surgeon would not refill my Percocet at this point. He is afraid of dependence on them. I know that if I truely needed them though that my GP would give them to me in a heartbeat. He hates the government regs on pain meds, and said he will be the one who decides who needs them and how many and not some government reg. You have to admire the guys guts. Well, I'm going to get up and go for a short easy walk and see if the lymphatic system will move this fluid out.

 

[Josephine]

Well, at 8 weeks your recovery seems about par for the course, Lady! about half way through that long dark tunnel, I would say.



Little tip, if you want more people to read and respond to your posts, try putting in a few paragraphs. One big block of text is awfully off putting - well, it is for me, anyway.

 

[Titianlady]

Will do

 

[Titianlady]

Bless my surgeons heart! I went to the mailbox today, and he had sent me some sample tubes of anti inflammatory cream! It is ketoprofen, flexeril and lidocaine in a cream base. I used it right away, and within a little more than an hour, my knee was no longer hot and stiff. I hope this keeps working

 

[lyndas444]

Hello all. I had my Right TKR on 7/10/2012. That makes me just short of 6weeks post op. I had a knee that was bone on bone and deformed inward (valgus) knock kneed for years before I finally could not take the pain any more. When I came out of OR the Dr. Told my husband that I would have more pain than usual when I woke up because of the things he had to do in the knee before he actually put in the implant. Omg, he wasn't lying! Even the morphine which was a continual drip did not touch the pain. For the two days I was in hospital I was wishing I had not had it done and kind of wanted someone to put me out of my misery. Since I cannot take NSAIDSof any kind,and can only take aspirin if it is enteric coated,I had a real issue getting relief from the swelling. By day two,I was at 80 degrees of bend. Had I not been so swollen it may have been more, but I could not tolerate any more bending. By day 4 I was at 92. Now at 5.5 weeks I am at 130 degrees flexation. I'm at 0 degrees extension, but that fluctuates.
I still have an issue with swelling. Some days are great, and some are bad. Yesterday I felt wonderful and over did things I think. I was up and in the kitchen loading the dishwasher, making a simple meal, and did some laundry. Then I did mt Pt.
Today I am stiff, sore, and, of course swollen. This recovery takes lots of time, and I'm learning that getting impatient or doing too much does not help. I know that most of us get frustrated that healing and progress is a slow go.
We will make it though. Wishing all here less pain and better days ahead.

 

[lyndas444]

Hi there. I was interested to read your post as I am scheduled to have a TKR on my right knee, with correct of severe Valgus deformity on 26 September. I have been reading various posts on various sites and I feel physically sick at some of the disappointing results.
I know I have been told that it will be a long and painful recovery but I just can't imagine what I am in for. I am a very active 56 year old, still walk 6 kilometres 4 x a week and go to the gym the other 3 days. I can still manage and my quality of life is still very good. I am terrified of making it worse by having this op.

Both knees are bone on bone and both have the severe Valgus deformity so it is a case of when I have them done, not if, but I am truly terrified now and wonder if I should leave the surgery until I have to have it done.

 

[Titianlady]

Hi there. I was interested to read your post as I am scheduled to have a TKR on my right knee, with correct of severe Valgus deformity on 26 September. I have been reading various posts on various sites and I feel physically sick at some of the disappointing results.
I know I have been told that it will be a long and painful recovery but I just can't imagine what I am in for. I am a very active 56 year old, still walk 6 kilometres 4 x a week and go to the gym the other 3 days. I can still manage and my quality of life is still very good. I am terrified of making it worse by having this op.



I too had a vey good quality OS life before my surgery, but I was informed that the longer I waited, and the more severe my valgus deformity got, the more difficult it would be to correct with a replacement. I had over 155 degrees of flexation and a minus 2 extension, with is beyond straight. I too was concerned that I would not be able to have that when I got out of surgery, but I had a fabulous surgeon that knew exactly how to correct my valgus deformity. He planned the bone cuts according to my MRI well beforehand. My results have been fantastic. My leg is now straightened to my anatomical alignment, and exept for the normal swelling internally and tightness which is normal at this stage, I don't even know I'm walking on a knee replacement. It feels just like my normal knee. I had fabulous bend right out of surgery, and now 9 weeks later, I'm at a comfortable 130-140 degrees and 0 degrees extension. I am glad I did it. I am no longer knock kneed. I have a nice straight leg that feels natural.

This recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. You will have ups and downs during recovery which are normal. Two steps forward, one step back, so to speak, but that is to be expected with recovery.

We are all here to help you get through it. I have great days, and then not so great days, but knowing that it is all a normal part of healing doesn't frighten me. Lean on us. We know the real story on this recovery.

If you trust that your surgeon is top knotch, and knows how to correct valgus knees successfully with TKR, you are on your way.

 

[Titianlady]

Hi there. I was interested to read your post as I am scheduled to have a TKR on my right knee, with correct of severe Valgus deformity on 26 September. I have been reading various posts on various sites and I feel physically sick at some of the disappointing results.
I know I have been told that it will be a long and painful recovery but I just can't imagine what I am in for. I am a very active 56 year old, still walk 6 kilometres 4 x a week and go to the gym the other 3 days. I can still manage and my quality of life is still very good. I am terrified of making it worse by having this op.


The recovery is long, but the pain is manageable with proper medication. The most important thing is to follow the BoneSmart mantra. Ice,elevate,take your pain meds on schedule, rest, and never let PT hurt. The easier you are on the knee during recovery, the more it will reward you. The no pain, no gain mindset DOES NOT apply to knee replacement therapy. It is no pain, MORE gain. Truer words were never spoken than those. Don't put your surgery off dear heart. We have all stood right in your shoes with the fear, the second guessing ourselves, the not knowing what to expect. But as so many here have stated, myself included, when it was all said and done, what were we so afraid of. It didn't turn out as bad an experience as we had thought. We are all here to help anytime, any way. Lean on us.

 

[Titianlady]

Ever since I put on the anti inflammatory cream, my knee has felt wonderful!! No heat, no stiffness!! I guess anti inflammatory meds were what I needed all along. Wish I could take them orally, but transdermally seems to work for me.

 

[lyndas444]

Hi there
Thank you for your reply, it does help. I've been freaking out all afternoon, again, wondering if I am doing the right thing. The level of pain you experienced post op scared the life out of me. Did you have an epidural? I am scheduled to have an epidural which will stay in for 1-2 days.

I have a severe valgus deformity in both legs/knees and both knees need replacing. The surgeon told me that the longer I leave it, the greater the risk of suffering damage to the peroneal nerve, which in turn affects the raising and lowering of the foot. Were you warned about that?

It's been good to read your posts and see you getting better and better. I can't envisage being immobilised and in pain for so long. I want to get back to work in 3 weeks (I work from home as a nutritionist, so it is just a case of getting into my office and sitting), but after reading your posts it sounds like I will need to elevate my leg for a long time. I was hoping to see a few clients, rest and then see a few more.

Thank you for your replies to me, it has definitely helped and I've gone from thinking 'why am I doing this and I don't need to do it yet' to 'well it looks like I should do it and I will get through it'.

 

[Titianlady]

Lyndas, I had the start of perioneal nerve damage. The pain I went through you will not probably experience. I had general anesthesia, you will have a spinal or epidural, so you will be numb for quite possibly the first two days. I also have a system that burns off pain meds extremely rapidly. Comes with the genetics that give me my red hair..we are quite pain medication resistant.

There is no way you will feel like working in only 3 weeks. This is a major surgery, and takes a toll on the body. You will be right in the middle of your energy drain. This recovery takes a long time. It is not like recovering from any other surgery. Patience, patience, patience. If you try to rush it, you will set yourself back. And your knee is the boss. This is the one time that we are not in control, the knee is. It will most certainly let you know if you have made it angry..LOL. Sleep will also not be in the equation..expect disturbed sleep patterns for a while..some of us, my self included, still have nights when we can't sleep. It comes with the territory.


If you continue to read the posts, and come to us, we can help you prepare. Don't try to plan anything out on a specific timeframe after surgery like work in 3 weeks. Your knee will set the timeframe. Strange, I know, to not be in control, but that is the nature of this recovery.

You will do just fine dear heart. Once that surgery is done, the healing starts, and on to a pain free life with a straight leg! . I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I don't regret it for a moment.