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Bilateral TKR JustJeff 4/9/14

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hopefaith said:
@JustJeff My incision has been waking me up in a lot of pain. It is so strange all of the levels of healing this goes through. It seems like the incision should be feeling better not more sensitive. Today I was at the chiropractor and he decided it would be a good idea to touch/squeeze my knee and touch along the incision. I yelled "don't touch that". I'm wondering how that floated about in the clinic.:heehee: It hurt like ----. I didn't realize until later how that sounded. Oh well. I am a mama bear about my knee being touched!
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You would hate my PT if you don't like your incision being touched. This past week she started massaging the incision pretty heavily with a cream they use. I thought it would hurt but other than couple of tender areas it actually feels really good afterwards. She said it breaks up scar tissue. I have to admit I have better flexattion afterwards and my knee does not feel as stiff. .

I had an area of the incision that was pretty tender today but noticed just now it's fine again. Who knows why.
I guess we will just have to get used to the strange sensations as the muscles and nerves become alive again.
 
hopefaith said:
What do you mean about internal stitches popping?
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They normally use dissolvable internal stitches that for some reason sometimes pop through. They are like small stickers. They seem to go away quickly (at least mine have) but can be really annoying when fabric rubs across them. Guess it us just another treat we have while healing.
 
Lol! I was thinking too much meds! Here's the thing. . Would those deep stitches be at the knee caps? It's just a layer of skin there. But that's exactly where the burning is located.

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@sleenie I am in PT and she massages the scar. A chiro. doesn't normally have anything to do with a person's scar after a TKR. He was just curious. Also I have been moving my scar around every day. How is your scar doing? Also thanks for the DMV info. :)
 
JustJeff said:
Lol! I was thinking too much meds! Here's the thing. . Would those deep stitches be at the knee caps? It's just a layer of skin there. But that's exactly where the burning is located.

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I've had mine show up on top of the kneecap area and just below the kneecap. Mine isn't t burning though unless fabric rubs across it, then I guess you could call it that or like a pin prick.
 
Hmm I just looked closely and I don't see anything. There were 2 on the ends of each incision early on but the PA snipped them off in April.

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hopefaith said:
@sleenie I am in PT and she massages the scar. A chiro. doesn't normally have anything to do with a person's scar after a TKR. He was just curious. Also I have been moving my scar around every day. How is your scar doing? Also thanks for the DMV info. :)
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I agree, a chiro shouldn't be touching. Curiosity I guess. Even my PCP doesn't' t touch, but definitely looks. My scars are looking really good. I've got 2 spots that are a little red yet but it is fading nicely. Everyone in rehab and at my PCP' s office tell me how beautiful they are. I'm not sure abt beautiful but compared to some I've seen, they look good.
 
JustJeff said:
Hmm I just looked closely and I don't see anything. There were 2 on the ends of each incision early on but the PA snipped them off in April.

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Maybe it's just nerve endings then waking up. Definitely a process as we are all learning.
 
I have a feeling and electrical storm going off around my knee, no thunder, but plenty of lightening. Seems to mostly happen right at bed time, after a few minutes it clears up.
 
Could you take a video of that? Now that would be noteworthy! ;)

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I got a date calculator app that figures out the exact amount of time between an event and the current time/date. It's called "Now and Then." So, it has now been 1 month and 21 days since surgery. Is that all?? 51 days since this started with all I've been through, all the exercises, all the achievements and all the meds? According to @Phil75070 , his OS says the timeclock is a year for full recovery. Wow! 51 days out of 365. I'm feeling pretty good if I'm only this far and can do most things now. So, if you have issues, pain, ROM, whatever and you're not that far along, we've only just started this process, even though it feels it's taken so long, already!

There is no nighttime off-time for us, apparently. I remember when I could close my eyes and be out until the next morning. Now, the middle of the night is just another time to be up, check status, take meds and think about the next time I'll be asleep, be it day or night.

My daughter (a PT) was over for dinner last night and I asked her about the pain that I feel when I put weight on the knees on the inside side of each knee. Apparently, it's not the IT bands like I thought, but it's the sides where the muscle is sliced to reveal the knee for the procedure. So, apparently, the pain is normal. It's only when I put weight on the knees.

Here's another plus for bilateral TKRs. It's easy to know if misc. pains and numbness is normal when both knees have it. For example, I noticed that both my knees are still numb above the kneecaps on the outsides of each. I would be just a bit apprehensive if both weren't doing the same thing.

This applies to the slight pain that I feel on the inside with each step I climb. Both knees feel it in the same relative position, therefore, probably normal.

So much for nighttime rambling. I'll wait a bit more for the med to kick in.
 
Hi Jeff! I am so glad to free that you are doing so well! Please keep us posted on your progres.
 
Wow! @JustJeff, that is SUCH a good and helpful way to look at it. My OS said it takes at least 12 to 18 months for full healing & improvements. I'd fallen into the trap of "this is going to take a year" instead of, I'm this far ahead already at 4 months & 2 months out of 12 months. Thank you, that has really helped my thinking :)


Bernie UK
RTKR 22nd January 2014
LTKR 2nd April 2014
 
Yeah. . I'm a "cup is half full but if it was a different size it'd be up to the brim" kind of guy. LOL!

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JustJeff said:
Here's another plus for bilateral TKRs. It's easy to know if misc. pains and numbness is normal when both knees have it.
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Well, my two knees have had quite different recoveries so it's not always that simple. My OS said he had to do more "release" on my right knee (which I thought was my better knee) and that's why I'm still having pain on the inside of that one but not on the left. Interesting!

Another interesting thing is how recovery isn't a straight line and just when you think you've passed thru a stage and it's all going to be good, something new appears. I'm at 11 weeks and just now started having more sensitivity to my incision scars. Sometimes they just burn and the slightest touch of fabric is uncomfortable. I would have expected that more in the beginning. Strange . . .

Well, as you said, it does take a long time for all the healing and we just have to try so hard to be patient. I'm glad you're happy with your progress.
 
People here and elsewhere are saying that the burning is partof the healing process and full healing takes much more time apparently, so I'm getting used to the fact that I'm just rolling my shorts up so fabric doesn't touch.

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Another goal achieved. For the first time on the other side, I went on a kayak trip on the upper Schuylkill river. It rocked! This time I made sure I had SPF 30 on my incisions and on calm stretches I did quad sets and heel slides in the boat! (I must have looked weird)

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