Bilateral TKR JustJeff 4/9/14
- Thread starter JustJeff
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JustJeff
graduate
Fun day today. I waltzed in to my mechanic to say hi. Double take! Lol! Then I went over a friend's place to visit her chickens, layers and roasters. It was interesting walking on uneven ground for the first time.
I really thought of be able to do all this stuff during the day and still be able to go to a board gaming event tonight. Nope! The knees said No. So, I took a nap and then immediately iced.
Next event, in a few minutes I'm going to take my first walk since surgery with one of my dogs! Wish me luck!
Tomorrow is my 1st month kneeversary and I'm celebrating by getting my normal 5 week hair appointment; something I never thought I'd be ready for. I'm also for the 1st time since, going to visit the hospital and rehab to thank everyone for all the care I got when I was there.
Well, off to walk
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I really thought of be able to do all this stuff during the day and still be able to go to a board gaming event tonight. Nope! The knees said No. So, I took a nap and then immediately iced.
Next event, in a few minutes I'm going to take my first walk since surgery with one of my dogs! Wish me luck!
Tomorrow is my 1st month kneeversary and I'm celebrating by getting my normal 5 week hair appointment; something I never thought I'd be ready for. I'm also for the 1st time since, going to visit the hospital and rehab to thank everyone for all the care I got when I was there.
Well, off to walk
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Only a month out and you can already do stairs with confidence. That's terrific!
Tamsmom
senior
Jeff, how did the walk with your dog go?
It has been a good day here to for the most part. Seemed pretty lose, not a lot of pain, I worked at my office from 945-145... And came home iced, elevated and crashed! The work just takes it out of a recovering knee....
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It has been a good day here to for the most part. Seemed pretty lose, not a lot of pain, I worked at my office from 945-145... And came home iced, elevated and crashed! The work just takes it out of a recovering knee....
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Phil75070
post-grad
@JustJeff I'd be curious if at your next OS checkup you asked him why he thinks your recovery has gone so smoothly. For example, did he use the "quad sparing" technique? Was there no deformity correction? I think there are a lot of details like this that may be missing when we try to compare and understand why recoveries differ so much other than to just "say" that they do.
You are obviously well on your way to a return to normalcy. I am rooting for you.
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You are obviously well on your way to a return to normalcy. I am rooting for you.
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JustJeff
graduate
@Tamsmom, walk was great! Kira excelled and I got into a smooth pace. At the end, the backs of the knees got a bit tight with pressing extentions each step but nothing a little IRE can't cure. Thanks for checking! This was a giant step of my recovery!
@Phil75070, as fast as I knew I was nice and straight so no correction necessary. He really said nothing else. I, myself, attribute it to preop conditioning for 2 months before.
Also, as there was a generic factor in the arthritis to begin with (both parents had both knees replaced) there appears to be the same factor in recovery. My older brother had a TKR done and told me he "walked off the table" also.
The rest, as you can imagine, is luck.
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@Phil75070, as fast as I knew I was nice and straight so no correction necessary. He really said nothing else. I, myself, attribute it to preop conditioning for 2 months before.
Also, as there was a generic factor in the arthritis to begin with (both parents had both knees replaced) there appears to be the same factor in recovery. My older brother had a TKR done and told me he "walked off the table" also.
The rest, as you can imagine, is luck.
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Yes, Jeff, you're one of the lucky ones!
I can add a little to this:
When I had my Partial (PKR), I had been bone-on-bone for several years. My surgeon was trying to nurse me along until I was 60 - he believed in the rather outdated theory that some people are "too young" for knee replacement. I made it to 59!
During those 2 years, my mobility and my quality of life deteriorated. Consequently, I lost muscle power. My quads got very weak and I had some deformity.
My recovery was long and quite difficult. In particular, the tendons at the back and outside of my knee had shortened and some of my worst pain was felt there, rather than around the incision.
That PKR failed suddenly after 11 years, during which I had had total mobility, and had walked and traveled everywhere.
Consequently, when I had the replacement to a total (TKR), I went into it with no deformities and with good muscle strength.
Even though it was a more extensive operation, my recovery was uncomplicated and I needed very little physiotherapy. The end result is stellar.
I've learned from that. My other knee is bone-on-bone now, but it hasn't affected my mobility yet and has had only a small impact on my quality of life so far. My new OS told me last year that he would do this replacement when I felt the time was right. The knee did bother me in February, when I was visiting my son in India - the pavements there are rough and any steps are of uneven heights. I became instantly less mobile. Back home, the knee has settled down a bit, but I've seen the writing on the wall. I'm not going to wait until I get less mobile and develop deformities (and put on weight).
I'll be travelling again from June to August, so I have arranged to have the second knee replaced in September.
I can add a little to this:
When I had my Partial (PKR), I had been bone-on-bone for several years. My surgeon was trying to nurse me along until I was 60 - he believed in the rather outdated theory that some people are "too young" for knee replacement. I made it to 59!
During those 2 years, my mobility and my quality of life deteriorated. Consequently, I lost muscle power. My quads got very weak and I had some deformity.
My recovery was long and quite difficult. In particular, the tendons at the back and outside of my knee had shortened and some of my worst pain was felt there, rather than around the incision.
That PKR failed suddenly after 11 years, during which I had had total mobility, and had walked and traveled everywhere.
Consequently, when I had the replacement to a total (TKR), I went into it with no deformities and with good muscle strength.
Even though it was a more extensive operation, my recovery was uncomplicated and I needed very little physiotherapy. The end result is stellar.
I've learned from that. My other knee is bone-on-bone now, but it hasn't affected my mobility yet and has had only a small impact on my quality of life so far. My new OS told me last year that he would do this replacement when I felt the time was right. The knee did bother me in February, when I was visiting my son in India - the pavements there are rough and any steps are of uneven heights. I became instantly less mobile. Back home, the knee has settled down a bit, but I've seen the writing on the wall. I'm not going to wait until I get less mobile and develop deformities (and put on weight).
I'll be travelling again from June to August, so I have arranged to have the second knee replaced in September.
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JustJeff
graduate
My OS and worked through treatment for years before I told him I was ready. We went from cortisone to cocks comb injections to arthroscopic trimming to finally BTKR. He never once pushed surgery. (I'm sure he knew that I knew it was all coming down to it eventually!)
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JustJeff
graduate
Celle, enjoy your vacation! We took a cruise to the maritime provinces as I knew there wasn't going to be much walking involved. Now I'm ready to walk on the next trip!
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Thanks, Jeff!
June to August is a special holiday. We are going to visit our daughter and her husband in England. In March, they were made legal guardians to an 18-month-old little girl, whose mother can never have her back again (long-standing drug problems).
The wee girl is a distant relative of our son-in-law - his cousin's grand-daughter.
She's settled well with her new parents - they have no other children - so we are going to visit, and meet our new grandchild. I couldn't miss that, so the knee will just have to behave!
June to August is a special holiday. We are going to visit our daughter and her husband in England. In March, they were made legal guardians to an 18-month-old little girl, whose mother can never have her back again (long-standing drug problems).
The wee girl is a distant relative of our son-in-law - his cousin's grand-daughter.
She's settled well with her new parents - they have no other children - so we are going to visit, and meet our new grandchild. I couldn't miss that, so the knee will just have to behave!
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JustJeff
graduate
You'll be fine. Just keep it iced and elevated when not holding the lil tot!
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JustJeff
graduate
Just doing my bit, Caro, to save my knees and the world.
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Just doing my bit, Caro, to save my knees and the world.
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Superman!!
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JustJeff
graduate
Well here it is, exactly 4 weeks post op! A little snag in the road. During PT I got dizzy and asked to have my BP checked. 100/60!
Historically when I exert my BP drops. Well after losing 20 lbs and not adjusting BP Meds as well as exerting, the perfect storm ensued.
I'll call my PCP for adjustment advice. Otherwise they day I'm doing wonderful. Less Meds is good!
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Historically when I exert my BP drops. Well after losing 20 lbs and not adjusting BP Meds as well as exerting, the perfect storm ensued.
I'll call my PCP for adjustment advice. Otherwise they day I'm doing wonderful. Less Meds is good!
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JustJeff
graduate
To cap of my 4 week akneeversary, I sat down on the toilet seat. .. And got back up! Now, you realize I couldn't post this anywhere else. Nobody else would understand my unmitigated joy at this accomplishment, but you, friends!
Anybody need a few white toilet seat 6" lifters?
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Anybody need a few white toilet seat 6" lifters?
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JustJeff
graduate
I imagine with a flurry of status updates a few questions weren't noticed. Here they are:
1) is there a therapeutic advantage to a hot bath at this point?
2) how long should I need to supplement with 65mg Iron 2x/day?
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1) is there a therapeutic advantage to a hot bath at this point?
2) how long should I need to supplement with 65mg Iron 2x/day?
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Phil75070
post-grad
I haven't taken a hot bath yet, though we do have a whirlpool tub that I am anxious to get into. I imagine if the incision has healed enough to get the go ahead to immerse the knee then a hot bath, I think, would help loosen the muscles. However, not sure what heat does with a lot of swelling. Josephine or somebody would have to answer that.
I forget what my dosage level was of the iron, but I took three pills a day and they gave me a prescription for one month's supply with no refills so I stopped when I took the last pill. I am scheduled for routine blood work near the end of the month and I am sure I will be told if I have to go back on the iron tablets.
I forget what my dosage level was of the iron, but I took three pills a day and they gave me a prescription for one month's supply with no refills so I stopped when I took the last pill. I am scheduled for routine blood work near the end of the month and I am sure I will be told if I have to go back on the iron tablets.
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JustJeff
graduate
@Josephine, do you have an answer to the question of nice warm soak or not?
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