TKR Katchmo's Knees: Round Two!

[katchmo]

Did you take a cane along?

Yes I did! I can walk around the house without the cane but it's better that I use it because I stand up straighter and move my leg more normally.

@SusieShoes I have a question for you about stairs. I know about a month in to my left knee I tried stairs with my surgical knee and though it wasn't too bad at the time, I felt it the next day and was advised to put it off for awhile. But when you have a bilateral, you don't have that option. So how did you handle stairs. My left knee is still so weak and I could tell it got weaker from the first time I tried stairs to the next. This morning I accidentally did a step with my right knee (just automatically since my left one was the bad one for so long.) It honestly didn't hurt much, no more than my ornery left one. So I was thinking maybe I should just keep doing the odd step here and there, throughout the day. I don't want to lose the strength I have in my right leg.

 

[Jockette]

How long do you use your tens at a time? How long does pain relief last?

My husband has very bad back pain if he’s up and moving around. It doesn’t hurt him if he’s sitting. I wonder if a tens would be helpful for him.

 

[katchmo]

Oh yes @Jockette have him try it! Mine is the opposite, hurts when sitting, not standing. I basically have it going all the time when I am sitting. The pain relief lasts as long as the unit is going because it disrupts the nerve signal, I believe. The pain comes back when I turn it off, sometimes gradually, sometimes full force. So it doesn't cure anything. For my left side, once I was able to be up more and had more range of motion to be able to stretch out my back, I didn't need it anymore.

 

[katchmo]

Loooong day today. My kids are gone for the weekend and I am home with hubby. He could have gone too, and I told him I would be fine but he thought he should stay in case I needed help. But he's been gone all day! I'm just having a hard time with being comfortable. When I am sitting or reclining, my back and leg hurt. When I am walking, the pain is better but I get so tired so fast. So I am up and down and trying different pillow arrangements but nothing is really tickety-boo. I'm sleeping better since moving my recliner into my office but I still feel very tired during the day. The reality that this is still a long and uncomfortable recovery, even when doing as well as I am this time, is setting in.

 

[DLR]

@katchmo are you doing the leg lifts with the roll under your thigh-knee? I just figured out that if I stopped that it reduced some of my thigh calf pain, I think the roll was hitting the sciatic nerve. I wonder if sometimes chairs even aggravate if the nerve is really in spasm, I know it seemed even the pillows aggravated it. The tens did help, I put it in an x pattern across my upper butt/ back. Hope you are more comfortable today

 

[katchmo]

@katchmo are you doing the leg lifts with the roll under your thigh-knee?

No I'm not doing anything like that. I'm prone to sciatic pain but I normally have stretches I can do to keep it at bay. I unfortunately can't do the stretching right now because it involves bending the knee. I'm trying to do other kinds of stretching but it isn't doing the trick. I was hoping I would be spared this time because I normally only get it on my left side, and I did get it really bad when I had my left knee done. No such luck. I'm a bit miserable today, but I just walked outside for 25 minutes and that helps. Off to the chiropractor for me on Tuesday.

 

[katchmo]

My back is feeling a lot better today. I found a way to do the stretch I needed. I lay on my left (non surgical side,) extended my surgical leg on a pillow 90 degrees from my body, then twisting my upper body in the opposite direction, trying to get my shoulders flat on the bed. Held that position and alternately arched and released lower back. After doing this a few times, I felt the "zipper" sensation of my lower vertebrae settling into a better position. Oh my gosh, what relief! I instantly felt better. I got 10 hours of sleep last night, just waking up twice but quickly going back to sleep. This morning I was quite stiff and sore from sleeping in the chair so long. So I tried chair yoga, modifying as needed. Oh my, it felt sooooo good!

 

[sistersinhim]

Fantastic that you found a way to do that stretch! A good night's sleep can't be bought! You are doing great!

 

[SusieShoes]

I have a question for you about stairs. I know about a month in to my left knee I tried stairs with my surgical knee and though it wasn't too bad at the time, I felt it the next day and was advised to put it off for awhile. But when you have a bilateral, you don't have that option. So how did you handle stairs.

Sorry for the delay in answering. It was a busy holiday. As for stairs... yes, that's the situation with bilateral replacements: you have two surgical knees. But here's the deal with that -- they're both good, strong (albeit surgical) knees! So early in recovery there's the pain to deal with, and the fact they don't bend especially well at first. But that's it.

I used a cane at first. And my right knee was my "better" knee (stronger because not as bad off pre-op so I used it more, less painful, and also that is my dominant side) so I used it the way single TKR patients use their non-op knee. It worked perfectly well. There was pain, but not necessarily any worse than for single TKRs. For many people with a "good" non-surgical knee, that knee really isn't all that good. It may have advanced, even bone on bone, arthritis. A bone-on-bone arthritic knee is very painful. I can speak from experience that my surgical knees were no more painful than bone-on-bone arthritis. So...

Stairs were not a problem. Going up and down the stairs was slow going at first, but not impossible and not much more painful than before surgery. I could do stairs "normally" on the same timeline as single TKRs.

Your knee will tell you when it's okay with going foot over foot on the stairs. If it swells, that's your signal to wait another week before trying again. The height of your steps enters into it. Tall steps stay difficult for longer; I only recently (last few months) am able to easily go normally up my front steps, which are quite high. It takes time and just doing the steps to build up muscles weakened by years of accommodations made because of bad knees.

 

[katchmo]

Thank you @SusieShoes that gives me confidence to do some stairs with my right knee. The truth is that my left knee hurts about the same as the right!

 

[katchmo]

This last few days have been so difficult with increased pain; I swear I have had more pain this week than right after my surgery. Probably partly from overdoing it and not taking pain meds during the day except Tylenol. I have really wanted to take pain pills but didn't want to either, if you know what I mean. Today I broke down and took a gabapentin I had left over from my last surgery and the relief was immense. So I am going to call tomorrow and ask for a couple of months worth. Then I should be able to get off oxy pretty quickly. I was hoping to avoid it because of the easy weight gain. But I would rather put on a few pounds and have less pain and more function.

 

[DLR]

@katchmo it really is a roller coaster ride...yesterday I felt run over by a truck, so tired everything hurt. Fatigue lasted till supper tonight , then felt good went for my longest walk yet...no predicting what each day brings..thinking of you

 

[katchmo]

Goodness. My knees feel almost exactly the same! Lefty the toddler is throwing a real tantrum about having to do so much work. The gabapentin has helped considerably with pain but both feel tight, irritated, and wibbly wobbly. I've even lost some flexion in Lefty, though Righty's flexion has improved, almost 90 and extension is good. So I am hobbling around with my cane and taking it easy today.

 

[sistersinhim]

Taking it easy sounds like a really good idea. Lefty is jealous of all the attention that righty is getting a being a brat! Let her settle down for a few days.

 

[katchmo]

First night of not taking any oxy at night and I slept great!! I've always known that narcotics affect my sleep, which is why I have to take Ambien, but I think last night shows they affect the quality of my sleep as well. I slept deeper and only woke up once to potty. Woke up refreshed with no more pain than I have been having, which is not much. So I am very pleased.

On another note, I got a message from my daughter that she is coming today and we are leaving on our BC trip tomorrow! I thought I had a couple more days! Oh well. I got a transport chair with a gel cushion, and I have a folding recliner type patio chair that is very comfortable. I just have to figure out how I plan to sit in the car. I have ordered a little footstool with a top that adjusts to the angle of your feet. That might be enough, but I am also going to buy a couple of big soft cushions just in case. And I am bringing along the portable toilet seat. I plan to be a slug and let her push me everywhere. I don't want to be miserable the whole time. I just pray it goes well. We are going to stay on Victoria island for two nights and go whale watching!

 

[SusieShoes]

You might be very happy you brought the toilet riser. Some toilets are really low, in which case you’ll be glad to have your seat with you!

Let us know how all your prep steps worked out. Everyone wants to hear about tips that work! And enjoy your lovely vacation. Time spent with loved ones is often the best medicine of all.

 

[sistersinhim]

Have fun on your trip and let us know how it's going.

 

[katchmo]

How I'm rolling at the volleyball game.

 

[Jockette]

I love it!

 

[katchmo]

We made it to Seattle after a couple of days at my oldest daughter's house. Today was our longest day on the road, about 9 hours. I am done in now but overall ok. I put my icer on the floor and put a pillow on it and my leg on the pillow and it worked ok. I would have liked to be able to straighten my leg out more but I wanted to sit in front while my daughter drove. We stopped every couple of hours. My walking is getting better and better.