Become an Insider

TKR Lacy21's Recovery Thread^

Status
Not open for further replies.
Dear surgery sister

Good to hear from you. I was hoping things were OK with you.

I'm sorry that your experience in sub-acute care has been "mixed." Does the facility have an occupational therapist on staff? I agree with @Pumpkln. Your foremost need is to be safe at home. We have the same surgery date, July 14. I have someone coming twice a week, with three more visits to go. She didn't even measure my ROM and extension the first couple of visits. She's much more concerned with safety-related issues. How to use the walker to make a right turn when my instinct is to pivot to the right on my right TKA Leg, for instance. I have many stairs, hallways, and sidewalks to contend with, so her next visit is going to work on navigating them.

I wonder if the therapist's interest in increasing your ROM is motivated by factors outside of your knowledge and control. Maybe she's evaluated on how well her patients progress on specified cut and dry quantifiable measures like ROM. Or maybe the facility is evaluated by state and federal regulators on the progress people make. Dunno. Still, the doctor's adage is "do no harm," not "chart quantifiable measurements."
Please check back here and let us know how you're doing.

Sarah Jane
 
Lacy21 said:
My current unassisted ROM is 75, my therapist has pushed it to 85. The therapist feel I'm not progressing fast enough and my ROM should be at 90.
Click to expand...
Don't let them push it if it hurts.

There is no 'should be'. All recoveries are different. You are just out of surgery; what you need is calm and lots of do-nothing whilst your body recovers -- which it will, and it doesn't need much help. What you don't need is nagging or pressure to 'perform' better. This is not a dog show!
 
I am sure there is a social worker who works at the facility. If you decide to go home, have him/her set up home health and a visiting nurse program for you.
 
Roy Gardiner said:
This is not a dog show!
Click to expand...

In the US, it may be! With insurance companies and corporations demanding certain things and fitting patients into set protocols (like with cholesterol meds), we are often not treated like individual humans.

Gilina
 
I'm finally going home today,after almost 3 weeks in rehabilitation. They are still concerns that my rom isn't 90. However, my surgeon fells I'm doing fine and to start outpatient therapy.
 
Home is well home..

Legin THR Sep 14
 
Wow, three weeks in rehab! I was one week and ready to go home. Enjoy being home.
 
@Lacy21 ... I have created a recovery thread for you and moved your first post-op posts here. Please use this thread to post an updates, questions or concerns regarding your surgery. When you're up to it, I have a few basic recovery articles for you to read. Please continue to let us know how you're doing!

First are the BoneSmart mantras ....

- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a therapist (PT) - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lie down!

Next is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thread.

And here are some very crucial articles

The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Activity progression for TKRs
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Home physio (PT) and activity progress: suggestions
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

And then some wise words from members who have shared their experiences ...
Where are you in recovery?? (TKR)
Five “P’s” of knee recovery
TKR: work “smarter” and not “harder”
Recovering a knee - from one who knows!
It's never too late to get more ROM!
It's worth the wait for ROM
 
Good luck with your recovery, take each day as it comes and don't overdo things.
 
Welcome home, dear surgery sister! Looking forward to hearing more about your experiences and recovery.
 
Lacy21 said:
They are still concerns that my ROM isn't 90. However, my surgeon fells I'm doing fine and to start outpatient therapy.
Click to expand...
@Lacy21 Don't know who 'they' are but they're obviously not as knowledgeable as your surgeon! I'd listen to him before 'them'!
 
I'm six weeks out, I had my six week visit with my surgeon today, who informed me that he would see me in a year. I was wondering was this typical? Also, I have major swelling and I am really concerned. I'm still going to physical therapy but the swelling is a problem.
 
WOW!! I am at 17 wks and I saw my OS last week and am suppose to go back again in November. As to swelling--ice and elevate and cut back on how much you are using that knee for at least a few days.
 
Sorry I posted on the wrong thread... But my dr did trek me yesterday to be prepared for swelling for up to a year
 
Each surgeon has his own protocol about follow up visits. Most surgeons do a 6 month check. But your recovery sounds very normal at this point, so I wouldn't worry. You always have the option of making an appointment with your doctor if there is something that concerns you. Just because he said he'd do a routine follow up then, he didn't mean you couldn't contact him until then!

You may notice that I have merged all of your recovery threads. We like to keep our members' recovery posts all in a single thread. That way it's easy for us to go back and read your history before responding to a question or concern. In addition, the thread becomes a journal of your recovery for those who come along later and want to read about you. So, please post in this thread from now on when you want to give an update or ask a question. If you decide you'd like a different thread title at any point, just post what you want here and we'll get it changed for you.
 
I found that support hose helped with the swelling--and, of course, ice and elevation are the real answer to getting rid of swelling.
 
@skigirl Kelly....Can you please share with me as to your current pain level if any after all this time frame since your surgeries? I am wondering if you have any pain and or how often under what circumstances. I am hoping that you have no pain and all is well all of the time. I am trying to consider if I will truly be better off after surgery. I do need to loose weight and I am wondering if after doing this I may be able to avoid surgery altogether. I am bone on bone in both knees. Thank you Kelly. :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Corganics CBD
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

Total: 821 (members: 1, guests: 820)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom