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TKR Larry’s LTKR Recovery

Hello all and thank you for the encouraging words. I still have no signs at all of an infection, no fever, redness,tenderness warm to the touch nothing. I spoke with my GP today and he mentioned that it could have been like a suture abscess (even though I had staples) told me to continue to monitor it. At PT today he said that the incision looks great I still have 3 small spots that are not completely closed. While he was working on my knee ( bunch of different massages) he reached for gauze again and dabbed the same spot. Looked at it held it up for me to see “perfectly clear” just a combination of the massage and the not fully closed incision right there. He is no longer concerned. He measured today and shared the numbers for the first time 98 flexion -8 extension said you are in a good place. I will be 4 weeks on Weds. I also got notified today that my tentative return to work date is Dec 3 which is basically 8 weeks but the doctor “reserved the right to extend that if he feels I need more time”
Other than the weekend of panic things have gone okay. My pain resting hovers around 2 and after PT or exercise never goes higher than 3-4. I am lucky in that my doctor believes in PT but also believes equally in pain management. He believes that PT helps me to relearn how to use a joint that I haven’t used properly in years but also knows that brings a level of discomfort that should be managed. Now if the sleep fairy would pay a visit all would be great. Sorry to have disappeared on you all I tend to isolate when I worry. Again thank you all for the support and concern.
 
@Larryhg3 , sounds like good news re the seepage. I am nearly 7 weeks and found the sleep fairy finally started to visit towards week 5. Hope you get a visit soon. I found the hardest to cope with was the sleep deprivation :tiredwheel:
 
@Larryhg3 I hope I get a therapist like yours! I only saw one at the hospital and he made us do exercises that left me very sore. My flexion was measured at 75 second day after surgery and 65 the next. Cant remember the extension. Probably not great now. I am hoping see someone later this week. I don't have staples, I have glue with the steristripes. I am gonna have to learn to walk properly after all the limping and walking on my tippy toes I did. I hope my therapist is gentle and can lead me in the right direction. Glad you are doing better.
 
That's such good news about the (lack of) infection!

We are 1 day apart in surgery dates. I was 10/11.
Thursday will be 4 weeks for me and I'm feeling much better than last week.
 
Larryhg3 said:
At PT today he said that the incision looks great I still have 3 small spots that are not completely closed. While he was working on my knee ( bunch of different massages) he reached for gauze again and dabbed the same spot. Looked at it held it up for me to see “perfectly clear” just a combination of the massage and the not fully closed incision right there. He is no longer concerned.
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I'm glad you have no more discharge from you incision.

However, I think you should tell your PT to keep his hands off it. I hope he used sterile gauze.
With a couple of open areas still, your wound is vulnerable to infection being introduced. The fewer people who touch it, the better.
Make sure he doesn't do any massaging anywhere near your incision, either.
 
Larryhg3 said:
I also got notified today that my tentative return to work date is Dec 3 which is basically 8 weeks but the doctor “reserved the right to extend that if he feels I need more time”
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So great that your doc is looking out for you! I hope your employer is acommodating. I went back to the office at 9 weeks. Was still on one crutch. Could feel my knee swelling and heating as the day progressed, even though I applied cold packs and elevated on a stack of books under my desk. Set me back. I hope you can stay home for as long as you need so you can maximize your healing with rest, elevation, ice, and your therapy throughout the day. :ice:
 
Sorry for the delay in posting. @Celle yes ma’am he used sterile gauze to dab it. To be clear we was mobilizing by applying gentle pressure in the front of my calf to loosen that area. He never actually touches my incision in any way. But I sincerely appreciate your concern. Last week we made a concerted affort to do no mobilization around that spot that isn’t completely healed to let it close. Of course Sat I wasn’t fully awake in the shower and washed over it with a wash cloth and pulled some of the scab off. Every day it looks a little better. The good news is my PT from Lefty is in the same practice and says I am healing about the same as I did then. Nobody (except me have I mentioned I am neurotic?) is concerned about infection at this point. My wife inspects (doesn’t touch) my incision every morning and every night for me, she is getting tired of that but does it to appease me.

Saturday I went on an excursion. I had an eye doctors appointment. Then went to Lowe’s for some household items. Then to the grocery for a few things. Grand total up and about for about 4 hours. I was pretty tired after but no ill effects. I did skip my stretches after that trip so I didn’t make Righty angry, also spent a bit longer elevated and icing. All things considered Righty up to this point seems to be easier. I am down to 2 pain pills during the day supplemented with Tylenol and 2 muscle relaxers. At night I take 2 pills before bed but have been sleeping mostly through the night so no pill overnight. Not sure if this is because I know what to expect and/or avoid this time. Or if it is just easier this time.

Thanks to everyone in this community. I get so much from reading your stories and knowing I am not doing this alone.
 
6 week update. I had a PT progress report today for my OS and insurance. My flexion is 104 and my extension is -4. My strength scores have all increased dramatically since my initial assessment. My incision has now almost completely closed including the blisters that had developed. I actually talked to the PA at the OS who explained that the blisters are not cause for concern. They seem to be taking longer to heal simply because of where they developed this time. Basically 2 of them are in places where doing my stretches causes them to seep. My pain is pretty low as well. I honestly believe that the much less aggressive method that my PT and I have adopted has gotten me where I am to this point.
 
7 weeks today. Went to PT he has been working on getting my IT band and quads looser so spent the first 15 minutes on the table. Today he told me that as far as he is concerned I no longer need my cane. He took measurements again today but would only say better than last week. This comes under the “careful what you ask for” category. His reasoning is that he has to measure at least once weekly but I don’t want to be driven by that number, seems fair. I return to work this coming Monday and my PT drops to twice weekly. One thing I really like with this PT is that he is constantly watching. He has a plan every time I go in but gauges my energy and effort and often (like today) says “you have had enough Larry go home ice elevate and rest”. We aren’t running through a list of exercises we are rehabbing my knee if that makes sense. I am very blessed to have a great therapist who really understands how to rehab a TKR.
 
It’s amazing when you have that click with your pt.

I feel so bad for people that have an antagonistic relationship with pt or OS - fer Pete’s sake you have the same goals! :sorry: Get the client happy and healthy however they feel most secure.

Can’t wait to hear how you do when back at work. Bet you slay that dragon!!
 
Agreed - a great PT is worth every penny - glad you found a good one for you; I really lucked into the clinic I chose with my first TKR as I did not know about the continuum of options and philosophies.
 
Your PT does sound like a wonderful find! So back to work on Monday...Are you excited, dreading it, or somewhere in between?
 
@traceys I agree 100% that having an antagonistic relationship with you PT has to be exhausting. During Lefty my PT (from the same practice) would have a list of exercises that the aides had me do. If I was lucky I got 10 minutes on a table mostly to measure. With my new PT he asks every visit how it is going and listens to the answers. He wants to know how I feel physically, where I am mentally, and then decides what the workload is going to be. Yes he has my exercises set up but like I said often adjusts based on the conversation we have. So some days I do a bunch of exercises others I do less because he doesn’t want to overload me. The line I used yesterday is his “We aren’t here to do a bunch of exercises we are here to rehab a TKR.”

@Teecup I am so looking forward to getting back to work. First of all I love what I do so that helps a great deal. I think that giving myself the time to focus on my knee has been hugely beneficial this time (last time I was working from home at 3 weeks). But now I am ready to move forward.

I guess that is why sometimes I feel odd here because I honestly believe that a good PT can make TKR so much better. Bonesmart gave me the tools that I needed to find one. I knew the questions to ask and developed my ground rules based on the horrific experiences I read about here.
 
Larryhg3 said:
I honestly believe that a good PT can make TKR so much better. Bonesmart gave me the tools that I needed to find one. I knew the questions to ask and developed my ground rules based on the horrific experiences I read about here.
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This is the key! You have a PT that lets you and your knee be in control. You are blessed! Finding one like that is hard since so many of them what to be in total control and then bully the patient into doing things their knees are not ready for. You have a very sensible attitude about your recovery, which helps tremendously!
 
First day back to work. Tried to get up and walk every hour or so for 5 minutes. Followed by PT for a progress report basically measurements to submit to the insurance company. All measurements basically same as last report. Pretty decent swelling and pretty fatigued tonight as expected. Sitting with knee up and ice in place. PT is twice weekly because with work added that is what I can do. In that critical listen to your knee phase I know going to be a balance for a bit here.
 
Many stop PT once they go back to work. They find that just the activity of getting ready for work, getting there, then working and then getting back home was all the PT they needed!
 
Congrats on getting back into the swing of things in a job you love! Good for you remembering to get up every hour or so to walk. No doubt that helped your knee not turn to cement after sitting so long! The first day is probably the hardest, and you're an experienced knee daddy so you know what to do. Wishing you a quick week and a restful recovery weekend. :flwrysmile:
 
I survived week one back at work. In spite of getting up and moving every hour, elevating on my guest chair during lunch etc every day between 2-3 I can literally feel my knee swelling. Typically I come home work through my stretches ice while my wife makes dinner. Then I go lay down with legs elevated on Lounge Doctor and ice for a full 90 minutes (front and back). By morning I am normal again and begin the process over. I am considering getting a standing desk so I can alternate standing and sitting to see if that helps. I am really tired by the end of my day so sleep has been easier. Overall Righty feels really good. At PT we are working on unlearning coping mechanisms that I have developed over years pain. Gait, stairs, picking things up off the floor bio mechanically I instinctively try to protect my knee from pain that no longer exists. The one thing that I don’t remember from last time is how easily the skin on my scar can open. I bumped my knee Thurs (pretty hard) when I got home there is a small opening (not seeping) where I hit it. Now waiting for it to heal. Overall doing great.
 
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