TKR Larry’s LTKR Recovery

[traceys]

@Larryhg3 unlearning those old habits is so hard. Your brain is so powerful and thinks it’s helping and it’s not. Us humans are a fun creature!

Congrats on surviving your week tho. Such a great accomplishment and can only get easier now that you you are over that first hurdle!

 

[Teecup]

So happy for you! You're incision does like to challenge you though, doesn't it? Bad righty! Though not his fault you whacked him. Bet that hurt! Hope he heals quickly.

Great idea about the standing desk. I've been doing that working from home and found it helps. Let's me alternate legs standing and get in some stretching. Seems like sitting or standing for extended periods of time turns the knee to glue. Periodic movement seems to be the best.

Glad you're able to recover each night to get up and do it all over again. Here's to life getting back to normal.

 

[HoneyB]

My office is in my home so I worked from the sofa for a LONG time during recovery with #1 and #2. I just moved permanently back to my desk about a month ago. Sitting at my desk still makes my hamstrings sore on leg #2. I try to make myself get up and move around often, but since I keep my 3-year-old granddaughter after preschool (from noon until her parents get off work), I find myself sitting for too long during the mornings while I'm trying to get a lot of work done before picking her up. No swelling - just sore hamstrings. Leg#1 handles if just fine.

 

[Larryhg3]

The swelling I have with Righty is no worse (or better) than the swelling with Righty. I am firmly convinced it is due to the inability to elevate during the work day. Proven out by the swelling going away over night. Saturday I went to the mall and did Christmas shopping met my wife for lunch. Spent about 5 hours walking, in and out of the car etc came home elevated for 2 hours no significant swelling. Enjoy your week.

 

[SusieShoes]

It is pretty amazing how we have to unlearn some of our coping mechanisms. I still remind myself that I can: 1) bend my knees to pick something up from the floor; 2) use just one leg to leverage myself out of a car (not turn in the seat to plant both feet on the ground first); 3) kneel down to do something at ground level; and 4) get up without having to use my arms (pure habit at times to just use the arms).

Sorry your incision is being uncooperative. Tell it to turn into a nice scar already!

 

[Larryhg3]

Today at PT I had a fill in because mine is at a training class. It was her and my PT from last time which turned out to be good. They both took a good look at my incision and said it looks great. They explained that since I have had 3 other surgeries on that knee and have a big scar 2 inches inside of my current scar that it is pretty common for it to take longer to heal and to be “thinner” something about diminished blood flow to the area. They also put KT (kinesiology tape)on the outside of my knee on both sides to assist with the swelling. By the time I went to bed swelling was down significantly. I continue to work on unlearning bad habits. It is okay to bend my knees it really is . I have to concentrate to do it but I am coming along. Got a nice massage and measurement but am not allowed to know the numbers. I got “slightly better you are doing fantastic” . I have to say not having that number in my head after every visit has made this process a lot less stressful. Glad we agreed that I would not be driven by a ROM number this time around that we would focus on functional gains, hence the focus on correcting bio mechanical coping mechanisms and undoing them. Woke up this morning with no swelling at all ready for another day.

 

[sistersinhim]

What a great recovery you are having! Your PT sounds perfect and it shows in your lack of swelling and good recovery!

 

[Larryhg3]

9 weeks into Righty this past Weds and finally......ladies and gentlemen WE HAVE A SCAR.......no scabs no openings fully healed and closed from top to bottom. Understanding why it is slower and how the othe scar can affect blood flow and healing is all well and good. But to look down and see A SCAR is one of the nicest things I have ever seen.
Yesterday was one of “those” days. I didn’t do anything differently but by the end of my work day my entire leg was sooo swollen and my knee was so stiff. I came home and did my stretches as I do every day after work but quickly gave up because Righty was having none of it. Elevated and iced for the rest of the evening 1 hour on 1 hour off. Went to bed still swollen and stiff. Woke up today much better but went to get something in the basement and coming back up (leg over leg) Righty started griping again. Just goes to show the ups and downs around this journey. Some days my knee just is NOT in the mood to play nice..period. All I can do is understand that and adjust accordingly. Tomorrow is another day.

 

[Celle]

You did the right thing in not persisting with the stretching when your knee told you it had had enough.

After a day at work, your knee will have done so much that it really deserves that rest. It's had enough exercise.

 

[traceys]

@Larryhg3
That’s amazing!
Gosh it’s sad when we celebrate getting a scar. Lol

Sorry to hear righty threw a temper tantrum. But like you said - tomorrow is a new day. I’m right there with you in that boat today!

Happy Friday!!!

 

[beachy]

Larry, congrats on your scar! I’m proud of mine and wear it as a reminder of what I’ve had to endure.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was encouraged by your recent setback. We’re 1 day apart in TKR dates. I’m in the same boat as you now. Over did it. By necessity, not for fun. The thought ran through my mind that I may have hurt something, but ice and elevating will help. Hope your swelling and pain decrease soon!

 

[Larryhg3]

@beachy of course I don’t take it the wrong way. I have consistently said that Righty is behaving way better than Lefty. All knees are different it is just that simple. At 9 weeks with Lefty I was still trying to figure out which way was up. I was so emotionally fried that at times I was afraid I was losing my mind. I think the anguish I went through with Lefty prepared me for Righty. As things have come up I recognize them as things I have been through and just roll with them. I was also much more physically prepared for Righty as I literally did conditioning on him from the day PT stopped for Lefty unti 6 days prior to Righty. I continue to post and share both my successes and setbacks because reading other peoples experiences here is what got me through both knees.

 

[Larryhg3]

10 weeks yesterday and to celebrate I did something (not really sure what) that has landed me firmly in ODIC. Miserable horrible day with Both knees. Lefty has hurt all day when I tried to flex him while sitting and Righty has been generally grumpy. Pain when I get up and start to walk, after I have gone a little way it subsides but when it is there it has my complete attention. It was so bad that I came home mid day to get a pain pill and spent an hour icing. That helped a little but was back in full force an hour after I got back to work. I noticed that if I massage my quad right above my knee the pain (which is right below my kneecap) subsides for what that is worth. Tonight I will be doing Nothing but ice elevate and try to make up with my angry knees.

Good news is that today was my last work day until Jan 3. I don’t have PT again until next Weds so I will be getting some much needed rest and trying to figure out what triggered this. Very surprised because Lefty has been great for a good while now. Very miserable day having a hard time finding something good to focus on. Oh well live and learn I guess. Sorry to dump on you all

 

[beachy]

You didn't dump on anyone. That's what your bonesmart buddies are here for.
Sorry you're hurting and for an unexplained reason. Weird.
I take a pain pill occasionally. Leftover prescription from last month.
Hope it passes as soon as it arrived.
I guess 10 weeks isn't all its cracked up to be. I'm 10 weeks today.
It will get better!

 

[Teecup]

Oh those sneaky rascals! Sounds like a conspiracy! Just a reminder that it takes at least a year to heal and Lefty isn't going to let you forget it!

So happy for the lovely time off you have ahead of you. Take good care of yourself!:santa hug:

 

[Larryhg3]

@Teecup thank you for reminding me of what I say over and over.
@beachy I just try very hard to stay positive yesterday was hard.

Today is a new day. Woke up and was able to bend Lefty easily with just the typical morning stiffness. Righty isn’t cranky at all so far. Obviously something I did on Tues or Weds set them off. Tues was work with the department Christmas gathering directly after. They only had high top tables and I can’t really get comfortable on those high chairs. I was able to get Lefty up onto the rung to steady/hold myself up but Righty won’t bend like that just yet at least not for any length of time. Weds was work followed by PT where we didn’t add anything new or increase intensity in any way. Today the pain is still there in Lefty but not nearly as bad. Continued rest is my plan.

I am now going down stairs leg over leg more often than not. I need to have a rail on both sides to be comfortable and even then it isn’t pretty. The big news is that my wife and boys are back in bed with me and the boys are terribly excited. My baby the one on the left in my profile picture fell asleep curled up with his head on my shoulder last night.

 

[Jockette]

I wonder if sitting on that higher chair was what set your knee off. It was months and months before I could sit in one of those chairs. And maybe the extra activities were an added strain on a cranky knee.

I’m glad you’re doing better now. The best evidence of progress is how much “quicker” we recover from an upset to the knees.

The big news is that my wife and boys are back in bed with me and the boys are terribly excited. My baby the one on the left in my profile picture fell asleep curled up with his head on my shoulder last night.

Awesome, and the best medicine!

 

[Newboots]

. The best evidence of progress is how much “quicker” we recover from an upset to the knees.

How very true @Jockette .

 

[sistersinhim]

My baby the one on the left in my profile picture fell asleep curled up with his head on my shoulder last night.

Ah, that is so sweet! I bet that felt really good! I really love my fur babies and they give me a whole lot of comfort!

 

[beachy]

I try to stay positive, too. Its what gets me through this. The last week has tested my patience and positivity.
Having puppy snuggles is the best medicine.