TKR liam2015: 1 Year Anniversary, Life Goes On!
- Thread starter liam2015
- Start date
United States
Pheebs52
big-cheese
Thanks for that very encouraging post @flyaway79! It's so helpful to have a fellow *sweller* who is ahead of us in the recovery game. You rock, on your bike and in life.
OP
OP
liam2015
post-grad
yes and a good lesson in getting to know someone before you move in with them in a different country. could have ended worse. just did my exercises. i gave my leg and knee a good massage first with a moisturizer and some stretching, (thanks flyaway) then elevated with an ice pack for around 20 minutes (until timer went for laundry). i even tried bending my knee for 2 steps on the stairs and it might be getting a bit better.
OP
OP
liam2015
post-grad
8 week update: i went to the surgeon yesterday with my husband and listened to the same old rhetoric about my time running out for ideal r.o.m., i will get stuck where i am, that he would have to schedule me for a m.u.a., even though i said "no". i think he was trying to scare me, saying that physio wasn't helping, even though i told him i only just started a week ago. he wants to see me again on monday to "keep a check on me". i think i will really cancel this time though because i won't be where he wants me to be (95 degrees r.o.m.) and i have no intention of agreeing to the m.u.a.
i went to physio today for the 3rd time. i really like the therapist and i like the treatments of massage, laser and tens. she works on increasing my r.o.m., but it's only gone from 76 last week to 79 this week. i've been doing my exercises faithfully. i'm going back to physio on friday. i realize this is futile due to the swelling but how is it that others are able to get the ideal r.o.m. in a shorter time?
i feel very functional in other ways; i haven't used a device for several weeks, feel very stable and solid walking and i am doing almost all chores i was doing before, other than driving and shopping. i'm taking tylenol twice a day ~ the pain is tolerable. i do get stiff after sitting or being in bed for the night. i get up every night still around 2:30 to 3:00 a.m., not sure if it's from discomfort or have to go to bathroom, and then again around 8:00 a.m. i ice and elevate any time i'm sitting down.
i tried taking the surgeon's recommendation of taking "Aleve" as well as the Tylenol, but once again i have found i can't take a medication. the Aleve made me feel extremely drowsy the next morning. i had the same effect with Aleve before the surgery. i have run out of the Celebrex, (prescribed after surgery) which didn't cause me any side effect. does anyone feel that the Celebrex helps with the inflammation as it's supposed to?
hope everyone is improving in their recovery.
i went to physio today for the 3rd time. i really like the therapist and i like the treatments of massage, laser and tens. she works on increasing my r.o.m., but it's only gone from 76 last week to 79 this week. i've been doing my exercises faithfully. i'm going back to physio on friday. i realize this is futile due to the swelling but how is it that others are able to get the ideal r.o.m. in a shorter time?
i feel very functional in other ways; i haven't used a device for several weeks, feel very stable and solid walking and i am doing almost all chores i was doing before, other than driving and shopping. i'm taking tylenol twice a day ~ the pain is tolerable. i do get stiff after sitting or being in bed for the night. i get up every night still around 2:30 to 3:00 a.m., not sure if it's from discomfort or have to go to bathroom, and then again around 8:00 a.m. i ice and elevate any time i'm sitting down.i tried taking the surgeon's recommendation of taking "Aleve" as well as the Tylenol, but once again i have found i can't take a medication. the Aleve made me feel extremely drowsy the next morning. i had the same effect with Aleve before the surgery. i have run out of the Celebrex, (prescribed after surgery) which didn't cause me any side effect. does anyone feel that the Celebrex helps with the inflammation as it's supposed to?
hope everyone is improving in their recovery.
Jennszoo
post-grad
As you know, I've had great ROM, but my recovery has been slow on quad strength. I still struggle to do a seated leg extension, my leg still buckles on me, I'm still cane-dependent outside the house. So yeah, recovery is a series of fits and starts. I'm trying to do the leg extensions, leg lifts, whatever I can to build up that quad strength while being cognizant of avoiding the ODIC and not much is changing. So once again, I'm left with just being patient. Who wants that? Not me. Lol.
I don't think your knee will bend more until some of the swelling goes down - and working hard at the exercises is more inclined to increase the swelling. Try cutting back the exercises and increasing the amount of time you spend resting, icing and elevating your knee.i've been doing my exercises faithfully. i'm going back to physio on friday. i realize this is futile due to the swelling but how is it that others are able to get the ideal r.o.m. in a shorter time?
Knee recovery - Lose the Work Ethic!!
TKR: work “smarter” and not “harder”
It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself. Work on reducing the swelling, not doing the exercises.
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
It's a mystery why some people get more ROM early and others struggle. Swelling is certainly a big factor. My legs swelled to be sure. They looked huge. But I've since seen people in PT who are still, weeks out, more swollen than I was right after surgery--and they are the ones struggling with ROM. So the connection to swelling seems clear. Another factor just might be pain tolerance. When asked to push a little more, they might push through the pain more than others are able, just to achieve a number. Hard to say. I don't swell much and I tolerate pain better than most, but I can say for certain that as my swelling decreased, it was less painful to get to those higher ROM numbers.
Work on the swelling. It's the key to ROM.
Work on the swelling. It's the key to ROM.
Pheebs52
big-cheese
Oh, @liam2015, I'm sending you a huge, healing, 
empathetic hug. You've been through so much misery with that blasted knee and the lousy side-effects of medication. You know I am also a *fellow-sweller* and it definitely inhibits movement. I don't believe there is an answer as to why some of us swell more, nor does there seem to be any treatment option beyond ice and elevation, although I will be asking my surgeon today about compression sleeves. I know there are some designed to help alleviate swelling, though I'm not quite sure how that might actually work. I tried Aleve the other day and it just gave me a slight stomach upset, so I won't be trying it again; pffft!
Do you by any chance have an exercise bike or pedal machine at home? I have found that very beneficial for loosening when at the PT office. Initially, I was opposed to the idea of buying a bike, but I'm beginning to change my mind. Despite my swelling, (which seems static) my ROM has improved in just one week from 60 to 75 on flexion. As such, I see some sort of exercise bike in my immediate future because I believe it's made a difference already. The cheesy, pedal machine is just an exercise in frustration here since it travels across the floor despite my many clever (hah) attempts to anchor it somehow.
If my flexion does not improve by the 6-8 week mark, I know the MUA discussion will occur. I've not read much about it yet, because I don't want to focus on something negative that might never occur. That said, I am wondering what your specific objections are? I know there are a few Smarties here who have undergone the procedure and seemed to have gotten good results; @LindaO and @Mister come to mind. Perhaps you could chat with them about the experience? There's nothing like hearing from the voice of experience when it comes to these matters, especially since your OS seems to be in a scare tactic mode. I also wonder if a discussion with your primary care doctor might be helpful? You may have already done so unbeknownst to me.
empathetic hug. You've been through so much misery with that blasted knee and the lousy side-effects of medication. You know I am also a *fellow-sweller* and it definitely inhibits movement. I don't believe there is an answer as to why some of us swell more, nor does there seem to be any treatment option beyond ice and elevation, although I will be asking my surgeon today about compression sleeves. I know there are some designed to help alleviate swelling, though I'm not quite sure how that might actually work. I tried Aleve the other day and it just gave me a slight stomach upset, so I won't be trying it again; pffft!Do you by any chance have an exercise bike or pedal machine at home? I have found that very beneficial for loosening when at the PT office. Initially, I was opposed to the idea of buying a bike, but I'm beginning to change my mind. Despite my swelling, (which seems static) my ROM has improved in just one week from 60 to 75 on flexion. As such, I see some sort of exercise bike in my immediate future because I believe it's made a difference already. The cheesy, pedal machine is just an exercise in frustration here since it travels across the floor despite my many clever (hah) attempts to anchor it somehow.
If my flexion does not improve by the 6-8 week mark, I know the MUA discussion will occur. I've not read much about it yet, because I don't want to focus on something negative that might never occur. That said, I am wondering what your specific objections are? I know there are a few Smarties here who have undergone the procedure and seemed to have gotten good results; @LindaO and @Mister come to mind. Perhaps you could chat with them about the experience? There's nothing like hearing from the voice of experience when it comes to these matters, especially since your OS seems to be in a scare tactic mode. I also wonder if a discussion with your primary care doctor might be helpful? You may have already done so unbeknownst to me.
OP
OP
liam2015
post-grad
thanks everyone for your support. yes Pheebs52 i have my own street bicycle set up on stands but i can only rock the pedals back and forth for now. i will work on that, i love biking. i believe that i will get the ideal (for me) r.o.m. without having the m.u.a. i cannot go through another procedure which would put me back at square one with the pain, the narcotics and side effects, hubby having to take over everything while running a business. as much as i feel the surgeon has my best interests at heart, i wish he would stop lecturing me and let me deal with this my way, although he's of the opinion that physio isn't working and i won't be able to push through the pain, etc. he's disappointed because i didn't start physio from the beginning (even though i was sick) and now it feels like he's blaming me for being in this position. the good news is that i think i'm showing some progress with the bending and the pain dissipates after pushing a little further.
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
You'll show him what recovery looks like. I did PT while nauseated and wish I hadn't. I kept cutting exercises short and saying "I can't do that right now. I'm about to faint!" I had severe anemia at the time, so it was no idle threat. The thing is, I'm not sure how much benefit I got from such half-a**ed therapy. You were smart to start when you felt better!
OP
OP
liam2015
post-grad
thank you SusieShoes...yes i will show him. i just wish i had another week to get to what he expects ~ 95 degrees. i might just do it by monday. i just tried to cancel my appointment, would have left a voicemail but the receptionist answered and talked me out of cancelling. she said the surgeon just wants to check my r.o.m. and that the m.u.a. is a last resort. she talked as if it wasn't a big deal but i didn't get into it with her. i said i would go. i'm looking forward to friday's physio as i really like the treatments. i think they are healing, at least they feel like they are.
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
PT can be helpful. I find it useful to talk with the PT about what each exercise is designed to accomplish. I came to appreciate the strap with the heel slide for my left knee, which has a painful "spot". When it bends past that spot, it moves more freely. With each week, that painful spot has become less of an issue and I no longer need the strap (I bought one for at home, too) to help move past it. I do my exercises only sporadically, but that one spot has responded well to massage and stretches.
Pheebs52
big-cheese
@liam2015, do you use the bike for 5-10 minutes each day, or several times a day? I honestly feel that the bike and the massage are what's making my knee a bit looser. It's still swollen, but looser. I'll take it!
I can certainly understand your objection to an MUA if it creates the same level of pain, disability and dependence as a TKR does. As I said, I haven't read up on it much because I have enough on my plate dealing with the present reality. If it's suggested in the future that I might need an MUA, then I'll do the required reading.
I can't imagine doing PT while nauseated; good grief! And, if you don't hit his magic number on Monday, so what? Ask him if there's a specific stretch you should be doing that isn't being done at PT and see what solutions he comes up with besides threats of MUA. I'm sure he has your best interests at heart, but I do think the surgeon ego is negatively impacted when their patient isn't *performing* as they envisioned. Once that kicks in, it isn't a far leap to blaming the patient and dishing out admonishments. I think it's a lot easier for them to say "This is your fault," than it is to accept not every patient falls into a neat, little time-frame of healing.
@SusieShoes, I also have that one, smallish, but nasty pain spot that seems to obstruct heel sliding. Last night, I used the dog leash to push it a hair further. It made my hair stand for a moment, but then....more movement. Thankfully, I didn't suffer any ill-effect afterwards.
I can certainly understand your objection to an MUA if it creates the same level of pain, disability and dependence as a TKR does. As I said, I haven't read up on it much because I have enough on my plate dealing with the present reality. If it's suggested in the future that I might need an MUA, then I'll do the required reading.
I can't imagine doing PT while nauseated; good grief! And, if you don't hit his magic number on Monday, so what? Ask him if there's a specific stretch you should be doing that isn't being done at PT and see what solutions he comes up with besides threats of MUA. I'm sure he has your best interests at heart, but I do think the surgeon ego is negatively impacted when their patient isn't *performing* as they envisioned. Once that kicks in, it isn't a far leap to blaming the patient and dishing out admonishments. I think it's a lot easier for them to say "This is your fault," than it is to accept not every patient falls into a neat, little time-frame of healing.
@SusieShoes, I also have that one, smallish, but nasty pain spot that seems to obstruct heel sliding. Last night, I used the dog leash to push it a hair further. It made my hair stand for a moment, but then....more movement. Thankfully, I didn't suffer any ill-effect afterwards.
You are improving, even with all that swelling. Get that swelling down and the ROM will improve! Until you can get that down, you'll continue to have only slow improvements. But, you are improving! If you don't want to go to the appointment and hear all the push for a MUA, don't let anyone talk you out of not going. He is causing you stress. Stress slows healing. You need peace, rest, ice, elevation, and meds. Gotta get the swelling down!
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Jennszoo
post-grad
Right above the knee on the outer edge of my thigh was my tight spot for Flexion. It's finally loosened up and I think that's helped my bend.
