Revision TKR LindaO’s Revision TKR

[LindaO]

Thought I would get my recovery thread started before the big day on Monday!

We have had a great holiday but I am ready to get home and get things started!

I will post once I am on the other side!

 

[sistersinhim]

Look luck on your surgery and recovery.

 

[Jockette]

Best wishes!

 

[Jaycey]

All the best on Monday! I'll leave a copy of the recovery guidelines here for you.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary

2. Control discomfort:

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this Activity progression for TKRs

6. Access these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

 

[LindaO]

Thank you everyone!!

 

[Jockette]

Why are you having a revision?

 

[LindaO]

I have had pain since my initial surgery and my knee cap isn’t tracking correctly. My surgeon said my PCL has failed and he will revise to a non- cruciate retaining component.

 

[Jockette]

Your original surgery was 2 months after my Patellofemoral. Mine has never felt right, in fact it feels pretty bad most of the time. Not actually painful, but very uncomfortable. I’ve had 2 second opinions and they won’t look past my perfect X-ray to find the source of my discomfort.

My entire recovery was a bad experience so in spite of my discomfort I’m not in a hurry to push for a revision, not without knowing a definite reason for doing it.

Best wishes for a successful revision!

 

[LindaO]

I understand the constant pain. I made sure I went to a revision specialist with a good patient rating. He spent a lot of time with me to try to figure out what the issue was. My x-rays look excellent as well but with my kneecap looking funny, he kept looking and pulling to figure it out. I tried a brace for 2 months with no help. When he said he thought I had a failed PCL, I asked if there was anything I could do to strengthen it. He said he didn’t think it was working at all so nothing I could do.
My left knee had both ACL and PCL removed and not had any issues with it.
I hope you can find the cause of your problem. It isn’t fun to have never ending pain or discomfort when walking!

 

[LindaO]

Yay!! Made it to the other side!
Arrived at the surgery center aT 06:30. They called me back right away. Talked to Anesthia and he described the spinal and blocks and how they worked. Everything completed in about 2 hours.
Surgeon said everything went well. He told my husband he did not have to cut any additional bone off!
He was able to remove the original component and insert the new one, removed the PCL and replace the insert.
Wow! Woke up from the conscious sedation feeling great! My pain was under control, no nausea, and no huge dressing!
I have never had the Q-pump before but the difference in pain level is amazing! I was told it would not take all the pain away but would make it more tolerable. Was told to continue the pain meds around the clock the first few days even with the Q-pump.
Walking well, icing, and elevating!! Swelling is very little at the moment! I pray this all continues in my recovery!

 

[Jockette]

Welcome to Recovery again and Best Wishes!

Here’s a refresher course:

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for TKRs​

6. Access to these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Welcome to the other side and I'm glad all went well. I had a pain ball after my revision, and it was wonderful. Depending on the setting, I had very little to no pain. The only down side to them (at least in my hospital) is that you can only have them for a limited time or a limited number. But I was fortunate after the second one ran out to not have any more significant pain, so I was happy about that. Hopefully you'll be able to have the pain ball for longer as, in my experience, they really are a great way to keep this pain under control. Best wishes on your recovery!

 

[LindaO]

Yes, it is a ball. Loving it so far! I asked her to turn mine down to 5 but may drop it a little more...I only get it this one time ... about 3 days...
One thing I have experienced is my feet cramping up when the spinal was wearing off..that surprised me a bit.
I took a muscle relaxant this evening and it had seemed to help.

 

[LindaO]

I need to correct one of my statements above...I said he didn’t have to cut any bone but he did have to cut the box section out for the insert post but he didn’t cut any other bone off. He said he took out a 9 and replaced it with the 9 with post.
I had a great night! Kept my ice machine running all night, blocks still in place and took 1 Norco 7.5 mg during the night.
my bruising is very little and swelling not bad at all...yet! I pray it continues to go so smoothly! This time last go around wasn’t near as smooth!

 

[Jockette]

I’m glad things are going so well. Is this the same surgeon who dud your original TKR? I forget if you’ve mentioned that.

 

[LindaO]

No, my first surgeon was in Abilene but we moved and this one in Austin. Dr Gallagher in Austin had revision experience and I really liked him so went with him...so far I am glad I did!

 

[sistersinhim]

Wonderful post about a great revision. I, too, pray that you will continue to have low pain and little swelling.

 

[LindaO]

Oh my...did I boast too soon!
yesterday around lunch time I was going to get up off the couch for a tinkle when I noticed my pj’s were wet, my blanket and my undies. I don’t have a clue what happened but all my pain ball medicine was gone! I wanted to cry!
Slowly the block wore off and now I have the full impact of the surgical pain.The swelling is quite large. I am staying elevated and iced almost constantly.? I know the swelling is normal and will take a while to go down.
But darn it hurts!!

 

[Jockette]

 

[Tykey]

That's a great shame after such a great start.
Have you got a new pain control strategy, now your pain ball has gone. Do you need something extra to replace it?
Hang in there! Good luck,!