JackieS
junior member
Well, my 4 week mark is actually tomorrow, but I have both a blood draw (Coumadin related) and physical therapy tomorrow ... so it will be a full social calendar day for me!
After 4 in home PT visits, I had my 4th out patient PT visit yesterday. I have been faithful to exercising my knee at home, as well. My greatest feeling of accomplishment has been in increasing my strength -- with each day and each PT visit, I'm doing more and more. Three weeks ago a leg lift from prone position on bed was about an inch. Now I can repetitively do perpendicular to the floor and just get a bit tired at the end. I can get in the total body equipment at PT and use only my LTKR leg to raise and lower myself (and I'm no Skinny Minnie!).
I live alone and don't have a car, so I've been taking city buses to get to PT. Around my apartment and building area, I'm walking without any aids (and have been for about 11 days). I do use one crutch for getting to the PT appointments as I have to walk about a block and a half to the bus stop from home, then another half block to get to the PT. I think I could probably make the trip without the crutch but it's a bit like a security blanket. Plus, when the bus driver sees the crutch, they use to kneeling function so that first step isn't 14 inches off the ground. I've noticed that I basically use the crutch for a bit of balance and to perfect my gait on my "long walk."
Then there's my area of disappointment (although my PT thinks I'm doing well) -- my ROM. Due to the blood clot after surgery, I had no PT in the hospital and stayed in the hospital twice as long as expected (6 days). I left the hospital 5/20 with 60 degrees bend.
At my last home PT visit, I was at 75. My staples were still in at that time. My first out patient PT visit sans staples, I came in at 85. Last Friday on my third visit, I was up to 107, 114 when forced. Yesterday, it was back down to 97 unforced. I think the oppressive heat and some swelling issues due to my time walking outside in the weather may have affected it. Strengthwise yesterday was another leaps and bounds, so overall it was a good visit.
I'm having what seems to be a bit unusual problem with my flex. The knee itself isn't an issue -- the skin feels a bit tight and I feel the muscles stretching and working a lot. I expect that. But what I didn't expect is the BACK of the knee to be a stumbling block!
When I had the surgery, the back of my knee was the only place severely bruised to the point of almost black. Now, the bruising is gone, but there's an obvious lump there which isn't present on the other knee. When I push my ROM or, even worse, when my PT pushes it, there's the sensation of someone lodging a pencil deep into the back of the knee. I've had tears twice in PT over it due to incredible pain.
My PT has a few theories -- it may, but small chance, be a blood clot. It could be a Baker's Cyst. It could be trauma to the popleitus (sp) muscle (tendon?) from the surgery. While the back of the knee always has the bulge, the only time it hurts is when I work on my ROM. The ROM is increasing (except yesterday which I think was a fluke), but I think this is holding me back from improvement to a degree.
My next OS follow-up is a week from Thursday. If it doesn't resolve by then, I will definitely have him look at it. I'm just thinking from all the black and blue there, it might just need to heal. My PT told me that if it seems to change location, get myself to an ER. But it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
The weekend before last, I discontinued using my pain meds with the exception of pre-PT. It's not that I don't have pain but on the whole it's not bad enough to warrant heavy duty narcotics stuff. I called the OS office yesterday requesting something a bit less heavy I can use with the Coumadin. A friend is picking up that prescription for me today, but I'm not sure what I'm getting.
Like many others, I'm having sleeping difficulties. I feel tired, go to bed, stay awake, rarely sleep more than 3 or so hours at a time. I thought my difficulties were due to the pain meds, but since it's still going on, that's not it. Sometimes I know it's pain waking me up. At times, awake or asleep, I'll get odd sharp pains without cause or warning. They generally only last a few minutes, but I'm sure that would be enough to jolt me awake.
On the whole, I'm not in any sort of horrible pain -- perhaps uncomfortable, perhaps some throbbing a bit time, then the occasional sharp pain. But, it's still a whole lot better than I thought in my pre-op nightmares! Sometimes at rest, I even forget about the knee!
When I walk down my long apartment building hallway without aids, I work on my gait. Pre-op I used to try to walk without limping and couldn't make it five steps. Already, although I have to focus on doing it, I can walk without a limp a good fifty times that! Yay! And it doesn't hurt to walk. What gait problems I have are due to the muscles needing more strength. I know that will happen.
So, I'm four weeks post-op ... and I'm already thankful I took the leap to having the surgery done. It's not easy, it's scary even. It's the hardest thing I've done in my life and I'm conquering it despite some setbacks.
My PT is amazed at my progress. But, as I told him, "When you have no one to wait on you and you have to depend on yourself, you do it for yourself." I knew going into this, I had limited help -- no relatives nearby, no car. A friend has been an angel at getting me from the hospital, picking up prescriptions, getting me to my OS visits (no good public transportation there) but I don't want to overdo things. Having to do for myself has been the best incentive to work on healing.
That annoying and painful bulge behind the knee must get resolved, yes. But I have faith that it will be. This recovery isn't a walk in the park. But now I'm to the point where I could actually take a walk in the park!
But I won't because it's 100 degrees out there today!
After 4 in home PT visits, I had my 4th out patient PT visit yesterday. I have been faithful to exercising my knee at home, as well. My greatest feeling of accomplishment has been in increasing my strength -- with each day and each PT visit, I'm doing more and more. Three weeks ago a leg lift from prone position on bed was about an inch. Now I can repetitively do perpendicular to the floor and just get a bit tired at the end. I can get in the total body equipment at PT and use only my LTKR leg to raise and lower myself (and I'm no Skinny Minnie!).
I live alone and don't have a car, so I've been taking city buses to get to PT. Around my apartment and building area, I'm walking without any aids (and have been for about 11 days). I do use one crutch for getting to the PT appointments as I have to walk about a block and a half to the bus stop from home, then another half block to get to the PT. I think I could probably make the trip without the crutch but it's a bit like a security blanket. Plus, when the bus driver sees the crutch, they use to kneeling function so that first step isn't 14 inches off the ground. I've noticed that I basically use the crutch for a bit of balance and to perfect my gait on my "long walk."
Then there's my area of disappointment (although my PT thinks I'm doing well) -- my ROM. Due to the blood clot after surgery, I had no PT in the hospital and stayed in the hospital twice as long as expected (6 days). I left the hospital 5/20 with 60 degrees bend.
At my last home PT visit, I was at 75. My staples were still in at that time. My first out patient PT visit sans staples, I came in at 85. Last Friday on my third visit, I was up to 107, 114 when forced. Yesterday, it was back down to 97 unforced. I think the oppressive heat and some swelling issues due to my time walking outside in the weather may have affected it. Strengthwise yesterday was another leaps and bounds, so overall it was a good visit.
I'm having what seems to be a bit unusual problem with my flex. The knee itself isn't an issue -- the skin feels a bit tight and I feel the muscles stretching and working a lot. I expect that. But what I didn't expect is the BACK of the knee to be a stumbling block!
When I had the surgery, the back of my knee was the only place severely bruised to the point of almost black. Now, the bruising is gone, but there's an obvious lump there which isn't present on the other knee. When I push my ROM or, even worse, when my PT pushes it, there's the sensation of someone lodging a pencil deep into the back of the knee. I've had tears twice in PT over it due to incredible pain.
My PT has a few theories -- it may, but small chance, be a blood clot. It could be a Baker's Cyst. It could be trauma to the popleitus (sp) muscle (tendon?) from the surgery. While the back of the knee always has the bulge, the only time it hurts is when I work on my ROM. The ROM is increasing (except yesterday which I think was a fluke), but I think this is holding me back from improvement to a degree.
My next OS follow-up is a week from Thursday. If it doesn't resolve by then, I will definitely have him look at it. I'm just thinking from all the black and blue there, it might just need to heal. My PT told me that if it seems to change location, get myself to an ER. But it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
The weekend before last, I discontinued using my pain meds with the exception of pre-PT. It's not that I don't have pain but on the whole it's not bad enough to warrant heavy duty narcotics stuff. I called the OS office yesterday requesting something a bit less heavy I can use with the Coumadin. A friend is picking up that prescription for me today, but I'm not sure what I'm getting.
Like many others, I'm having sleeping difficulties. I feel tired, go to bed, stay awake, rarely sleep more than 3 or so hours at a time. I thought my difficulties were due to the pain meds, but since it's still going on, that's not it. Sometimes I know it's pain waking me up. At times, awake or asleep, I'll get odd sharp pains without cause or warning. They generally only last a few minutes, but I'm sure that would be enough to jolt me awake.
On the whole, I'm not in any sort of horrible pain -- perhaps uncomfortable, perhaps some throbbing a bit time, then the occasional sharp pain. But, it's still a whole lot better than I thought in my pre-op nightmares! Sometimes at rest, I even forget about the knee!
When I walk down my long apartment building hallway without aids, I work on my gait. Pre-op I used to try to walk without limping and couldn't make it five steps. Already, although I have to focus on doing it, I can walk without a limp a good fifty times that! Yay! And it doesn't hurt to walk. What gait problems I have are due to the muscles needing more strength. I know that will happen.
So, I'm four weeks post-op ... and I'm already thankful I took the leap to having the surgery done. It's not easy, it's scary even. It's the hardest thing I've done in my life and I'm conquering it despite some setbacks.
My PT is amazed at my progress. But, as I told him, "When you have no one to wait on you and you have to depend on yourself, you do it for yourself." I knew going into this, I had limited help -- no relatives nearby, no car. A friend has been an angel at getting me from the hospital, picking up prescriptions, getting me to my OS visits (no good public transportation there) but I don't want to overdo things. Having to do for myself has been the best incentive to work on healing.
That annoying and painful bulge behind the knee must get resolved, yes. But I have faith that it will be. This recovery isn't a walk in the park. But now I'm to the point where I could actually take a walk in the park!
But I won't because it's 100 degrees out there today!
United Kingdom
