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MUA LTKR, 8 weeks out; MUA at week 5; worried about ROM

I had an easy out to cut back on PT as I went on vacation and then my PT - who was very gentle - moved away. So it will be about 3 weeks in between visits and from here on out I am only going to schedule once every other week to work on my gait. This is just a long slog - yesterday I felt great and took not one pill. Tonight my leg is achy - I don't know why as I haven't done any more activity and I'm back on the Tylenol.:headbang:

Ps -you were not whiny - just honestly expressing things that we all have felt and experienced during this recovery.
 
I did PT for six weeks and found it useful, though I drove my therapist crazy by refusing some exercises. You see, they hurt, and my knees would swell so walking became painful. So next time I'd say no. If it hurts, don't do it. He kept wheedling me to do leg presses and use weights on my ankles, but my OS said not to do those. That kind of thing. As soon as I had my eight week check up, and my OS said I could stop PT, I did.

But I did find PT useful. It built my confidence and helped me with balance. Some people have therapists who are tuned in to what a TKR patient needs. Others, alas, focus on strength exercises that just stress a joint that's still tender and healing. I had to manage my therapy because I had one of the latter.
 
I think the frustrating thing about this recovery is that it is so long. We've all had moments of pity party, crankyness, unexpected tears etc. I was well prepared by my OS that it was a long recovery but still I would sometimes get teary. Usually when I was tired.
 
Don't feel bad about using pain reliever for the so called "discomfort ". That is what I call it too. Just these past couple/few weeks I have finally been able to knock out a day here and there without the Tylenol. I don't mean this to be a downer that it can take a long time (because I am a long term slow healer with some extra hardware in my tibia), just want you to know it's okay. :)
And remember, the depression comes and goes. It gets better but I remember it definitely still popping in around 3 months as well.
And finally, don't listen to anyone but yourself and your knee :) (even your mother)
:hairpulling:
 
It's a long time away from normal life and activity. I had complications, but felt like a turned a corner around week 10 when I started getting out of the house a bit more. Crying was an everyday occurrence for me, the blues are a real thing.
 
(((Polkadot))) thanks for sharing all you've been going through is such a detailed and thoughtful manner. Like you, I'm also a cancer survivor, and I must say, the knee takes the cake for difficult recovery. I thought my hip replacement was awful, and it was, but it couldn't hold a candle to the knee.

I'm pretty sleepy right now, so can't add much to what others have already said, but do have one suggestion that seemed to help me a lot; take a "Kneecation." I took a solid week off from PT and home exercises and by the time I went back to PT, things had started to really improve for me. My disposition and general attitude were much improved and my stress level was down; all good things, right? I have a very gentle PT whom I like very much, but even so, I would experience that achy, discomfort later in the day and especially at night. Instead of taking any pain meds before PT, I took (and still take) them afterwards. These days, I'm just using Tylenol and it works for me, but we're all different. If you still have Rx pain meds available and feel the need for them, take them. After all, this is exactly what they are for! And yes, many people take them for 3-4 months.

There are so many opinions as to what works best for recovery, but the bottom line is what works best for you. At this point, I'm sure you know exactly what that might be, right? You must know what exacerbates pain and swelling and what your limits are for ADL's, walking and other exercise. If symptoms get exacerbated from any activity, cut it out or back. Recovery isn't a race where we have to "beat the clock," or another TKR person, it's a highly individual marathon. Some of us recover certain abilities sooner or later than others, and that's ok. In the end, we all get to the same place, "Recovered."

Try to avoid the "Rotisserie," tonight if possible. Sleep elsewhere, it might help. We all need major *beauty rest* and the healing power of deep zzz's during this odious recovery, so I'm sending some special sleeping "Pixie Dust," your way tonight. Use the whole package.:roseshwr:
 
Oh @Polkadot, I just read your post from Monday. I'm not quite sure how I missed it. You described what so many of us are feeling. It's really great to be part of a group and share our vulnerabilities with these strangers, who are all bonded together with one goal. Our goal is to recover but it's not just that. We support each other, and come along side and help pick each other up at our lowest points. We are really strangers to each other but yet I feel like I know you all. Thanks for sharing in such a personal way. :friends:
 
It has been a busy week for me so I am trying to get caught up on theses threads.
@Polkadot i am sorry I didn't respond sooner to your post. I want you to know that you are not alone. I have had many episodes of tears and frustration as well. I am sure lack of long, deep sleep contributes to our feelings that this recovery will never be over.
My first home PT bore the brunt of some of my teary outbursts especially after she tried to push my leg beyond what it could do ( and still can't at 12 weeks!) and my DH would silently let me rant until I ran out of steam.
It is a long journey we are on but the one thing I am sure of is we will be happy when it's done and we no longer think of our knees every waking moment.
I hope to get to that point before I start it all over again with my left knee
Here is hoping the sleep gods have awarded you this week and you are feeling much better! Keep us posted. We are here for you!
 
Wow, everyone! Can I just say that I think I love you guys?? The support is amazing, she says with a tear in her eye. Oh, wait! I'm trying NOT to cry.
flyaway79 said:
I never really put together the that more movement causes more pain and more pain causes more swelling and ultimately more pain.
Click to expand...

@flyaway79 - This makes so much sense and is yet so hard to internalize. On the one side are my OS, his nursing staff, even his receptionist; the doctors,nurses, and therapists in the hospital where I had my TKR and then the MUA; even my mother and several good friends: All bandy about words such as "pain," "effort," "force yourself," "small window of time," and "success or failure." None to my knowledge have had a TKR or an MUA. On the other side are people on this website and my still, small voice within that says,"Do what your body tells you," "Don't do anything to the point of pain," and "Trust in the process." I'm getting there, but I'm also still receiving some of the lectures from the first group. :banghead:

flyaway79 said:
I do therapeutic massages twice a month which really helps with my right tendons and quad muscles.
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I'm now having 30-minute massages focusing on my lower back and legs once a week. I agree that they help a lot! My hamstrings and quads need help to loosen up.

kneeper said:
I think the frustrating thing about this recovery is that it is so long. We've all had moments of pity party, crankyness, unexpected tears etc.
Click to expand...
Canada35 said:
I want you to know that you are not alone. I have had many episodes of tears and frustration as well. I am sure lack of long, deep sleep contributes to our feelings that this recovery will never be over.
Click to expand...
jaschembra said:
remember, the depression comes and goes. It gets better but I remember it definitely still popping in around 3 months as well.
And finally, don't listen to anyone but yourself and your knee :) (even your mother)
Click to expand...

@Canada35 , @kneeper and @jaschembra - Thank you for letting me know I am not alone. Pity party--I like that! It means we're all in this together. We just won't invite my mother.

KarriB said:
felt like a turned a corner around week 10 when I started getting out of the house a bit more. Crying was an everyday occurrence for me, the blues are a real thing.
Click to expand...

@KarriB - This week I have been getting out more, and while the discomfort is keeping me awake longer at night, I do feel better! Less unexpected crying this week! My husband says, "YAY!" Maybe I'm turning a corner, too. Or at least "going round the bend."

Pheebs52 said:
take a "Kneecation." I took a solid week off from PT and home exercises and by the time I went back to PT, things had started to really improve for me. My disposition and general attitude were much improved and my stress level was down
Click to expand...

@Pheebs52 - A Kneecation sounds good to me. Also, thanks for reminding me to listen to myself and do what's best for me. It sounds so easy. Why is it so hard to do? :what:
 
Let's all sing the great Frank Sinatra tune, "My Way!"

@Polkadot, stay tuned in to your inner voice. You can do this.:yes!:
 
And we could also add "Call on Me" by Starley to our song list. Link above!
 
I agree with @Pheebs52 - you've lived in your body for 63 years and have a well-developed sense of when things are going well and when it is too much. I've taken a bit of a kneecation over the past couple of weeks (no PT and only ADLs since 8/24) - it's hard because I constantly wonder if I'll screw things up, if it's too late to get ROM since I haven't pushed hard since about week 6 when I was overdoing it. I'm trusting myself and the BS experts. I think we don't give ourselves enough credit for the tremendous experiential knowledge we have about our bodies and tend to give the health care professionals exalted status when many are not up-to-date on the latest thinking about this. And if we had $1 for every bit of misguided advice we received from family, friends, and even strangers (many of whom have never had a TKR), we could all meet for Caribbean vacation. Hang in there. :SUNsmile:
 
@Pheebs52 got me started on songs, and this one just popped into my head:

"It's My Body and I'll Cry if I Want to"
(Otherwise known as "You would cry too, if it happened to you!"

 
loved the song on the link you provided ~ very appropriate to this forum. my friend and i saw Lesley Gore several years ago when she performed at the Rose Theatre in Brampton ~ she was still so talented and sweet, she signed our c.d.'s ~ love one of her newer songs "better angels". so sad she passed away 2 years ago.
 
Great and appropriate song by Starley - thanks for sharing!
 
Polkadot, I've no idea why, but I have a real tendency to think in terms of song! It seems there's an appopritae song in my head for just about......everything! Oh well, it could be worse, eh? :wink:
 
It would be nice if I could type properly though, lol. *Appropriate*.....urgh!
 
I have two small gains and one big smile to report:

1. I have gone one week doing just easy stretches and pedaling my foot cycle when I feel like it. Still did PT 3 X and had a massage that hurt some this week, but it's a start, right? :yahoo:

2. At PT today, on the recumbent bike, I was moved up a notch for more bend, and I didn't even have to rock the pedals back and forth to get loosened up! :upright: Woo hoo! I just came home and tried our exercise bike, and I was able to do some uncomfortable revolutions on that! (I stopped, per my new learning, as it hurt a bit too much to continue.) Yay! I'm a little closer to my goal of being able to ride a real bike! :biking:

And the smile? Well, I taught my cat to sit and shake for "treats," which are actually just a handful of a different cat food she likes better than her standard vet-ordered one. Who says that TKRs are no fun?!? :catdance:
 
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