Bilateral TKR Luisa's road to recovery June 10th, 2013

[boydmom]

Hey Luisa,
Sorry to hear you had a bad day. I had a not so good one Sunday too and then yesterday was great so hopefully today will be good for you. I had terrible swelling down my leg and into my ankle and foot. I used lots of ice and elevation and got it down. Someone told me that was normal. I had some similar swelling by last night, but I was out and about all day yesterday from 10:30 for pt, until almost 7:00 getting a mani/pedi (polished toes make me feel so good). They are pretty close to normal this morning, but I was up every two hours going to the bathroom last night. I assume that was getting rid of the extra fluid.
Ready, I don't know how I will do my first week back. It is inservice and we don't start until Wednesday so I may just play it by ear. Registration is Friday morning and that is always very tiring so I will definitely do that as a half day. I get nervous just thinking about it.
Hope everyone has a good day.
Geunita

 

[new knee in June]

Dear Louisa,
How are you today did you see the pain management doc. Yet....
Thinking of you today & wishing you only the best...
Diana

 

[Lmarshall]

Thanks Missj. Today I was a mess. Headache superceded all pain my my legs. I tried to keep it together, but after 12 hours, I thought I would have to go to the E/ R. Thanks to my patient and wonderful husband, and my Mom up in heaven who reminded me how she would help me get over my bad headaches....hubby ran out to Dunkin Donuts, got me a triple expresso with lemon, and 4 advils later (plus a hot shower) I am now recouping finally. God is good....Luisa

 

[Ready]

So sorry to hear you had such an uncomfortable day, but glad to hear you are recouping. Each day is an adventure. Any clues as to why the headaches? Are they Migraines? So the remedy: sugar, caffeine, Advil, and prayer. Quite a combo. I will keep you in my prayers.

 

[Lmarshall]

Diana, my pain management appt is for Friday, so ill try to be patient til then. I hanve a feeling my headaches are connected to my stomach and digestion. TMI but no bowel movement today. I was always prone to headaches, but last few yrs they were few and far between. I think these meds are really wreeking havoc on my tummy, hence the headaches. Expresso has a way with settling the stomach and opening the blood vessels. I think thats why it works. Hot shower helps the sinuses...so the combo seemed to help also. Whatever it was im just grateful.

 

[new knee in June]

Good morning luisa,
So sorry to hear about your headaches my son had very bad headaches( can't remember the kind,
But will let you know)if we didn't catch them in time he would cry, & pace the floor(very hard to watch)
He was prescribed 800mg. Ibupropen which equals 4 Advil, plus a cool cloth on his forehead & eyes..
Dunks helps with everything.....we live on the stuff
I will you have a headache free day...
Diana

 

[new knee in June]

Luisa,
My son had "cluster"headaches I hope your pain management doc. Can help you
Diana

 

[Lmarshall]

Thank you Diana. First thing I tried was 4 advils with icepack on my head which did nt work. Seems like the caffiene did the trick. This morning the pain inmy legs is back, sleep was elusive, but I did sleep a lot yesterday to get away frommy head pain so I suppose thats part of it.

 

[boydmom]

Luisa,
Sorry to hear about your bad day. Have you ever tried Excedrine migraine? A friend of mine who has bad headaches uses it with success. Evidently it has caffeine in it. Have you tried the Miralax yet? I also had a bran muffin bar that my mom made while she was here that she froze that I have been eating on that I think has helped. Don't forget lots of water too. Hope today is better.
Geunita

 

[Lmarshall]

i called pain management Dr and they squeezed me in today after my pt session. finally....someone heard me! He has switched me to neurontin and vicodin. if this does not manage my pain by saturday, he askeed me to come in and he will give me a shot once a weekfor 5 weeks that works likefemoral block but i am still able to walk exercise etc. i feel hopeful. I explained my concerns abt headache pain and he felt vicodin isnt as likely to cause headaches. at least i know if these dont work i have something to fall back on.

 

[MissJ]

Luisa
OWW! Headaches are so nasty - my fear during recovery has been that I will get a migraine. I feel for you! It's good that you were able to see the doc and get meds adjusted. Keep us posted on whether this helps.

 

[Ready]

Good news, Glad you pursued some help rather than letting it linger longer. Fingers crossed that this is going to work.

 

[Lmarshall]

Vicodin so far just taking edge off. Taking neurontin at bedtime for the first 3 days, then increase. I really hope neurontin helps tonight. Josephine have u ever heard of the nerve block for pain the dr may be giving me? Im beating myself up that I didnt get the exact name. I do trust this dr implicitly. He has given me shots in my spine before during bouts of sciatica.

 

[Lmarshall]

Well last night I took the neurontin, xanax, and an hour later the vicodin. I dont know if I was in less pain, or if i was just knocked out from all the meds. Im thinking the later is probably the answer. Nonetheless, I slept a bit better, getting a full 4 straight hours of sleep before the battle began of waking, changing positions, sleeping and on and on. I did manage to stay in bed til 11 am (didnt fall asleep til 2am). Pain in my left leg remains the same and if it continues I may resort to that shot pain management dr was talking about, if at least only for my left leg.

I did forget to mention my cane came in yesterday and I have been using this exclusively to get around the house and outside. I am walking slower because Im a bit nervous (gives me much less stability), but I feel good knowing I can do it and that I am relying more on my own legs than the crutches to walk. Makes me feel like Im doing more of the work with my legs and working on my gait.

I went out to lunch today with a friend, and had some huevos rancheros. Delicious! I also brought home some empanadas for myself and hubby to enjoy later tonight. Did run 2 small errands, but one was a drive thru bank, so I kept my activity to a minimum. I do not want to over do it and pay for it tomorrow, especially since I have PT tomorrow. I am thinking of going to a different PT center. The one I am thinking of has an underwater treadmill I think may do me some good. I can alternate between that and regular PT. Of course, I made an appt with my OS to clear myself to immerse myself in water at this time. All these appts are making me alittle nutty, but better safe than sorry. Has anyone ever done this underwater treadmill? Id love some feedback!! THANKS Luisa

 

[Ready]

ZZZZZZ...glad you got some last night. 4 hours would be a record for me. I bet it feels good to be getting out a little. That, along with losing the crutches makes a person feel better and part of the human race again.

 

[boydmom]

Whether it was drug induced or natural, getting to sleep for 4 hours is a great thing. Using a cane is also a great step and it is so nice to have that second hand free. Every new thing is a milestone to be celebrated. I hope tonight is a good one.
Geunita

 

[Josephine]

Oh lots of our members have done the u/w treadmill and loved it! Only caution - it's awfully easy to overdo it! So be careful!

As for the nerve block, it can be done anywhere there is a nerve so it's just 'a never block'!
Do they work? Some do, some don't - 50/50 I believe.

 

[MissJ]

Luisa, you're doing so well! The cane is a big step psychologically as well as physically - a bit more of "yourself" coming back. Getting out is a good thing too. Yay!

Yeah, sleep. What's that? I try not to stress over not sleeping through the night (actually menopause changed that forever for me), but the no-REM-stage-sleep nights do eventually take their toll - more tears when I'm tired.

You are marching along that recovery road.
j

 

[Lmarshall]

Thank you Ready, Miss J, Boydmom, Diana, and oh so many who continue to encourage and support me. Thank you also to Josephine who is a continued wealth of knowledge and support!

I had PT today and I discussed my concern for lack of full extension. My R is at -8 and my left is at -10 My Flexion is doing well....R being at about 105 and L being 115. I am most concerned with my extension. VERY CONCERNED. I feel I should be better by now.

At rehab I started (4 days post op) at -20 on my L and -15 I believe on on R. I realize things take time, but in the past 10 days I have made minimal progress maybe 2 degrees on both legs. So I asked the PT to push me just a bit harder. So she iced with the TENS machine and placed a 5 lb weight on my thighs to help with extension.

MY OTHER CONCERN is I have external rotation on my L that is coming from the hip. I am not sure if I always had this or if this happened after surgery which I completely doubt. I think I must have had this all along and didn't pay attention to it. The problem is this...when I relax in bed, my L foot automatically lilts to the left, which does not help with knee extension. NOW when she put weights on my things I asked her to help the foot stay at neutral, since it's WORK for me to keep the foot upright so toes point to the sky. She placed a band around my thigh to help it stay upright. So when she places the weight now I felt a pull not only in my knee extension, I also felt a pull on my lateral tendon.

The way she explained it is this...there is a small muscle up near the hip that must now be shortened due to the external rotation and thereby making the pull on my tendon painful. I asked if I should get something to help me stay in this upright toe position, like the band she had placed, while I am at home for a few minutes a few times day. She said yes.

My leg is in pain right now, not horrific, but it is directly related to that lateral ligament (pain is on lateral side of knee). I am seeing the OS on Tuesday and plan on bringing my laundry list of questions to her all written down so I don't forget.

I am frustrated beyond words and was actually crying at PT partly from some pain which was quickly addressed by them, but partly due to the total frustration of not getting that extension number any better.

Is this number normal for a month post op? Am I lagging behind?? I hear so many great ROM numbers post surgery and feel like I will never get to "normal" and fear I'll end up with PERMANENT lack of full ROM.

PLEASE HELP!! I a feeling on the verge of hysterical over this. I know it sounds dramatic, but I need to know I will be OK in the long run.

 

[boydmom]

Luisa,
It is so funny the things you and I have in common. My left leg also automatically points to the left when I lay down and will not stay upright. I haven't paid that much attention to it, but that could be why this knee has issues and the other doesn't. I say all that to say, my extension is fine so that can't be the only cause of it. My pt has worked massaging the back of my knee and commented on how tight I am back there. I noticed she really worked on the outside of the back of my knee the most. She also pulled my leg straight up and did stretches that way. I have been using a twin sheet wrapped around my calf to do the same thing. You might ask if that would be appropriate for you. It did hurt after she did all that, but I have noticed it is helping me when I lay down to feel better with my leg stretched out straight. I am sure someone with more experience than me will weigh in on the subject. Is your pt worried? I can't imagine they wouldn't let you know if they thought you weren't doing ok in that area. Try not to get too worried yet.
Geunita