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PKR MAKO PKR

I think you're taking a very sensible approach.
 
You’re coming along very well!
 
Listen to the knee! :) You’ve got the recovery thing down now and are doing great. You can return to just about any activity and your knee will tell you when it’s time. You’re listening and that will keep your recovery on an even keel.

Glad to hear the job-related activities are coming along well. It’s always hard to predict when and how well people can get back to doing their job fully. People ask and the only answer is “It depends.” You’ve embraced the sensible approach and it sure is paying off.
 
@bowhunter8, yes, how are you doing? Haven’t heard from you in a while so assuming you are doing well!
 
@tarajenni and @NavyGunns

Thanks for asking. PKR knee is doing incredibly well. I’m working 50 - 60 hours at work these days. I am doing ladders and walking really well. I’ve just started working on my knees on a foam pad. It feel unnatural and mildly uncomfortable but it is bearable when I do it and it’s a small step in the right direction. I still have significant stiffness in the morning and evening. It is worse in the evening. Still on 500Mg of Tylenol 3x/day. I have notniced knee in over a week. Very happy with results so far and still have a ways to go.

Left knee which had a peice of meniscus cut out on medial is temperamental. The weather hasn’t helped but it has been getting more uncomfortable. The best way to describe it is ”pinchy” and vulnerable/weak. Makes me nervous.
I know that arthroscopy surgery isn’t always effective but I got almost 4-5 years on my other knee. Can’t imagine going through the whole circus again or being in pain again indefinitely. I have been so so hard on my poor knees...

I hope you are all well and had fun and meaningful times with your families over the holidays.

@tarajenni
How has your second op been healing?
Were you bone on bone in that knee?

@NavyGunns
How are you feeling this far out of surgery? Have you been doing anything new that you couldn’t do before?

I saw you got to drag a deer out notntoo long ago. Can’t say I have done that myself yet but hole too soon!
 
Yes, bone on bone again. I’m 8 weeks out. Joined gym under advisement of PT to start weight training to strengthen. Still not sleeping well and still have some bad pain days but have really good days too. No regrets.

Glad you are doing so well.
 
@bowhunter8 Just read through your recovery thread.... congrats on the great progress and continued success! I'm in the process of making a decision between a PKR and TKR.

Was wondering how you came to the conclusion that a PKR was the right choice for your situation?
 
@bowhunter8, I’ve been doing great so far, thanks for asking. Other than the occasional twinge at the base of the IT band, no issues. The only thing I couldn’t do pre surgery was run and make quick stops & turns (like when playing handball or basketball). Haven’t tried either yet. But no loss as I haven’t played in years. I’ll get a chance to test the knee come spring when I get my granddaughter wanting me to chase her. Otherwise, I golf, bowl, yard work, etc with no issues.

Glad to see you are doing great. While I understand you not wanting to repeat another knee surgery, don’t put off the other knee too long. I’m blessed with a very healthy right knee and don’t ever expect to have issues with it unless it gets injured. Hopefully I won’t have to revise the left knee to a TKR ever or at least for a long time.

Happy New Year. NG
 
@JDinCT
Sorry to hear you are at the point of making this decision, I’m sure you must be in a lot of pain if
You are ready to pull the trigger on it.

Long story short the main reasons I chose not to do a TKR for me was mainly the reasoning of my surgeon. I went through numerous surgeons who told me everything from total, partial, narcotic pain control, etc... I found a surgeon who I really trusted who also performed makoplasty. He said in my case that due to my age and possible revisions In the future that the mako PKR route would not take as much bone out and would be the better choice. My ROM was great and I had fairly decent leg strength. Medial side was bad bone on bone which was another reason since the rest of the knee looked good. So far, I have been very happy with it
 
coming up on 5 months post op. A few updates. Right knee is doing well. Still the morning and evening stiffness and I still walk with a slight limp. I get my orthotics this week and my wife has scheduled us chiropractic appt. so hoping that will help a little bit. I feel progress is slow as I am pushing myself too hard. I have made the decision to step away from my current job due to the physical nature of it. My job is fast paced and very laborious. Its been hard to keep up. It’s a young mans job, which I am, but not with the limitations I have. My boss has been great but I do feel someone else would be better suited to do the job better at this point. It was a hard pill to swallow and I had a few weeks of being pretty low but I know it’s what’s right. I am doing more than I was able to prior to surgery but am always behind the 8 ball since my knee doesn’t get much time to rest.

At this point I do not regret the surgery at all. I have to get use to some of the limitations that come with it. Life is definitly better without that bone on bone pain.

Left knee which had a piece of meniscus cut out is giving me some problems which also helped in my job decision. It’s fine if I have it in a compression sleeve or taped up. I believe it should calm down as my day to day abuse of it diminishes. Not at the point where I feel o need to see OS.

Good points are that I am able to ride stationary bike now for 30 minutes and it actually helps pain in both knees, i Started swimming again. Feels a little weird as I can feel my knee click, not painful just weird. I also started upper body weight training again. I can walk for longer treks without discomfort.

All in all, I am discouraged that I am giving up a job I loved. However, I know I will be provided for and a job will open up that will fit our family needs. I am blessed to be living life with less pain now but want to do whatever I can to help myself in the long run.
 
Best wishes as you seek a different career, I do think your knees will thank you at this point.

Do you think, after more healing, that you could go back to the HVAC? Your knee is still not quite halfway healed right now. Even partials take a full year for complete healing.

I also have the other knee that has some issues. I also have a foot issue on the non operated leg. This makes riding a bike and trying to regain a good ability doing stairs, not in my best overall interest, even though it’s good for a replaced knee. It’s hard to find a balance between helping one part of the body without hurting another part that needs care. If I don’t ride a bike or do stairs my other leg is happy.
 
I do believe over time that significant healing will come and allow me to do more physical labor but my current job is very physical and I am usually working alone. My knees don’t have adequate time to rest and recover. However, when I switch, my intentions would obviously be to go to a less physical job and most likely stay there.

I hear you @Jockette on the good knee/bad knee. The discomfort in my PKR knee doesn’t mentally bug me but it’s the discomfort In my non replaced knee that does since I don’t want to go under the knife again any time soon. It does calm down after a day or two of rest but will flare up typically by mid week after doing a bunch of work. That knee was so good until a few months prior to surgery...ugh

Just doing the best I can right now...eating healthy, exercising, supplements, KT tape helps a bunch and now I am giving myself more rest to help my knees out. One day at a time.
 
Thanks for sharing this. It really helps me to see those such as yourself giving their input as I am still very early in recovery. Good luck with your new career.
 
Update...5 1/2 months post op. I have good days and and bad moments. Struggling to be consistent with giving myself adequate time to rest. I have found that icing 2 times a day helps a lot. I still take extra strength Tylenol 2-3x a day if needed. I have been pretty consistent with riding bike, mild weight lifting and swimming. The bike and pool are fantastic for getting a good low/no impact work out. I have found my knee is not ready for the elliptical yet. I can do it but it’s just not worth the discomfort the next day. Still trying to drop the pounds but it’s a slow go, can’t lose it like I used to but I know I will feel better the more I lose.

I have been blessed to have been offered a project management job with a construction company I used to be a site foreman at. This would be a completely non-physical job which I am hoping will help me continue to recover without the constant physical setbacks I get with having a very physical job. I am excited and start in 30 days.
 
How nice you were able to get a different job. Jobs are hard to come by. I wish you the best with it!

I think your recovery is coming along at an average rate, and the only thing wrong with average is that we want to be in that faster end of average.

You will continue to improve as you’re really only halfway to full healing. Even though I still have issues I had much improvements in some areas in my second year post op, mostly my ROM improved and my whole leg felt more relaxed.
 
@bowhunter8, haven’t heard from you in almost a month, was wondering how you were doing. If you have a moment, would love to get an update. Hope all has been going well, both with recovery and the new job.

NG
 
@NavyGunns
Thanks for checking in. The past month has been a whirlwind of busyness for me and the family. My knee has been doing fairly well. I pushed pretty hard to have things up to par before I left my
Former job last week and the effects of that are still dying down. I can tell that having a non physical job will be really helpful on my knees. They are getting the rest they need and I have more energy in the evenings. I am really enjoying the new job! I have more responsibility and there is a lot of detail involved so my brain gets challenged more. The hardest part is waking up and “dressing up” for work. I was so used to my old smelly work jeans, hat to cover my hair and work boots...ha

I am going to see my wife’s naturopathic doctor for osteo arthritis. Primarily to continue to alleviate pain in my knees due to arthritis but I also have other areas of the body that have OA. After talking with her, I felt very confident she would be able to give me possible solutions to help alleviate some of the pain/discomfort that comes with OA.

I still do not regret the PKR. I know I still have a ways to go and there are things I can do to help myself. I do still emotionally struggle with the physical things that I can’t do anymore but I am able to do more now than I was last year at this time. My wife is excited to hand the mower back to me too!
Haha

Hope all is well for you and thanks for checking in. I do miss the days on the couch when I would daily check in to the bonesmart community.
 
It’s great hearing from you, I’m glad your new job is going well and that your knee is coming along.
 
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