TKR Marge's recovery thread RTKR 7/15/22

[badkneesnyc]

I'm bionic now. Was up and using the walker same day, and passed OT right away.

Spent 1 night at the hospital, very well attended. I managed to get a little sleep. Car ride home was fine. Not any trouble getting up the 2 flights of stairs. Some soreness now, just took an afternoon Percocet and did a little stretching.

Let's see how this party progresses.

 

[Pumpkin]

@badkneesnyc
Welcome to the Other Side!

Sounds like you are doing well, even with climbing two flights of stairs.
Take it easy after all those stairs and let your knee and body recover from all that activity.

Here is your copy of the Knee Recovery Guidelines, the articles are short and will not take long to read.

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 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.

OneStep App Request

Since December, BoneSmart has offered a number of pilot tests and special promotions with our partner, OneStep. Members were allowed to use this unique app at no charge to help us evaluate the program’s effectiveness for prehab and recovery for joint replacement patients. Feedback has been...

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[badkneesnyc]

Thanks so much

 

[badkneesnyc]

Second night last night. I was able to get a good amount of sleep, that kind of surprised me. I'm sticking to the pain meds schedule. I do a little bit of PT stretching when the knee starts to ache and get stiff. I have gel packs but find ice bottles to work better. They last longer. Very smart move getting the toilet riser. Let's see how the full day at home goes.

 

[InkedMarie]

How’d your day go? Glad you made it through!

Marie

 

[badkneesnyc]

How’d your day go? Glad you made it through!

Marie

Today the visiting nurse came. I'm icing and elevating. I've been able to get some sleep. It is painful and swollen tonight. One step at a time. Thanks for asking.

 

[badkneesnyc]

Third day home. Last night was painful, I overdid walking for bathroom and ice and exercises, something I vowed not to do. But still got a good amount of sleep. Took my oxy early, at midnight just was ready. The nurse went over my pain meds schedule. Today the visiting PT came, I was a little nervous but it went well. Went over the icing, elevating, movement. Angus cat is still a little freaked, especially by the walker. PT is coming back Thursday and we'll work on going down stairs.

No bm yet so added prunes to Miralax. Appetite has understandably decreased. Getting lots of bruising, not too terrible with the swelling, icing, elevating, Mobic.

Sleepy.

 

[Jockette]

PT is coming back Thursday and we'll work on going down stairs.

I hope this just means safe navigating and not foot over foot. Many of us find going downstairs foot over foot one of the last milestones. You are only days out of surgery.

Of course people who have both knees done the same day do have to step down foot over foot, and I’m not sure how they manage it.

Just be careful, don’t do anything your gut tells you not do. Remind the PT that you are not in training, you are healing, and this early, you’ve hardly even had a chance to really begin to heal.

 

[badkneesnyc]

PT is coming back Thursday and we'll work on going down stairs.

I hope this just means safe navigating and not foot over foot. Many of us find going downstairs foot over foot one of the last milestones. You are only days out of surgery.

Of course people who have both knees done the same day do have to step down foot over foot, and I’m not sure how they manage it.

Just be careful, don’t do anything your gut tells you not do. Remind the PT that you are not in training, you are healing, and this early, you’ve hardly even had a chance to really begin to heal.

No, the PT person showed me in the hospital too. It's using the railing and a cane. Right now doing some stretches, heel pumping, short walks in the apartment with the walker.

 

[badkneesnyc]

Day 5, Tues: Using my phone alarm to keep track of pain meds. Knee is starting to feel a little sore so I will desist with walking and exercises. A lot less tired today. Have been icing steadily, elevating until it starts to get achy. The visiting nurse will be taking out my staples Saturday.

I really want to avoid getting cocky with the pain, because I know it can sometimes hit afterwards.

I'm nervous to take a shower, that I will have trouble standing that long, and have been using soap and water in a basin. (I'm reading a novel about a woman in the Middle Ages and they ask her if she wants a bath and she says, "No thanks, I had one in November"; gave me perspective). The PT person talked about getting me a shower chair, maybe better safe than not as safe.

 

[hawk2go]

they ask her if she wants a bath and she says, "No thanks, I had one in November"

The shower chair was a life saver. I highly recommend it for these early months. It helps while in the shower and also for transferring in and out more safely. I had little ability to stand for long periods early in recovery and high desire to have the soothing warm water run over me, the chair solved for both.

 

[InkedMarie]

@badkneesnyc do you have a walk in shower or a tub shower?
Marie

 

[badkneesnyc]

@badkneesnyc do you have a walk in shower or a tub shower?
Marie

It's a tub shower. I guess that might be too small for a shower chair. The PT changed to tomorrow. She's pretty familiar with smaller spaces. She might have a thought.

 

[InkedMarie]

@badkneesnyc do you have a walk in shower or a tub shower?
Marie

It's a tub shower. I guess that might be too small for a shower chair. The PT changed to tomorrow. She's pretty familiar with smaller spaces. She might have a thought.

 

[InkedMarie]

That is a Moen transfer bench. I used it for both of my TKR’s. The two legs go in your tub and the one large leg is outside. Sit on the bench and slide over! I’m sure there are many transfer benches but it’s what I chose. Some don’t look so sturdy.

Marie

 

[badkneesnyc]

Oh, that is great! Thank you!

 

[sistersinhim]

I had the same shower chair. It made all the difference in the world in being able to take a shower!

 

[badkneesnyc]

I had the same shower chair. It made all the difference in the world in being able to take a shower!

Yeah, I think there may be an Amazon one click in my very near future!

 

[badkneesnyc]

Day 7, July 20, 22: PT came today instead of Thursday, really sweet woman. We are weaning me off the walker slowly and going back to the cane. She was too young to get my reference to Laugh-In and the old man who used to harass Ruth Buzzi (I was shuffling and stooped like him).

We practiced getting in and out of the shower, much easier than I anticipated. Funny how my brain makes me feel like I'm facing Mount Everest.

I did too much going down the stairs (using a cane and railing, one step at a time) and I had to sit and drink water and breathe. And yet I survived. We are in a heatwave and it's an outside stairway, so there was that too.

after she left I had another crying jag (had one yesterday too). I realized the surgery, pain, drugs, years of dealing with the arthritis might be influencing my mental/emotional state (you think?). Calmed down and had Rob rewrite me my pain med schedule (I was making mistakes), and told him I needed him to be with me for the shower and cane walking. I hadn't wanted to ask!

Angus cat still doesn't want to come up. He was a shelter cat and hid under the bed for a couple of weeks after we brought him home, so not the calmest and bravest of kitties, but he's a sweetie pie and source of much love.

Just going to ice and relax for the rest of the night.

 

[Jockette]

I had another crying jag (had one yesterday too). I realized the surgery, pain, drugs, years of dealing with the arthritis might be influencing my mental/emotional state (you think?).

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Post op blues is feeling depressed, weepy, nervy, shaky, fearful of the future, anxious, overwhelmed by what is happening to you, convinced it's never going to get any better and finally, uttering that most intense of all cries "I wish I never had this done!" It arises out of a variety of...

bonesmart.org

I did too much going down the stairs (using a cane and railing, one step at a time) and I had to sit and drink water and breathe. And yet I survived. We are in a heatwave and it's an outside stairway, so there was that too.

Too soon to be practicing on this many steps, especially an outside stairway, in this heat.