TKR Marie’s LTKR thread!

[kiwicurls]

@InkedMarie , I have never iced in bed and it hasn’t done me any harm at all.

 

[InkedMarie]

Had my worst night last night. Getting comfortable wasn’t happening. I so desperately want to sleep on either side but nope. Finally, after 2 hours I got up. Tried the futon.....how in the heck can the grandkids sleep on that?
I ended up getting about four hours in the recliner. Took an hour & half nap so at least I’m not too blubbery.

It‘s cold, rainy and a generally crappy day. I have no oomph for any exercises so I gave myself the day off.

I had a question about bandage changes so I sent a patient portal message. Think my surgeon could answer the message? Nope. He picked up the phone and called me! This is the third or fourth time he’s called me.

Marie

 

[Jockette]

I’m sorry you had a bad night.
You have a nice surgeon and it’s fine to take a day off the exercises.

Regaining our ROM is more about Time than repetitions of a list of exercises.

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Normal activity is the key to success.

 

[InkedMarie]

Normal activity works for me! I like PT....my guy does not push me at all, it’s very gentle and at my pace. Tomorrow and the next couple weeks should be interesting as my guy isn’t available then is on vacation. He said he was going to warn the guy who has me that my other foot works quite well
I think I have a rep LOL.
Funny, my future DIL used to work at the hospital where my surgeries were done and my surgeon isn’t liked by staff. I guess he’s very arrogant but I trust him completely. Our first meeting didn’t go well: I was scheduled for my second hip/first knee with the surgeon who did my first hip but he fell, badly injuring his already bad shoulder. I did not want to wait so I went with this surgeon. At our first meeting, he was such a jerk. I went to my second appointment and he was the complete opposite. Because I’m a bit forward, LOL and that’s putting it mildly, I told him he was an a**hole the first time and I was glad he wasn’t then! Ever since then, it’s more of a friendly visit and we chat about many things!

Marie

 

[InkedMarie]

I had a couple nights of horrible sleep. Yesterday I had a new PTA and he gave me a couple suggestions: stop icing as much as I was (I’m 15 days post op). Before bed, use heat on the lower thigh and massage the leg. It helped last night! No zingers, I slept in my bed not the recliner. It may not happen again but....I’ll still take it.

Marie

 

[FourCats]

The treasure sleep!! Hope it continues for you.

 

[Jaycey]

Yesterday I had a new PTA and he gave me a couple suggestions: stop icing as much as I was

Hmmm... What is his reason for objecting to icing? Heat is fine for muscles but should not be used anywhere near the incision this early out. Sounds like this PT mainly works with people in training, not with joint replacement patients.

 

[InkedMarie]

@Jaycey he doesn’t object to the ice.....for now, he said to ice less. We were discussing my zingers that seemed to show up at bedtime. He suggested heat on my thigh to improve the blood flow. It worked!

My PT has always applied heat to my knee before therapy. My surgeon is fine with it as well.

Marie

 

[Layla]

Hey there, Happy Saturday!
Wondering what the ink on the last last incision photo you posted is a visual of? It made me chuckle. It looks like ”cut here” or “don’t go beyond here”
You're doing well, I hope you have a lovely weekend!
@InkedMarie

 

[kneeper]

@Jaycey he doesn’t object to the ice.....for now, he said to ice less. We were discussing my zingers that seemed to show up at bedtime. He suggested heat on my thigh to improve the blood flow. It worked!

My PT has always applied heat to my knee before therapy. My surgeon is fine with it as well.

Marie

Certainly heat on the muscles helped me. I think sometimes with pain we unconsciously tense our muscles, which just keeps the pain cycle going. Glad the zingers are better!

 

[glidefloss]

My PT has always applied heat to my knee before therapy.

Hi @InkedMarie , when I remember to do so, I too apply heat (via heating pad) to my lower back and to my knee/thigh area before doing my stretches. It helps loosen the muscles, gets the blood flowing, ready for the stretching exercises.

I've limited my icing to post-working out ... so basically 1 icing per day for around 30 minutes. Post-icing the knee feels extra stiff and it isn't till I get a few steps in before it feels more bendy again.

All the best!

 

[InkedMarie]

@Layla you think I can find all my leg tattoo pictures? Nope! Here’s a few. It’s an ocean scene. It has water now. Sylvester

 

[InkedMarie]

@glidefloss I’m doing much the same re: icing. I assume I’m healing because the icing irritates me. Makes me so cold. Am I the only one like this? At the very beginning, I barely noticed the cold.

Marie

 

[kiwicurls]

Cool tats

 

[Layla]

Wow…and so colorful! You’re brave to sit through that. It looks labor intensive, like it would take a long time.
@InkedMarie

 

[glidefloss]

@glidefloss I’m doing much the same re: icing. I assume I’m healing because the icing irritates me. Makes me so cold. Am I the only one like this? At the very beginning, I barely noticed the cold.

Ditto! Icing would chill me up considerably. I had a throw blanket always handy whenever I'd "ice gel" with the colpac. I gave up using the polar cube within a week of my LTKR after having used it a lot more often with my right (despite no real perceivable benefit.)

Nice tats, btw.

Hopefully you've started catching more quality sleeps! All the best on your continued recovery!

 

[InkedMarie]

Thanks for all the tattoo comments! I’m moderately covered. I have over 30. All I wanted was one, at age 36. Oops.

Marie

 

[InkedMarie]

I’m whining. I’m 17 days post op. I’ll get through the non sleeping. The achiness from my thigh down to my foot is driving me crazy. I can hardly bend my leg and only can after I rub it and rub it and “coax” it to bend (it doesn’t hurt, just takes a few minutes. The area in this picture is where it hurts so bad when I bend.

Then we have my bruised tibia and ankle. This ankle is so painful. I‘m not wearing socks because it presses on the bruise and other higher socks are too tight.

I can only ride in the car if I’m in the backseat. I can drive to PT but it’s less than five minutes down the road. My husband made such a nice dinner for Mother’s Day today; I had to come to my recliner to ice my knee and finish in here. Having my leg down is so painful. I try putting it up on a chair but nope.

As I said, I’m just whining. I know it’ll get better but....

Marie

 

[Jockette]

 

[FourCats]

You’re allowed to whine!! I had issues with the same spot and learned that area is where the surgeon cuts through the sheath in order to get into the knee. It’s the same area where all my zingers were. You’re doing great! Hang in there!