Become an Insider

TKR Michele's RTKR recovery journey

I have to agree with you. I haven't been doing my PT exercises routinely and I feel like I'm doing well just doing my daily chores. I am at 0-120. I did the leg straightening exercise and the slides at least once a day early on and walked for a few mins throughout the day and night. There is a group of us who had the knee surgery by the same doctor. Some went to the hospital and as I did went to an outpatient center. I didn't have a visiting nurse and followed an online PT schedule. My daughter went to a birthday party and was confronted by one who went to the hospital. She couldn't believe the doctor put me through this without the nurse and going to PT! I am also trying to walk right and practicing going up and down stairs. I'm actually following a YouTube video on that! I am enjoying the stationary bike. My sleep has improved. Looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with my family....if I can find a turkey! Best of luck to all!
 
Wow @sistersinhim ! You've been through a lot! God bless you! What a time! It sounds like you've figured your body out well though and are thriving well with recovery?

@panammaniac Following all the Drs orders and doing everything PT told me to do is what made my recovery so awful in the beginning. I kept telling them that I stayed inflamed and in pain and was finally told, "Maybe you're over doing it". Aghhh Ya think! You should see my obsessive notebook of hours of PT at home. If I worked other body parts like I did my poor leg that first month of knee recovery I'd be so toned by now hahaha! What is your range of motion like? How far along are you? I've heard getting your gait back to normal is challenging. I'll be praying for you on this.
 
9 weeks Post Op tomorrow. I kept my follow up appt with the hateful OS today, just to show him I reached that goal of 90 ROM. (I measured 92 yesterday at PT) He wrote this in my After Visit notes today.

"As she knows I did recommend manipulation last time. I think she is definitely behind schedule. The time an opportunity to make progress is limited. I have explained this to her. She is happy with her current plan and progress and is happy to continue on with PT even though I told her I think is very unlikely she will get a full 120 degrees or more range of motion. She will see Josh in a month for repeat and final range of motion check as well as to repeat the evaluation of her right hip given the calcified lesion seen on CT scan."

I tell ya, no one has ever made me feel more like a failure than him and his PA, Josh. I felt fine after I left there but now in reading his notes, I'm so annoyed. In hindsight I wish I had asked him how many patients he sees after 3 months, 6 mos, or more to confirm his theory of this short window to reach the golden 120 ROM? I would like to understand his logic behind it because it's not true based on testimonies of countless people. I just don't understand how they can so blatantly perpetuate wrong information if not simply for the love of money and wanting to do more surgeries.

Anyway, so I asked if we were "done" with treatment and he said he wanted to see me in a month to check ROM. And to see that appt is not even with him but the PA, I'm definitely not making that appointment. My incision has healed, my new knee is working well, I only have pain if I over do it or it's rainy weather and feel over all like I am recovering fine, just "slow" per their metrics. I believe I can do the rest of my recovery without them.
 
@Cheleigh Im 4 weeks along as of today. At my PT appointment yesterday I was at 117 ROM. I may have pushed it a little bit too hard yesterday - I’m a little more stiff and swollen today than I had been, but not too bad. I’m taking it a lot easier today. I just have to laugh when my PT compliments me on how well I’m staying up on my exercises at home, because I’m really not doing any. Other than a little light stretching here and there I’m just letting it happen naturally through my ADL’s. My surgeon discovered during surgery that my ACL was torn, which didn’t come as a surprise to me because I suspected it was torn back in 2018, and even had an MRI showing that there were some possible issues with the ACL, but my doctors at the time brushed it off. So very possibly I’ve been walking around on a torn ACL for nearly 5 years. That’s a lot of bad gait mechanics to correct, but I’m getting there. I just have to consciously remind myself to walk correctly, and I quite often have to slow down and make it happen.
 
@panammaniac that’s great! Keep up the good work! I’d love to be at 117 now Hahaa! Soon I hope!
 
Oh, @Cheleigh, I'm so sorry that your surgical team is making you feel this way.

It's ridiculous how some surgeons are still stuck in this old-school thinking that there are time constraints on healing! I wouldn't go see that PA either!

Actually, I find it interesting that your OS wants all these follow-up appointments to "check your ROM." My OS saw me at 2 weeks and 6 weeks post op to ensure that I was healing properly and then told me to "come back in a year" for final sign off (or sooner if I needed him). I hadn't yet made it to the "magical 120" at six weeks...but when I went back at one year, I was at 130+.
You'll get there in your own time! :flwrysmile:
 
@benne68 thank you. It’s so frustrating. It’s like they’re just messing with me with their ROM obsession. I have an appointment with another OS next week to look at the calcification on my hip that showed up on the CT scan and to just take over care for my knee.

Question about inflammation- Do y’all have any tips on natural or otc remedies for inflammation? My knee is still so inflamed after 2 mos. I stopped my prescription meds for two weeks and tested out Ibuprofen instead and it knocks the inflammation right out and works so much better than the prescription pills, but they give me a stomach ache if I take them regularly. My dr only offers two prescription options and neither helps much. So now I’m back to prescription meds and my leg feels like it has a cinder block tied to it… Not trying to complain because it could be so much worse… I just don’t have time to elevate (which is the only thing that seems to really help it). I drink Bragg tea and am avoiding foods that cause inflammation. Anything else? More time?
 
You can google 'natural anti-inflammatories'. There are some foods and spices that are. Pepper is the first one that comes to my mind. There are many more than just that.
 
@Cheleigh Have you tried wearing compression socks? The TED hose they put on you at the hospital are awful, but you can get compression socks that are a lot more comfortable like normal socks and offer the same amount of compression. I bought a 6 pack on Amazon for about $20. They’re made by Pembrook. I’m still wearing them and will continue to wear them until the swelling is down completely. When I don’t wear them all that fluid starts migrating down towards my feet, but the socks stop that from happening. They come in different compression grades. The lint compression (8-15 mm Hg) are sufficient.
 
Cheleigh said:
I just don’t have time to elevate (which is the only thing that seems to really help it).
Click to expand...
Why don’t you have time to elevate? It seems that since it really helps it would be worth doing. You are still technically early in recovery, even at 2 months post op, in this year long recovery. Take the time needed now to recover well and it will be a good investment in your total outcome.
 
@panammaniac I’ve not tried compression socks but will look into that thank you so much!

Thank you @sistersinhim

@Jockette I homeschool and have a 7 mo old lab puppy who is a hot mess and into everything. Sitting or lying to elevate numerous times a day is hard to do because I get up and down to keep him out of things or help my children with school. It was easier in the beginning of recovery to elevate because I had everything planned and had more helpers, but as time progresses it’s back to all me. I elevate as often as I can it’s just not as much as I would like.
 
Boy, you are getting a whole lot of that 'natural PT'! It's amazing how well you are doing.
 
@Cheleigh RE natural anti inflammatory. I have used dried tart cherries for years. About a dozen added to my cereal. Tart cherry juice is also helpful. The effect isn't as dramatic as a pharmaceutical, but I do notice a difference.
 
Good idea, InkedMarie! If not you could also leash him and tie him up next to your couch or bed with a nice treat. If you could get an hour maybe after breakfast, lunch and dinner where you could get the kids set up with some school work and contain your puppy, you could put those legs up and ice. That would help your swelling so much!
 
My husband got me this chair for my second knee replacement and it is a God send .... we found it on Facebook marketplace and I love it ....so many times I fall alseep in it but with this knee replacement I have had no swelling compared to my first one where I struggled to elevate becuz I couldn't find a comfortable place to get my toes above my nose.
 

Attachments

  • [Bonesmart.org] Michele's RTKR recovery journey
    8600A736-E43D-4D05-9594-9561E98DC628.jpeg
    41.5 KB · Views: 102
That looks awesome @Cbet . I’ll look for one too!

@JusticeRider and @InkedMarie he’s crate trained, I got a Kong this week and now a bag of soup bones so hopefully that will keep him busy. The soup bone worked today for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Yayyy!

@Claire56 I love dried cherries! This is another good reason to eat them any day. Thank you!
 
@Cbet Hi! Thank you for checking in! (I’ve not been on much this week because our puppy was neutered and he’s been a hot mess destroying everything. Finally yesterday our vet gave him a sedative so that is helping. ) Elevating continues to be the only thing that gives me relief. I still have a good bit of inflammation, warmth and swelling daily but just trying to manage it with different natural remedies and ease up on the ibuprofen and Tylenol. I am so concerned about liver, kidney and gut health from taking these meds so regularly this past year and especially after surgery. I know these pills effect mental health too because of the gut-brain connection so I wonder how much of my anxiety and stress could be mitigated or better handled if I wasn’t popping them regularly. It’s crazy the damage things can do to us that are meant to help. Anyway, that’s long answer. I’ll be 3 mos post op this Wednesday. I still can’t bend well and “poor ROM” is irking me, but I try to remember what y’all say and don’t obsess about the bend, it will come when this swelling and inflammation eases up - which I sure do hope it will ease up soon on its own as I continue to heal. Shew long answer hahaha!

How are YOU? Put up any Christmas decorations yet? Hahaa!
 
@Cheleigh glad to hear you are doing well, your poor puppy I remember when we had our husky fixed she was so out of sorts for the first night that she literally sat and stared at me the whole night not a wink of sleep, I thought we broke her LOL ......

I also worry about side effects of taking too much Tylenol or ibuprofen so I stay away as much as I can. My ROM is still a challenge for me my left is 113 at 6 months and my right is 97/100 at 7 weeks (measured by my PT) but when I went to see my OS on Monday last week he looks at my knees and says you are at 100 on left and 90 on right ...no measuring just eye balling ....so that was discouraging but he extended my physical therapist coverage which is a bonus so I don't need to pay of pocket.
I am praying for my bend to come back which I know it will but maybe not on my OS's time line, everyday my knees feel better so that is how I am judging them although it is a bit deflating reading how others have a ROM of 120 within 3 weeks but I guess we all heal differently.

Glad you are back I always look forward to your updates.
:wave:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel
Corganics CBD

Staff online

Members online

Total: 1,068 (members: 1, guests: 1,067)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom