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TKR Mom2fencers Journey - Both Knees Done Now

Passed a milestone yesterday, actually two. I went to church without my cane and I did the stairs up to the second floor alternating feet like one does normally and had no pain or problem going up or down. 24 steps and I did it without having to "think" about it. I am glad the inflammation thing seems under control now. I also learned from my fall down my own stairs back in June to focus on the stairs and not talk while doing stairs and that applied to yesterday too. Now I have therapy today and also this Friday then am on my own. I can't wait to go swimming at the Y!
 
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I am now 9 weeks post op for my TKA on my right leg. My formal therapy ended last Friday, and now I am working on it by myself. I was 122 flex at the last therapy session and my extension varies from -4 to -8 and I continue to work on that. Leg swelling has gone way down and I have been at teaching now full time for 2 weeks. I am thankful my drive to school is about 5 minutes and my room door is right next to the parking lot. I am off the pain meds and am sleeping through the night well. There are times when I actually don't think about my new knee, I just get on with my life and keeping active. Other times, such as watching tv, I suddenly have what feels like a shock wave move through my upper thigh or the left side of my knee. Gives me a jolt for a second and then passes... I rejoined the YMCA after a 2-year leave, and had an interesting first-time workout. I tried the elliptical (2 minutes and I said "nope" this is not going to work.) I climbed up the 30 stairs to the Concept2 rowing machine (I can easily do stairs but I must say that those stairs looked like a mountain!) and found the rowing to be awesome. I set it on "3" and rowed a comfortable row for 15 minutes, then did my leg exercises on the table mat and ended with light leg presses and abductor machine. Forty minutes later I headed to the hot tub and that was wonderful! It is hard for me to think that it was 9 weeks ago today that I had the surgery. I see my doctor again on December 10th.
 
Am now 11weeks post-op and doing well. Saw my doctor yesterday. His nurses said how good I looked and how great my walk is. My doctor is calling me his poster child for TKR. I am at 125 and -2. An exercise that has been a help to me is the Concept2 rowing machine at our Y. The smooth rowing motion allows the knee to flex but not bounce and the movement is full body motion.
I continue to do the exercises I did at formal therapy and it is great to not think about my knee much any more. I do feel healing aches around the edge of the knee but very little. I am very happy with my progress.
 
Mom2fencers here: I saw my doctor yesterday. I also saw another xray of my knee. That shiney knee sitting in a sea of black looks so lovely... He told me everything is where it should be, I am doing well, and he is very happy with my progress and how things are going. I am using the rowing machine at the Y and I am now free to even jog... I am not a fast runner but it will be nice to jog a little now. I had my right knee TKR on Sept 24th. I mentioned bonesmart.org to him again and how it makes sad that so many are having many issues well after total knee replacement surgery. He and I discussed how he has worked for years to build a team approach at the hospital where he does surgeries, and that every patient is different and must be treated with care and respect. He does over 400 TKR's a year... I am having no issues of any kind now, and I am very thankful and grateful. My left knee actually has more arthritis than my right knee did, but it is not bothering me at all. I am continuing to use my spin bike at home and the Reebok step that my hubby got me for Christmas. Today I went to another doctor to have a lipoma on my neck looked at. While waiting I did my knee exercises in the exam room. I try to do them whenever and wherever I can. Best wishes to everyone on bonesmart and I will be staying in touch. I am thankful for this website and all who are on it. I know my journey has not been as difficult as it has been for many of you, but I care and will be here to help as much as I can when not teaching school.
 
That's a wonderful report! :yes!::happydance::yay:

You truly are a poster child for TKR.

I hope that everything continues to go well for you.
 
Great report. It sounds like you have a very skilled surgeon and team.
 
I had my LTKR on Wednesday, May 16. This time around has been such an awesome experience. I had the same surgeon but he has implemented new protocols at the orthopedic unit that he chairs. This time I had a non-narcotic pain pump insertion into the knee at the end of the surgery. The pump and its tubing is located outside the knee and the pump is contained in a small carry bag. The result of this modification is that I had no pain after surgery. I returned from recovery to my room feeling as though I had not had surgery!

I could raise the leg and bend at 95 degrees. My husband commented on how rested I looked and was very surprised. Four years ago I woke up in a CPM machine and felt seasick. This time I came home after 1 night in the hospital and I have had no pain. My husband removed the pump according to schedule on the 3rd day home. I have been able to maneuver with a cane, go to church, and get in and out of the step into the bathtub. I understand this procedure has been at my hospital only 6 months; it is a blessing to be able to say that I have only had 1 Tramadol and that was the day I came home. I am on 325 mg aspirin rather than Warfarin this time around. If others here had the same procedure that I had this round, I would love to know how it went. Nurses on my floor report great reduction in patient pain and quicker return to mobility.
 
Hello @mom2fencers - and :welome: to recovery again.

I'm glad things are going so well for you.

I think those pain-killing pumps are a great idea. Hopefully, more surgeons will soon be using them.

You're allowed to have one recovery thread for each knee, so would you like to continue this thread for your left knee, or would you prefer us to merge your two threads? The choice is yours, so just let us know.

It's been quite a while since your right knee was replaced, so I'll give you the recovery reading:
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
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for TKRs


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

Please don't be overwhelmed by the list. The articles are not long and they and contain information that will answer many questions and help you make your recovery much easier on your knee and on you.

We are here to help in any way we can: answering questions and concerns; supporting and encouraging you from start to finish.

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 a 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 history before providing advice.
 
I’m not going to any formal PT, but am seeing my strength coach who helped me prepare mentally and physically for six months. He has helped others thru gentle counsel and his “nonpain” approach to movement. We work on seated upper body work and gentle stretches. Slow Movement. So good to work with the one who helped prepare me for this and not a physical therapist determined to see big advances in ROM.
 
Sounds to me like you have an ideal set-up for a good, relaxed recovery! Your PT has an unusual, and quite beneficial to TKR, approach to recovery. It would be great if more therapists were like him. :)
 
mom2fencers said:
This time I had a non-narcotic pain pump insertion into the knee at the end of the surgery.
Click to expand...
If I remember correctly, this kind of pump uses lidocaine. But do be careful not to assume you can do anything and everything you want to. You knee might be pain free but it can still swell up if you do too much.
 
Josephine,
Yes, I learned the too much thing a few times last time. The leg will talk. Re-reading articles here is always good. One thing I have appreciated about my gym trainer friend is to be gradual and think of the entire body. He always reminds me that just moving around counts. Our favorite thing is to just slow walk two turns around his little gym like a Sunday stroll.
 
mom2fencers said:
One thing I have appreciated about my gym trainer friend is to be gradual and think of the entire body. He always reminds me that just moving around counts. Our favorite thing is to just slow walk two turns around his little gym like a Sunday stroll.
Click to expand...

You make this sound so pleasant and his philosophy is so incredibly sane. We should all have such wonderful friends!
 
Susie,
I guess that's because it has been pleasant, yes. :loll:His background is not that of a certified PT; his background is years in competitive powerlifting, drug free, and he has 2 sons who play football. He knows the world of injury. He reminds me that small gains are gains; step by step gains are the best. Each day we want a small gain; the rest will come. So getting in and out of the bathtub is a gain; having someone else tell you that you are smiling - that's a gain. He measures in gains not numbers. He is a certified strength coach, and watches my face more than anything else. If I am smiling, he's happy. A frown means "uh oh" and he wants to know more, because he cares about my physical and emotional health. I pay him week by week, and others do too. In six months of prehabbing with him, he has become one of my dearest friends. Such an encourager. The day I returned home he came over with a card signed by all my gym friends and brought us dinner!
 
Today I had my two week post-op with my surgeon. He was pleased. He said all looked good and keep going. Get a little ROM over the weeks. Back to the gym this afternoon with my trainer. He was happy too. I learned more today about my surgery. I am part of a trial group at my surgeon’s hospital where he is chief of orthopedics. The protocols he used with me will hopefully become part of their regular program. We will be followed up on a regular basis.
 
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