Revision TKR Motherbone's Recovery Thread

[sistersinhim]

Yay for the haircut! It's amazing how good a haircut can make a girl feel! You handled your Thanksgiving dinner very smartly!

 

[Motherbone]

Well, we are full of turkey with gravy and cranberry orange sauce, dressing, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, green beans, and apple pie! If I'd known that the prepared dinner would taste just as good as my own, I would have ordered it sooner than this year. We even have leftovers. Last night after all that turkey, I slept four and a half hours straight, which is amazing considering my usual pattern is to wake up every 2 to 3 hours. I guess it is really true that the high levels of tryptophan in turkey meat promote sleep. Tonight I tried to direct my husband as he de-boned the remainder of the turkey, but he politely did not listen. He was using the carving knife and I was very afraid he was going to slice himself up, but he wouldn't get a smaller one, or even use his hands (which in my opinion is the most efficient way to do it). As he gains more confidence in the kitchen he tends to pay less attention to my advice. Sigh. I'm losing my domain!

In order to banish the feelings of boredom and the gnawing sensation of time being wasted while I wait for my kneecap to knit back together, I've been trying to do what I call at least one useful thing each day. I'm not always successful but so far I've cleaned out two drawers full of clothing that I don't believe I've touched in over a year and yesterday I went through some bookshelves and set aside a box of books to be donated out. But today I just lollygagged around!

My unoperated left knee has been bothering me a lot. It needs to be replaced eventually, if my right knee heals enough to permit the surgery. I bought a small brace the support it. I also bought an elbow brace but it's turning out to be a little uncomfortable so I might have to go back to the drawing board on that one.

Hope everyone has had a blessed Thanksgiving!

 

[Kiwigirl62]

@Motherbone just read your whole thread start to finish......words fail me you seem to have the patience of a saint
Really hope you healing going forward is good and strong

 

[Motherbone]

@Kiwigirl62 Thank you for reading my story. I'm trying to do whatever I can to give it a happy ending. Part of that is not letting this thing define me. This site has been very helpful and supportive.

 

[Motherbone]

Well, still no leg extensions for my chair. We've called several times and received promises that were not fulfilled. I can't use the chair without them so I'm now faced with deciding whether to return it, at a loss since we'll have to pay for shipping. I don't think they should have taken our money if they knew the leg elevators were not available, and I don't believe that they didn't know. I got two excuses: that they were back ordered, and that they should have been included with the chair. If we return it I will file a complaint with the BBB.

 

[Jockette]

Can you find a higher up office to call to complain? @arizonaone had a problem getting a prescription and searched and found a phone number for Walgreens that got her very good results. Maybe you can find a number like that.

Can you call the BBB now and see if there are other complaints?

It’s so frustrating when companies don’t do what they say they will.

 

[Motherbone]

The latest in the wheelchair saga: they claim they located an open box pair and are sending them UPS to arrive Friday. They agreed in writing by email to extend my return window since I haven't been able to try out the chair without the leg elevators. So it continues.

I go for a folowup appointment with my surgeon tomorrow afternoon. I'll have new information to post about continued restrictions, etc. I hope he doesn't bring up PT!

 

[Jockette]

I hope you get those leg elevators on Friday.

Don’t forget, PT is your decision, though I wouldn’t be in any hurry, either, for the confrontation about it.

 

[Motherbone]

The latest from my Wednesday surgical folowup: brace set to 20 degrees flexion (previously at zero). I am allowed to bear up to full weight on the right knee as long as I maintain myself in the brace. He mentioned PT and we just laid it out for him that we (hubs and me) are afraid of PT right now, so he agreed I will spend the next several weeks walking around the house with weight bearing, no deliberate contracting of the quads otherwise (i.e., no leg raises or leg lifts, no squats or half squats, and the like). no more than 20 degrees flexion, and at my next appointment in 3 weeks we will look at PT options then. His response was reassuring in that he maintained he would be specific about what PT could and could not do with me. I go back in 3 weeks.

He did not clear me to return to work, giving me a letter instead which indicated I would be out until mid January. I could be reading more into it than I should, but when I discussed this with my supervisor earlier today, she sounded disappointed. I will exhaust FMLA in one week so all time off after that will be PTO or leave without pay. It was left that we would take stock of what my level of functioning is as of January, and what the medical recommendations are at that time. Possibilities include returning part time or not returning at all. We will see.
For now I'm practicing walking with weight bearing on my right leg. I go down the hall and back, three times a day. I plan to go a little farther each day.

The leg elevators came today.

 

[sistersinhim]

How does it feel now that you are weight-bearing on it?

 

[Motherbone]

@sistersinhim I have no pain upon weight bearing. My shin was aching a little last night, which I attributed to using those muscles for the first time in seven weeks. Today, no aching. I guess it was shin splints.

Your question prompted me about something I wanted to add to my post but got distracted and forgot. I have none of the right knee bone on bone pain which led to my electing to have a knee replacement in the first place. None at all. I hope this continues. The implants look unremarkable on X-ray. The leg is nice and straight, good extension thanks to being immobilized in that position for the past seven weeks. In fact, the left unoperated leg is shorter because of joint distortion and contractures, which makes for a very unbalanced gait and is the main reason I fear to cast off the walker completely. My left, unoperated, knee, on the other hand, hurts like the dickens. What I take away from this is that the knee replacement surgery was worth it, and I want to have my left knee done when I am recovered enough to do so, assuming that my surgeon is willing to operate and hasn't been totally scared off by me. I see the broken kneecap as just a wretched piece of misfortune that has detoured me.

I've read some posts from people who express anxiety about having their other knee done. I want to send out encouragement to them. The end result can be good. Just steer through recovery carefully!

Hoping for a good night for all of us.

 

[Motherbone]

I forgot to add that we went ahead and put the elevators on the chair and I gave it a test drive even though I have the OK to weight bear on my leg. It was awesome. Turns on a dime. There will be a learning curve for the steering but I could see using it if I need to go long distances and havent recovered enough to do it on foot. I may also talk with the doctor about using it to go back to work earlier, maybe part time. But I'll bet he will want me to walk. I agree, but sometimes you do need a little mobility aid.

 

[sistersinhim]

Too bad you didn't have those elevators a month ago when you could have really used them! They should give you a partial refund for that chair since you couldn't use it!

Super that you have no pain while putting your weight on your knee! I'd say that's a really good sign!

 

[beachy]

Great news about the weight bearing!
Your attitude during this ordeal is an inspiration to many. Especially the part about looking forward to ltkr.

We're 5 days apart since your revision. I can't walk or stand more than 20 min without pain. Your chair (with elevators) will serve you well until you can walk any distance.

 

[KarriB]

Sounds like you’re approaching this in a reasonable way and I’m glad the dr didn’t push PT.

 

[Motherbone]

Walked a little more today and the more I walk, the more the leg length discrepancy is bothersome. I plan to research lifts, those things you can put in your shoe to even up your legs. But I think there at least an inch difference between my leg lengths, which is a lot. The pain in my unoperated knee woke me up at 2 AM this morning. I taped lidocaine patches over the whole front and side, and eventually got enough relief to sleep. It's always something!

 

[KarriB]

I have a small discrepancy in leg length simply due to the fact that my RTKR is straighter and has better ROM than my left.

 

[Motherbone]

I've been walking with my walker short distances in the house, still battling the slipping brace, which tends to discourage my ambulation. This afternoon I decided to take a good look at it to see what else I could do. I recalled others saying that their apparatuses didn't slip because they came all the way to their ankles. I discovered that my brace has telescoping side bars so it can be adjusted to varying leg lengths. I slid the bottom set of bars, the ones going from knee to calf, out to full length, but left the top set, the ones from knee to thigh, the same (they were set to butt together so that segment of the brace is at its shortest). Then I spent some time resetting the Velcro straps and buckles. Finally I put it on and, voila, the brace no longer migrates because the bottom is flush against my foot and props the whole thing up!!! Who knew the answer was so simple? Moreover, why didn't the fellow who fitted me with it in the hospital know to do this? And why did it take me so long to connect the dots myself? So many thanks to everyone who helped me to this insight by sharing their own experiences.

I did roll around in my wheelchair a little before dinner, trying to master the joystick steering system. I should have played more video games in my youth, I'd have the small muscle coordination down pat. I want to be good at the steering before I try to tackle the turns into and out of the hallway leading to the bedroom. Re-painting scuffs and marks is not on our preferred activity list.

Left elbow and left knee still pitilessly painful. I iced them both last night. I'd love to be able to take a course of naproxen to reduce the inflammation there but no clearance to do so yet. It's going to feel pretty good when I can.

I had a lot of disturbed sleep last week but last night I slept 10 hours (with 3 brief wake ups). Guess my body was replenishing itself.

Good night to us all!

 

[Jockette]

And why did it take me so long to connect the dots myself?

You just had major surgery and then a broken patella, you’ve had other things, big things, on your mind.

Moreover, why didn't the fellow who fitted me with it in the hospital know to do this?

He should have.

I’m glad you got it better now!

Congratulations on a long sleep!

 

[sistersinhim]

Finally I put it on and, voila, the brace no longer migrates because the bottom is flush against my foot and props the whole thing up!!!

Yippee! Fantastic that it now fits you correctly! I agree that the guy at the hospital should have fitted you correctly. If I were you, I'd call his department and let them know his failure to fit you properly and how long you had to fight that thing falling down your leg!