TKR mrschooch in recovery

[mrschooch]

UPDATE: I am now 4 weeks and some change out. I am walking with one crutch...as I work from home and sit on my butt for a living, I went back to work PT at week 2 1/2 and FT by week 3 1/2. In home PT forgot about me and never came, even though I called twice. I had my TRKR done 10 and 12 years ago and feel like I am mostly OK doing PT myself for this left one. I can do heel slides with minimal pain in the morning, by night ugh! I can sit on the side of the bed and lift my legs marching nice and high no problem. I can do quad tightening with no problem. I am able to do some leg lifts, but that really brings up the pain I am having. My bike is in the basement and I am still waiting for someone to bring it up to my office for me. Instead I have been doing gentle stretches on stairs and feel like I am doing well with that. I can also sit at desk with legs 90 degrees or over with no problem, although when I feel pain I do move back to 90.

I think the problem I am having now is the pain I have that goes down the calf and sometimes down the shin. It is not burning pain, but sharp pains that make me not want to put any weight on the leg. I think I have "tweaked or twisted" it some trying to get up out of a sofa and the toilets. While the toilets are higher, I have nothing to grab onto when I get up which is when I noticed this pain getting a lot worse. This gets worse by the end of the day. When I adjust my self while standing and even out the weight on both legs and tell myself not to tense up so much, it gets better. I take minimal pain med at night and nothing during the day. I have been able to hoist my leg up really high and bent to shave my legs since week 1. Doesn't bother me--just feels stiff and weak when I put it down.

That pain I feel is usually after I have sat too long or gotten up the wrong way off the toilet or sofa--it is brutal. For the past two days I have been trying to sit in bed more or in a chair with my leg elevated which eliminates the pain some. I also only use one crutch on my right side which seems to help a lot when walking.

I also need to add--we have moved my daughter over the past two weeks. I did not drive, but it is a good 30 minute stiff drive for me and then I tried to help put stuff away or wash a few things. I would sit in the recliner and ice in between. I did about 5% of what I usually do. I took no pain meds during the day then either.

I keep trying to remember where I was in 2010 and 2012 and I can't. I feel like such a failure and idiot for complaining about the pain. I feel lazy and kind of worthless around the house. Is it possible I have twisted it too much and this pain is caused by doing too much? That almost seems like a joke to me because I feel so incredibly lazy doing not much around the house. I have tried to search here and think I may have twisted it and that is what is wrong. Maybe I am sitting at my desk too much (6-8 hours a day, 5 days a week). Am I being a baby and just being lazy.

I go back for post-op at 5 weeks this Friday and am kind of afraid he will say I am way behind or should be doing more. Sorry this is so long, I am trying to give you all the facts! Thanks for listening to my whine!

 

[Jaycey]

@mrschooch You will notice I moved this post to a recovery thread for you.

• That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
• Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.

Please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we will get it changed for you.

If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.

I'll leave our recovery guidelines here so that you can easily find then:
Knee Recovery: The Guidelines
We are all different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for YOU.“ Your doctor(s), physiotherapist(s) and BoneSmart are here to help. But you have the final decision as to what approach you use.

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 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.

 

[benne68]

I also need to add--we have moved my daughter over the past two weeks. I did not drive, but it is a good 30 minute stiff drive for me and then I tried to help put stuff away or wash a few things. I would sit in the recliner and ice in between. I did about 5% of what I usually do. I took no pain meds during the day then either.

I think your answer is in this paragraph: you are trying to do too much too soon.

This is a year-long recovery and you are only a month out from a surgery in which your leg was pushed and pulled, sawed and hammered, poked and tweaked. That caused trauma to all the soft tissue and the nerves -- not just the bones. That pain is your knee telling you that you are overdoing it!

Sitting at your desk is also contributing to your pain. At 4 weeks out, you should be spending time icing and elevating for 40 minutes at a time multiple times a day. If you have a laptop, work with it in your lap while you elevate. If you only have a desktop, be sure to take breaks to ice and elevate during the day.

I strongly encourage you to read through the articles that @Jaycey shared in her post. There's lots of good information in there that will help you put this in perspective.

I go back for post-op at 5 weeks this Friday and am kind of afraid he will say I am way behind or should be doing more.

Your flexion is better than 90 degrees at just four weeks, so you are doing very well and have absolutely nothing to worry about from the surgeon. And remember, you did this surgery for you -- not for him! The only person who has to be happy with the outcome is you.

 

[WFD]

I work from home and sit on my butt for a living, I went back to work PT at week 2 1/2 and FT by week 3 1/2.

@mrschooch , I could not have done that, and in fact I couldn't work full time at a desk even now. Like the others are saying, you are doing too much and should try giving yourself a break.

 

[Jockette]

I keep trying to remember where I was in 2010 and 2012 and I can't.

Here is a list of all your threads:

https://bonesmart.org/forum/search/961950/

As you can see, back then members were allowed more than one recovery thread. We try to avoid that now, by requiring only one recovery thread, so that all your history is in one place.

Best wishes as you recover with us again!