TKR MSuki’s Fabulous Recovery Journey

[mendogal]

So that flight will be just about three months on the new knee. If the airports are big and the gates far apart, don't be shy about asking for a ride in a little airport passenger vehicle.

 

[MSuki]

I did go ahead and ask for the wheelchair service, I’m flying out of IAH and changing planes in DC. IAH I am presuming is still a mess with construction, and with United everyone has to check in at one terminal even if their plane is at a different terminal. Hopeful this will be the last time I need it.

So update on the bath….every time it seems difficult to do it the way I did it last time and so I try something different. This time I put my hands on the sides and basically pushed up with them and then set my feet under me and stood up. Probably a little hard on my shoulders but doable as long as my feet don’t slide. I let all the water out and dried my hands so they would not slip. This might be the easiest so far. Note to self…add wall pushups to my exercise list…...

 

[Layla]

Some flying tips left by Admin some time ago...may be useful?
I hope you have a nice visit with your mom in a couple weeks.

Given the challenges you still have, it will make the trip more difficult. You'll need to do a lot of pre-planning and take advantage of every break you can.

* Pack light. One medium size bag you can check and a carry-on. Make sure the bag has good, sturdy wheels. Be sure and pack pain medications in your carry on luggage.

* Have someone take you to the airport and pick you up after you're back home. They can drop you at your terminal gate. Find out which airlines have curbside check in. You might want to book with that airline.

* When you book your tickets, ask for handicapped assistance. This should be a wheelchair and a porter to wheel you and your bag. You just sit. The porter will check your bag in for you and take you to the gate. You'll board first and can take the wheelchair all the way down the ramp if needed.

* Try to book an aisle seat so you can stretch out into the aisle if needed.

* Try to book a direct flight so you don't have to change planes. Otherwise you'll need wheelchair assistance at every airport where you must change to another airplane.

* Aboard the plane, ask your flight attendant to make sure you have a wheelchair waiting at the gate when you arrive. Take some zip lock bags and ask the flight attendant for ice to use in flight if that would make you more comfortable.

* Once you arrive and get your wheelchair at the start of the ramp, the porter will take you to pick up your luggage and to whatever point where you'll be picked up (do have someone pick you up at the airport).

 

[selketine]

I did go ahead and ask for the wheelchair service, I’m flying out of IAH and changing planes in DC. IAH I am presuming is still a mess with construction, and with United everyone has to check in at one terminal even if their plane is at a different terminal. Hopeful this will be the last time I need it.

DC is my area. I usually fly out of National or BWI - been awhile since I've been to Dulles. I've gotten wheelchair service there and not had any problems. I flew many times the last 6 months to visit my son who is on a college internship in Florida at Disney. Of course I can see flying right now my biggest issue would be bending my darn knee at the moment haha! I am hoping to go see him again in late April - it was the only vacation I could take that I just barely had to walk (with my arthritic knees). I rented an ECV which was dropped off at the hotel. My dream is to go to Tokyo Disney - hoping to do that next year after both knees are healed.

I still can't read your post about the bathtub cause just thinking about trying that gives me nightmares. I can't imagine getting out of a bathtub haha! I would need 5 or 6 blindfolded body builders on standby outside the door to lift me out!

 

[cabland]

I did go ahead and ask for the wheelchair service, I’m flying out of IAH and changing planes in DC. IAH I am presuming is still a mess with construction, and with United everyone has to check in at one terminal even if their plane is at a different terminal. Hopeful this will be the last time I need it.

So update on the bath….every time it seems difficult to do it the way I did it last time and so I try something different. This time I put my hands on the sides and basically pushed up with them and then set my feet under me and stood up. Probably a little hard on my shoulders but doable as long as my feet don’t slide. I let all the water out and dried my hands so they would not slip. This might be the easiest so far. Note to self…add wall pushups to my exercise list…...

+1 on that wheelchair service. Prior to my knee surgery, I used it a couple of times traveling - pain has a way of overriding pride very quickly. It isn't perfect as you don't always get dropped off as close to things as you would like. Last Summer, I didn't use it on two of the legs of our travel (trip to Alaska for a cruise) and paid the price by the time I got to the gate or baggage claim, car rental, etc. That cruise trip was fun, but marred by my knee for sure. I even created a Google photos album about my "knees going to Alaska"....a bunch of pics of me sitting in various places with bags of ice on my knee(s).

 

[MSuki]

I can't imagine getting out of a bathtub haha! I would need 5 or 6 blindfolded body builders on standby outside the door to lift me out!

Cabland: I even created a Google photos album about my "knees going to Alaska"....a bunch of pics of me sitting in various places with bags of ice on my knee(s).

OMG @selketine and @cabland I about fell out of my chair laughing……you guys should be writers for a comedian!!!!

could not get it to let me do both quotes for some reason…

 

[MSuki]

So, my almost 12 weeks report, third check in.

The doctor said my xrays look fine. I thought it was interesting that a couple of people including @benne68 only had a 6 week visit then nothing for a year. My 3 doctor visits (well I saw the PA once and the surgeon twice) have been no charge because they are part of postop, and I’ve had xrays each time. I am now supposed to come back in 3 months. He thought my bend was great also.

The PA stuck her head in for a minute and I told her about the pain I’m having in my knee, the one that the PT thought might be tendinitis and that I have while doing steps. She poked around my knee and was brainstorming things it could be including an adhesion or a bit of tissue caught by the implant, but didn’t really have an opinion, plus the doctor was about to come in. She held my leg and had me push against her and pull various ways and none of them were painful.

The doctor did the same push and pull stuff and said my strength was very good. He found the sore spot and then poked a few other places on the inside of the shin and asked if they were tender, which they were. He said the line where it hurts is along the line of a second internal incision and said it may just be slow to heal there. He agreed I should avoid the steps for a bit and let it heal more.

Now I’m wondering (assuming he is right) if this is taking even longer because of starting on steps too early. Hopefully if I let it alone it will work itself out. He agreed it is unusual to be able to go down before being able to go up. And I feel like I have pretty good balance and can do the other things they wanted me to do, just not steps!

I think I’m going to stop PT for a few weeks and decide whether to go back after my trip.

 

[EalingGran]

said it may just be slow to heal there. He agreed I should avoid the steps for a bit and let it heal more.

That sounds sensible.
I had pain on stairs for several months but mine was due to an overstretched MCL prior to surgery because I was knock kneed. If the leg is crooked (either way) it can stretch the MCL or LCL. For me strengthening my glutes and quads was the answer.
Maybe try some gentle glute strengthening ( side lying clams but no squats) but stop if anything hurts.

 

[selketine]

I can't imagine getting out of a bathtub haha! I would need 5 or 6 blindfolded body builders on standby outside the door to lift me out!

Cabland: I even created a Google photos album about my "knees going to Alaska"....a bunch of pics of me sitting in various places with bags of ice on my knee(s).

OMG @selketine and @cabland I about fell out of my chair laughing……you guys should be writers for a comedian!!!!

could not get it to let me do both quotes for some reason…

@cabland and I are going on a 10 city comedy tour next year - hopefully we will be in a city near you haha!

I'm no expert but certainly what the doctor said about it hurting along the incision line makes a lot of sense. I think you have a good plan to back off and see if that makes a difference - maybe that area will settle down a bit. I saw the PA at 2 weeks and see the surgeon almost 3 months after surgery. After that I'm not sure what followup there is - but I need my left knee done so I'm hoping I see him this summer for that!

Overall I realize how ignorant I am of what pain is what - if it's a muscle that hurts or something else. The muscles hurting some is expected with exercise but the other stuff isn't something you can push through the same way.

 

[MSuki]

When you are doing exercises at PT, you almost have to judge if by how long it takes to recover. I’m ok if it’s less than 2 days. But if something creates a sharpish pain while you’re doing it, that’s a sign to stop doing it immediately.

My knee is really hurting this morning. Not sure if I slept funny or if it’s from the doctor and PA poking their fingers into the sore spots.

 

[sistersinhim]

Hopefully if I let it alone it will work itself out.

I think that's a good plan.

I think I’m going to stop PT for a few weeks and decide whether to go back after my trip.

That will give your knee time to recoup before your trip.

My knee is really hurting this morning. Not sure if I slept funny or if it’s from the doctor and PA poking their fingers into the sore spots.

Yep, that's probably exactly why you have more pain. They both also moved your knee in all kinds of different ways. It didn't hurt at the time, but, like PT, can hurt the next day.

 

[MSuki]

I don’t know if it’s the skipping PT or not, but seemed like I had a real surge in energy yesterday. I wanted to walk faster and do a little more. Not exercise but stuff I need to do. I did my exercise bike as usual in the morning, about 40 minutes but not fast. Did some work in my office and some laundry and dishes etc. After lunch I got on the treadmill. Last time I was not able to walk comfortably at more than 1.7 mph and went .3 miles. I know that’s not far but it has been several years since I was able to walk any distance. Presurgery walking to the back of Walgreens to get a prescription was a major ordeal due to stabbing pain in my knee so I just didn’t walk much at all. This time I felt that was too slow and moved up to 2 mph which felt comfortable. I was planning to increase the distance to .35 of a mile, but I had only done the .3 once, and my knee started feeling a little strain at .3, which was almost 10 minutes. It occurred to me that I had already increased the speed and that I was skipping PT in order to avoid overdoing it, so I stopped there. Feeling pretty good again today. With my PT and feeling sore a day or two afterward think I had forgotten what it was like to be pretty much pain free.

Still pretty stiff after sitting at my desk though.

 

[Layla]

Presurgery walking to the back of Walgreens to get a prescription was a major ordeal due to stabbing pain in my knee so I just didn’t walk much at all.

After this...it's all progress!
You're doing great, MSuki. Especially so considering you're not quite three month post op yet. Just think how wonderful you'll be feeling by Summer.
Happy Friday!

 

[Freyagirl]

I have found that I am very sensitive to the adhesive on “drugstore bandaids” especially those that are “waterproof.” The skin underneath gets really itchy and may blister. The hospital waterproof bandage is not bugging me at all. My dermatologist suggested that I use “paper” medical tape or sensitive skin bandaids - both of which work well. Hope your itching improves.

 

[MSuki]

Thank @Layla!

@Freyagirl I had to use tape on my face years ago after a septoplasty, and when I ran out of the paper tape they gave me, my husband ran to the drugstore and got “regular” tape. It brought up huge welts on my cheeks. Face is more sensitive. But I never had an issue with regular bandaids until I put that one near my knee. My main use is on my fingers when I break a nail, maybe the skin is thicker there.

 

[mendogal]

Kudos on your prudent activity decisions today!!!! I know it's hard for you to not challenge your limits, and you've set a good example now.

Unfortunately we can't rush getting through the "stiff after sitting" phase (ask me how I know... )...

 

[sistersinhim]

Not exercise but stuff I need to do.

This is what we call natural PT. It's just as good, if not better, than formal PT for many of us.

 

[MSuki]

I walked to the mailbox today for the first time in a few years. It’s not super far, about 7 houses and then just a bit past the corner. I have mostly walked on the treadmill because it was cold when I started walking more. It was in the 60s this evening though so we decided to go for a walk outside. Still was a little excited about it. I used to always walk to get the mail before I injured my left knee. Another small step on the way back to normal.

Question: So I had seen where a few people were talking about reading their surgical notes, and at the doctor the other day I mentioned it, so they printed them off for me. Mine were pretty short and the only thing that stood out to me was the findings paragraph. It said before surgery I had a varus angle of 12 degrees, and a flexion contracture of 8-10 degrees. I am thinking the adjustment from this to straight might explain some of my foot and hip pain that early on was worse than my knee. 12 degrees sounds like a lot to me, don’t know if that’s typical for TKR patients or more severe, wondering if anyone knows? I do know I waited longer than I should….

 

[sistersinhim]

I believe that any kind of realignment of the knee affects all the areas of the body. Adjusting to those changes can anger these muscles and tendons when asked to change how they move. I TKR isn't just knee changing, it's a whole body change.

 

[Nay Nay]

@MSuki you are doing great in your recovery. We are just 1 day apart on surgery date. It sounds like your knee isn't very painful to you. I still have a lot of tightness and some pain. I was also able to get to 130 flex with a big push by myself. It was uncomfortable. Flexing around 125 - 127 I have no discomfort. Extension is still an issue for me. On my own, I can get to about a 2 after stretching. With help, I can get to zero without any pain. Although, when I then try to flex my knee it is uncomfortable for a moment or two.

I think it is awesome that you have a bike and treadmill at home for you to use daily. I have to go to PT or the gym to use a bike, which is not everyday. I do my exercises every morning and lately have started walking outside. I see my doctor tomorrow for my 12 week checkup and I hope all will go well.

I really enjoy reading about your journey.