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TKR My Journey as of 12/16/13 - Over 1 Year and Still Trying

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Hi Ann. My extension fluctuates betweem 0 and 5. The patella is under the knee. He called it something more specific that sounded like Tuber or something of the sort, but since a tuber is a potato, I kinda tuned out the real name and asked why he was telling me I have potato knee. ;) Above the knee is your quad...I'm sure your PT or GP can give you a better idea of what's going on
 
@DogLoverx3 not sure if it is so much my positivity on my part as it is tenacity and it sounds like you have plenty of it too, I mean look at you. As a life coach once told me, if you are put in a situation where you MUST do something, you/we usually come through. We have to right? Who else is going to keep your business going?

I guess it is easy for me to sound positive online in a forum when you cannot see the pained look on my face in PT as I try to do one more set of something or read my mind when I am wondering "is this ever going to stop hurting?" or "am I ever going to get my full quad strength back?".....I hope things get better....I believe it will most of the time, but I am also resigned to the fact that, maybe I will always have some pain and maybe I will always have a little wobble in the last part of of my extension. I guess the "positivity" you sense is just my willingness to accept whatever happens and make the best of the situation, just like you! I probably complain and vent as much or more than you do in real life! I think there is a tendency for some people (myself included) to try and only post positive things here or at least try to emphasize the positive, when in reality most of us are in the same big post-op recovery boat, especially once we are several weeks into the recovery. Tired, sore, concerned, bored, humbled, occasional brief bouts of self-pity (okay, frequent and lengthy sometimes:)).....during the first few weeks of my recovery I was so gung ho, just ready to set the record for PKR recovery......now we are into week 11-12 and it's like "okaaaaayyyy. Ready for you to get better now knee.....anytime!" .......these are definitely the dog days of the recovery:puppysmooze:.....and in the end, after all my bravado my left knee is STILL the driver and I am just along for the ride....and, to quote a Foghat song, it's a slooooowwww ride lol.

Love hearing about how you cook. Making me hungry!:) I tend to improv a bit when I cook too, but I just stick to grilling and roasting. Love making roasts and slow-cook recipes. I toyed with the idea of opening a restaurant once or twice, but just never went for it mostly because it usually not a successful venture....glad your breakfast went well.....hope you have something fun and relaxing planned for the weekend.
 
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Hi @mcirish, I love honesty. I love how you aren't afraid to admit this is not an easy ride so to speak. All those things that you say in your post are sooooo right. I could have written them myself. I wish you progress in your recovery even if its slow but sure. I get very frustrated at times and angry at the situation. Anyway I don't want to hijack Ellen's page any longer as it's not fair. I just wanted to say a big thank you for an honest post x x x love Nana moon 27 x
 
Hi @DogLoverx3 it's curious that we both have a slight problem in flexion and still having problem with knee. I will ask PT about this when I see him. I hope you are ok and having a nice evening x x x x x
 
Wow, thanks @Chihuahuan ! That's quite the reading list! :umm:I love that they call patellar tendonitis 'jumpers knee' as I certainly haven't been doing much of that! I was looking through all the suggested exercises and there's probably about 1/5th that I would actually be able to do :sad: I can't get up off the floor, certainly can't kneel on my TKR knee and some of the others look to put your knee at a very weird angle which my knee doesn't like. Not sure what to do about this. :groan:

Hi @mcirish , yes, I am MORE than ready for this to be over and done with. It's soooo frustrating and even moreso when I can't even do some of my PT exercises due to this new issue going on. Tenacity is a good word to use. I do think you handle all of this better than I do, but you're right, if we don't take care of our businesses, then who will. I would, in a heartbeat though, trade places with someone who has the luxury of just recovering as they should without the worries of working.

Here's a secret regarding grilling - I am horrible at it! I have an amazing grill out on my patio that I think I've used twice in the past 5 years. I always figured that the man in my life would be in charge of the grill. Who knew that the 'men' in my life would all turn out to be 4 legged? :whistle: Improv is the way to go with cooking - there is no right or wrong way to do things - as long as you think they taste good, then viola'! They're good! I'm a big fan of rustic cooking - roasts and stews and slowly cooked everything. I have a luncheon this week that I think I'll make pulled pork enchiladas for and my little old couple has requested Shepherd's Pie, Mediterranean Chicken (with artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes & feta cheese), Salmon Dijon and Meatloaf for their meals. I can totally tell the dishes that the husband vs the wife selects. :)

I just know my OS is going to roll his eyes at me on the 25th and make me feel stupid for coming in again, but things just kind of seem to be snow-balling in the wrong direction. If lack of extension is causing the patella issues and the patella issues are preventing me from doing my PT exercises, I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to recover from everything. :shrug:

Hi @Nana moon 27 , you can hijack my thread any day! Thank you @yiayia3 for your nice words. I truly don't feel that I rock. I feel that I'm just kind of getting buried under it all, but as work is not an option, I have to just take that out of the equation as it's something I have to do. If anyone has the inside track on the winning lottery numbers though, I promise to share! :bow:

xoxoxoxox
 
Hi @DogLoverx3, I've just responded to the thread at the top if the page here title 3weeks on and no better by Ourgran. I was mortified by the rotten attitude of people around her inc a nurse. She is In awe of people who are driving at four weeks etc etc etc. I just explained a few things to her. Poor woman x x x x
 
I just came across this old thread: https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/quad-issues-12-weeks-post-op.15128/
I actually did a google search for "knee replacement weak quads 12 weeks".....and it lead me right back to the Bonesmart forums! It's actually very reassuring. Then I did another search for "femoral block quad weakness"....think we are on to something. About 30% of TKR patients experience prolonged quad weakness. The articles I read didn't get too specific, but someone on the thread that I linked mentioned that their OS indicated that prolonged quad weakness is possible even after 12 weeks....but should come back, it just takes longer. I also had a lateral release, which would also effect my muscle tone recovery. We just need to be more patient. Things will get better no doubt! Sure wish you could take it easy and give yourself a break.:console2:
 
That's awesome that you found that article @mcirish ! I bet it helped to reassure you that nothing is 'wrong' and that this is something that happens to some TKR patients! I'm so glad for you. I know that worrying that things might never get better or that you're the only one only serves to make matters worse! Your knee has been through the ringer, so it's totally understandable that your quads may be a bit slow in their recovery of muscle tone. They do say slow and steady wins this race. They just forgot to mention how slow though. ;-)

Yes, things will get better ..... eventually and yes, I would LOVE to be able to take it easy and give myself a break! :umm:
 
I get frustrated too that it takes so long to get the quad back, but then I remind myself of a few things. It's not just the surgery. Me, although I'd had my right knee bothering me since July of 2007, it was not until July of 2010 that I was bone on bone and therefore I was not working that leg...it hurt. November 2010 a scope to clean up the knee with a quad that was already atrophied. Never got better so no quad strengthening, RTKR March 2011 with an already atrophied right quad, recovery from TKR slowly building strength but was over taken with scar tissue and pain so little to no activity with that leg so more muscle atrophy. Fast forward August 2013 another scope surgery to remove scar tissue, more recovery, more atrophy. December 2013 RTKR Revision, more inactivity so more atrophy. So now working on strengthening again. It's not that we had surgery and are recovering, it's also everything that we went through leading up to surgery. It's a lot for our muscles to cope with and patience is the word. We need to give ourselves permission to take time to heal, and...strengthen. Me included!
 
Well, today is my.official three month anKNEEversary. Kinda figured I'd be pretty much back to normal by now but sadly, that's not the case. I'm celebrating by waiting for my 8th torturous tattoo removal laser appointment. I took an oxy about 1/2 hour ago because this laser stuff hurts! Apparently though, I think I should probably still be on stronger pain meds than my usual Tylenol three times a day as my knee is not feeling as tight as it usually does. I certainly don't want to go back on oxy, but maybe Tramadol a few times a day instead of just at bed time would help. That will be my 'experiment' for the week - going back on Tramadol + Tylenol and see how that goes.

I've been googling patella tendonitis and trying to find something that might work for me. Since RICE isn't really possible and most of the exercises would be difficult due to my TKR, I landed on the simplest one. Not a cure by any means, but to help with the pain - anyone have input on Kinesio (is that what it's called?) Tape?

Ooops, toture lady is ready for me. I hope everyone is having a great Sunday!
been
 
Kinesio-Tape, works great when applied properly, I assume you PT will be doing this, and should have it right.
Ask them about ice massage over the tendonitis, they can show you how, it is faster than an ice pack.
Sorry you have tendonitis, no fun at all!
 
Hey Doglover. Congratulations on your 3 month anniversary. What is this tattoo removal story ? Did I miss something ? I have to back track . Did you ever go back to the house.? I thought you were going back yesterday. Anyways hope you get some relief for the patella. That sucks. Ive been taking it easy . Not doing too much . Weather sounds great . Me and the GF went to the park yesterday, had a picnic than we laid out to catch some rays . The meds and the sun dont mix , after a hour and a half we went home ,were I slept for awhile , with a headache. Im not drinking enough water. Well good luck with your progression. Take care
 
Thanks so much @Pumpkln ! I will absolutely ask my PT about the ice massage and talk to him about the Kinesio-tape .... he has taken to rolling his eyes at me lately, but I don't really care - if I'm paying for a PT session and I can't actually exercise, then yes, I want him to use the ultrasound on my knee, the stim, the tape and whatever else might help.

Hi @icep707 , your day yesterday sounds lovely! Yes, pain meds and sunshine aren't a good combination especially if you're dehydrated. I hope you're feeling better today. I am going to the 'new' house tomorrow with both my realtor and the listing agent under the ruse of going over the inspection report. I just don't want the sweet seller to know why we're really there - how mortifying! I am going to bring her a little potted flowering plant as a thank you for letting us come by again.

Yes, having the patella thing on top of my ongoing TKR pain is less than awesome and quite depressing, but I'm trying my best to just get on with things and hope that all will work out in the end.
 
I've been reading updates on my phone, but have not had a chance to get to everyone's threads this weekend in order to catch up, but just so you know I'm thinking of everyone:

@Karringtyn - I'm glad you had a lovely anniversary yesterday but sorry your are in more pain than usual today - bet it was worth it thought!
@dogwheels - I'm so sorry that your bend is not better today - I am glad that you're going to call your OS in the morning - I know how frustrating any setbacks can be but try not to get discouraged. You were having a great recovery before this little 'blip' and will continue to have a great recovery after. ((hugs))
@Ellejay - so happy things are going so well for you! I've actually never made Marmalade before - I hope yours turns out delicious! What kind are you making?
@yiayia3 - mmmmmmm, Yorkshire pudding! Delish! (Karringtyn, they're sort of like popovers to us Americans) - I hope they turned out wonderfully and you had a lovely Sunday dinner!
@saltyal - I hope you and Woodstock have had an awesome weekend full of walks and fun!
@fiftydollarbill - I hope you're having a terrific weekend as well and enjoying our awesome weather before it starts getting too hot again!
@mtnchyld - I saw the question on your thread about the burning and popping around your incision site - I can't remember, but did you have disolveable sutures (not staples) for your incision? If so, I can pretty much guarantee that it's just an internal suture popping or breaking which is nothing to worry about, but does create an uncomfortable burning sensation. Right around 4 weeks is when that was happening for me.
@Nana moon 27 !!! How are you feeling today, my friend? I hope you've had a lovely day!!!!

Oh goodness, I know I'm forgetting a bunch of people and wish I had more time to spend on here this weekend, but I hope everyone is doing great and having a nice weekend! xoxoxo
 
I just read your milestones post. 3 months out. I guess I really have looked to 3 months as being the optimal time that I am "HEALED" as it is the milestone all my docs/nurses/pt have talked about. That I can return to work and be normal. I read and when you answered you aren't happy you had your replacement done....really? May I ask why? I mean I am only 5 weeks out...but where I was the day I walked into surgery and now is night and day. I can do so much more now than I ever dreamed of for the past three years. I know everyone is different....it just struck a chord with me. Made me sad. For you. I can't wait till my extension is 0-5. That is my biggest thing I am working on in therapy. It was a 10 Wednesday. I can walk now and not limp if I really think about it...and that is huge. I hope you feel better, I hope that things start working out better. So I look at the date of your surgery....right before Christmas.....WOW! I will stop rambling....just know you are in my thoughts and prayers....:puppysmooze:
 
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