sandi4213
graduate
Oh Becky, she is adorable! I love the picture of the two of you. I agree with Paula that you have crested the mountain and are on the other side. I'm so happy for you.
MUA My LTKR journey continues to RTKR<
- Thread starter becticu
- Start date
I was a little late with my appreciation for beautiful Harper, Becky. Actually both of you are beautiful - you are positively glowing ! Looks like I'll be joining you in that Slow Benders club of Pheebs, good company!
The nanna naming story is a beauty - family traditions are so important.
The nanna naming story is a beauty - family traditions are so important.
OP
OP
becticu
graduate
Mister
member
KarriB
Former BoneSmart staff member
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Will do Pheebs
mechellec
senior
The name Honey for Grandma is darling!!
Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
knit2tog
senior
Honey is the perfect name for a grandmother!
OP
OP
becticu
graduate
I had my 6 week checkup this morning. As a reminder I had the left knee on a March 22 and the right on June 5. I got 90 degrees flexion and my ext is 0. On the positive side he did clear me to get in the pool. I have PT at 2 today and then headed for the pool!
He really has a strong opinion about pain medicine. I have been off Percocet and then Dilaudid several weeks ago. I have been on Loritab since but have been going longer between doses and trying to use Tylenol during the day. He believes we need pain meds generally for 12 weeks. He wants me to start back with a regular dose whether I hurt or not. He feels the same about muscle relaxers.
He thinks my range issue and the stiffness is due to not being medicated enough to be able to walk more normal, etc. He also is recommending a MUA. I know this is apt to start a revolution here. I almost didn't share this but I feel like I have to really be diligent in exploring everything.
He believes it will get me over the hump and I should have very positive results. My thoughts in considering it: I have been out of work since March 22. I do have excellent benefits and am receiving 100% pay. However I have been out for 17 weeks this week. I have 26 weeks but really shouldn't use it totally up. If anything happened the rest of the year it would be bad.
My job requires travel. I mostly drive but do fly every few months. I educate cardiac monitoring in hospitals and many of them are very large where I may walk 1/2 mile from the garage to the area in the hospital where I teach. It involves hotel stays and moving luggage around most every week. There wouldn't be any opportunity to elevate or ice except perhaps on a lunch break. Many times during lunch someone needs to meet or are around. Most days I put in at least 10,000 steps. I have to meet regularly with top management during the week so I have to present professionally and not where they would think I can't stand or walk everywhere I need to.
I have been so stalled till the last week where I have made some progress, 85-90. I know it is what if's but what if I stay stalled for weeks and then I am really running out of time? If I have to have it to go back to work should I do it sooner than later? I was so excited I had made some progress but here I am again frustrated and scared of what is best for me in my situation. I can't live and perform what I need at 90. My left measured 130 today!
He really has a strong opinion about pain medicine. I have been off Percocet and then Dilaudid several weeks ago. I have been on Loritab since but have been going longer between doses and trying to use Tylenol during the day. He believes we need pain meds generally for 12 weeks. He wants me to start back with a regular dose whether I hurt or not. He feels the same about muscle relaxers.
He thinks my range issue and the stiffness is due to not being medicated enough to be able to walk more normal, etc. He also is recommending a MUA. I know this is apt to start a revolution here. I almost didn't share this but I feel like I have to really be diligent in exploring everything.
He believes it will get me over the hump and I should have very positive results. My thoughts in considering it: I have been out of work since March 22. I do have excellent benefits and am receiving 100% pay. However I have been out for 17 weeks this week. I have 26 weeks but really shouldn't use it totally up. If anything happened the rest of the year it would be bad.
My job requires travel. I mostly drive but do fly every few months. I educate cardiac monitoring in hospitals and many of them are very large where I may walk 1/2 mile from the garage to the area in the hospital where I teach. It involves hotel stays and moving luggage around most every week. There wouldn't be any opportunity to elevate or ice except perhaps on a lunch break. Many times during lunch someone needs to meet or are around. Most days I put in at least 10,000 steps. I have to meet regularly with top management during the week so I have to present professionally and not where they would think I can't stand or walk everywhere I need to.
I have been so stalled till the last week where I have made some progress, 85-90. I know it is what if's but what if I stay stalled for weeks and then I am really running out of time? If I have to have it to go back to work should I do it sooner than later? I was so excited I had made some progress but here I am again frustrated and scared of what is best for me in my situation. I can't live and perform what I need at 90. My left measured 130 today!
I like your doctor's thinking! If you can walk more and better, I think your ROM will improve. Why not try it for a few weeks or so? But, your ROM is improving. It's just taking time.
IF you were to have the recommended MUA when would it be?
Won't it set you back with healing?
If you need medication when you start work could you take it and still work?
Didn't catch if you have to drive (also) rented cars for your work...(assuming this)
OTOH(on the other hand) if you can move better w more medication and gain ROM needed, sure worth trying that. You'd need medication after MUA anyway.Right?
Won't it set you back with healing?
If you need medication when you start work could you take it and still work?
Didn't catch if you have to drive (also) rented cars for your work...(assuming this)
OTOH(on the other hand) if you can move better w more medication and gain ROM needed, sure worth trying that. You'd need medication after MUA anyway.Right?
Mister
member
@becticu - I had my rtkr on Jan 9 and mua on march 24. I was stuck at 78 for weeks and it wouldn't budge. I might could have waited on mua but I also needed to go back to work. The mua did work but I have only gotten to 105-110. So there's no guarantee what you might have after the mua.
I went ahead and did it mainly because I had to have my other knee done this yr and only had so much sick time/vacation/family medical leave. So, I had the mua for those reasons and because I needed more bend and I couldn't drive because of lack of bend.
What I was surprised about was that the mua was painful. I thought I would just be sore. I had gone back to work part time, but when I had mua I ended up taking another 1.5 weeks off. And was taking pain meds again. My os said as long as I got to 90 by 6wks he was fine.
But, it sounds like you have a demanding job and have to walk a lot. You have to make the right decision for you.
I'm sure the rom will come in time, but I understand the need to go back to work, because I had to also.
I went ahead and did it mainly because I had to have my other knee done this yr and only had so much sick time/vacation/family medical leave. So, I had the mua for those reasons and because I needed more bend and I couldn't drive because of lack of bend.
What I was surprised about was that the mua was painful. I thought I would just be sore. I had gone back to work part time, but when I had mua I ended up taking another 1.5 weeks off. And was taking pain meds again. My os said as long as I got to 90 by 6wks he was fine.
But, it sounds like you have a demanding job and have to walk a lot. You have to make the right decision for you.
I'm sure the rom will come in time, but I understand the need to go back to work, because I had to also.
liam2015
post-grad
becticu...you have to do what's right for you. i don't have to go back to work so it's not a problem for me to recover slowly. what does your physiotherapist think ~ does he think he can help to get you to, let's say, 100 degrees within the next couple of weeks? it depends how long you have before making the decision. i gained more r.o.m. today after doing my exercises at home beforehand. it's not much but i was at 90-something before any manipulation, then 102 after with her pushing (i know that doesn't count but it proves that my knee will bend to that degree). wow, your left knee was at 130. if only your right knee would follow suit and soon! you do what you and your medical team thinks is best and no worries, no judgement here. 
kmak81230
post-grad
That's a tough decision Becky with lots to consider as the previous Smarties have posted. I can say that this slow bender has seen a lot of progress between weeks 8-10 and my vacay this week has shown that I can manage long days of walking with good recovery the next day - I'm quite sure my flexion is currently less than 110 and did not reach 100 until week 9. Whatever you end up deciding we will be here for you to cheer you on as you make the transition back to work (and travel) life.
Pheebs52
big-cheese
Ah Becky, it's that darn, old "Between a rock and a hard place," thing! Obviously, there are many ways of looking at this and time is of the essence. It presents so many questions; If you had an MUA tomorrow, how quickly did he think you'd recover? How quickly would you get into the desired range? Would you stay in the desired range? VW54 has made some excellent points here about medication, now and post MUA, along with good questions about driving. Mister has given the benefit of her real life experience. Perhaps I shouldn't mention this, but since it's you, I'm going to....sit down, ok? My PT has told me they see people who have had several MUA's because it didn't work the first time. Or the second time. Yikes!
Certainly, no one here is going to judge you, we just want you to have the best recovery possible. If you feel you can try the medication/walking Rx first for a few weeks, I say do it. You've got nothing to lose and flexion to gain. If at the end of a designated period you feel is reasonable, nothing is improving, then you have the MUA as Plan B, or is it C? Either way, the option IS still available to you.
So, sleep on this. Process all you heard today and all you've read here. Take time to digest these questions and experiences. In a few days, you'll probably have your answer and it will be the one that's right for you.
Certainly, no one here is going to judge you, we just want you to have the best recovery possible. If you feel you can try the medication/walking Rx first for a few weeks, I say do it. You've got nothing to lose and flexion to gain. If at the end of a designated period you feel is reasonable, nothing is improving, then you have the MUA as Plan B, or is it C? Either way, the option IS still available to you.
So, sleep on this. Process all you heard today and all you've read here. Take time to digest these questions and experiences. In a few days, you'll probably have your answer and it will be the one that's right for you.
KarriB
Former BoneSmart staff member
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Yes, sleep on it. I do agree with your doctor concerning pain meds. I know they have their side effects, however they do serve a purpose in allowing us to use our knees without suffering from pain. I'm pretty sure Jo was on pain meds for 3 months after her TKR (if I remember correctly) and although I was off them after my infection surgery, I did use them again when the time came to bend after the immbolizer.
