TKR Need Help and Encouragement, please...

[Pumpkin]

Beg,
Glad to see you are making progress, and are with therapists and doctors that are right for you.
Slow but sure is the way to recovery.

 

[Jacky48]

BEG, I'm glad to hear from you again! Congratulations on the 5 degree change on you number! And, congratulations on setting the ground rules with your outing with your mom! I'm sure she didn't mind as long as she got to go out for a bit, sometimes our parents don't realize that we are aging too, in their eyes we'll always be their kids!
Stay well kiddo!

 

[BrnEydGrl]

Oh my, now I am worried. I was reading on here about something called RSD? I am 4 months....and still only at 80. I did have discoloring but it is fading. Maybe I should not read, but I do want to be educated on my own body, if that makes sense? I am working hard at stretching without pain, just as far as I can go. My P/T makes sure there is no pain either but said I do need to push it to make improvements, just no pain. That is what we are doing. I do not need any help walking and finally my balance is so much better. It is just moving ahead sooooo slow. The swelling is going down, and the major heat from the joint is getting better too. Could I have this RSD?

 

[pma2013]

What does RSD stand for? I am interested in learning more about it.

 

[karmigirl]

BEG,
I am no Dr. but I think RSD is pretty unlikely. It just doesn't happen all that much. Your new dr would probably catch it if in fact you did have it. No need to worry if it is on your mind at your next appointment ask the Dr. Doesn't cost any more to ask and it certainly will set you mind at ease. Here is a Google page with different articles about what RSD is.


rsd - Google Search

 

[BrnEydGrl]

Thanks so much for the reply. I just have no one to "ask these questions." Hubby always set me straight when I would start worrying. My cats don't do that great of a job! LOL I see him next Tuesday and have lots of questions. I did not want to barrage him with questions on our first meeting. I was just happy he took me on as a new patient. I will keep you all up to date!

 

[micha]

Hi BEG - Doctors love it when we come in with a list of questions cuz they can zip through them instead of watching us hem and haw and try to not bother them! I take a list of yes/no questions and I have a pencil and off we go! Give it a try if you feel like it might work for you! xo

 

[tashia]

How was your Easter? Haven't heard from you lately are you ok? Remember to take care of yourself. Have you hugged your today? Tashia

 

[BrnEydGrl]

Hello Tashia, I am doing ok. Had the grand kids here for Easter, so that was wonderful. Good to see my son and daughter in law. We went to my mom's place so she could show off her great-grandkids. Sad to see them go!
I am moving along slowly. Frustrating to know this is going to take longer than most peoples recovery. Very frustrating when the new doc says "I don't know, I did not do the surgery" to every question I ask. I guess he is right, when you really think about it . Another month until I see him again, same ol thing, back to P/T. He said "lets hope you keep progressing." Not real encouraging. He did throw in a "lets keep positive" as he walked out the door. He also said he was not a "fan" of the knee I received and he usually does not take on patients whose surgery was done by someone else but was taking me on as a patient. yea...ok, I am off to P/T and hope my ROM is better than 80 this week.

 

[tashia]

Brn, It sounds that you are making process in the right direction. Your ROM is getting better. It will in time. Take care. Tashia

 

[hhilltop]

Brn, looks like you're another one on the slow road to recovery. It is good to see you're making progress, though. If you keep up your pace, you'll soon be surpassing me. Great to have family time with the young and old.

 

[tashia]

Hay How are you doing? Haven't heard from you for a while. How did your doctor visit go? Hope by now you have more bending. It does take time because you had so much swelling. Please take care. tashia

 

[hhilltop]

Yes, hope you're doing better. I'm going to tell you - listen to your leg. Here they say ice and elevate. If your leg is still swollen and doesn't want to bend, keep icing and elevating. My PT's pushed me to bend, bend, bend and I did and I charted it for them because we all were frustrated I wasn't making gains. I didn't begin to do enough of ice and elevate, but no one was advising me of the Bonesmart mantra.

 

[BrnEydGrl]

Hello Everyone!
So sorry I have not been here in such a long time. My Mom went to Cardiac ICU and has been there several weeks. She is slowly recovering, one day at a time. She is almost 92. I am a only child and the only person here to help here and Parkinson/Alzheimer's husband. Needless to say, I have not been to P/T until yesterday and I am now at 90 degrees. Slowly but surely without manipulation so I am happy. Therapist said it is progressing, slowly but progressing. No more pain meds, maybe one pill once in a while since I have been running around so much. Swelling is still slightly there but no infection per doc. I see the new one once a month. He said as long as it progress's we will leave it be, just therapy. Do you think I should still go to therapy or do it on my own. My therapist said I should be on my own now and she sees no reason for therapy? I guess they have to make the call to the insurance company? Anyway......hello to everyone!

 

[tashia]

So good to hear from you. So sorry about your Mother. Its hard to be the only child because you get all the problems to deal with. Have you had any luck getting help with Mother from the hospital. Please take care of your self. I am so happy about your knee. That so great. Please don't be a stranger. If the therapist said to be on your own I guess that is the way it is. Please take care. Have you hugged your today. Tashia

 

[hhilltop]

It's hard dealing with parent concerns, especially serious ones as an only child. My parents are needing to get into an assisted living facility. My sister and I live 700 miles away. My brothers are only 60 miles. I'm still very glad we have a truly loyal friend who is only 5 miles away. The distance keeps me from being deeply engaged, and having siblings makes some of the emotional weight from being as heavy, too.

Are you able to drive with your 90? I should think that would be essential for you to regain that skill, especially if you have to drive to get to your mother.

I know PT's can get discouraged if their patient isn't making rapid progress. My PT's wanted to dismiss me as soon as I hit 110 with a lot of pushing on their part. I knew I didn't begin to know what I needed to do to have the strength to do stairs. My insurance allowed me to switch to a different PT approach and get more of the help I needed, though I suspect what I may have needed most was a healthy dose of the Bonesmart mantra over a lot of strenuous stretching and strengthening routines. I've gained more ROM, but I'm still struggling with stairs. Hope this helps you with your decisions.

Take care - prayers are with you and your mother.

 

[Jacky48]

Hi BEG, I'm happy to hear that your ROM is getting better! I very sorry to hear about your mom, it's a very difficult time for you! As Tashia said, please try and find time to take care of yourself, some times when we go through such hardships we tend to forget about our own needs.

Stay well, and here's wishing you continued success with your ROM!

 

[BrnEydGrl]

I have not forgotten all of you and the great encouragement you gave me while feeling so alone! I just wanted to send a quick hello. I have been taking care of mom and step-dad and it seems to have taken all my time. Maybe in a way that is good.....then I do not think!
My knee? Maybe one word is the best description..."frustrating." P/T released me a month ago saying I could do what needs to be done on my own. She was happy with the progress, I am not sure if I am. Got up to about 95 degrees.
The new doc says he does not need to see me until the anniversary of surgery. Of course he always reminds me that he did not do it. His comment was....He was glad there was not infection and as long as my ROM progresses, as small as it may be, he said to leave it alone. He said to keep up with the icing, exercise, and anti-inflammatory drugs.
My knee still has some swelling, feels warm sometimes and I have no clue what my ROM is. I don't think it is more than 97. There is no way to know and it has been 8 months! The doc did not seem to care, and said "lets hope it keeps improving." I am walking perfectly, going up and down stairs, and am able to do full revolutions on my recumbent bike with a little discomfort. I still do not think I am more than 100.
I don't know....are they all just pushing me off? Should something else be done? I know one thing, I do not want to go through the rest of my life with the bend I have. I just don't think emotionally I could ever go through another surgery.
Sometimes I am positive and other times I cry and am so disgusted with it all.

 

[SAS]

I felt so sad reading your thread BrnEydGrl, I had my my RTKR done last November, I found it a very painful operation at the start, but as went on it got better, they do say it takes up to a year to heal properly, I found at 8 months mine felt so much better and is improving all the time. I see I had my op around the same time as you. I was never very happy with my ROM it was only 75 when I left hospital and remained that way for some time it gradually increased just a little but I only got to 90. When I had my last appointment with my consultant he asked how all was going, I told him I was not happy with my ROM, I was also there to talk about my LTKR which needed replacing. I was x-rayed and told he would give me another new knee and while I am under anaesthetic he would do a manipulation to give me a better ROM. I am now nearly four weeks post op and going through exactly the same as last time, but I feel my progress is a lot better as my ROM is very good. The manipulation on the RTKR worked a treat, my ROM is far better now I think 120. So I suggest if you are not happy and never will be happy with your ROM you go back to your consultant and tell him you want a manipulation done on it. You do not feel a thing as they knock you out and I felt no pain at all afterwards.

I do hope you start to feel better in yourself soon, I think it is a depressing operation. I can only speak for myself but I feel once I am over this operation I will never regret having it done.

Take care and keep in touch.

Sheila

 

[Nanners]

Hey BEG! I am almost 11 mos out. I finished PT at 105/10. That was at about 4 mos out. Slowly but surely I have gained ROM. I think I can bend about 110 now and my straigtening is about 5 ish. I can do just about anything except kneel. Give it some time, you really will gain more ROM within time. Hugs!