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Revision TKR Never give up, keep trying, don't settle - that's me, Bonnie

Campervan, Hi Margaret, thanks for stopping by. I know that what you said must be true. You know how it takes several days for bruises to fully develop? Well, I took off the white TED hose this afternoon so I could shower and for the first time saw greenish/yellow bruises settling in the area of my shin bone. I've also had a really sore right ankle which was not sore before surgery. I am sure that is from them grabbing me by he ankle/foot and jerking my leg around. I am sure more bruising will show up too.

Since I was on here earlier today, I became quite nauseated, to the point where I did lose my breakfast and lunch and anything in between. It was early enough that the doctor's office was still open and they called in a nausea RX for me. Dave picked it up and it does seem to be helping. Tomorrow a nurse and pt are coming for evaluation so we can start next week.
 
HI Bonnie, I was the one that mentioned shin pain, although I don't think I had that until the 2nd or 3rd week. My OS said it was because of the long stems down my tibia. Don't know if you have them but I think most revisions do. The shin pain lasted a few weeks and then went away.
I also like Campervan mentioned used heat on the shins, would have ice on the knee and hot moist towel on the shins, really helped.
I also had lots of bruising with my 3 TKrs, I used Arnica Gel, more confortable and also helps them disappear. Youncan find it at Health Food stores, I bought some on Amazon.com.
I'm glad you are tking it easier on the exercises, I did'nt have any PT till my 4th week, just the few gentle exercises I mentioned, and my ROM was just fine. Just like in the UK, they do just fine with lots of rest.
Hope you have a continuos good recovery! Sorry about the nausea, hope its better now.
 
Oldie, what caused you to need a revision? I see that yours was 4 months after three years out from your first TKR, mine was just about 4 months before 3 years. I read a lot that 2 years is the average time for revision.

I remember after my TKR that my entire leg was one big bruise! I am sure I'll be seeing more.

The nausea RX is helping. I was able to keep down some crackers. Dinner will be the next test!
 
Bonnie',ck page 58' entry #1147 in this thread and you will see why I had my revision after 3 years, it was'nt that I didn'nt complain enough, but I had a OS like yours that kept saying all was good. Finally saw other doctors that saw the looseness.
Now its all in the past and I am very happy with my new revision Os and with my knee.
Take care!
 
I was supposed to have home healthcare and Physical Therapy come yesterday, but they never showed up, didn't call either. So in a nutshell shell I've had no Physical Therapy and I am doing just fine. Already my knee bends more than it did before surgery last week. So here I am 6 days post op and by biggest complaint is my ankle hurting. I am sure that my ankle hurts from them grabing it during surgery.

I've been spending some time in the BoneSmart library because different surgery means different questions. My first concern from when I took my first steps in the hospital was that I felt like my surgery leg was longer than my good leg. I found an article that explained it so I am not worried about it at all. Secondly I learned about tourniquet pain, which I know that I've had, but easing up now. So even though I've had a TKR before there is always something new to learn.

My nausea is gone now and still I am amazed how different this surgery is from the first. I can't wait to see how I do once I actually have Physical Therapy (don't worry, I'll be taking it easy in Physical Therapy)...
 
Bonnie,
Thanks for all your updates. I have a consultation this week for the results of my bone scan, and am encouraged by your posts.
Take it easy, sounds like you are on your way to an uneventful recovery. :friends:
 
Bonnie, glad you're taking it easy and the nausea is gone. Been thinking of you and thrilled that your recovery is coming along so well.

Dorothy
 
Bonnie, I never did any exercises, except at pt. Oh sure, I would do a few heel slides here and there, but nothing planned. If I was sitting, I sat in the rocker and rocked my knee---but, for the most part, I never worried about that stuff of three times a day!! As my grandmother would say, it felt like malarky to me.

I walked around the house and started little walks fairly early, but otherwise for the first three weeks, I took it easy. At four weeks, the swelling was mostly gone and I was ready to begin pool workouts.
 
Pumpkln said:
Bonnie,
Thanks for all your updates. I have a consultation this week for the results of my bone scan, and am encouraged by your posts.
Take it easy, sounds like you are on your way to an uneventful recovery. :friends:
Click to expand...

What day do you go for your appointment this week? What are you looking for...or not looking for? I never imagined that I'd end up with a revision when I set out on this quest for answers as to loss of ROM and pain, it just seemed so extreme. I can say now though that I am so glad that I had it done. The pain and swelling that I have now is nothing compared to what I have been going through and would have continued to go through with no end in sight. Quality of life is what its all about.
 
Hi Bonnie,
Happy to hear you are doing well, and that post surgery is better than before!
I have an appointment on Wednesday for results, and an appointment with the revisionist in Janurary.
Like you, when I went in a month ago for a check up, I did not expect the OS to order blood test (negative) and a bone scan ASAP.
The are looking for loosening, I could see uptake on the screen during the bone scan, we will see what the OS says.

RunA42K said:
Quality of life is what its all about.
Click to expand...
I could not agree more, I spent the weekend in the recliner and on the couch, and my knee feels better, this is no way to live just to avoid pain.
Don't want to derail you thread, and as always, wishing you the best!
 
@pumpkin, I started with, X-Ray, bone scan which showed positive, so knee aspiration which was negative, then CT Scan. No loosening, no infection. So I say why did the bone scan say positive? I never really got a clear answer on that other than it showed inflammation. Inflammation from scar tissue, inflammation from metal parts slopping around? I don't know. But after all that the original OS said to go to Physical Therapy is all, we know what happened next! I hope that your results turn out to be what you want. In a way I always wanted mine to show something so there would be an explanation to my pain and lack of flexion.
 
My best guess your bone scan was showing inflammation for all the reasons you list.

My OS seems to be willing to look "under the hood", to see what is happening, and why my knee is painful.
Thanks so much for your support while you are still fresh out of surgery, it is much appreciated.
Take care and let your knee heal,
 
Hi everyone, I need help. I should know all this stuff already but I guess when it comes to one's self at least me, I question myself.

I've had a little more pain the last couple of days, all of the bruising is showing up and what I thought I'd never be complaining about is my foot and ankle. Mt foot aches in the arch, sitting, standing, laying. The ankle hurts in the area (the muscle you use for ankle pumps) and full weight bearing walking (with walker) I have sore metatarsals, from about the center then towards the pinkie toe.

I am 8 day's post op and I have spent the majority of my time elevating icing. Knee, quad, ankle and foot. I get up to walk to the bathroom, go to the kitchen for a snack etc., when I walk around my foot/ ankle hurts and I think that is taking away from my knee in weight bearing and extension. I know my extension is several degrees off, I had no problem with it last TKR.

So the home Physical Therapist showed up yesterday, not for doing therapy but for an evaluation. Someone named Marilyn is coming tomorrow morning at 10:00 am. What I am aprehensive of is the guy who did the eval, made comment that we'd work to achieve 110, because that was functional. Functional for who? You can't pedal a bike at 110, going down stairs is just borderline with that ROM. Yesterday he told me to sit on the edge of the couch, good leg forward foot on the floor, surgery leg foot on the floor but back a bit from where good leg/foot is. Then hold onto arm of couch and scoot forward to to point of pain, hold it 5 seconds then repeat 10 times. He said to do this every 5 hours throughout the day, icing knee before and after. I guess I'll see what this Marilyn suggests tomorrow. If I don't like it then I will go back to my outpatient where I spent the biggest part of the last 3 years. It was the doctor who requested home Physical Therapy.

So I feel like I am wasting time with all this sitting/laying around. I know we preach rest, rest, rest here on BoneSmart, I certainly have been resting but I want to know if I should and what I should be doing while resting? When those of you who rested and had no formal Physical Therapy for 2-3 weeks after surgery, what did you do on your own? Of course I'd be better at walking around the house if my foot/ankle did not hurt.
 
Bonnie, Sorry to hear you're having so much ankle and foot pain, and I honestly don't remember if I did, there was so much pain in my soft tissues and so much bruising. Remember, though, you are only 8 days out, and the pt who did your evaluation sounds like a real Jerk. How can he possibly know what kind of ROM you're going to get? He doesn't know Bonnie, and from what I've observed on BS those who have been gentle with the PT have done much better, and this "window of opportunity" is just BS. My rom has continued to improve although I can feel the looseness from the PCL, and I haven't tried peddling a bike since my earlier sitbacks.

Hang in there Bonnie, and let us know how Marilyn is tomorrow.

Hugs, Dorothy :puppysmooze: :angel:
 
dorothy I thought he as a jerk too, his name was George. He came in so arrogant that he indicated he knew my knee better than I did. He was just the evaluator so he should not be back. My surgeon told the hospital that he wanted 3 days a week for 3 weeks. Then this George guy started saying, well let's do twice a week for two weeks then stretch it out the remaining 4 days over several more weeks, once a week. I told him I wanted to do what my doctor prescribed. If I don't like this Marilyn tomorrow, I'm going back to my out patient, that I loved all this time.

My doctor gave me a RX for 50 Norco tablets, to take ONE every 4 to 6 hours as needed. I don't know how long they expected that this 50 would last, but they are gone now. I called in to have it refilled this morning, still waiting on doctor approval. The only thing that is saving me is I still had the same RX from my old doctor that I never used. Now I find myself counting my pain pills and rationing to myself at 8 days post op. I should not have to do that after only 8 days. Sometimes I just must take two, and especially sleeping.

I think I will go read my thread from 8 days post op in 2011 and see how I felt them. Worse no doubt but, but that might even make me feel better now.
 
Hi Bonnie,
I agree that the guy who came to assess you was a jerk. I also agree that if you're not happy with Marilyn, go back to someone you know and trust.

Sorry, I've no suggestions to help with the foot and ankle pain.

About the pain relief - you need it, so get it any way you can. Your GP may be your best bet.

At home exercises without a physio - yes, I did that for a month post-op. I did ankle pumps, heel slides, tried straight leg raising (not much success at first), and tightened my quads, so that the back of my knee got closer to the bed - all of those, I did just a few, now and then. My OS told me to stand supported by my crutches, and raise the operated leg with the knee bent, so that gravity helped it to bend a little more. Then there was walking to and from the bathroom and kitchen (heel, toe, push off).

When I was sitting down, I tried to bend my knee just a little more each time. You'll laugh when you hear that the "tiles" on my bathroom floor were my best PT aid - the floor is marked off in squares that imitate tiles. Every time I sat on the throne, I would try to move my foot back just a little bit more, aiming for the next line on the floor. When I could get my foot into the next square, I felt it was a real achievement.

So, little and often was my policy.

You're doing well so far. :flwrysmile:
Caryl
 
Bonnie, I'd stay on that dr.'s office for the Norco. My OS prescribed 120 at a time and there was no "as needed". I was told to keep the pain under control. The laws are tightening up more after the 1st of the year and hydrocodone will be another prescription where you will have to pick up a written prescription from the dr. What strength is your NORCO. Mine was 10/325, and after 6 weeks or so I would cut them in half.


Dorothy
 
Bonnie, you are only 8 days since surgery and you say you are wasting time, not so, your knee is healing which is very necessary, please do not be so anxious.
Sorry about your foot and ankle pain, that I know nothing about. But you did say you ice your knee, quad, ankle and foot. Yes, ice on your knee, but heat on the others would probably be more helpful. Moist heat is usually more soothing on other areas. I agree the PT sounds like a jerk. hope the one tomorrow is better, but don't worry you can continue doing your exercises on your own, walking around the house, and sitting in a rocking chair like Skygirl said is great. I did a lot of that and on an outside glider when weather was nicer. The rocking really helps increase Rom just place your foot a little more back each time. I have even seen where someone used a skateboard for the same.
Take care and enjoy your rest and healing time. After the knee is healed there will plenty of time for more aggressive strengthening exercises.
 
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