TKR New here

[turtle68]

It's good to hear from you NuKnee. And, yes people think you should just be 100% normal now. I think even my husband doesn't understand why I have to walk slowly. Happy Friday, have a good weekend and hope you can get lots of rest.

Dorothy

 

[patient 99]

Hi Nu Nee, I think we should all get together and sue all those doctors, nurses, PTs, writers of books on TKR etc. The charge would be that they violated the trade description act. All this talk about being up and running at 6 wks, then 12 wks and so on and so on. I suppose there may be a few who have managed it, but only a few.

Do you think we could wear a sign saying we are absolutely, definitely not anything like 100%. What bugs me is that overnight I seem to have become an old, old woman. Well meaning people ask if I'm OK when they see me hobbling along at a snail's pace. The other days I was hobbling along in the rain. I'd no umbrella so was soaked. A woman came up to me and asked if I was OK. She must have been thinking `poor old thing'. What have I become!

Any way it's Friday today, so assuming you don't work week-ends, you have 2 days all to yourself. To ensure you don't get side-tracked you might want to calve out some ME time, and KILL anybody who tries to take it from you. Best wishes Pat99

 

[Nu nee]

Pat 99, I am sorry, but your description of yourself made me laugh. Only because I was seeing myself in you. I bobble along, just haven't been in the rain. I too feel like an old lady. As a matter of fact, I was walking down the street yesterday and this woman who was older than me was walking faster than me! That tore me down to size!

Hang in there. I have faith that it will get better. I will be having time for myself, and a lot of it this weekend. You do the same.

 

[Nu nee]

Turtle, hi. My husband doesn't understand either. He just told me this evening again...'I just need to walk more to work out the tightness'. That remark didn't deserve an answer since I have explained it all before.

You have a good weekend and take it easy.

 

[Brownie51]

I relate!

 

[patient 99]

Hang in there. I have faith that it will get better.

. I am not religious, but I found myself writing in my diary `please god make it get better'. Its funny how even we agnostics turn to god when the chips are down. If I was HIM/HER I would say `push off, you only want to know me when you're in trouble'.Pat99.

 

[patient 99]

I think even my husband doesn't understand why I have to walk slowly.

Hi Dorothy, you know I don't know why I walk so slowly either! I know that I can't walk at a normal pace, but I don't know precisely why I can't. Sometimes when I am walking my knee doesn't hurt, OK its a bit tight, but it seems to me that the tightness shouldn't slow me down as much as it does. It makes me think there must be something else going on???Pat99

 

[turtle68]

@Patient99, This has been frustrating to the point of depression. At nine weeks I had a very serious urinary tract infection, and was put on Levaquin. I pulled my groin and quad muscles, and this all began. Like you I have a hard time walking because it is just so stiff but since my OS, and his PA, have given me the same diagnosis, I just have to be patient and know that it will eventually resolve itself.

Josephine trailspud - Have you done any research on this antibiotic, Levaquin, which Trailspud were both on at the same time? It was an emergency situation where my white cell count in urine was 100, they couldn't pull an I.V. on my horrible veins, so I had no idea that ruptured tendons was a possible side effect. Just curious as these things might be good to know since we need to be cautious about the possibility of an infection getting into our bloodstream and then the knee.

Dorothy

 

[patient 99]

This has been frustrating to the point of depression. At nine weeks I had a very serious urinary tract infection

Hi Dorothy, your message made me feel a bit ashamed of myself. You have had to cope not only with a TKR, but all those other horrible things as well. You mention depression. Its not something many Bonesmarties have mentioned - at least not that I have picked up on. Of course Bonesmart is a very strong device to ward off depression. The talking, sharing, support, humour at any time of the day or night is priceless.

When friends and family ask me how I am, usually I say `not too bad, thanks' and then talk about something else. It just doesn't seem appropriate to say how I really feel. I think in the main they are just being polite in asking after me (especially after 3.5mth). But with you and the other folk here its different. I am more open and you are too. You will, we will, make it. xx Pat99

 

[Titianlady]

levaquin and CIPRO are notorious for causing tendon issues. They are usually used to treat infections in areas of the body that different antibiotics have a hard time staying in high enough concentrations like muscle, bone, urinary tract, lungs etc. While they do very well with infections, for some folks they can cause issues.

I myself cannot take CIPRO. Within 2 doses, it destroyes my intestinal flora and I have diarrhea for a couple of weeks. People over 60 are advised to be very, very careful with Levaquin and CIPRO.

Tendon issues ( usually the Achilles tendon ) can occur months after discontinuation of the drug.

 

[turtle68]

Great - I'm 69 and I already knew I couldn't take cipro, but you would thin an er dr, would know enough to nor prescribe Levaquin or at least warn me of this side effect. Thanks for sharing this information with me.

 

[Titianlady]

Great - I'm 69 and I already knew I couldn't take cipro, but you would thin an er dr, would know enough to nor prescribe Levaquin or at least warn me of this side effect. Thanks for sharing this information with me.

You would certainly think that!! My GP is the one who let me know all this. Then I did some reading up on it. I think some Drs just want to get rid of the infection as the infection can be devastating and roll the dice on the rest. Some folks do fine with Levaquin, but then again..

 

[Nu nee]

Hello everyone. I had an UTI and got Cipro. I am glad that I didn't have problems with it.

I have done something different this week. I have been a little down because I couldn't see that my knee bend was getting any better. It seemed like I could barely get 90 when I had 112 in PT. So, I tried putting heat on my knee and then stretching gently. I have done that for the past three days. My knee feels looser now. I had read of some people using heat during their PT sessions. It seem to have mad a difference in my knee 'waking up' more. It seems that my bend has gotten better. Maybe it was time, anyway.

A couple of questions. I have read that some say don't put the heating pad over the scar. Does anyone know why that is?
The other thigns is I have read about some using vitamin e on their scar. What is that supposed to do?

 

[patient 99]

Hi Nu nee. I too had heard of heat as well as ice for TKRs, but I'd completely forgotten about it. Its worth a try - thanks for sharing. To get my knee moving in the morning I have pedals. I know they don't suit everyone (somebody said they made their leg more stiff), but its the opposite for me. If I try to increase ROM before loosening up with the pedals I achieve little. So this is a trade for your great heat idea. Wait with interest to see what replies you get re. keeping the heat off the scar.

You seemed concerned to improve the look of your scar. Is there anything unusual about it? I had tended to take the view that if the weather ever warms up in the UK, and I don't want to wear trousers, that I could (a) buy longer dresses (b) tone the scar down with make up and (c) wear tights. Thing is, my legs, not just my knees, aren't much to look at. Over the years the knee problems have meant my knees are fat, but below the knees my legs are thin (imagine a palm tree, and you've got the idea). At least when the time comes to have my other knee done both will match - behind every cloud there's a silver lining. Pat99

 

[Janet2012]

The heat should be good for the muscles above the knee (especially), helping them to warm up, loosen up and stretch more easily, but the same heat can increase blood flow to the knee itself, and result in more swelling of the joint, so ice is better for the joints. Just be careful of your placement of the heat, even though it feels good. If you are using heat on the joint, use moist heat, and this is assuming you aren't in the early weeks post op, when you would stick with ice.

 

[Nu nee]

@Pat99. I am too old to be concerned about how my scar looks. It is not so pretty, but, it doesn't bother me. I usually wear pants and if the weather ever warms up here I will wear capris. I am sure as time passes the scar will fade. My knees sound like yours, the palm tree. So I tend not to show them anyway. I was just wondering the reasoning behind the vitamin e.

I have been using moist heat which feels really good to me. I only leave it on 15-20 minutes. That is just enough to help loosen things up. The tightness seems to be below my knee on the outside. That is also where the numbness is. It seems like a there is also some tightness right at the knee on the inside. Not much, though. I hope I am making sense. But anyway, I am finding that I am able to sit with my bend at 90 degrees of a longer period of time without thinking about it this week.

 

[patient 99]

Hi Nu nee, most times when you message you mention a little improvement here and a little improvement there. So you are definitely moving in the right direction. Something I wanted to compare. You've talked of tightness. How about when you walk. Can you feel all the bits inside your leg? For example, when I sit down I can still feel the rubber band tightening. Also I can feel rubbing sometimes. Pat99

 

[1ELISEA]

I have been using moist heat which feels really good to me.

I used a hand held shower massage and it felt heavenly!
Hope you are better each and every day!

 

[patient 99]

Hello Nu nee Saw you were online and just wondered how you were doing. Quite understand if you prefer to read posts rather than message. I do hope your knee is good and the rest of you is good too. Carol

 

[Ready]

Hi to you Nu nee Just checking in and hoping you are feeling well, and didn't let this past heat wave here in MN get you down. Today is heavenly and we even had a quick shot of rain last night. Have good weekend.