TKR New knee 30th October 2012 - Age 34

[BJ Mac]

(((((hugs)))) and wishes for sweet rest to you.

 

[Shubbles]

Thanks everyone! I rested a bit this morning and felt much better afterwards. I did go to PT but now the legs are up in the air because I am quite sore. I really thought that I had gained more ROM this week but unfortunately I am still at 75-77. If I don't get more by the end of this week I am really going to start worrying. I am at 5 weeks now and the doc said I should be at 100 by next week or I should come see him about getting the MUA done. I kept telling myself that as long as I am having progress then I am not going to have the MUA but I seem to be holding still for the past 2 weeks. Any thoughts?

 

[Nanners]

Shelly I hit a plateau for a bit and couldn't seem to get past it, in fact made me really feel those blues again. But I did start going forward again. You do not have to have the MUA if you don't think its needed. My doc mentioned it at 6 weeks and I told him I would like to work on it more on my own first. I am at 13 weeks now and my bend is 105, but my straightening is still at 12. I am told that it will come in time, so I am hanging onto that. Hugs!

 

[Celle]

Josephine...This may or may not come as a surprise to you, but I had a therapist come to my house the week that I came home from having my knee done, then she came for 3 more weeks..twice a week, and that's all the therapy that I've had, except of course my doing it on my own. Every time I have seen my OS, he has praised me for being able to do what I need to be doing now. Sometimes I wonder if all the Pt is necessary, but of course I know everyone is different. I am just so grateful that I am where I'm supposed to be without doing all that PT....

Superb, Gilda! Thank you for sharing that with me. Sometimes I feel a little like a nagging wife going on and on about it but you are proof that it does work. And so am I as this is the approach my own surgeon has and he does about <4 MUAs a year (he tells me!). I just know I love him to bits and have no qualm about him doing my second knee!
btw, where are you? You haven't put that in your profile.

Dear Shelly (Shubbles),

I'll add my experience to what Gilda and Josephine have said.
While I was in hospital, a physiotherapist came and showed me some easy, gentle exercises (ankle pumps, heel slides, quads tightening, and attempted straight-leg raising). She told me to do those several times a day and to keep on doing them when I got home. She also taught me how to walk with crutches and how to get up and down stairs.

When I was discharged, my surgeon told me "No physiotherapy for at least 4 weeks. Just keep doing those little exercises and walking around the house."

I only went to physiotherapy 3 times - at about 5, 7 and 9 weeks. Each time, my physiotherapist (gently) showed me a few more exercises and told me to do them at home. I did - when I remembered - but really I'm quite lazy!

Now, at one year post-op, my knee is just great! It is strong and I can bend it further than I could before the operation. I can do everything I need to do in my daily life.

Like Josephine, and Gilda, I have made an excellent recovery with very little help from physiotherapy. It makes me mad when I read about people being misinformed, bullied or frightened into over-exercising their knees after TKR. It almost always does more harm than good.

The knee that has had a TKR is not weak - it is wounded. It needs time and gentle treatment and it will heal all by itself. Any exercise should be gentle and should not hurt.

Dear Shelly, as others have said, Rest, Ice, Elevate and exercise gently. If anyone wants you to do otherwise, tell them to back off! Your progress is normal and you will get there, but good things take time - you are in for a marathon, not a sprint.

 

[Celle]

Oh my! When I wrote the above post, the thread was only just over one page long. Now it's been combined, my post seems irrelevant.

I still think you have been trying to do too much, Shelly. I prescribe lots of rest, less work and lots of hugs!

 

[Brownie51]

I agree with the above! Glad you got some rest too.
Shelly have you tried holding up your thigh with your hands or Husband's hands and allowing gravity to take over and just letting your lower leg hang/relaxing the quad. Remember I talked about how the quad has to be relaxed to allow the flexion? Could you try that today when you are not in a lot of pain and have your husband check the flexion from the side. I'll bet your flex is alot better than you thought. Trying to pull it to flexion while you lie on bed or table doesn't work because quad is tensed.

 

[Titianlady]

Awwww. That is precious....what a sweetie

 

[Shubbles]

Well, today I have been sick to my stomach all day. I woke up at 3am nauseated and it hasn't gone away yet. It's gotten a little better but still hanging around. I haven't eaten today as I fear it will just come back up and I really don't feel like eating anyway. But, because of this, I feel awful today. The knee hurts but it's more the tummy making me feel bad. Because I feel so bad I came home from work (Yes I had to go to work for 4 hours today too) and I laid on the couch and slept for 3 1/2 hours. Let's hope that things get better by tomorrow. I had to cancel a dinner date with my stepdad today because I feel so sick and it was crab legs!

On another note, my boss came in today and asked how I was. I told him I was feeling awful and he of course says to me that he talked to a friend who is 70 who just had his knee replaced and he is doing great and not having any of the pain I am going through. As if I am making up the pain I am in. I would love to be back to work again as I am sick of sitting here on my butt all day. It is so hard to make people understand the pain when they have other people telling them that they went through it and are fine. UGH! So frustrating!

 

[Jacky48]

Shelly, you should mention to your boss that the 70 year old probable doesn't have to go to work or do anything else during the day. It's very possible to feel okay if you don't have to do anything! Younger people always have it harder because they usually have a lot more going on in their live, unlike us retired folk! So just ask your boss (So, how many hours does that 70 year guy work anyway, just interested?).

 

[BJ Mac]

Awww Shelly, I am sorry to hear that you have been sick on top of everything else. I do hope that you are feeling better soon.

I am with Jacky, I bet that 70 year old guy is doing nothing but being waited on and watching mindless TV.

 

[Pumpkin]

:iagree: I agree, the 70 yo is retired and resting. When we are active we aggravate our knees. My 80yo neighbor had a PKR, did really well, fast recovery, but I still do not see him walking around the neighborhood many months later. Hmmmm.

 

[Shubbles]

Was home today and felt pretty good until about 20 mins before PT. Go figure!
So at PT I was having a new pain and it was awful. It was in the upper shin just below the knee towards the outside. We discussed it and he thinks it is where the metal was shoved into that bone. He said that how I described it sounded like bone pain not muscle pain. But every time I tried to use my leg it was excruciating. I couldn't lift the leg, bend the leg, step up with it, NOTHING!! It felt like someone was ripping the metal out of my shin. Has anyone else had this happen? After he did some manual stretching it got better and when I got home I elevated for about 1/2 hr and it was mostly gone but it was the worst pain I have had so far.

He did measure me again even though I know it wasn't great due to the pain and I am now at 79/9. My extension reduced by 3 so that's good and my flex increased by 1 (not so great as I had hoped) but at least it increased instead of decreasing. I am still not pleased with the 79 but I am working on it. I seem to swell up just before PT every time as if it knows what it is in for. Ugh! So frustrating. I almost broke out in tears again not from pain but because I was so angry that it started acting up just in time for PT. It just really ticks me off!!!


Anyway, thanks for letting me rant. Sometimes I feel like I have told hold it all in because my hubby just doesn't understand what I am going through. He is a sweetheart, but he just doesn't get it sometimes. He tells me that he thinks I don't have a high pain tolerance and that is why I am so behind the curve. Then he looks at my knee tonight and asks "is it supposed to still be so swollen?" I'm thinking to myself, why do you think I constantly have my legs in the air covered in ice? I'm not trying to be sexy here!

 

[bottomshollow]

Oh, Shelly, that swelling is so often the gorilla in the room. And it certainly keeps that flexion number on the low side. And it will subside in time, but it's later rather than sooner for many. You might try elevating and icing for about an hour before PT---don't know how much that would help, but can't hurt to try.

I'm not sure about the cause of the shin pain---but swelling may be the culprit here too----not much room in that area and doesn't take much swelling to create the pressure to cause pain. And if you got relief from elevating and icing, then I'd think it was swelling.

It is early days, Shelly, and recovery is such a bumpy road full of hills and valleys, twists and turns, and sometimes what feels like sudden impacts. Just hold on to your positive attitude and things will continue to improve, albeit, slowly; but you WILL get to that light at the end of the tunnel in time. Take care, we care.

 

[Brownie51]

Shelly sorry about the tummy! You need to much plain crackers and 7up. My mom gave me that and I gave that to my own kids and to my 4200 kids at school! If you leave your stomach empty at some point your nausea gets worse because you are actually hungry and getting dehydrated.
That place you are talking about is same place alot of people and myself have complained about. Someone said it is also the last place to stop hurting. My doctor doesnt answer questions with a real answer so I am not sure what that is but I think it's where the implant meets the tibia with the most weight on it. I am in bed elevated and that is what is hurting me right now. One person described it as feeling like a chunk of wood was in there!
You got it right on the 70 year old and also people assuming we have a low pain threshold. My inhome PT guy said that people who claim no pain have dementia or some brain disconnect. And I agree, those of us who are more active, getting around the house, not being waited on are going to have more discomfort. I got blamed for causing my knee problem in the first place for not resting it enough. While the doctor is telling to walk and put weight on it. Go figure! Also people will go visit a post op patient for 30 minutes and the person, usually men, show off how great they are doing. If they were around that person 24/7 they'd see a different picture! Like the "start-up" where you get out of chair or bed and walk like you are 105 years old! But at 4 pm you aren't going to see that as much. Thats what I think goes on anyway. People who say these things don't really know!

 

[bottomshollow]

I was 69 when I had both knees done. On day 21, I went to church--walked in on my own with no aids and amazed everyone---I looked like I had never had surgery. And I could have kept that perception alive if I'd wanted to (and if I were a man, I might just have done that--that macho thing), but nothing was further from the truth. I was very well medicated before I went but had the dull ache by the time the service was over and was ready to get home to elevate and ice.

At home, I took my meds on a schedule, cat napped off and on all day long, elevated and iced, and had trouble sleeping and getting comfortable at night. Getting up and down was painful for quite a while. PT was an effort. But when I was out of the house---which was only for short trips once in a while---I probably did not look like someone who just had 2 knee replacements. But if anyone had asked me how I was, I would have been honest about the negatives as well as the positives. But I could have just talked about the positives and appeared to be back to "normal".

So I agree that the TKRers who give the rest of us a bad rap are probably only telling part of the story.

 

[AZRoxie]

Judy... I just LOVE You!! Yep you are telling the story most of us experience, for those that only see us rarely for a few hours or minutes think we are superstars and there is nothing to this surgery.. HA! Our family and friends that are there thru the thick and thin moments know differently and don't understand completely what we put our bodies thru... some are very helpful and patient don't get me wrong but I am sure when I get home from working a now 8 hr day and all I want to do is collapse in my recliner and pop a pain pill with ice packs as my buddies I am sure my hubby is thinking "Whats for dinner, isn't it your night to cook??" Thats when I say here's the phone call Dominoes! LOL

Shelly I agree you should try to ice 30 min before PT and see if that helps, also I assume you are medicating before PT as well, at least 30 minutes before... it seems like my pain meds can take up to an hour before they actually start kicking in sometimes.

Today I was sitting at my desk and was really stiff and sore, I feel like I haven't done enough exercising or stretching this week, although I work 8 hrs a day now and walk around alot with my job. I finished my PT last week and I am on my own now, I think I will be trying out one of the city pools tonight, it's a therapy pool heated to 92 degrees... my pool isn't heated so it's at about 68 to 70 right now, a bit too frigid for me to get into... I absolutely love the water therapy and think it has benefited me the most, highly recommend if you can find a local indoor heated pool...

 

[Brownie51]

Where's Shelly? We're waiting on your report! ha just kidding...sorta...
I hope when I go back to work I still find the time to check back in daily. Those of you who are doing that while working full time and helping us newbies everyday, we sure do appreciate it! They have loosened up the computer system at work while I was out so hopefully I can pop in during tea time between kids.

 

[Shubbles]

No worries, Marianne! I'm alive!

Today I worked from 9-3:30(I was supposed to leave at 1:00!) and I felt fine until it was time to leave. I had so much to do that my mind was off of the pain and on the urgency of my work. I went home and iced and elevated for an hour and then had to head out to my hubby's work holiday party which was at a bowling alley/bar. I didn't bowl of course but I sat on the couch they had on the lane area with my leg up and watched and cheered everyone else on. It was great but after a couple hours I was ready to go. Then we tried to leave but I had to say bye to certain people (schmoozing the bosses) so it took about an hour on my feet to get through the crowd. By the time I left I wanted to cry. I was in pain and exhausted! I came home and medicated x 2, iced and elevated and laid on the couch for a few hours. I sure hope that this doesn't ruin me for PT tomorrow!

Oh and yes, I do medicated and ice prior to PT already. I also heat the calf and thigh and I had even taken a muscle relaxed on Wed but nothing helped. Lets hope tomorrow goes better!

 

[BJ Mac]

Oh dear, Shelly, that sounds like you probably did waaayyyy too much. I hope that you were able to sleep, and that you manage to take an easier day tomorrow, or I suppose it is today now...

 

[Shubbles]

Well, I slept through the night just fine, thank goodness. This morning I am a bit achy but I am also behind on my meds. I am once again sick to my stomach this morning so I just took something to soothe that. I want that to calm down before I put the other drugs in it. I fear that otherwise I will just be throwing them up and need to retake them anyway. I don't know what has caused my tummy issues this week but I have had it with them! It's bad enough to feel miserable about the knee pain but to throw tummy misery on top of that just seems so unfair. Ugh. I just want to go back to bed but I am supposed to be logging in to work soon. Its gonna be a long day!