MUA Oct 2017 TKR - Hematoma - MUA - Finally past 90!<

[Josephine]

I thought one should at least 'feel' the cold.

Oh forgive me! I misunderstood - I thought you meant you wanted to feel your skin with your fingers! Silly me! No, you are quite right - you do need to feel the cold if icing is to work well.

Any comments on the tumeric would be appreciated.

Have a look here - our late lamented nutritionist left is these articles.

getting restless leg syndrome when starting to ease up on the Oxycodone?

We have two articles about that - one you've been left but there is also this one
Restless Leg Syndrome

Also I'm feeling really down today since I lost two weeks of recovery due to that Hematoma.

I'm so sorry you are feeling down but don't think of it as having 'lost two weeks of recovery' by which I am assuming you are referring to therapy. But it will reassure you to learn that many of us on here, myself included, never did any exercising at all and still got very good outcomes! So all is not lost!

 

[funkymuse]

Hi Josephine! Thanks for your responses. I've been icing although I think it's just been cooling the layer of of ace bandage and cotton! However sometimes that layering holds in so much heat that I feel just to cool that off helps so I'm doing it anyways. I feel that this wrap is containing alot of my body heat and maybe be contributing to some of the swelling I have throughout the day and night. Does this make sense? The wraps come off tomorrow! Thank God!

I'm hearing so much about taking anti-inflammatories and I'm happy to buy some Tumeric to facilitate the process but won't intensive icing take care of most of the inflammation? I have started taking Boswellia which is also supposed to be a great anti-inflammatory. I was taking it before my knee surgery and my knee was feeling really good so I'm pretty sure it was working. AND thanks for the article from the late nutritionist. I plan to read that carefully.

I have been working to cut down the oxycodone dose and am managing to get about 5 hours in between doses but my insurance company just denied a refill of 62 giving me only 42 saying something about me being at the max does for the month. So I guess I may have to call them because now that 5 hours have gone by I'm feeling the low level of aching and pain setting in. I did take 2-500mg Tylenol an hour ago but it didn't take it all away.

For added insurance I called my doc's office and ask for a prescription of Tramadol. Maybe I can swim slowly away from so much dependence on the Oxy and slowly move to a combo to Tramadol and Tylenol. Thoughts?

 

[Josephine]

I'm happy to buy some Tumeric to facilitate the process but won't intensive icing take care of most of the inflammation? The wraps come off tomorrow! Thank God!

Well it will once you get the wraps off!

I did take 2-500mg Tylenol an hour ago but it didn't take it all away.

Tylenol is just an adjunct to other medications at this stage. It will never, ever be strong enough to manage your pain on it's own.

For added insurance I called my doc's office and ask for a prescription of Tramadol. Maybe I can swim slowly away from so much dependence on the Oxy and slowly move to a combo to Tramadol and Tylenol. Thoughts?

If/when you get the Tramadol, there is no need to 'swim slowly' to it! Just make the change. The schedule I used was this one

 

[funkymuse]

Thank you Josephine. Tonight I counted down the days since the Hematoma surgery and it's been 3 full days! The doc said leave the wraps on thru Friday... (3 days) - Tues - Wed - Thurs - Fri - so I figured I had the surgery at 4pm on Tues and so at 4pm today (Fri) - that's 3 days so I took off the wraps and re-wrapped it with some gauze and an ace (as instructed by the Doc), and now I am happily laying back with Cold Rush cooling it down! I'm telling you that big wrap I'm sure was necessary but my knee wanted out of it badly and I couldn't imagine another night with it screaming for release!

It's still tender and definitely swollen but I think the cooling will help so much.

 

[Josephine]

Jolly good! There really is nothing like the cool, healing sensation of ice, is there?

 

[funkymuse]

Besides icing is it ok or good to do some nice warming of the area using like a warm heat pad? It seems that might feel so good but I'd like to know if it's ok. Also my knee feels very stiff after about an hour of intense icing so before I get up and try to walk or do any gentle heel slides I should wait a bit, correct? Thanks all.. hope everyone is having a good recovery Sat!

 

[sistersinhim]

Yay for finally being able to feel that wonderful ice! I was addicted to it!

 

[sistersinhim]

Heat is a no no as long as you are swollen. How does you new incision look?

 

[funkymuse]

Heat is a no no as long as you are swollen. How does you new incision look?

ok! Well that will be awhile then before I use any heat pads!! I did read that far/infared sauna's are very good for healing after a certain point... anyone have any experience in that regard? I see many people seem to be getting into hot tubs now and again or doing hydrotherapy but I'm not sure what point in their healing they are.

The incision looks fine. As far as I can tell at this stage, he either went in through the original one or cut right next to the original one. Can't quite tell yet. It's got stitches in it however. about 5 of them. so it was a short re-opening. But his surgical note said "Went in and removed SIGNIFICANT Hematoma!

So glad that part of this journey is OVER!!!

I just took a walk to the living room and back and did two rounds which in total takes about 5 min. I'm now working on 6 hours inbetween each Oxy with Tylenol inbetween so i'm feeling this walk a little bit. Just a bit of slight aching/burning feeling. It's a weird ache in that regard... kind of a burny feeling.. can't explain it. But it has always felt that way when it aches.

I'm really working on my gait and trying not to rely on the walker so much and I've noticed that my knee in general is weak. It tends to buckle a bit here and there forward or backward, which scares me a bit but I realize that it's just because it's weak and I have not used it or put full weight on it in almost 3 weeks. I find it interesting that the PT or the Doc or Nurse didn't tell me that I 'could' put full weight on it when working on my walking.

But after this last icing - my knee definitely feels stiff and doesn't want to bend much - so that when I walk my foot at times slides against the floor as i'm coming forward to step down. But I'm trying hard not to swing my leg out to the side to avoid a full bend! Or to rise up on my good legs toes to avoid that bend.

Opp's here we go.. another bathroom trip! My gosh.. what is up with my bladder these days!!? I was up at least 10 times last night... arggh!

 

[Jockette]

Your knee is not weak, it is surgically injured! It will get stronger as it heals.

I tried a heated corn bag on my knee once, I think I was at least 4 months post op, but I don’t remember, but anyway, my knee freaked out, it didn’t like it at all!!! Of course it didn’t help that I didn’t know how long to heat the bag and it was too hot, and also, my knee did not like how heavy it felt. My knee still doesn’t like any kind of weight on it , not even a couch pillow. It is such a drama queen sometimes!

 

[sistersinhim]

Your frequent bathroom visits are I bet getting rid of your fluid, which is getting rid of swelling. Yay, that's a really good thing! Be careful to not let your foot slide out from under you. May sure you have the walker close by until you get a little stronger. It's best to be safe!

 

[funkymuse]

@Jockette - your knee is such a drama queen!!! Thanks for the giggle!!!

@sistersinhim - I haven't been without my walker ever yet! I am just now trying to just walk by not putting my full body weight on the rails which is how I discovered it's weak and kind of does that buckling thing... I'm actually 18 days post op but I'm giving myself a bit of leeway due to that Hematoma that slowed me down for 2 weeks.. so It's almost like I am at the end of week one again.

I so love hearing from everyone and the support.. I'm not alone!!!!

 

[sistersinhim]

I think you are correct to be thinking of your recovery as week one. Your tissues not involved in your hematoma removal had two weeks of good healing, but where you hematoma was will have had to start over somewhat. Good that your walker is with you! The buckling knee is perfectly normal. As you heal and get stronger, it will buckle less and less. Before you know it you'll be running around without any walking aids at all!

 

[Josephine]

Besides icing is it ok or good to do some nice warming of the area using like a warm heat pad?

Absolutely not! It will make your swelling worse.

Also my knee feels very stiff after about an hour of intense icing so before I get up and try to walk or do any gentle heel slides I should wait a bit, correct?

Walk by all means but NO heel slides!

 

[Celle]

I did read that far/infared sauna's are very good for healing after a certain point... anyone have any experience in that regard? I see many people seem to be getting into hot tubs now and again or doing hydrotherapy but I'm not sure what point in their healing they are.

Your knee is perfectly capable of healing without any special intervention. Mother Nature has been doing her job of healing for thousands of years - she knows what she's doing. However, your knee will heal on its own schedule, not yours, and there is nothing you can do to speed it up.

Hydrotherapy is just doing exercises in a pool. Some people find it helpful, but it is easy to overdo things in water.
You should stay out of water until your incision is completely healed, with no open areas or little scabs. Before that, you would run the risk of introducing infection.

I'm really working on my gait and trying not to rely on the walker so much and I've noticed that my knee in general is weak. It tends to buckle a bit here and there forward or backward, which scares me a bit but I realize that it's just because it's weak and I have not used it or put full weight on it in almost 3 weeks.

But after this last icing - my knee definitely feels stiff and doesn't want to bend much - so that when I walk my foot at times slides against the floor as i'm coming forward to step down. But I'm trying hard not to swing my leg out to the side to avoid a full bend! Or to rise up on my good legs toes to avoid that bend.

I haven't been without my walker ever yet! I am just now trying to just walk by not putting my full body weight on the rails which is how I discovered it's weak and kind of does that buckling thing... I'm actually 18 days post op but I'm giving myself a bit of leeway due to that Hematoma that slowed me down for 2 weeks.. so It's almost like I am at the end of week one again.

Until your gait is perfect, you need to keep using the walker. It's just a tool and there's no need to rush to stop using it. Use it until walking with a correct gait has become a habit - no more swinging your leg out, or going up on your toes, but a natural lift and bend of your knee.
Certainly, keep using the walker until your leg is stronger and doesn't try to buckle - you don't want to risk a fall.

 

[funkymuse]

Oh wow.. I love you guys.. (gals)...

I seem to be on this type of schedule:

- Intense icing and elevation with the Cold Rush - 1 hour (with most often a bathroom break inbetween)
- Then taking off the ice and letting my leg warm a bit and getting up to move around.. a little walk.
- Then my body wants to stretch so I lay out on the bed and stretch this way and that...
- Then it's back to the icing for another hour.

Today I got up to go and check on the vitamin supply and I walked to the kitchen a couple of times and had to stand in there static for a couple of min and boy my leg does not like just standing still! The gravity is like a sucking monster that begins to pull and pull down the longer I stand still.. I suppose that will get better with time. So this will limit my time in the kitchen for awhile. I sure was hoping to get in there today and try and make a protein shake. But I see that's not going to happen for at least a couple of days.

Also I haven't mentioned it but I have been grieving quite heavily since my younger sister died just 7 days after my surgery on 10/24. (Esp today for some reason - maybe cause it's gloomy outside and snowing and maybe because I've cut down on the HAPPY OXY DRUG?) It was the saddest death ever and the sadness continues as her two daughters try to come to terms with it all and her oldest Grandson who's around 7 years old, who I heard cried during the entire funeral service.

I guess I'm mentioning it because I've noticed that the more and more we are all on here, the more of a family it kind of becomes with the support and love and understanding. So thank you once again and I so look forward to time going by and the healing to really take hold.

Hope you all are having a good day and that the sun is shining somewhere!

 

[Homeport]

I am so sorry to hear about your sister that is a huge thing to deal with without having the recovery process of your operation as well and I wish you all the best
You asked about hydrotheraphy I am almost five weeks out and started last week I did same with my right knee operation a course of ten weeks just few in small purpose built hydrotheraphy pool with a physio in pool too it is gentle exercise but just being immersed in the water gives you a lovely feeling and relaxes you

 

[Celle]

I walked to the kitchen a couple of times and had to stand in there static for a couple of min and boy my leg does not like just standing still! The gravity is like a sucking monster that begins to pull and pull down the longer I stand still.. I suppose that will get better with time. So this will limit my time in the kitchen for awhile. I sure was hoping to get in there today and try and make a protein shake. But I see that's not going to happen for at least a couple of days.

Most of us have found that standing still is hard for quite a long time. I remember that long after I could walk without pain and even without a stick, I still experienced pain while standing in line at the supermarket.
Practical help for now? Do you have a bar stool or a chair that you could rest on while making your protein shake?

Also I haven't mentioned it but I have been grieving quite heavily since my younger sister died just 7 days after my surgery on 10/24.

I'm really sorry to hear about your sister's death.
That's a big hit for a family and it's normal to grieve. The post-op blues may accentuate your grief, so do ask your own doctor for a short course of anti-depressants, if it's really getting you down.

We're here to listen and support you, so feel free to cry on our virtual shoulders, too.

 

[Jockette]

I’m so sorry about your sister. Recovery, especially early on, is difficult enough without adding a difficult emotional time as well. A double whammy. Hugs to you!

Yes, it does seem like we become family on here!

I am probably the only one on Bonesmart that did not like pool therapy, but I was only 4 weeks post op, the session was almost an hour long and I did countless knee bending exercises and a lot of walking, frontwards, backwards, sideways and marching. It took me 3 days to recover and I did not go back to the pool.

 

[funkymuse]

@ everyone.. thank you for the kind words regarding my Sissy. It really helps to let it out and to hear that others care. And also... I was asking about the Hydrotherapy because I heard it was in 'warm water,' and I was thinking about warming up my knee which I found out quickly is a no no!!! But I'm not a water baby and I'm sure my insurance would not cover this but i'm so glad it's helping others. If it was offered I might try it just to experience the 'joy' of the 'no gravity pull and the warm water.... but it's not and so the best I can do is look forward to a nice shower after my 2nd surgery scar heals up.

@Celle - what a GREAT idea about the stool or high chair. I"m thinking I would have to elevate my leg up because even sitting I feel would have that gravity pull on it. But I could start that way being in the kitchen a little. Thank you!