Bilateral PKR Pain After 1 Year

[halesgirl]

@ Jockette - how long did it take before you felt "normal" and that the TKR was worth doing?

 

[Jockette]

@ Jockette - how long did it take before you felt "normal" and that the TKR was worth doing?

Oh I really don’t want to answer that. I don’t want to discourage you.

But since you asked, in a nutshell, I’ve had a very tough time. I don’t feel normal yet, and for me it has not been worth it.

But mine is a partial.

I did post an update today on my thread. Go to the last page of my thread, and scroll down to my post today and you can see where I am in recovery.

 

[halesgirl]

I'll do that. Thank you.

 

[NavyGunns]

@halesgirl, your question to @Jockette is what I call “a loaded question”. Everyone’s expectations and points at which they believe they are satisfied with their procedure and begin to feel normal vary greatly. If your purpose of asking was to gauge where you are at, it won’t work. One person might feel after 3 months that they are greatly satisfied and “normal” because they are to a point where they can do things that they weren’t able to do prior. But we also know they still have a long way to go in terms of healing. Another person might be well past a year and still not satisfied. Their mobility level prior to surgery may have been quite high (as mine was) and they may just getting to the same level or may still be experiencing issues. You have to judge your recovery by your own expectations and experience.

 

[SusieShoes]

how long did it take before you felt "normal" and that the TKR was worth doing?

Everyone defines “normal” differently, and recovers uniquely, so this is a really tough question to answer. I had a “normal” BTKR recovery, which is to say I met the usual milestones at the expected times, never had any significant setbacks, and ended up with a great result. I’m absolutely thrilled I had my knees replaced!

My recovery thread is in my signature to this post.

The thing is — and I remember this distinctly because it’s still happening — “normal” kept shifting on me. At three months I’d think, “Hey, I feel pretty normal!” And then at five months I’d go, “What was I thinking? NOW is when I feel really normal!” And then another month would pass and I’d realize I was much more normal now than a month ago.

Just today, 17 months to the day since my surgery, I thought, “Wow. My knees feel really good! Better than ever.”

You’re not quite two months out from one of the most major surgeries a person can have. Getting back to normal is going to be a while, but pretty soon you should start feeling much better. If not yet “normal,” you will soon be feeling “normal enough.” Your energy will return, for starters. That helps more than anything!

 

[halesgirl]

That makes so much sense. I feel so much better than I did a month ago so I'll try to enjoy the progression and deal with the pain as it comes - rest, I've and elevation. Thanks everyone. PS - the doctor did give me something stronger than Tramadol to have on hand if I need it.

 

[CAB]

Hi @halesgirl I'm 6 weeks today, have had a couple of setbacks but seem to be doing ok today.
I havent done any wall squats yet...but it was "take it slow" all last week! Actually 1 day they thought i shouldn't be there.
I have rolled the ball down the wall whilst lying on their bed and also balanced feet on ball and rolled it towards me. (At 3 and 4 weeks I was doing great!!) Both challenging but felt good.
Im looking forward to moving on with my progress today.
2 hours rehab...1 hour in gym then 1 hour in hydro. One can take breaks as often as needed.

Take it easy on yourself. I cant imagine having to be at work anytime soon! And then shop for 1.5 hours!

 

[halesgirl]

So new question everyone! The day after my BTKR when the nurses got me up to get into my recliner my blood pressure plummeted and I fainted. Later that day in PT I started feeling dizzy and my BP was 90/54 and they took me back to my room. I have never had low BP before and it stayed low for the remainder of my hospital stay. Now occasionally I still feel a bit woozy and I stay cold. And I'm NEVER cold. Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[Roy Gardiner]

I am officially 5 weeks post op. On Friday the PT started me on wall slides - 3 sets of 10.

These are strength exercises. No, you don't need them, not for ages yet.

So yesterday was 7 weeks since surgery. Thought I was doing really well so I went to Target today. By the time I was done shopping my right knee was swollen to twice it's size and SO painful.

Oh dear, sorry to hear that.

The lesson is to do a little bit more each day, and as soon as there's the slightest bit of pain or swelling, stop!

 

[79newknees]

@halesgirl , yes I fainted three times in the days immediately post op, dizzy and nauseous, but I think it was the Endone.... low BP then, but OK now. I also felt very cold when I got home (10 days post op)....however now I am feeling quite normal! I do hope it all settles down for you...I think the anaesthetic takes quite a while to fully exit our system!

 

[CAB]

@halesgirl yes i really suffered from being freezing cold. I googled searched it which brought me here. Seems quite common. it might be the shock do you think?
It slowly passed. But i still dont like the cold.

I didnt have low blood pressure and no fainting. Not sure i would have liked that

 

[NavyGunns]

@halesgirl, both low BP and feeling cold can be common. I didn’t have issues with low BP for this surgery but have for others. Feeling cold though has been common. My PRK was back in April and I can remember being in sweats up into late May cause I always felt cold. Loved the days when the sun was out and temps were warm as that was the only time I could feel warm.

 

[Jockette]

Same here, I am the only one in my league who bowls in a sleeveless top all winter, and I was very cold for a while after surgery.

I wish I was still cold so I could dress like everyone else now that the weather is cool. I get so tired of hearing “aren’t you cold?” and “summer is over”.

 

[sistersinhim]

I stayed an extra night in the hospital because of being dizzy and light-headed. It was in the 90s outside and I was freezing inside. I'd go and stand outside to get warm. I blamed it on the constant icing and recovering from the surgery.

 

[halesgirl]

Thanks everyone for the responses!! So glad to know I'm not the only one this has happened to.

 

[halesgirl]

Hello all! I am now 11 weeks post-surgery and officially back to full time work as of yesterday. Even though it is a desk job, I come home completely exhausted. Been icing my knees all evening but now can't get to sleep. At my last OS visit she advised me that my VMO muscles (inner quads I believe) are weaker than she would like and that I need to focus on strengthening them. My PT gave me 7 excercises to do at home for that but most involve a lot of stooping and/or squatting. He says unless I strengthen these muscles I will never be pain free. Did this sound right to you? And should these excercises still be so uncomfortable for me at this point in my recovery? Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Celle]

My PT gave me 7 excercises to do at home for that but most involve a lot of stooping and/or squatting. He says unless I strengthen these muscles I will never be pain free. Did this sound right to you? And should these excercises still be so uncomfortable for me at this point in my recovery?

No it doesn't sound right and no those exercises should be so uncomfortable. You shouldn't be doing them.

It's much too early in your recovery to be doing strengthening exercises.

You have plenty of time fore strengthening. Let your poor knee heal first and don't think of strengthening exercises until at lease 3 months post-op. You muscles will gradually strengthen with everyday activity during this early recovery time.

 

[Jockette]

My quads took months to strengthen, but they did, and I didn’t do any specific exercises to make that happen, just my daily activities. Surgeons and PTs think everything should happen NOW, they don’t allow for basic healing to take place first, which takes Time:

Keep in mind, it’s not exercising, it’s Time:

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion/strength is right there all along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Exercise as in strength training is counter-productive and in the early weeks does more harm than good. Normal activity is the key to success.

 

[sistersinhim]

Every time you use your knee in just about every way, you are strengthening those muscles. That happens naturally. Let your knee heal and use it gently and that strength will come back. It just takes time. If you try to rush it, you will just inflame your knee and have less ROM and more swelling and pain.

 

[halesgirl]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Think I'll continue to let my knees heal on their own. They're stiff and swollen enough as it is when I get home from work.