TKR Pain and good support system

[Probertson]

Oh boy I feel like I just got a scolding. Yes it is my fault, I guess I'm just too anxious to get back to normal. The weird thing is that while I'm at PT the exercises aren't difficult, I do push through a couple of them though. Unfortunately I didn't read my posts until after therapy this morning and yes I'm in A LOT of pain ... My own fault and well yea my fault.

The therapists are so kind, sincere, and truly treat me with compassion, it is difficult to disagree with their expectations of my progress. I have a couple days off before my next session and ill do less, like only 1 set of 10 instead of 2 and on the timed exercises ill do less also. I planned on going 2X a week, should I cut back to 1 time?

The whole thing of her pushing my leg to bend to beat the last degree in bend is going to be a challenge for me to get her to limit the push. But I'll try.

Thank you for keeping me focused. Have a great weekend my friends. : )




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[Celle]

Oh please, she doesn't need to push on your leg at all. It's not necessary. The bend will improve as the swelling goes down. Ice and elevation are still your best friends. I know you said that you felt elevation didn't help much, but you have to do it consistently, as often as you can, and day after day.

 

[kneeper]

Well maybe for this next week just go once to give your knee a rest--and give yourself a chance to practice saying no. It is hard--we want to be "good soldiers" but pushing yourself (or letting the PT push you) is really counterproductive. In retrospect think I probably let the PT push me a bit too hard too.

 

[Josephine]

Oh boy I feel like I just got a scolding.

Oh dear, I get this all the time! But if I come across a bit strident and school-ma'am-ish, it's only because I am seriously concerned about YOU and your recovery.

Please read my post again and imagine it being said in a more concerned and caring tone, for that's what it was written with - really it was! But it's so tough to convey that over the internet. I'm much more a Florence Nightingale than a Hattie Jacques type matron! Honestly!

Me ..... ..........................So not me!

 

[Probertson]

So ... I have PT tonite and the last time I had PT was Friday ... I've done minimal activity and have iced and elevated so WHY does my calf feel achy and tight, my thigh hurts like I've done way too many leg lifts, which by the way I have not ... And of course my knee hurts like about a 5 close to a 6.
And if anyone wants to know I HATE "the number game" ! How I measure pain can be so different from someone else's measurement.
To me a 10 would have me in tears, bouncing off the walls and repetitive swearing... A 9 all the above except I would be pacing the floor, if that would be possible with a walker, how ridiculous would that be , and swearing under my breath ... 8 that's how I felt in the hospital after surgery on morphine drip and oral narcotics every 4 hours ... A 7 I would be rubbing parts of my leg that was not involved with any cutting or stitches, eyes closed, and praying to find a pressure point that would relieve the pain in the leg with the new knee long enough to sleep for longer then an hour ...

6. ... By the time I finally reached a pain tolerance of a 6 so many hours, days, and weeks have passed, I'm still taking pain pills but forget to keep "ahead" of the pain so I beat myself up, asking myself what were you thinking !!! I can stand long enough to take a quick shower, but don't dare to consider putting on make-up cuz the tears of defeat will only smudge it all over my face. My knee is still swollen and feels like someone hit it with a baseball bat, when in reality probably a hammer. Yes a 6 to me is not good!

It's been 7 loooonngg weeks of healing and at this point I'm so tired of people asking how I feel ... Telling me how wonderful I look ... I know they mean well but really I think they think I'm being ridiculous and wondering when dinners will be like they were back in august, and when and how all the laundry will ever get done, who is going to buy paper plates because every last freakin plate is dirty, I'm tired of walking the same steps everyone else would be walking and seeing the same dust bunnies every single day!

I never realized how lazy my family is, how helpless they look when they ask ME what's for dinner.

I am thankful for Bonesmart !!! Thankful to be able to complain about my pain and my family without hurting anyone's feelings or looking for sympathy. All I want is someone to listen and hear what I'm saying. And more then anything I want this pain to be gone, I have a household to run and get back to a life of normalcy .

So as time gets closer to PT I find myself dreading tomorrow because I can count on pain level to be a 7. Sigh



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[Josephine]

And of course my knee hurts like about a 5 close to a 6. How I measure pain can be so different from someone else's measurement.

Actually not. Actually it gives us something of an idea and 5-6 is pretty bad in my book. It's also pretty 'normal' for 7 weeks out. I remember that stage as being the very worst part of my recovery with me being up nights sobbing because I couldn't get any relief. When I finally phoned my GP, she gave me permission to increase my Tramadol from 50-100mg to 150mgs which I might tell you I made use of quite often!

I'm still taking pain pills but forget to keep "ahead" of the pain

So why don't you do as suggested and set your alarm clock to remind you to take them? There's nothing worse than trying to play 'catch up' with this kind of pain.

Another thing you could try is this Moist heat for some late term discomfort and intense aching

 

[Bionic woman2]

My hubby picks up the script Friday...goes to walmart pharmacy to fill the script...they tell him it would take an hour... he shops around...goes back to pharmacy to be told they can't fill the script, that it is too soon and I should have plenty of meds to come back TUESDAY. My husband explains my dosage was increased...doesn't matter the person behind the counter says the script had not changed and there is nothing he can do . Great!! It's late Friday and there is nothing I can do. So immediately I stop taking the double dose and go back to 1 pill every. 6 hours and back to the PAIN.
Soooo today the pharmacist calls and says he recalled the conversation between my husband and the clerk on Friday and decided to look into my situation. The script WAS changed that the clerk made an error...BUT my insurance won't pay for the script without some kind of authorization that has to be requested by my doctor...unless I want to pay out of pocket.
(Heavy sigh) ... So in the morning I have to make a call to the Drs. and hopefully get this straightened out , but if I'm not mistaken insurance authorization can take up to a week.

This sounds like the nightmare I had getting my Oxycodone refilled at Walgreens. Long story... basically my normal pharmacy couldn't guarantee a refill for some reason. They filled the first one prior to surgery without a problem. However, once I had my knee sliced open and bones sawed off, they had a problem with their supplier. Hmmm... Walgreens, gave me and my son the run around and acted like I was either a drug addict or a drug dealer. Bottom-line, I get you. lol

I start my out patient P/T next week. I plan on telling him right off the bat that I don't want to be pushed this time. He handled my first recovery and started off great and then towards the end he did something I didn't like. That was the last time I saw him. Now that I'm a Bonesmartian, I will tell I don't need my knee pushed past my discomfort zone. Wish me luck! I know he works for me, but I am comfortable with him and I we have a pretty good rapport. I'm not in the mood for any surprises from a new P/T.

It's been 7 loooonngg weeks of healing and at this point I'm so tired of people asking how I feel ... Telling me how wonderful I look ... I know they mean well but really I think they think I'm being ridiculous and wondering when dinners will be like they were back in august, and when and how all the laundry will ever get done, who is going to buy paper plates because every last very plate is dirty, I'm tired of walking the same steps everyone else would be walking and seeing the same dust bunnies every single day!

I never realized how lazy my family is, how helpless they look when they ask ME what's for dinner.

Sounds so familiar. I joke that I have a super power... "I see the DIRT that OTHERS LEAVE BEHIND!" lol My oldest has this "at least you can..." thing he does. REEEEEALLY Buddy! When you get both your knees sliced open and bones sawed off, then YOU can look on the bright-side! They truly miss my cooking and I miss it too! It's one of the things I miss most, in addition to being able to move my knees without having to medicate, ice, elevate, do stretches and heel slides... CAN'T THEY JUST WORK! Seeee, you're not the only one who can gripe. I've found humor to be my new BFF, that along with my Cryo Ice machine. So if you wanna laugh at your pain, feel free to stop by my page.

Have a great night's sleep and a Kneeeasy day tomorrow.

 

[Probertson]

To bionic ... Your funny ... You made me laugh thank you : )
I still can't figure out how to reply to one persons comment. .. I end up copying way too much or , sending a blank reply ... geesh

But stay strong ... Dealing with those therapists can be challenging. Last nite I did tell them I didn't want weights on my ankle and the "little worm" ran and told on me to the Therapist Triton ... I knew I was in for it when I saw him walking towards me with my chart in his hand ... I thought ohhh Mr. Intimidation you are not gonna make me do something I don't want to do ... Yea right .. But we did come to a compromise ... I wore 1 pound weights instead of 2 pounders. Actually today I'm doing better then after the last sessions.

I still can't convince them to stop trying to bend my knee to the point of uncomfortable pain ... They are so sneaky ... Massaging my knee and making it feel all nicey nice and then POW bend it ... Hold for 5 seconds. ... And try to get a measurement better then the last session ... Grrr I'm only at 91% ... I really don't know if that's good or bad ... (Deep breath) she said we will get it further at the next appointment ... Wonderful


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[Bionic woman2]

It will get better, healing just takes time. I don't know why therapists think they can bring it about faster by inflicting pain? They push your knee past it's true capability and once the let go, it slides down even stiffer than it was before. Orrrrrr, it's loose for a while and then swells up and stiffens up later. It's like squeezing into a smaller size pair of jeans, you may be able to pull it off, but when you pull them off... who spill put all over the place! lol Yep, you're still the same size. For those of us who have never done that, you can compare it too stuffing a bunch of stuff into a suitcase or a closet; the minute you open it up, it falls out all over the place.

I'm about to call the old P/T right now and tell them I'd like the manual approach this time.

Wish me luck.

 

[Josephine]

I still can't figure out how to reply to one persons comment. .. I end up copying way too much or , sending a blank reply ... geesh

There are a couple of ways:
1. just draw your cursor across the bit of the other person's post you want to comment on and then hit the "quote me" that pops up
2. just go down to the message box at the bottom of the page and start your message with their name
That's all - simple, eh?

 

[Probertson]

To everyone? I love all the support and advice I get , but you know my story from the time I joined the forum how can I find your journey?



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[Bionic woman2]

Hi, I attached a link to mine at the end of my signature. Bring some Kleenex and a Depends. oh, and maybe a cocktail glass since we sip cyber drinks on my page . Codename "Information."

For everyone else who hasn't attached a link, you can do a user name search and click on their Profile page, postings and scroll to the bottom for their thread. Also you can click on "new post" from the Bonesmart knee replacement page and conversations pop up, and there's an option for checking on users posts you've commented on.

Hope this helps and you're having a Kneeeasy day

 

[Josephine]

Here's my recovery story (short version!) Knee recovery - UK style.

 

[Probertson]

I'll have to try it using my laptop cuz using my iPhone it doesn't work ( shrugs shoulders) thanks anyway


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[Probertson]

OMG did ya ever just want to scream at the top of your lungs!
Asleep and wake up in horrible pain...why?? My whole knee ... Not a little area here an there. ... The whole thing throbbing ... I missed taking a pain pill but couldn't pop one quick enough or get ice on it before the tears.

I am so tired of being tired, tired of not being able to do my housework sorry but this really sucks.

I feel like I should have prepared better for this recovery. Why is it my family seems lost? Does it really take a genius to know when to start dinner, take out the trash, or do a load of laundry?

I really hope this decision to have a new knee is going to be worth it.

Disgusted and depressed ; (


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[leejaa]

I am so sorry you are having such a hard time and still having such severe pain. It is frustrating and tiring but you will get there . You must make all the work around the house look seamless and your family probably things that elves come in at night and do all the cleaning and laundry and have no idea of how much you have always done (might be a good thing that they see how much you normally do). You are indispensable- they cannot manage without you - maybe you need to give them daily assignments with times - some people cannot deal otherwise.

My husband did OK except for a few things like going out to dinner with a friend the second week of my recovery and just said - you will be OK right? - Yup - very slowly frozen dinner is fine after being home alone 12hrs- what's a few more hours alone and then the laundry which was piling up till I took my walker to the washing machine, sorted and put it in and then gave directions as to what to do next. He would also ask things like- can you make out a grocery list-- sure I could but being on pain meds the list was not that complete and I had no idea what he was going to cook so I kept putting that on the list.

I think even we forget how much we do and work it in so it does not look like it is planned and on a schedule- we just do it.

You will get there and the tears are normal. I am supposed to go back to work on Monday and as I was talking on the phone about it I just started crying as my husband says it will be fine -look how great you are doing. Those emotions are still all raw and all over the place from the surgery and recovery and all the stress of it all.

It is nice to have this place to be able to let it out and people understand.

 

[Josephine]

Oh leeljaa, you are soooo right! You ladies should all read this that a member wrote a few years back - wise words I think Nurturing mother: how to let go and accept help.

And PR, you need to read the BoneSmart Mantra again - obviously there's a line or two that have escaped you!

- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lay down!

 

[Probertson]

I don't think I did too much of anything ... But My 10 week mark is in 2 weeks
Will I be normal then? Lmao was I ever normal?
Have a great weekend my boneysmarty friends


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08/28/13

 

[leejaa]

Unfortunately, there is no time line on which we all recover and normal is reached. There are so many recovery stories on this forum and each one is different and unique. It does come but it is much slower than we want,

 

[Josephine]

Exactly, Leejaa. PR, you might think you've not done too much but given the amount of pain you've declared, I'm saying you are. If it hurts, cut back. Otherwise you risk getting into this vicious circle Pain - acute and chronic issues.