PKR partial knee replacement x2, swelling<<

[xyxex_kayn]

Your body is telling you it needs sleep, and it also needs food/fuel in order to heal. Go with it!
Try to make sure you eat a good diet, but I don't think you need to worry about feeling hungry.

I'm for going what your body tells you at this stage. Celle advice is right on the money. At 4 weeks you are doing very well but you're are still very much in the early stages of recovery. Taking it easy now, slowly and steadily will pay off later on. Look on it as money in the bank for later when you can do exactly what you want to do and as you have surgery coming up again, you definitely need to conserve your energy.

thanks you for your advice. Its just that i expected being tired at the beginning after getting out of surgery and getting up every three hours to take meds, I didnt want to take all the pain meds at the same time, wanted some overlap. so at 4 weeks i wasnt expecting to sleep, get up for an hour, and then have to sleep some more.

Well today i have a PT coming in to close out my in home care today, supposed to have next monday, and i was to have some come in today and friday to work with me, so im up in the air as to whats happening now, but if i dont have anyone come in again i have the routine of what to do done, and i can do it on my own till after the next surgery and they come back for more in home care.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Have been released from in-home therapy. Was informed that i wouldnt get the therapist that i wanted if i get in-home care again, but would probably get the therapist that i had monday that i didnt like and caused me to add more pain meds because of the increased pain. But, by the time we were done with this visit today and seeing how well i was doing getting around with my cane, she felt that even after i get my right knee done, that i should go to regular physical therapy and skip in-home care, that i would benefit from the regular therapy to be able to get back to work.

Will wait till monday when i see my surgeon, and make a decision then on what my next step will be.

 

[Celle]

by the time we were done with this visit today and seeing how well i was doing getting around with my cane, she felt that even after i get my right knee done, that i should go to regular physical therapy and skip in-home care, that i would benefit from the regular therapy to be able to get back to work.

For your second knee, you could probably manage at home without any PT for teh first month and then go to out-patient PT. You know what to do now.

My surgeon recommends no formal PT at all for the first month after a TKR. He says that your knee needs that time for beginning to heal. All his patients do well.

PT won't help you to get back to work more quickly. Beware particularly of doing too much, in an effort to hasten recovery.

 

[kneeper]

You might mention your tiredness to your OS, but likely it is just part of the energy drain. I know I napped every afternoon for at least 6-8 weeks and went to bed by 9pm.

 

[SuperSnapper]

Hope you are taking it easy and that the swelling is going down. These weeks will soon pass and every day you will start to feel a bit better.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Saw my OS today. got the ok to drive if i want to, only have a week to do so. then this whole process starts again. He is pleased with the progress so far. I told him about my experiences with my different PT's and he agrees with what my main PT and what is said here as the way to go on my treatment. Also learned from my OS's nurse that i may never hit the "qoute" normal ROM of 130 to 135 because of my weight and the size of my legs. If i were a skinny person i would be able to bend my leg back further than someone who is heavier and has more soft tissue around the bend area, makes sense to me, so once i get both knees done and i can move around and can combine with a healthier diet and am able to lose weight my ROM can improve. It makes sense to me.

As i have mentioned before, as can be seen by my photos of my scar right after surgery, my OS used a Zipline instead of sutures or staples to close my surgical incision. Turns out I am one of the first patients that they have used this on and they are having good results with it. And to remove it is easy enough that i can do it myself if i wanted to. They started using the Zipline about 6 weeks ago and wed. i will be 5 weeks out from surgery. Looking forward to getting the next knee done and get moving around better.

 

[Celle]

That's a pretty good report @xyxex_kayn
I'm glad your surgeon is pleased with your progress.
That zipline wound closure sounds as if it has potential.

 

[SuperSnapper]

Great report!

 

[xyxex_kayn]

That zipline wound closure sounds as if it has potential.

I put a link to a video in a earlier post that shows how it is used, in particular Knee replacement. But it is used for hip replacement, spinal surgeries and heart surgeries as well. From the results i have had with one knee, it should replace all sutures and staples, IMO.

10 pm was my last dose of percoset, i am cleared to drive as long as i do not take it during the day, i can take at night before i go to bed and will be fine. Going to see how it goes, one week without it will be good before i start it all over again

 

[xyxex_kayn]

may have hit a bump in the road. have pain in my right foot, thought it was from the long total 5 hours of being in the car traveling, but got worse thru the day. So pretty sure i got a case of the gout. Not sure what is going to happen with my surgery on Feb. 3 Will having gout put a stop to it. If i go to Dr. today and get some meds, will those meds be on my no take list prior to surgery. Usually get on the meds and it goes away fairly fast. Just waiting for OS office to open so i can find out what to do, i dont want to delay this surgery.

 

[Celle]

I hope it doesn't delay your surgery, but you're doing all the right things to find out - and to try to make sure that you still get the go-ahead for your planned date.
Please let us know what your doctors say.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

I hope it doesn't delay your surgery, but you're doing all the right things to find out - and to try to make sure that you still get the go-ahead for your planned date.
Please let us know what your doctors say.

Surgery date is a go. Have meds to take care of the gout, it will not be on the do not take list. so only meds i have to stop taking is my Meloxicam today and warafrin on friday. Even if i didnt get any meds for the gout, and if i still had it when i go in for surgery, it would not affect my surgery, it would still happen. So everything is still on track

 

[Celle]

I'm glad for you.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

count down to the next surgery. Leave today for a overnight stay at Motel. This way i am at hosp with a good nights rest and there at 6 am. Thats the only problem with going to a hosp that is 2 hours away to get anything done. But, trust factor is important. so i drive that far. But not crazy about get up at 2 am to get ready to leave by 3:30 AM. Will post surgery results tomorrow after i wake up and get to my room.

But do have a question. i have cut back on meds because of surgery and my left knee has been giving me some issues. Having some pain and stiffness, not sure if something is wrong or just because i have stopped a med and pain meds

 

[SuperSnapper]

It's not long since your knee was done and remember it can take more than a year for it to completely recover. You will have aches and pains and stiffness and it is most likely just cos you stopped the pain meds and you are feeling it a bit more. Don't worry about it. It will improve.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

It's not long since your knee was done and remember it can take more than a year for it to completely recover. You will have aches and pains and stiffness and it is most likely just cos you stopped the pain meds and you are feeling it a bit more. Don't worry about it. It will improve.

Thats what i was thinking, but from a previous experience, im good at stopping the percoset and oxycodone. Its stopping the Meloxicam that causes stiffness in both arthritic knees, but guessing it applying to PKR knee as well. and i was trying to stop my Tramadol as well. Unfortunately with the Tramadol, with my nerves act up were i cant lay still in bed and some other things when i stop taking it, that i might be hooked on it and will have to be slowly removed from it.. Which is why i try to stop taking the Percoset and Oxycodone as soon as i can, without being in alot of pain by doing so

My next post will be after i get out of surgery tomorrow morning. Just hoping the can get me into a room quicker this time. I was in recovery 3 to 4 times longer than i was in surgery, just waiting on a room lol.. i slept most of it so was not really a big thing for me, but those waiting on me it was rough just waiting

 

[SuperSnapper]

Hope all has gone well for you.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

surgery is done. it went well..i guess. Seems im in more pain this time than last. They did nerve block after surgery this time instead of before, because i had dr come in first because i had heat in my left knee, which had me concerened. Will see how things go from here.

 

[Celle]

I'm glad it's done and you're now into recovery again.
Since your thread has grown long, I'll post the recovery reading list her for you again, so you don't have to keep looking back at the first page:

First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- 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 (PT) - to do it to you. exercise only gently.
- 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 lie down!

Next is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thread.

And here are some very crucial articles
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Activity progression for TKRs

Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling

Home physio (PT) and activity progress: suggestions
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

And then some wise words from members who have shared their experiences ...
Where are you in recovery?? (TKR)
Five “P’s” of knee recovery
TKR: work “smarter” and not “harder”
Recovering a knee - from one who knows!
It's never too late to get more ROM!
It's worth the wait for ROM

 

[xyxex_kayn]

4:10 am had a bit of fun walking on new knee. when i had LPK done i had the left knee to bear weight, arthritic and painful it was easy to get up and put weight on it to go bathroom. Well, lets say because still dealing with the healing process on the left knee, and having to have it bare more of my weight than the newly done RPK, it was interesting to get to bathroom and back to bed. I made it with no issues except for some pain (expected) but at least it didnt want to give out on me. But, once i did make it to bathroom, i lost the urge to urinate lol

And to give me a break from laying down, actually giving my rear end a break from being in one position im sitting on the edge of my bed, till about 5 when they come in to give me new iv antibiotics, then i will lay down again. knee is hurting a bit but bearable and im due form more pain pills till 7am. But like i said its bearable, and no more than what it was from arthritis sitting on a edge of bed could feel on a bad day with a weather change from warm to cold

All in all, doing ok and got 1 of the two walks that i need to do to be able to go home if its the same conditions i had from first surgery, just need to walk to bathroom than door to room and then back to bed for second walk if able.