PKR partial knee replacement x2, swelling<<

[Pumpkin]

Thanks for the clarification, and that you are on antibiotics. With your history I am glad your regular doctor has you on antibiotics. Hope all clears up and your recovery goes smoothly.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Thanks for the clarification, and that you are on antibiotics. With your history I am glad your regular doctor has you on antibiotics. Hope all clears up and your recovery goes smoothly.

Yeah i got lucky with this doctor. I used to drive to hours to see doctor. Its the same system that i went to when i had my issues with DVT's and the PE"s, and surgery to remove my Cancer. This Doctor i have now i met when the one i had left, which happens at this place, and he noticed on my records where i work, and said his wife is from near there and that he already had a contract with the local hospital for employment when he was done training at current hospital. I told him that if we hit it off and liked each other and a bond of trust developed that i would transfer all my medical records to his new office and continue with him. Which is what happened. He wants to be involved in every aspect of my medical journey. Good thing is he will do some work for the previous hospital system and it keeps him connected to the records system of old hospital which allows him to view any records i have when i go for my knee surgery. this works for me besides the trust factor it means i dont have to drive 2 hours one way to see him, which also means i dont have to take a whole day off from work. I know can work the whole day, leave work and drive 20 minutes and im at the doctors office and im just a couple of blocks from home when i leave the doctors office.

So far day is going ok, swelling is down on right leg and foor, just some pain in the knee itself, but some swelling in my left foot only

 

[Celle]

@xyxex_kayn I'm pretty sure you've thought of this, but do make sure your OS is updated about events over the weekend.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

@Celle he knows or should know atleast about last sunday, the ortho they called in was his resident i saw day of and day i was released from hosp after surgery but i do plan on calling his office on monday

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Today is 4 weeks since second PKR and 9 weeks since the first PKR. Second PKR, isnt going as well as the first one. I know every surgery is different, but still i was hoping for more improvement than what i have seen. Im finally up more and moving around with walker, but at this time with first surgery i was using a cane. Right now i glad just to be able to go from bedroom to living room and back without falling, i still cant put as much weight on my right knee. Hopefully, i will start seeing some improvements when i start some out patient physical therapy. will discuss with them my issues and my treatment, i want to be pushed, but not hurt. I have finally been able to cut back on the amount of pain meds that im taking. Only taking percoset and tramadal every six hours, and meloxicam every 12, no longer taking the oxycodone unless i have excess pain not taking care of by the others. Which i hope stays the same next week when i start the outpatient pt.

One question i do have is yesterday i experienced a pain i never had before. i did a tiny movement of my leg, that also moved my knee. all of a sudden i had this sharp pain, and if i tried to extend my leg or move it at all caused the sharp pain to increase. I had something like this happen before i had the PKR, and they thought it was something catching on the inside of my knee. will bring up with my OS tomorrow when i have my 4 week follow up. they will be doing an xray so they can look for it when they do. just wondering if anyone else had this. it happened twice last night, and was the only two times that it has happened.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

My OS cleared me to drive. This makes things easier or me when I start physical therapy next week. OS prescribed 6 to 8 weeks of out patient therapy. After the all the walking and twisting from taking xrays, my knees are painful, 2 to 3 on the pain scale, while moving and a 1 while sitting still, will take a dose of Oxycondone tonight before bed, and i should feel better by morning.

I discussed with my OS, dealing with my pain meds, a new schedule for when i take pain meds. Starting this weekend, i will be taking percoset and meloxicam every 12 hours and tramadol will stay the same at 6 hour intervals. As long as my pain needs are met, he has no problem with this. That being said, once i start with physical therapy next week, my pain levels may change. If they do, i am to try using the oxycodone as a brigde for the pain, or if that doesnt work, i will return to taking percoset every 6 hours again and still use the oxycodone as a brigde then.

When i feel i am able to return to work he will send in a release to my employer. Im still hoping that i can return in three weeks, but with the complications i have had with the second surgery, im not expecting that to happen. I will not do something that will set my recovery back.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Went for my first visit with outpatient physical therapists today. Went well, didnt overwork anything. The one thing that surprised me was when he manipulated my knee caps. He said that when im laying on my back with legs flat and extended that my knee caps should move freely, mine didnt move. So he worked on both knee caps for about 5 minutes each.

 

[kneeper]

I had "kneecap mobilization" on my list of exercises. My PT showed me how and said just do it once a day or so. It was probably 30 seconds a day. She said once it was moving easily I didn't have to do it any more.

 

[Celle]

Kneecap mobilization is not really necessary. As you heal, your kneecap will become mobile naturally. However, some PTs (mostly in the US) seem to feel that it is necessary. UK knees and NZ knees seem to manage OK without mobilization.
Only allow it or do it if it doesn't feel uncomfortable.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Only allow it or do it if it doesn't feel uncomfortable.

There was no discomfort with it at all. This physical therapist follows along with what is said here. The only pain i had was when i laying flat on my back and brought my heel toward my rear end to have my flexion measured. I brought it back as far as i could comfortably, but left it in place for to long, and because i was wearing my shoes my foot wouldnt slid back to flat position. had to have therapist grab hold of my foot and gently pull it forward to i could extend my leg. The knee hurt for about 3 hours afterwards, but finally no longer hurting now. Im a bit stiff, when i sit in position for to long, but as i move the knee the stiffness goes away.

 

[SuperSnapper]

Glad to hear that you are moving forwards with your recovery and it's all becoming more manageable for you.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Glad to hear that you are moving forwards with your recovery and it's all becoming more manageable for you.

Believe me, after all the issues i had with the second surgery, im glad im showing improvements. My goal is to be back to work in three weeks, 4 weeks at most. Im bored at home and im getting very cranky. Will be doing rehab 3 days a week and see how things improve. then can make decision on return to work

 

[xyxex_kayn]

After an issue with my health insurance and missing one day of rehab, I was able to go in today for a full session of exercises. The pushed me hard, but nothing that caused pain to my knee. Everything that i did was to build up the muscles, so I can be able to stand and walk longer, and of course in the process strenghten the knee. The excersise that was the hardest for me to do was marching. Ive done this before but it was just the one leg. Today they had me march in place so first one leg then the other, and since my right leg is weaker than my left and im not really steady on it (its getting better) this exercise was the most difficult for me.

But like i said, none of this caused pain in my knee, just tired muscles, and some swelling in the knee, but icing it so all is good.

 

[Celle]

Marching is very hard on a new knee. I think it's much too early in your recovery to be doing it, so please don't do it any more.

We usually recommend that you don't start any strengthening exercises until about 3 months after your surgery. Your knees need to get through the early stages of healing first.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Did my second full day of physical therapy today. They threw a few new exercises my way and worked different muscles. I really like these therapists because for the most part they subsribe to the same ideals that everyone here do, with a few things some dont agree with, but i say 98% of things is what is agree upon.

When discussing, lets say straight leg lifts, 2 sets of 15 for both legs: that if i can only do 2 sets of 10 then thats what i do, because i am the boss. Which i have found out that if i went to the local place, they subscribe to the theory of no pain no gain, and i do what im am told and nothing else matters. So i am very glad that i chose to drive the 45 minutes to my therapy sessions and not stay local.

I believe i will make very significant advances with what i am doing. wether i get my wish and return to work in the three week goal that i set or not. I know i will improve. With the issues i had with the second surgery i have given myself some more time to get this accomplished. But i still need to get back to work as soon as physically able to do so.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

After a couple of weeks of physical therapy and im making good improvements

As of 10pm monday night i decided to not take anymore of the pecosets or oxycodone. full two days later and a visit to physical therapy and i havent had to take anymore for any increase of pain. do i have some discomfort, yes, but nothing that requires that i need the pain meds. Im still taking tramadal and meloxicam. But talked to nurse for my primary and they just renewed the presript for 30 days, and then i go in to see doctor to start the weening off process. after over 3 years it will be good to get off all these pain meds.

As far as PT, things are going well every time i go in they add new things to do, some are easy to do other alittle difficult because right knee is still alot weaker than my left, but it is catching up in the strength dept. Today we added the treadmill, 6 inch step( this was a bit hard to do, but was able to do five on each knee as the lead foot). and sort of a lunge action, small bend in a knee (stationary knee) step forward with opposite knee, and a step backward. to simulate walking. the switch sides and knees, simulate actions of using a cane. Therapist asking if i was using cane or walking any at home without the walker. I told him the truth, that i tried once with cane and rolled my ankle and not without the walker because of that. So when i got home today, decided to up the ante a bit. when im home i will walk without the walker or cane, but if i go out of the house i will use the walker for safetu reasons. Turns out im doing well without the walker in the house, im walking slow, no need to rush anywhere in the house. If things get ansy will use cane or go to walker,but so far so good.

going to have a big test on my knees this weekend. since december 24th 2015 i have not really been out of the house till i went to PT, and then its PT and home. This weekend because the wife has a four day weekend, we are going to do alot of traveling visiting the grandkids and other family members that i havent gotten to see since last september. So will see how things go.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

I dont know if it was the change in the weather, went from warm to cold overnight and had some snow on the way to PT, but my knees bothered me more today than they have been. I passed on doing 4 inch stair steps and the treadmill today, Have alittle bit more discomfort than i have been but not enough that im willing to take any pain pills for, it still hasnt reached a 1 rating on the pain scale, because if i get busy with something i forget about the discomfort

 

[kneeper]

Sounds like you d id the right thing giving the knee a break for a day.

 

[xyxex_kayn]

Finally after three months stuck in the house accept going to PT, this past friday thru monday. The wife and i went on a long four day travel trip to visit family and friends. Approximately, 550 mile of driving, dozens of stops for bathroom breaks (between me and the wife) and getting out to visit and take grandkids to movie etc. I got a good workout. Had some discomfort, but only when i had to sit in the passenger seat, for some reason it was harder on me to get in and out from that side of the car, plus the car sits lower than my truck so getting up put some strain on my knees (no pain)

So after all this i had my first PT visit after the weekend. Everything went well with that. Did more reps and on some of my excercises we used a two pound weight up from one pound, with not much notice on my ankles, and did 4 inch steps with ease, so will probably move up to six inch steps tomorrow and next week 8 inch to meet my goal to get back to work.

Im walking more and more in the house without the walker, just having to work on my stride instead of shuffling about, but getting better at it and building strength. therapist wants me to use a cane, but when i use the cane, it for some reason makes me feel out of balance and i tend to roll my ankle. Without the can i dont roll my ankle and i feel more in balance. So we decided we are going to stay the way im doing it and not use the cane. I cant go back to work using walker or cane. So i need to build my strength up

now hoping to have a good day at PT tomorrow, i usually tend to have more issues, so here is to having no issues.

 

[kneeper]

Did they show you how to use the cane?
I agree with you that it's important to feel stable, and if you can do it without the cane, go for it. You may tire easily though, so listen to the knee and your body.