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Revised PKR to TKR Patellofemoral PKR with Ehlers Danlos hypermobility

sistersinhim said:
How are you doing after your surgery
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Hi! Awake and in recovery. Groggy but remember Dr. saying it went well. Leg is still numb so so have to wait til I can feel it to stand up. Don’t want to collapse in a heap. And they have air conditioning! ❤️❤️ we are having a heat wave in California.;)
 
Welcome to the Healing Side, @Mochapup!

Even though this isn't your first knee surgery, I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines as reminder. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind we are all different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

KNEE RECOVERY GUIDELINES

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary.

If you want to use something to assist with healing and scar management, BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogel through BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.

2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
don't overwork.
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
the BoneSmart view on exercise
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for TKRs
The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

Good nutrition is very important during recovery:
Dietary Tips for Recovery
Nutrition Basics

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
I hope you're able to stay cool in the heat and your pain is well managed, Mochapup.

:welome: Welcome to recovery! Wishing you lots of comfort as you begin healing. :friends:
@Mochapup
 
Hi! Got home last night. Was
Groggy but remember the surgeon saying it went well. Leg was so numb that Instayed in recovery about 6 hours until I could feel it to stand up. Didn’t want to collapse in a heap. And they had air conditioning! That was lovely as we had been having record heat in California.
Icing and elevating now. Didn’t sleep much but this isn’t my first rodeo!;) Knee is throbbing but under “control.”

Your messages really cheered me!
 
I'm so glad you made it through the surgery with no problems. Now, comes the resting, elevating, icing, and healing time! I pray you have a day with less pain.
 
Let us know what the nurse says. Be sure to ice and elevate whenever you can. You can not over-ice as long as you have a cloth between your knee and the ice pack.
 
benne68 said:
We're here for you!
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Thank you! Have been icing and elevating near constantly. The pain with this replacement feels worse
than the right side - maybe it’s because I did the right side in two stages-the patella replacement and then the other two compartments-who knows! It was a pretty long surgery. Went into OR at 7 am and didn’t get to recovery until
11:30. Am eager to see the op report!
 
Good Morning Mochapup,
I am sorry the pain feels worse after this surgery. I hope you're able to get it under control soon.
Sending a big hug and wishes for your comfort. :friends:
@Mochapup
 
Mochapup said:
The pain with this replacement feels worse than the right side
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As we double-knee members like to remind one another: "every knee is different, even two knees in the same person."

Sorry the pain is so bad right now. I hope it settles down soon.
 
The pain remains about the same but I am
Able to tolerate it. Can one get used to pain? I have been so weepy and emotionally spent though-phew! The surgery plus all aspects of life connected to being on my 10th orthopedic surgery, and so much else. Deep breaths!
 
Mochapup said:
I have been so weepy and emotionally spent though-phew!
Click to expand...
It is very early days since this recent surgery, and 4 procedures in 9 months. That’s a lot! :console2:

bonesmart.org

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Post op blues is feeling depressed, weepy, nervy, shaky, fearful of the future, anxious, overwhelmed by what is happening to you, convinced it's never going to get any better and finally, uttering that most intense of all cries "I wish I never had this done!" It arises out of a variety of...
bonesmart.org bonesmart.org
 
Mocha, for short, ma'am I'm a little younger than you but I unfortunately didn't find out about ED syndrome until I was retired from the Navy after around my 20-22nd ortho surgery.

Your pain is mainly associated with your gait as you probably relied more on that leg for years.

Follow the instructions/guidelines the others have advised. My left TKR was tough but a heck of a lot simpler than the 4 acl recon rehabs. I'm 9 months post op from my THR , left side. But I'm having problems with it now as I have a posterior head protruding from the wrong size implant. This was my 35 ortho surgery and the other orthopedic surgeon whom I've seen won't touch it bc, they fear with the Ehlors D, the tendon holding it in place are probably too stretched out from the previous surgery. Hands down, this was worst than any other surgery/replacement or fusion, back n neck, or my 4 other full jt replacements.

Love the Rothman crew, they did an awesome job on my shoulders, 7 surgeries w a reverse total left shoulder, Dr A, n Dr B for my CT on both wrist and thumb fusion. Dr W for my neck fusion, too bad I will need to do 2 levels down soon.

Do Not, Mocho, stretch the scar to fast. I got 90 degrees in less than 3 weeks but had problems bc our skin heals very thin and overstretched. E Danlos patients have this problem.

Good luck and hang in there. I used 3 pillows for my knee to keep her aligned and my hip neutral as to not load the MCL AND LCL W iliac band . Pain will subside in a couple weeks as you heal and begin strengthening the knee and calf area.
 
@Mochapup re pain, sometimes - not often, mercifully - our neural pathways get sensitized to a specific pain and it makes it worse. Sometimes - mercifully - once we realize intellectually and in our bodies that a pain is essentially benign, it's much easier to drop the related anxiety and then our perception of it is that it's decreased.

I learned that first hand from deep breathing and relaxing into being pinned in martial arts and it's been incredibly helpful even in acute injuries.

Re weepy and emotionally spent, heck yeah you've been through the mill. As @Jockette 's link notes, even a routine ortho surgery can lead to transitory depression.
Hang in there. ((hug))
 
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