PKR PKR Success - 1 yr out.

[nuttybrunette]

I used tape quit a bit on my first knee. I was skeptical at first. But I think it helped my knee cap and inflammation a lot. I always wanted them to put tape on after that. One time it looked like crazy spider legs all over my leg. Then I went to the beach for a day and got pretty tan. When we took off the tape I had the most interesting tan lines)).

 

[NavyGunns]

@nuttybrunette, I can just imagine what your tan looked like. If you showed it off to any of today’s young folks you might just have created a new sensation! I’m still unsure if taping helps or not. But willing to give it a try.

Had a follow up visit with my OS’s surgical PA this morning to review the issue I’m having with the sharp pain just to the inside of my knee cap (opposite the side replaced). He determined that the sharp pinch like pain is caused by scar tissue and inflamed synovial tissue. Apparently an incision was made below skin surface to the medial side to facilitate access to the medial side of my knee so my OS could inspect the condition of the medial joint area before proceeding with replacing only the lateral side. Most of my remaining inflammation is related to trauma to soft tissues caused by retraction to allow access to the joint. So this all seems to make sense.

My PA was really pleased with how well the knee has healed. He moved, flexed, and wiggled my knee all around with no pain or problems that I could tell. He feels the problem I’m having will go away fairly quickly as the remaining swelling goes down. He did recommend daily deep massage of the area around the patella to help break up the scar tissue. My PT showed me what to do during my session today. I’m hoping that I’ll see improvement over the next week or so.

I take my first business trip next week, flying to San Diego (3.5 hrs). Was able to get direct flights both ways and aisle seats. My PT gave me two compression sleeves to wear during the flights which will help mitigate potential for DVT. I’m also taking several large ziplock freezer bags to put ice into for use at night in my hotel. I’m not expecting any issues next week but we’ll see.

 

[NavyGunns]

Good evening BoneSmarties! Three major milestones reached today!

First, I’ve been officially released from PT! All goals were reached in terms of strength development, balance, and ROM (0-122 active).

Second, I’ve noticed that I’ve been able to walk down steps with minimal to no sharp pinch like pain on the inside area of my knee. Looks like the deep massages are doing the trick to break up the scar tissue and loosen the knee cap.

Third (and most exciting) is I played 9 holes of golf ️ today with NO pain! Was even able to shoot a 41 which I think is pretty decent for my first time out this year, especially after PKR!

Looking forward to the rest of the weekend. Hope all my friends in BoneSmart land are doing well.

 

[Celle]

Congratulations on all three accomplishments.

 

[sistersinhim]

Yippee! Getting back to doing the things we love is what it's all about!

 

[kneeper]

Congrats on being "set free" from PT!

 

[NavyGunns]

Good morning BoneSmarties.

Well, I made it to my gate and am waiting to board my first flight since PKR 8 weeks ago today. Passed through security with no issues! Didn’t even trip metal detector (got lucky and was cleared for Pre-Check this flight)!

Flight is just over 3 hrs or so, but I do have an aisle seat so shouldn’t be too bad. I’ll get up and move around some as allowed. I am expecting some swelling (feet always did on long flights so expecting same with knee this time). I’ve got my compression sleeve on my leg and have already taken my morning pain pills so should be good for next 6-8 hours.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

NG

 

[sistersinhim]

Have a good and painfree flight!

 

[SusieShoes]

Enjoy your trip!

 

[NavyGunns]

Thanks @SusieShoes and @sistersinhim! Just got to my destination. Flight was just over 4 hrs and wasn’t too bad! I was able to get up and move around so didn’t get stiff at all and I don’t really notice any swelling. Waiting on a co-worker to arrive on a different flight, then it’s the long walk to the rental car facility. So far, off to a good start .

 

[NavyGunns]

Good evening BoneSmarties!

My first business trip out of town since my PKR comes to an end tomorrow when I fly home (4 hr flight). Every day I was essentially on my feet upwards 6+ hrs with only a few sitting breaks throughout the day. I was able to get some ice on my knee about half the evenings, the others... well... . Only really had one bad night but ice and my Tramadol took care of things. Overall my knee joint felt great, issues were mainly stiffness and soft tissue aches due to swelling. Had two evenings where my ankles were quite puffy, but a couple of hours elevated took care of them. Looking forward to when those issues are no longer a concern, but for now I just have to keep reminding myself that I’m not even 9 weeks post-op. Overall, I’m doing much better than most so I need to quit worrying and suck it up.

I hope tomorrow’s flight goes as well for me as my outbound flight did. Regardless, can’t wait to get home to family and familiar surroundings.

Everyone take care and be nice to your knees!

 

[Jockette]

I’m glad your knee did as well as it did. You were lucky, “pushing” it like that so early! Be very nice to it when you get home!

 

[SusieShoes]

Welcome home! Your knee held up quite well and will be very happy if you now give it a little rest and TLC. The further along you get in recovery, the faster it will bounce back from over-activity setbacks. Right now, though, at 9 weeks, it’s bound to complain a bit about being mistreated. Though you did a really good job of trying to make it happy!

 

[NavyGunns]

@SusieShoes, how right you are! Just before takeoff, my knee was making it clear it had been through a tuff week and had had enough. Shortly after takeoff, I ended up taking a Tramadol which help tremendously!

Once I got home and settled, my knee enjoyed a nice visit with an old friend (its favorite ice pack). Having trouble falling asleep because of the time change (3 hours), but my knee feels good.

I’ve got another trip out of town next week by car, so this weekend will be busy with yard work. But I do get to relax on Father’s Day, so I’m hoping it won’t be too rough a weekend. If it looks like it will be too much, then the yard work will have to wait (or I get a neighborhood kid to cut it, not many of those around these days though ).

Met another passenger on my return flight who’d had both hips and one knee replaced (knee was 7 years ago). He couldn’t believe my PKR was only 8 weeks ago. We both were up stretching our legs when we “bumped” into each other. He said his knee was stiff and achy during the flight and I mentioned the same and explained about my surgery. That’s when he told me about his. Amazing how many people I’ve met who are “semi-bionic” since my own surgery. A lot more than I expected!

Everyone have a great weekend! Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and granddads out there!

 

[Jockette]

Well your 8 week old knee is doing very well! You’ve gambled a bit with it and won.

But, don’t take that for granted. Still give it a lot of rest when you’re home, it’s still a very new knee. You don’t want to upset it to the point it’s not doing well.

I so wish my partial had gone the way yours has. I’m 15 months and still pretty uncomfortable. I had a second opinion yesterday. One of the things I was told is, not everyone gets a good outcome, that’s just the way it is, and sometimes doing it over makes it worse. He did say it nicely. He’s starting me on neurontin to see if that will settle down my weird sensations.

 

[MCC]

@NavyGunns, I’m so glad things went well on your trip! Hearing about your recovery has been so helpful for me, so thank you for sharing. I’m at 4 weeks and don’t imagine I’ll be where you’re at when I hit the 8 week mark, but it’s great for inspiration! Have a great, relaxing weekend!

 

[NavyGunns]

@MCC, just as @Jockette said, everyone’s recovery is different, partly because our procedures are unique to our particular situation, but also because our body’s have different healing characteristics, pain tolerance, etc. Take both of us for example. We both had PKR, but you had a uniquely different procedure from me, I would venture to say it was quite a bit more complex. In my case, only the lateral compartment was damaged from a sports injury in my teens while the rest of my knee was perfectly healthy. That makes our healing experiences unique also.

I found all of the guidance offered by our fellow BineSmarties extremely helpful. My PT was in full agreement not to put any force on my knee. My personal nature is to challenge myself during recovery, but I’m also quick to listen to my bodies clues when I’ve crossed the line. When that happens, I back off for a few days until I feel I’m good to give it a try again. Doing so has allowed me to avoid too many of those days where I feel like I’ve gone 1 step forward and three steps back. Most times it’s like 3 steps forward and an occasional step or two back. Sometimes it’s just sidestepping in place. .

You will get there if you just push along at the pace you and your knee feels is best for you! Someone else said we are not in a race (other than with ourselves it seems), but rather we are on a journey. As with most other journeys, if we take our time to enjoy our experiences along the way, the overall trip becomes a favored memory rather than a nightmare.

NG

 

[NavyGunns]

Good evening everyone. Yesterday was 9 weeks post op for me. After my flight to the west coast last week, I’m celebrating this week by driving 8 hrs to Baltimore with my wife so she can attend a work conference. She doesn’t like to fly so we drove out today. I’m happy to report that my knee has done fabulous! We stopped roughly every two hours, even if just to stretch, which really helped. Other than a little stiffness similar to what I experience in the morning, I had no pain or swelling. In fact, my knee is looking more and more normal which means I’m rounding the corner. I’m tempted to start cutting back on my Tylenol and Aleve, but still notice that when I miss my scheduled dosage by more than an hour, the deep aches aren’t far behind. Daytime is not bad, but nights can still be rough.

Another week or so and I plan to start focusing on exercises to strengthen my leg muscles as long as I don’t feel any pain. I can sense the loss of strength from what I had pre-surgery and can’t wait to get that back. Slow and steady though. I’m expecting close to a year to get where I was pre-surgery.

 

[Doupie]

@NavyGunns you have done so well and you are so right about the meds. When I miss mine I really hurt at night. I have been following you because I had the Mako PKR as well. I'm at 3 1/2 weeks, slowly getting better, but your recovery is remarkable, thanks for keeping us informed and I salute you....

 

[NavyGunns]

@Doupie thanks. I recognize that in many ways my recovery seems remarkable but I can assure you (as you’ve seen in my posts), I’ve had many of the same issues as everyone else. I give credit to this forum and all the great advice and support shared for giving me the chance to get ahead of issues before they get too bad. I also give credit to my OS who has proven to be as great a surgeon as many friends and acquaintances have said. Everyone I know who has used this surgeon for either PKR or TKR has had a great recovery. One is an 80+ yr old woman who is an advid walker. She had TKR about 18 mos ago and you would never know it to watch her!

Keep the faith and keep up the good work and before you know it you will find yourself 100% thankful you got it done.