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TKR Pulmonary embolism and heart arrhythmia complications

Agnes...please don't be so hard on yourself. The surgery you had is complicated enough and then you had a pulmonary embolism. You need to treat yourself to TLC. Please rest and think positive thoughts!!
 
Holey smokes - you've been through so much. Frankly forget about PT - well "formal" PT. Your body has been through so much - take it easy. What about home health? Just a thought.

Take care.
 
Don't worry about your knee bending yet. You've got plenty of time for that to improve.
There's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR

It's not exercising that gets you your ROM - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal. Your ROM is there right from the start, just waiting for all that to happen, so it can show itself.
 
Be kind to yourself and your knee. Don't let anyone talk down to you. You are doing great for what you have been through. That bend will come if you just forget about it! Use your knee the way it was created to be used and it'll snap back when the healing is more and the swelling is less! Treat your knee like the infant it is!
 
You are all so kind! I guess I was looking for some reassurance. My husband will be with me tomorrow and I think I can count on him to push back on any pressure tactics. On the upside, I am now able to lift my leg by myself to get it on the lounge doctor instead of using a belt. I couldn't do that even a few days ago!
 
That’s great progress! I agree with the others, don’t let anyone pressure you. Listen to your knee and let it settle down after all that trauma. You aren’t even a month post op yet, it will come. :)
 
Yay! Success on that leg lifting! I used my other leg to lift my leg for a few days or more. When I first lifted it by itself, I was thrilled! Each step is closer to that finish line!
 
@Agnes - congrats on that little victory lifting your leg! Even without thinking about it, we get those victories and wonder when all 'that' happened! Enjoy this one. :)
 
@GingerP Yes! I lifted my leg before I even thought about it. I had the staples taken out today and the incision looks good. Unfortunately, I had lightheadedness again. My husband found a wheelchair in the lobby, otherwise I don't know what would have happened. The PA agreed I am not able to do pt now. Pain on the ride home was terrible. I guess all I can do is take things slow and hope the pulmonary embolism and heart arrhythmia resolves.
 
Please don't feel guilty about taking this time for yourself. You need it and you deserve it!! This is major stuff you've gone through and your body needs time to heal. Don't even think about any therapy until well after the heart and lung issues have been resolved.
 
Not going to PT is actually beneficial for your new knee. It has time to heal more and the swelling to diminish some! That's a good thing. If you do start PT, you'll already be ahead of the game! Just get that rest that your body so badly needs right now!
 
Yes, resting your knee will allow the swelling to go down and make it easier to bend in a while. I’m glad they didn’t push you to do PT. Sit back, elevate/ice that leg and let your body recover from all the recent trauma.

Where are you in PA?
 
@Agnes, my own recovery was not complicated by a pulmonary embolism, but my sister's was - she had gone to a rehabilitation facility after her surgery and went into A-Fib and the embolism was discovered. They took her back to the hospital for close to a week and limited her exercise. She basically did no exercise except for activities of daily living for her entire recovery period. Regaining strength was a long process for her because she didn't exercise - however, she hasn't had pain since about the 6 month mark (she is several years post-op now). My recovery hasn't been normal either because of a thyroid condition that has caused me to lose muscle mass, but I did all my PT and 11-1/2 months after surgery I still have pain. This is a long way of saying, don't worry too much about PT at this point. Work on increasing your daily activity, watching closely what your pain level is and what you are comfortable doing. As everyone has said, elevate and ice and take care of yourself. Your ROM will come in due time - and strength likely after that. Best wishes!
 
It makes me happy to read about your victories! It’s amazing how lifting a leg can be rather thrilling. You have so many victories yet to come. You don’t need PT for your knee to recover, and doing it makes you faint, so you might as well not attempt PT for now. Just a few gentle exercises and your daily activities are movement enough to keep your knee limber and strength will come with healing and time. Your recovery is unique, just like you, so embrace it and good things will come.
 
Thank you, @phrog and @SusieShoes! Your words are reassuring. I am getting up every couple of hours during the day to do some small activity, and today was a good day. But it is becoming clear to me that I can't be up on my feet very long without becoming light headed. I have an appt with the cardiologist on Thursday and I'm already fretting over the logistics. Will there be a wheelchair if necessary; how far will I need to walk? After fainting at pt, I think I have ptsd now! I think the real problem is the pulmonary embolism which gets me so tired. I never thought to ask how long it might take to resolve when I was in the hospital. In spite of my other problems, I think the knee is pretty good! I guess it's a good thing that it takes me a long time to do almost anything and that I'm so weak, because I'm not the least bit stir crazy. I hope tomorrow is another good one!
 
You may actually have a leg up (heh) in a way over many TKR patients, in that you have good reasons to NOT overdo the PT. You can just let your knee do its healing thing while you focus on your heart and lungs. I’m so sorry you have to deal with such issues, but you have the most amazing, positive attitude to help see you through.
 
Good luck with your appointment tomorrow with the cardiologist. I pray it's good news!
 
I know it's after the fact now, but sometimes if you call ahead to a hospital or clinic they can make sure there is a wheelchair available. I remember scheduling some tests a while back and they even asked me if I would need a wheelchair. I never did, even pre tkr I toughed it out--but I was impressed they asked.
 
@phrog Thanks for asking! My ekg and bp are all good. I'm going for blood work next week to check the digoxin levels and will have an echocardiogram in a couple of weeks. The underlying problem with my heart that I've had all my life, is basically a short circuit. I should have had it corrected, but didn't see the need. Now, I do! Most of the time, if I have an arrhythmia, I can interrupt it by bearing down. This past event is only the second time it has ever been out of control. Apparently, when I'm very sick or stressed, it gets triggered. I really don't have any heart disease. I think the bigger problem is the pulmonary embolism. Nothing to be done about that but to stay on blood thinners and wait for it to resolve. I will be getting a cat scan and ultrasound of my legs later on when the doctors expect the clot should be gone.

@kneeper I actually panicked at the thought of having to walk from the parking garage to the cardiologist's office, so I asked my husband to pick up a transport chair at Walgreens on his way home to take me to the doctor. Ninety dollars for some peace of mind!

I had a spectacular night's sleep last night. I have decided to take pain meds more regularly. I didn't think the pain was that terrible, but I can see that I'm functioning much better with a little dilaudid on board. I had thought it was contributing my malaise, but now I think it was the pain.

On the upside, my med student daughter has been getting a good review in cardiology, pulmonology and ortho ahead of her step 1 exam coming up. Glad I could help!
 
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