Guest viewing is limited

TKR Queasy, sick feeling

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi All, more questions!
I am 5 weeks and one day!
Was anyone able to do a full revolution on the bike at this stage in rehab?
I am so close, but feel as though I have a 20 lb. weight wrapped around my knee that prevents me going further.
I ask because my OS said at my 6 week checkup he expects my flexion to 110 which would be a full revolution per my therapist. The therapist however is not alarmed at my rate of progress and feels we are progressing well albeit a little slowly but not u undoable. Per reputation my OS is a little manipulation happy which I do not want!
On the stamina front, thanks for the encouragement and advice, it is coming along again slowly, but each day It gets better!
 
@Sel, welcome!! I just caught up reading your thread. It sounds to me as though you are really doing well. I had trouble with my flexion and finally hit 90 at six weeks. I hate it when doctors or therapists say you need to be at a certain number so early in recovery. Since I was having problems with flexion I had to see my OS again at 12 weeks. I was at 105. While he had hoped I would be farther along he said I had several options. He did mention the dreaded MUA but said they he felt that with more PT and exercising on my own I would get there. He said that it just takes some patients longer and as long as you keep working on it you will get there. Of course there are times when no matter what you do it won't budge and that is a different story. My therapist told me that they can usually tell if there is a problem. She would always tell me that while I couldn't bend it any farther be suse it hurt too much, she could still feel that it had give. It's when they try to bend and it feels like a brick wall that there is usually a problem. It sounds as though you are doing fine.
You had mentioned in your earlier posts that you were having problems with nausea. It might not be completely the fault of your pain meds. I was taking aspirin twice a day as a blood thinner. I had to take it for six weeks and it wasn't until after I had that out of my system that I got my appetite back and the nausea left. Aspirin can really do a number on your stomach.
I am also a side sleeper. One thing that I found that helped me is to put pillows vertically on either side of me while laying on my back. It just made me more comfortable on my back. I am now four months out and can sleep on my side again. Funny thing is that the whole time I slept on my back, my back never bothered me when I first got up in the morning. Now that I'm sleeping on my side, when I first get up in the morning my lower back kills me. Once I'm up and walking around it's okay. I have been trying to sleep on my back more, but the feeling of being on my side just keeps winning.
You had also mentioned how you get pain when trying to turn onto your side and thought it could be scar tissue. I don't know about that, but in my early recovery I would keep trying to turn onto my side and I would get such a pain in my leg. But as my ROM improved the pain went away. Anne
 
Sel said:
Hi All, more questions!
I am 5 weeks and one day!
Was anyone able to do a full revolution on the bike at this stage in rehab?
I am so close, but feel as though I have a 20 lb. weight wrapped around my knee that prevents me going further.
I ask because my OS said at my 6 week checkup he expects my flexion to 110 which would be a full revolution per my therapist. The therapist however is not alarmed at my rate of progress and feels we are progressing well albeit a little slowly but not u undoable. Per reputation my OS is a little manipulation happy which I do not want!
On the stamina front, thanks for the encouragement and advice, it is coming along again slowly, but each day It gets better!
Click to expand...

Have you tried pedaling backwards for a little bit and then go forward...

Vinny
 
Agree with Vinny :) Have you tried pedaling backwards to begin? It's easier and gets everything warmed up and then you might find you are able to pedal forwards. I can't remember exactly when I was able to pedal all the way around forwards on either of my knees, honestly. I would guess somewhere in the range of 4-5 weeks on my left knee and 6 or so on my right. I remember having to rock the pedals back and forth for awhile, then go backwards and finally forwards. That didn't all happen in one single session. Also, it makes a BIG difference in how far forward your PT has you seated on the recumbent bike.
 
Vinny, I have more success pedaling backwards, still cannot make it all the way around. Really frustrating. I'm a cyclist, between biking and swimming, both which I dearly love to do, I'm chomping at the bit for one of them to come through for me.
I told somebody the other day, a TKR is like the movie, Groundhog Day or 50 First dates! Every time I stand up its a little like the first time. Lots of stiffness. Still icing and elevating all day and night for relief of the stiffness. Thankfully the strength has returned with lots of exercises and I don't have the feeling of the knee buckling as often. I stopped the cane while at home, but still take it when I leave the house, more for comfort than any real need of aid. Can't wait for the day I lose it entirely as well as my temporary handicap parking plus are - although it was a huge help.
Gr82cu2, I am tall and just said to my PT this week, I feel if we pushed the seat back further, I could pedal a full revolution. I'm going to insist we try it this week - just yo see. Maybe warm up in a tighter circle then push back. Here's hoping for success!!
 
[Bonesmart.org] Queasy, sick feeling
@Sel, we are requesting that you put your surgery date in your signature, as well as what surgery you had (i.e., LTKR, RTHR). You can find the instructions here: How to create a signature. This information is very helpful and necessary when answering your questions and concerns.

Please also remember that our membership is international and for clarity use the International Date system being Jan. 10, 2014 or 10 Jan. 2014 rather than 1/10/14 or 10/1/14.

Thanks so much for your cooperation.
 
Sel, I think it would be a great idea to try with the seat a little further back too. For some reason, with my 2nd knee, the nightmare knee LOL, my therapist kept putting me too far forward and all I could do was rock back and forth and it was frustrating. I felt like if I was further back and could do full revolutions it would be more beneficial. So, the next time I went I asked her to put me further back and she did. She never did that to me with my 1st knee. Who knows why? Once you get warmed up and that motion going you might be able to scoot forward a notch then. Good luck!
 
@Sel make them put the seat back and you will be able to do it....pedal backwards for a little bit the try forward keep pushing the seat back until you get around...the as you build up some flex you can start to move it forward...bet you do it this time..just like @gr82cu2 says it will work...when was your surgery?

Vinny
 
Hi All,
Couple quick questions/concerns:
Anybody having issues with calf, back of knee pain, radiating to arch of foot? PT says its a tight gastrioc/soleus muscle. No matter how much he works it and I stretch it, the result is my foot starts to go numb and pain in my arch, makes it difficult to walk. In addition my quad has shooting pains right above the knee, which I suspect is from strengthening exercises. I'm doing my exercises faithfully but seem to be getting more swelling with the increased strengthening exercises PT has requested. None of the exercises are difficult or painful, the pain/discomfort I am feeling is hours later. Any ideas?
Thanks for your help!
 
Sel said:
Was anyone able to do a full revolution on the bike at this stage in rehab?
Click to expand...
Remember--we all recover at our own rates, and on our own schedule.

Sel said:
Vinny, I have more success pedaling backwards, still cannot make it all the way around. Really frustrating. I'm a cyclist, between biking and swimming, both which I dearly love to do, I'm chomping at the bit for one of them to come through for me.
Click to expand...
I agree with the others---trying raising the seat a little bit---and try cheating a little bit by rocking your hips back and forth.

You might also want to use a heating pad on your quad muscle in your surgical knee----warm it up and make it a beit more pliable and flexible.
 
Oh happy day!! Pedaled my way to full revolution today. In fact, enjoyed my time on the bike so much stayed for quite some time!! 6 weeks today, the new knee is working fine!!!
 
Sel said:
I'm doing my exercises faithfully but seem to be getting more swelling with the increased strengthening exercises PT has requested. None of the exercises are difficult or painful, the pain/discomfort I am feeling is hours later. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Yes. Your knee is telling you it is not yet ready for those exercises. Listen to your knee and stop doing them.
Remember this? I posted it for you in Post#3.
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again

It's too early in your recovery to be doing strengthening exercises anyway.
 
I always ice right after excercising even if it is not uncomfortable kind of like preventative measure....try that next time..doing great...

Vinny
 
I was queesy and nauseous myself for about five weeks even after I went off pain meds. It takes a while to get out of your system. Hang in there and it will resolve, it did for me and I thought I'd be nauseous forever!


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
Happy day indeed! :yes!:
 
Happy Sunday All!
I am one day short of 7 weeks. Per my OS and PT guru I am progressing very well.
However, I still feel as though I have lead weights around my TKR knee. Does anyone else have this and will it go away? My flex is up to 115, still don't have my "normal" stamina back, still icing and elevating several times a day and night. Feeling better daily except for the doggone heavy leg feeling, the worst part is unconsciously I start to drag it, which then engages my hip.
Anybody have any thoughts? I appreciate it!
Thanks!
 
Hi @Sel
I'm glad to hear you're dong well now. :yes!::yay:

I think the heavy weight feeling is something that a lot of us have experienced. 7 weeks probably seems like an eternity to you right now, but it is really still very early in your knee's recovery process. The wounded tissues are still healing and your knee is getting used to having a large foreign body in it. It will pass gradually, but may take a while yet. You do need large doses of patience for this recovery!

Some people feel this, too:
"Tight band" feeling across the front of my knee

As for getting back your normal stamina, that also takes a long time. Your body's resources have all been directed towards healing your knee and there's not much left for other activities. You'll need to ration your energy. This might help to explain what happens:
Energy drain for TKRs
 
Try massaging the knee area in a hot shower...I found out in many cases the tendon connecting the quad is sliced down the middle in order for the patella to be moved and in my case the knot at the base of my quads lasted for a month or so...you are doing great and the stamina can take awhile to come back...I will be 12 weeks out and while never having any pain I always ice before and after working out and my workouts are gentle and leisurely always pedal backwards until warmed up and the forward....you are doing great...

Vinny
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Corganics CBD

Staff online

Members online

Total: 482 (members: 1, guests: 481)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom