PKR Return to work at week 6?

[Celle]

It's only just over a month since your surgery and the energy drain is still huge. Most of your energy is still going towards healing your knee and stamina will only come back slowly.

I'm not sure about the loosening theory. Most of the people who go back to work too early complain of tiredness, increased swelling and pain, and inflamed tendons and muscles.

 

[Tennessee Cyn]

It's ENORMOUS ! Unbelievable what this has taken out of me ....or diverted into healing correct?

Those c/o make sense as my knee was much more swollen on experiment day than it had been in awhile. And I can't even imagine standing moving"walking quickly" for 12+ hours as work requires. See my doc Wednesday hopefully he will concur with my PT on delayed RTW.

 

[Clipless]

Oh he will, no worries. I'm ahead of you by only two days with a RTKR, and experiencing similar energy drain, pain & swelling if I try to do too much or run a simple errand. We'll both get through this, but much patience is required.

 

[ironclm]

I went back to work full-time at 9 1/2 weeks. Last week was the first full week back in the office. I sit behind a computer for eight hours and pretty much every night I went home and laid on the couch and was ready to go to bed by 7:30 or 8 PM. I did work for three weeks before that from home 4 hours a day. That was nice because I could split it up two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, with a rest in between.

Aside from being tired at the end of the day, the other issue I have is that I am not sleeping through the night so that makes it even harder to get up in the morning.

Hopefully your doctor will delay your return to work.


TKR 08/26/15

Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[referee54]

I went back to the classroom at eight weeks---I was excited to do so, but I was swollen, sore, and exhausted by the end of the school day---I even changed the way I taught and iced/elevated during my planning period and lunch period.

On Sundays, after church, I did nothing but rest, ice, and elevate.

Even though you had a PKR, the recovery is very much the same, and the energy drain can be enormous!

Aside from being tired at the end of the day, the other issue I have is that I am not sleeping through the night so that makes it even harder to get up in the morning.

As Rosanne Rosanadana said, "It is always something!" I had the same issue, too---which compounded my exhaustion at the end of the school day. I was beat by the end of the school day.

I ended up taking Ambien for ten nights---that finally did the trick. The sleep issues do add another dimension to the return to work, as well.

 

[hawk2go]

These joint replacements are huge and major surgeries and quite an assault to our very being.

Right!!!! WHO KNEW?

I thought I'd be back at 6 weeks but the knee had other ideas! Keep on bonesmarting and you'll do great!

I wish there was a way to completely debunk this 6 week RTW concept. I went back to work full days at 7 weeks, worked full days from home from week 2 on. Sitting at a desk did not make it much easier, it was much too much. I'll certainly know for next time.

 

[Tennessee Cyn]

No kidding @ironclm & Tim C what's the deal about sleep?!? The good thing is my insomnia kept driving me to find more info & help which is how I stumbled across Bonesmart in the wee hours. And each night same issue so I peruse through many recovery stories & also the reference materials.

I thought I might try to slowly increase my stamina for my RTW however it's like trying to go from putt-putt speed to Mach drive. Well at least that was the way i used to work as nurse. Hopefully when I return I will work smarter not harder (fingers & toes crossed). And the energy drain as Diana, Tim and pretty much everyone else keeps reminding me of is enormous.

And yes, @hawk2go , where did the arbitrary 6-week RTW mandate come from? Probably not from an OS who had a TKR ... I've got to get that book written by OS & PT who did have TKRs!

 

[jmdearras]

where did the arbitrary 6-week RTW mandate come from?

I had as a precondition with the OS an agreement that I could drive and return to work at 2 weeks! Baring unforeseen circumstances.
It is a desk job!

 

[referee54]

It has been eight years, but when I saw my OS after my BTKR, even he had no answer about the sleep issues---he knew that they existed, but he did not know what caused it.

Without a doubt, next to the length of my recovery, the sleep issues were the most frustrating aspect of my recovery.

The good thing is my insomnia kept driving me to find more info & help which is how I stumbled across Bonesmart in the wee hour

I did very much the same thing---I would wander around the house looking for someplace to hopefully get comfortable---I watched every rerun of Law and Order and I found this site one morning at about 3:000 AM.

where did the arbitrary 6-week RTW mandate come from? Probably not from an OS who had a TKR ... I've got to get that book written by OS & PT who did have TKRs!

Obviously, it did not come from somebody who had a TKR or a BTKR---they would know differently!

 

[Betty Boop]

Just now catching your story, Cyn. I returned to mostly desk job at 6 weeks - way too soon truthfully so nursing, well, let's just say I'm glad you got your leave extended!!! So much of reading your posts rings true for me as well. I also found this wonderful site during the incessant insomnia. I think I was awake more than I slept those first two months! Being sleep deprived is the WORST!!
I thought I was deficient during PT because I could not do as much as I hoped and WANTED to be able to do. My knee told me otherwise, so while discouraging, I stepped back instead of pressing on. I am 4+ months post-op and still recovering. Not nearly as fast as I want it, but as BSmarties advise, just being patient...

 

[Tennessee Cyn]

Hi all ......an update: I was not able to get back to my OS for checkup today (due snowstorm & blizzards). So instead saw my GP who extended my RTW by 2 weeks. During that extension period I'll get back to OS (who of course is unavailable this week & off next). It is what it is & it is 2 weeks better than it was.

So for now I've got 2 more weeks to gradually improve stamina by increasing daily activities and time upright. I'm not "working on" forced increased flexion / extension instead am being more gentle and doing the recommended heel slides and prone extension exercises per the Bonesmart.org site. My swelling is way down (correction 3.2 inches not 5") and although it's still there it's not limiting rom nearly as badly as it was.

Part of me thinks I could RTW at 8weeks .... especially since I only have to work 2 shifts / week.
Well that's my update for NOW More soon

 

[kneeper]

As far as improving your stamina--imho you can easily get the reverse effect if you do too much too early. Remember you're not in training, you're healing.

 

[KarriB]

I experienced a huge loss of stamina between my TKR and a staph infection. The only thing that helped was resting and a slow return to normalcy. I had a phased return to work that lasted 6 weeks before going back full time. After the trauma of surgery our bodies crave sleep and rest to help it heal.

 

[Tennessee Cyn]

@kneeper you are so correct ...I was up and basically ambulatory for 12+hours Friday & boy did I pay for it with lots of stiffness, swelling & exhaustion. Still have some of that swelling even with elevation & ice .....my knee has objected to my excess use & excess standing. Great reminder that I'm "in healing vs in training mode".

@KarriB the lack of stamina is crazy! @KarriB and @Betty Boop .....on the positive side I finally became so exhausted & sleep deprived that I've returned to my normal (pre-op) sleep pattern.

Definitely worried my OS will think I can RTW ....on 03 December
I do wonder whether I'm cleared to RTW at 8 vs 12 what the differences will be ....it seems no matter when i return I will have lots of swelling due nature of job (Weight bearing, standing, lifting -job is floor nurse). At least I no longer am in la-la land thinking RTW at 8 weeks is good ideal.

@referee54 did you return doing full days?

 

[referee54]

Yep---at eight weeks post BTKR, (actually a few days a little shy of eight weeks, I made the leap back into the classroom---full days. I was sore, stiff, and exhausted at the end of the day. In looking back, I thought that I was ready, but where I thought I was in recovery, and where I actually was in recovery, were two, entirely different places.

Another three to four weeks would have been immensely helpful to my recovery.

 

[Tennessee Cyn]

Wow BTKR & returned to teaching <8 weeks out. And you are 8 years out yes? Amazing ....
I am hoping for 3>weeks ....will see what my OS says. My lack of full extension certainly has my gait "looking not quite ready" ....add to that I wore unloader brace 19 months before surgery so yes I walk like im still in a brace. Not that any of that matters what matters is am I going to harm myself by returning too soon?

 

[referee54]

...add to that I wore unloader brace 19 months before surgery so yes I walk like im still in a brace.

"Mechanics is muscle memory"---a saying in coaching. What has happened is that the dysfunctional has become functional and normal to you. What is actually normal now feels weird.

It may take some time and some gentle PT drills to get your gait to what actually should be normal and functional.

 

[jmdearras]

What is actually normal now feels weird.

Boy can I attest to that!

 

[Tennessee Cyn]

So far my drills have included walking backwards in house (poor cats -I need a backing up warning sound ) and warm up with reverse walking on PT's treadmill.

 

[Jaycey]

what matters is am I going to harm myself by returning too soon?

You may find that since you are still in healing mode your recovery slows down if you return too early. Right now you are focusing all your energy on recovery. But when you start adding getting up early, preparing to go to work, commuting to work, a full day of work and then commuting home - that's tons of energy gone on work and not on healing.