Revised PKR to TKR Revision TKR 2nd time Lucky

[lisabl]

No @tabbykit I was BMI. I have come to the conclusion that its the surgeon rather than the hospital as both the bad and good were done at the same hospital, but torally different experience with the second surgeon.

 

[lisabl]

Today is not a good day
For the last 15hrs or so I have been getting zingers on both the medial and lateral sides of the knee going back and forth. Icing seems to make them worse. It means I didn't sleep well last night, and need my stick to walk, coz when a zinger happens and I am standing, my knee feels really weak. Its wearing me out and for the first time since the op I feel like crying.

Pity party over...

 

[Jockette]

This rollercoaster style recovery is very trying.

 

[sistersinhim]

I hated those zingers. Sometimes my leg would even jump. This made the knee hurt worse. This is a patience required recovery.

 

[RAD]

Sorry you had a tough day, but it sounds like you’ve been doing great so far. Good luck!

 

[Momma-me]

I had those "zingers" last night too! SO painful; for about 15 minutes straight. I was doing my lamaze type breathing to get through them. LOL
Then they suddenly stopped. I have no idea what brings them on, or where they go when they decide to leave.
AHHH the joys.....

 

[lisabl]

Last of my hydrotherapy sessions today, with a different PT and two other patients with new hips. She worked me harder, coz I think she forgot about me when she was concentrating on the hipsters, so did far too many knee raises and step up/down and squats than I should have. Got home exhausted, had lunch and promptly fell asleep for 2hrs, had cup of tea and continued icing when I fell asleep again for an hr!

All dressings except steri-strips are now off, and all the tightness of dressing now gone.

Noticed lots of clunking from knee, where I assume I overdid it. No zingers for that last day tho so that is good.

 

[Celle]

She worked me harder, coz I think she forgot about me when she was concentrating on the hipsters, so did far too many knee raises and step up/down and squats than I should have.

That's the sort of situation when you need to say "Enough!" You don't have to do everything you're told to do.
It's too early in your recovery to be doing squats, because they're very hard on a new knee.
Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?

 

[lisabl]

@Celle none of the exercises in the pool actually hurt, it was just the muscles started to ache. I told her on one occassion I was stopping as my leg ached, and she move me to a different 'station' where I did calf and quad stretches instead. I think it was just the cumulative effects of half an hr session that exhausted me.

 

[TimeBuster]

I'm glad you're feeling better and back on track. I never experience zingers thank goodness. They must be awful and frightening. I never thought about it until I read your post, I like to look into hydrotherapy. I Just read it's very beneficial to straighten the core muscles around your knee. I have a local YMCA here that has hydrotherapy classes. I think I'll give them a call on Monday. haha.

 

[lisabl]

@TimeBuster I can't wait till 6 weeks when hopefully I can drive and get the go ahead to go swimming again. I am a member of a gym that has a reasonably warm pool with steps going down rather than a ladder, and I love swimming. I tend to do front crawl, as it strengthens my arms, gives me an aerobic workout without putting stress on my legs or knees...counting the days. Hence very happy generally with Hydrotherapy as I am a bit of a water baby.

 

[lisabl]

So its 1:30am here in the UK and I am wide awake. I had my usual nap between 2 and 4 in the afternoon. Helped hubby prep dinner at 6pm and sat watching tv, icing and elevating until 'bed time' at 10:30pm. I have been sleeping comfortably on the recliner for the last 5 days, took meds at 10:30 and that normally zonks me out til 2 am when I wake up needing bathroom. NOT TONIGHT

This is the first time since getting back from hospital that I can't get to sleep. I'm not in pain or discomfort, I am just wide awake like I have drunk several cans of Red Bull (which I haven't).

I have watched a documentary (normally a sure fire way to fall asleep, read all my unread threads and listened to a meditation track....still awake. Just made a drink in the hope that it might help. I do not like being a member of the Wide Awake Club at all.

 

[Jockette]

 

[sistersinhim]

Boy, do I remember those nights. I still get them sometimes. They are the pits! I hope you can get some really good sleep soon.

 

[Jockette]

Boy, do I remember those nights. I still get them sometimes.

Me, too. One night last week I was up until 4 am, just awake.

 

[tabbykit]

@lisabl, thanks, yes I am seeing a different surgeon at the same hospital too for my revision. Can I ask you, what did the hospital physio tell you re exercises? I had my preop assessment yesterday and went in with the Bonesmart mantra 'no aggressive PT'. She told me I would have to do the 'active' exercises - rolled up towel under knee, straight leg push, heel slides. She also said I would have ROM of 90 before I was discharged - I find this hard to believe, wonder if you had similar?

 

[lisabl]

@tabbykit they gave me a similar leaflet, but said whilst in bed just do heal pumps, bottom clenching and try to get extension with knee as straight as possible. Physio at hospital on discharge day got me to walk the corridor, do 1 flight of stairs with crutches up and down and measured flexion at nearly 90 (with a piece of plastic film under my foot on bed doing a heal slide) and extension +5. I went home and followed bonesmart guidelines ignoring leaflet. I have had 3 hydrotherapy sessions where physio are happy with my progress but haven't done measurements, and my first dryside physio is this Friday. At home activities of daily living have progresses from week 1 toilet breaks and making a cup of tea, with 1 trip up and down 14 steps for bed and dressing; to week two a couple of half hr car trips to hospital, a 10 min trip to tesco express and week 1 activities; this week I have walked to bus stop (200m away) got bus to shop and returned, 2 car trips, 1 church alpha meeting (1.5hrs including breakfast and I had my leg up with ice pack the whole time), 2 trips up/down stairs (today I could do leg over leg for first time), load Or unload dishwasher, 10 min prep of meals, daily. At all other times I tend to sit in recliner with my leg up and iced with cryo cuff. I have done NO EXERCISES from sheet, but very happy with progress.

I realise I am one of the lucky ones compared to many bonesmartie with my recovery, but I will not be bullied into doing things I don't want to. After the problems last year with my PKR I am more in control of my own recovery as I realise the professionals are not always right, they have a formula they follow, and it is not right for everyone.

I am sure that as you have gone through it before you have a better understanding of the highs and lows of recovery and will do what is best for you. I will follow your recovery with interest.

 

[Jockette]

How did RA negatively affect your partial?

 

[lisabl]

@Jockette I should never have been given an Oxford Partial prosthetic I the first place as the surgery guidance notes said under the heading of Patient suitability "contradictions and unsuitable for patients with inflammatory arthritis". Either the surgeon didn't read it or did not put two and two together that RA is inflammatory arthritis!!!!

The good compartment (lateral) that had no signs of any arthritis prior to the PKR had by 10 months become so inflamed the bone was becoming deformed, there was massive synovial fluid build up (bursa was not mentioned) and my leg had a very noticeable valgus deformity , which required a load bearing brace. I basically never really recovered and was in some form of pain or swelling from the time of the PKR surgery to the TKR surgery.

 

[Jockette]

I should never have been given an Oxford Partial prosthetic I the first place as the surgery guidance notes said under the heading of Patient suitability "contradictions and unsuitable for patients with inflammatory arthritis".

Interesting. What is it about that prosthetic, though, that affects people with inflammatory arthritis?