Bilateral TKR Rhody on the Road to Recovery

[Rhodyrhody]

@Rhodyrhody wondering about who you follow in college football and how much acetaminophen you’re still taking since you mentioned enjoying a cold .

I’m 10 weeks post-op today and taking between 3000 and 3500 mg of Tylenol (only thing I’m taking) and haven’t had any alcohol since July 5th.

Missing a beer or a glass of Pinot Grigio or my 18 year old single malt...but very concerned aabout the effect in my liver consideringgn how much Tylenol I’m taking.

Any thoughts?

Hi there @2@atime
College football...It's a little complicated. For FBS, I follow FSU. Problem is, seems like once they lose a game and they're out of title contention...doesn't seem like they play as hard after that, and I don't always watch. I also like Syracuse. We live next to the URI campus (both of our kids went there, one still goes to grad school) and they are off to their best start in years (#17 in FCS), so I've been following them pretty closely. We're about a mile from the stadium, and I have a 'stretch goal' of trying to get over there after halftime (they usually stop taking tix then) to watch some this weekend. We'll see what los knees have to say about that...

Tylenol... I never really felt like it was doing much for me and the long term impacts I've read about, aren't good. I kinda decided, if it isn't 'healing' me, I'm going to try to pass on it as much as I can. My toughest times are going to bed and wake-up. Last couple days, I've taken 1000mg at each end of the day - 'hoping' for some relief, but I don't think it really works for me. I'm no doctor, but I can read, and lotsa Tylenol plus alcohol doesn't seem to garner any good reviews. I do like my beer, and the Tylenol doesn't seem to be doing much...so one of them has to go. I guess it's a personal decision. If I felt I was getting good benefit or relief from the Tylenol, I might push off alcohol consumption for a while, but since I'm really not...b-bye Tylenol.

 

[Softtail]

Rhody , wow the act of getting a good nights sleep after knee replacement. Huge challenge. First 3 weeks spent on sofa wedged in knee propped, lucky to get 2 hours at a stretch. Finally returned to bed just 4 days ago, and found my best position was laying on stomach/side with my knee pretty much facing mattress. Helps to keep my leg straighter and keeps those wild movements that tweak the leg and wake me from happening as frequently. Gotta tell you it’s a challenge, especially for me with my RLS. I get up around 3 ish n take 500 Tylenol then get back to bed till around 7. Really an increase over first 2 plus weeks. Hopefully you can pinpoint your “best” sleeping position soon,or fine tune what you have now.

 

[Rhodyrhody]

@Softtail Dang! Sorry to hear it's a challenge. I'm fortunate on the sleeping front. I had a job once where I fell asleep lying on my side on a 4 inch wide railing, about 6 feet off the ground on the other side. Some people are good at math, I'm good at sleeping, I guess.

My 'best' is on my side, with a pillow lengthwise between my legs. From there, it takes me about 7.5 seconds to fall asleep. The problem is...gotta move. That wakes me up a couple times a night and it's painful as all get out to shift around and get comfortable - it's often a vocal exercise, but I do usually get back to sleep in 5 minutes or less. Although...last night, when I woke up to move around, it was painful, but I think I was actually able to keep it to myself. Gonna call that progress, I guess.

Exercise/Timing Question:
I'm doing two sets of exercises per day. My PT said not to ice before exercise - if you're going to ice, ice after exercise. That makes sense, I guess. I have been getting up in the morning and setting up first thing with ice/semi-elevation for 35-40 minutes or so. Then, a couple hours later, exercises. Today, I got up and did the exercises first...

My question is...if you're going to do exercises, is there an optimal timing/sequence to that and icing? Is there a benefit or drawback to icing a couple/few hours prior?

 

[2@atime]

@Rhodyrhody Oh No Mr. Bill!!

University of Miami Class of 1984! And as we say it’s all about the “U”

Greatest football rivalry in Florida!!!

Although I do miss Coach Bobby Bowden!!!

Looking forward to Saturday’s game!

Definitely agree with you regarding the Tylenol...took 3 last night around 11:30 and got a good night’s sleep. Just took 2 now at 10:30 before heading out to PT. Hope to start reducing...looking forward to my first sip of 18 year old single malt!

Thanks for your perspective!

 

[Hood1980]

I’m 4 weeks post Revision TKR and am no longer going to formal PT but am exercising on my own and am always interested in knowing what others are doing. I like incorporating what I can in my routine. This has been a tough week for me and i am experiencing more swelling so I have just been icing and elevating with My ADLs.


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[Rhodyrhody]

Hi @Hood1980

I also walk around the house quite a bit (maybe too much) and I like the exercise where you put a foot up on steps and move your hips forward and back to flex/extend.

The pain I have now, is just really annoying. It's not debilitating, just REALLY bothersome, so I guess I should consider myself lucky.

 

[Hood1980]

Thank you @Rhodyrhody! I do most of these on my good days. I also like putting my affected leg up on a step and bending and stretching it. I am still doing a lot of icing and elevating. I get uncomfortable after an hour or two of having my leg down.


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[Josephine]

I’m 4 weeks post Revision TKR and am no longer going to formal PT but am exercising on my own and am always interested in knowing what others are doing.

I suggest you don't do that. Generally I've found that exercising is counter-productive and only creates pain and swelling. Read this BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy

 

[Rhodyrhody]

I suggest you don't do that. Generally I've found that exercising is counter-productive and only creates pain and swelling. Read this BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy

Specific to these, for now, I'm actually going to have to agree. I did PT two days ago and then those exercises first thing yesterday morning. Mistake. Angry knees. Icing pretty much all morning, swelling mostly gone, but I felt I was walking around better two days ago.

Also...proposed TED/compression socks rule change: If you can get them on by yourself, without inflicting excruciating pain, you don't have to wear them anymore.

 

[Rhodyrhody]

Last week's PT visit was a definite setback. The PT lady (different from the much nicer guy that did my eval): put my leg over her shoulder and pressed it down toward my chest, was forcing my leg to do heel slides, and had me on an incline squat bench.

I think I've spent the 5 or 6 days since then, recovering from PT. I have an appointment with them today, but already called this morning and said, 'we have to talk and come up with a different plan.' I can't be coming out of PT and being worse off than I was prior...

 

[MissViv18]

I agree. I am not looking forward to PT and I am going to tell them upfront that I will not tolerate any severe pain. I expect a little pain but I am not going to let them get aggressive with me or I will stop going.

 

[Jockette]

Next time I will not go to PT. I will recover just fine without them. I had my own set backs from mine that took days to recover from. Even before I found Bonesmart I knew that was counterproductive.

 

[Rhodyrhody]

PT was much better yesterday, after our little 'chat'. I said I can't be doing stuff that hurts...she said 'well, of course it's going to hurt." And we had a nice long (awkward) moment of no eye contact silence. Then I asked her, 'what are we going to do', and she said, 'looks like a lot of stretching exercises.'

And so we did. None of it was painful at the time, but I was generally pretty sore afterwards. Not in a way that was horrible though. Rough evening, but much better today.

Did some stationary bike yesterday and she said we'd likely start with that tomorrow.

My biggest problem now is, when I sit too long, this muscle/tendon/something that starts in my butt/hip gets really sore. And if I stand too long instead, my knees get sore.

 

[SusieShoes]

I think there’s a semantic difference between how PT views “hurt” and what we mean by “hurt.” Of course a knee post-TKR hurts. Look at what happened to the poor thing! So we definitely hurt. And it appears some therapists think that’s what we’re trying to avoid.

But we can’t avoid THAT hurt. That hurt is part of the healing. It’s with us no matter what a therapist does. We’re not being babies about the hurt.

It’s the pain. Not the hurt. If something, an exercise for example, causes our knee(s) pain we can tell is not anywhere in the ballpark of “hurt,” that’s our signal to say no. It’s okay to hurt a bit. That’s going to happen. But excruciating pain is not part of the healing equation.

Unfortunately, most of us have to experience this distinction for ourselves before we know how to apply it! Once we know the difference, though, we become better regulators for our own recoveries.

Also unfortunately, as the knee(s) heal all sorts of new, unfamiliar, odd, or simply annoying pains show up. The body has quite a job knitting everything back together in good working condition!

 

[Softtail]

Susieshoes well said. We definitely have pain from surgery, walking, sitting, but is different than pain caused by twisting ,extending, or flexing the knee beyond its limits. I like the word hurt, as I think it’s definitely a better indication of the borderline, which ,if traveled beyond,becomes damaging.

 

[Rhodyrhody]

I thought I read in someone's thread recently about "piriformis" issues. And when I mentioned my symptoms (basically...pain in the butt), my PT mentioned that as a possibility. Not sure who posted that they had those issues (sorry!), but does anyone out there have recommendations on what to do? This is literally quite a pain in the ___.

 

[Jaycey]

@Rhodyrhody I had piriformis issues post LTHR - a real pain in the butt! Here's the link from our Library Piriformis syndrome - a pain in the butt!

 

[Rhodyrhody]

Day 33 of the great BTKR adventure... Feeling closer to 'normal' every day. And as most here probably know, this surgery influences your normal beyond just the knees.

Both knees have the tight rubber band feeling around them, the right with a broader band than the left. When I walk, I have much more flexibility with the left leg than right. There's something making the left one click when I walk sometimes, but it's mostly ok. (Tips for getting rid of that?) Would say that the left, which (they said) was the worst going in, is way ahead of the right. Much less flexibility with the right one.

Stopped taking meds...There's still pain, but the overwhelming, "you can tell by looking at him" pain is pretty much gone. I don't use anything to walk around the house, but by the end of the day, am limping because of the right one. And, weird but, sometimes when I'm walking, it almost feels like my right knee is going to "give out"...backwards. Hasn't happened (and probably won't) and it doesn't hurt, but it's a weird feeling, almost like I 'tripped on something', and it makes Mrs. R freak out...in a "Where are your crutches?!" kind of way.

I've been taking a crutch when going out, to hit people with if they get too close, er, I mean, to hopefully encourage people to give me a wide berth. Trying to build up some walking endurance, but the right one doesn't take long to start barking. Thinking of trying to make a grocery store trip with my daughter...anyone ever used one of those motorized carts?

Sleeping. I feel truly blessed to sleeping pretty well. Takes me no time to get to sleep, morning wake up - anywhere from 6-7am - is usually because I can't get comfortable in bed anymore. Or, it might just be because I grew up on a farm and that's just when I wake up now. That's fine, because I'm going to bed early enough to get plenty of sleep.

Biggest issue now, and what makes me the most uncomfortable...piriformis. I have to go back to the article referenced above and figger out how to attack that. What a royal pain in the ---. Most of my ice/elevation positions seem to exacerbate it... All tips welcome!

 

[Mutti3]

I used one of those motorized carts at the grocery store at around the four week mark. It was thanksgiving time last year. I had to have fun, driving like “ at the “demolition derby” !

 

[Rhodyrhody]

I used one of those motorized carts at the grocery store at around the four week mark. It was thanksgiving time last year. I had to have fun, driving like “ at the “demolition derby” !

Yeah, I told my daughter I might go with her one of these times soon, but not to expect me to be of any 'help'... I will bring plenty of humor, but probably not much real help.

Next major objective:
We are season ticket holders for college basketball. First game is in 11 days. Once we get in the arena, we take an elevator to second floor and have to hike all the way to the other end, and then down about 30 steps. Then, repeat in the opposite direction when it's over. ...I think I need to start increasing my walking endurance and....steps up and down.