TKR RickSt Post Op

[need2nees]

Hi Rick glad to hear all of the good news! We are on a similar schedule and I, too am waiting for the home-health nurse to visit. I've been having a bit more difficulty with controlling pain, complicated by nurses at the hospital who thought I should be on "their" protocol rather than the doctors orders. Things have been a bit better at home..I really have a hard time sleeping..seem to awaken every 1/2 hour or so. But I know things will improve. Take care!

 

[NuNe4Me]

Last night was an experiment in sleep . I started out with one pillow doubled up using bungee cords and switched to a couch pillow . The doubled up pillow was too hard on my ankle and made changing positions difficult . The couch pillow was softer and square with a large enough area to make changing positions easier.

I have learned that sleeping after a TKR can be one experiment after another.

 

[NuNe4Me]

I had an old plastic tea jug next to the bed for potty breaks. It's a good thing I did because it seems all the IV fluids decided it was time to come out. I woke up 3 times to use it. It was like the good old days when I was still an over the road truck driver.

This was SO funny! =) Hey, if it works. I wish it was that easy for us ladies (to just be able to pee in an old plastic jug). =)

 

[RickSt]

Hi Rick glad to hear all of the good news! We are on a similar schedule and I, too am waiting for the home-health nurse to visit. I've been having a bit more difficulty with controlling pain, complicated by nurses at the hospital who thought I should be on "their" protocol rather than the doctors orders. Things have been a bit better at home..I really have a hard time sleeping..seem to awaken every 1/2 hour or so. But I know things will improve. Take care!

Yea, at the hospital I'd get pain meds within two hours of initially requesting them if I was lucky . At home I'm taking 2 at bedtime then one during the night then one at a time leading up to about when PT is to arrive then I take 2 again . I'm still not having much pain . Mostly when I first stand up to begin my walk . After the first few steps it goes away . I sit for 45 minutes then walk around the house for about 10 minutes . I carry this on all day up until bedtime . I'm still not icing but not having any problems . My physical therapist will probably carry on with my OS's protocols which is little to no icing . Whatever his reasonings , it works for his patients and that's good enough for me .

Rick

 

[JackiFL]

I had to all but BEG for ice while in the hospital.... and it made such a big difference ~ ASK!!!

(Edited because bugs can be big but bug shouldn't be used in place of big)

 

[Celle]

Fair enough, Rick. Your surgeon has given you a reason that sounds logical. Most of us, though, find that icing is a big help.

I've done it both ways. No icing with my first knee replacement, and icing with the second one. I think the healing times were similar, but I remember being more comfortable after the second operation.

 

[RickSt]

I had to all but BEG for ice while in the hospital.... and it made such a bug difference ~ ASK!!!

Most doctors still ice . Mine doesn't and so far I don't have a problem with that . I didn't need it in the hospital and so far I haven't needed it at home . All my nurses were in awe of how well I was doing as was my home healthcare nurse . While she was here if it was time for me to walk, I walked and let my wife answer any questions she had . It wasn't like I was getting out of range of the conversation . We have a large single story house and I have my trail pretty much laid out .

Rick

 

[jeano]

I got post op instructions to ice and elevate a couple times a day for 20 minutes for three days or something like that. I am a great believer in RICE having sprained my ankles a gazillion times so I blew those instructions off immediately--I iced and elevated most of every waking hour for many weeks, ditched the opiates 3 days postop and managed thereafter with OTC meds. There are many roads to Rome. If its working for you that's great.

I was discharged the same day I had surgery and this was so unusual for our little regional hospital that the nurse manager of the floor I was on for all of 6 hours or so was calling to check up on me for days after I left the hospital--I know what it is like to have nurses amazed at one's astonishing powers of recuperation (!) --from my perspective it was, what's the big deal, I'm supposed to be able to get up and walk, right? Wasnt that the point of doing this? Get me outta here, I'm good to go.

The most distressing post op pain I had was from where they injected antibiotics in my butt. Second was from riding in a wheelchair at the grocery store a couple of weeks later--I had to take a pill after that mistake. Otherwise its pretty much been smooth sailing.

 

[RickSt]

I had my surgery on Monday and blew my IV Tuesday so that was the end of my pain pump . I never got any butt shots, I got stomach shots of heparin that left a nasty bruise .

Rick

 

[RickSt]

Ok, PT just left . My ROM is 105 today .

Rick

 

[RickSt]

Our weather is finally warming back up to why we moved here so my walks are moving more outside . I go out through the garage then make some laps in the driveway . We have a screen on our garage so I can sit out there during the day and socialize with the neighbors who walk by with their dogs .

So considering I'm still less than a week post op , I'm in a good place in my recovery .

Rick

 

[amab]

Congrats on your great progress!!! Enjoy the warm weather....nasty snow and Ice here.....

 

[RickSt]

Getting a good nights sleep still seams to be the hardest part . We have an adjustable bed but to get it where I don't have any support under my knee makes it uncomfortable elsewhere . Because of acid reflux I keep the head of my bed up . To be really comfortable,t foot of the bed should be up some also . Unfortunately , that puts support under the knees . If I leave the foot of the bed down then that puts added pressure on my upper butt . So I'm kinda in a no win situation with sleep .

On a liter note . We're having a small Super Bowl party at our house today . It will be just me, my wife and fur kid plus another couple who are our closest friends in the world and who are going with us on our Alaskan cruise late in the spring . Mike and Penny are bringing most of the food . We're doing the cheese dip and the booze . ( None for me ). Penny's birthday is Friday so we had a cake made at Publix .

I think later in the week I'm going to have my wife ( Claudia ) take me to the barber shop .

Have a great day .

Rick

 

[RickSt]

Yesterday ended up being my first bad day so far . My quadricep seemed to hurt all day . I'm not sure if it was because I had maybe overworked it a little doing my exercises or it was just meant to be .

My wife did find a softer blanket she folded and put under my ankle in bed that allowed me the best sleep I'd had in a week . That blanket along with getting the head and foot of my bed in just the right position so that I wasn't putting a lot of weight on any one part of my body .

Rick

 

[amab]

Hang in there! Ups n downs do occur thru the healing process. Sometimes that darn knee is full of "surprises"....

You are doing great!!

 

[RickSt]

PT just left . I get a 109 bringing my knee back . My problem is with extension . I had limped for the past 2 years so my OS did something the PT guy said was hamstring sparing where the OS goes in and cleans up both ends of the muscle and ligaments . PT dude said to find a comfortable pad to lay on the cross bar of my walker and rest my ankle on it and let gravity do the rest for about 20 minutes at a time .

Rick

 

[DogLoverx3]

Hi Rick, you can also work on hamstring extension by putting your foot up on a stool (instead of your walker) while you sit for the same effect. Also, when you're sitting, you can put your leg straight out in front of you with your heel on the floor and push right above your knee for 30 seconds for a good stretch too. Great job on the ROM

 

[NuNe4Me]

TRY not to be so focused on ROM - that will come with time. If you were laying around in bed all day, I would be worried about your ROM, but you aren't doing that. ROM will come with time.

I have had multiple surgeries in my lifetime. It takes approx a year to recover from a traumatic surgery such as this one. Be patient with yourself.

 

[RickSt]

TRY not to be so focused on ROM - that will come with time. If you were laying around in bed all day, I would be worried about your ROM, but you aren't doing that. ROM will come with time.

I have had multiple surgeries in my lifetime. It takes approx a year to recover from a traumatic surgery such as this one. Be patient with yourself.

This was # 6 for me . The orthopedic ones seem to take the longest overall just because they always involve limited movement for a prolonged period of time .

Rick

 

[RickSt]

Today my flex was up to 90 from 85 yesterday . ROM was 116 , up from 112 yesterday . It's not that I'm focusing on it and I'm definitely not trying to overdo it . I heal quickly .

Rick