TKR RTKR followed by Revision . Now LTKR giving trouble.

[Pumpkin]

How are you doing today?

 

[mommabarefoot]

@Pumpkln general health wise a little better each day. Pain is becoming more tolerable, but still contant. Past 3 days knee to foot is swelling quite a bit. Lots of pressure. I keep elevated all the time, ice 4-6 times daily. Any suggestions on what might help with a rock hard stiff knee? Flexion still at 75° and extension is 0-5. Feeling very frustrated for day 24

 

[mommabarefoot]

 

[Pumpkin]

@mamabarefoot,
Looks good,
Your ROM is fine for this early out, the swelling is keeping you from bending more. Keep elevating and icing. You can ice for longer periods of time, just be sure you skin is protected with a tea cloth. I got tired of arranging tea cloths, and cut the leg off of some old sweat pants, it is easier to manage.
I found after my revision I had more swelling that I did for the primary. My PT gave me the following exercise to do for edema. It did help get my ankle swelling down after a few times. My knee took awhile, I remember it was painful to put it down to walk in the early days as it seemed all the blood in my body rushed to the knee.
Lying down on your back, gently:
5 deep breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth
5 mini sit ups, lifting your head up is enough.
5 ankle pumps, bilateral
5 gluteal sets (squeeze your rear), bilateral
5 quad sets, (press your knee down against the bed), bilateral

 

[mommabarefoot]

@Pumpkln how long before you started to feel somewhat normal? Were you dealing with infection or just revision?

 

[Pumpkin]

I had a revision, no infection. My leg is mal aligned so it it taking me longer.
@RestAssured can better answer your question about how long it takes to feel normal. Waiting for our knees to heal is kinda like watching water boil.
You are still really early so it is going to take awhile. Best to take it slow and take it easy. Doing to much to soon, can set you back.
Your swelling should start going down in a few weeks, I remember when it was no longer painful to put my leg down, but cannot remember how far along I was, 4 or 5 weeks.

 

[RestAssured]

@mommabarefoot ,

I had infection but it was under control by the time Dr. Maale operated. I felt so much better in fact that I was crazy enough to head out of the bathroom without my walker! I was "fascinated" by the plastic covers I was carrying in my hands. They had sticky tape all the way around them allowing me to take a shower!

Well... Perhaps I should have thought more about the walker than the plastic covers, because the leg was weak. As I was heading back to my bed with my plastic covers of course, my knee buckled, and I grabbed the end of the bed! A nurse had just walked in and came running. My pain level suddenly went through the roof, and I was transported to Dr. Maale's the next day. He thought I might have torn the patella tendon loose, and so he stuck me in an immobilizer!

This revision has taken 3 + years to get to where I don't think about it. Follow the Drs, instructions and you will fare a lot better! I am just a little stubborn!

 

[mommabarefoot]

Ladies this swelling has me very worried. I have decided to call Amy in the morning and see if I can email her some pictures of it. I keep it elevated on the 3 pillow wedge and continue to ice it. My hubby even says it's bigger today than yesterday. Sent me into panic mode. I probably just need to quit comparing it to the primary surgery. Do y'all think I'm over reacting? Any other suggestions? I'm worried about excessive scar tissue like I had to have removed the first time around. I'mjust scared

 

[RestAssured]

Well,

First of all,

Surgery was not that long ago and your body has been traumatized so the swelling is normal. The tissues on the inside were cut, manipulated, and they are just "plain angry" right now which leads to inflammation. Give your body a chance to heal, (we never can see the inside of the leg).

Take a deep breath, repeat, repeat, repeat, etc.

Excessive scar tissue doesn't have time to build at this point. Call Amy and talk to her for your peace of mind by all means, but looking at the picture, your knee looks good.

Revisions do tend to swell more, mainly because of the amount of extra work, debridement, removal of replacement and other things!

 

[Pumpkin]

I agree with Sonja, mine was very swollen. Check with Amy for reassurance and peace of mind.


Sent from my iPod touch using BoneSmart®
LTKR Sept 13 2011
Revision April 15 2014

 

[Satsu]

I'm just outside Houston and had a very difficult time finding any Dr to see me since the joint had been replaced. I finally stopped the horrific PT that had me in tears and biting down on a towel to muffle my screams. This new Dr wants to wait at least 6 more months (1 yr anniversar) before he does anything surgical to it. I just live a very painful, depressing existence right now. The pic I posted is current. Im not so concerned with the swelling as I am with the uslessness and pain in the knee and leg.

I certainly hope your knee has gotten better since the time of your posting. I can't imagine! I'm only 2.5 weeks out, and I'm scared to death.

 

[Satsu]

@RestAssured I quit PT almost 1 month ago (aftet almost 6 mons), backed off on biking n gym to zero for 3 weeks now. All I can do is rest it. Tons of ice n elevatio . I'm between Houston n Galveston. Pain control is a joke. I'm always at 7-9 n when I reach 10 I'm ER bound to bring it down a notch r two
@icep707 I kept telling Drs about PT n the pain n I was always told to just push through it. I've only ever had pain on inside of knee and half calf. Since 4 days post op when first PT landed me in ER with entire leg swollen like a balloon. Ladies n Gents I'm at my whits end. I can't even sleep more than an hr to 1.5 hrs at a time. Thanks for listening to me rant

OMG! You have my total sympathy! Wish there was something I could do to help you.

 

[Jamie]

I think I read you are doing therapy five days a week. Is that so? I'm guessing your sudden swelling is related to an uptick in your activity level. So.....please tell me how many days of therapy, how long for each visit and exactly what they are having you do. Let's see if we can make this better!

 

[Satsu]

@Josephine and @RunA42K thanks for both of your responses. I will contact Dr. M and Dr. Incavo as well as Dr. Matthews whom @pjw suggested. Some how some way I will get this issue resolved and fixed. Does anyone have any clue or have they experienced the following:
Starting 4 days ago when I go to bed at night the nagging calf cramp has started to have what I call contractions. It feels just like a dang contraction. All of the sudden it will go from a nagging cramp to an excruciating pain, Charlie horse or a fire poker driven into the back of my leg type feeling in and area about 3" x 3" . It lasts maybe 30 seconds to a minute and brings me to the brink of tears. On a pain scale I'd give this thing a good 9-10. It lasts maybe 30mins then goes away. It does comeback throughout the night and will wake me right up yelping in pain. It does happen during the day but not near as much.

I have the same exact cramping/spasming you are talking about. Seeing as how you are quite a ways out from your surgery now, how did you get them to go away?

 

[Satsu]

5 days post op Revision RTKR and living in the swollows of hell. Home with PIC line, 2 iv antibiotics daily plus 1 oral for 6 weeks. Then PIC comes out n I'm on oral for 4 months. Infection wasworse then he expected or told me. I can't bearweight as the pain is excruciating. Placed call to his office, wtg for return call. Someone please tell me this gets better, please. There are times I just wish to go to sleep n never wake.

I know that feeling about wishing I could go to sleep and never wake up. Unfortunately, your story makes me so sad, that it reinforces the above. So sorry.

 

[Satsu]

Thanks everyone. It's a wee bit better. I got up n made it across my room one day. Next day I had to go see Pain Magmt and was prescribed Nucynta ER and IR. Guess it will take a little time for it to build up. I am better than my first posting. Still no PT but I do ankle rotations and quad sets. Hubs lowered it too fast earlier causing a bend n there it was, the open doors of pain hell. It has calmed back down n iI'm resting in bed. I got a shower today making it across my house n back. Can someone fair warn me on how removing 34 staples is going to be? I hope not back to pain hell. Wow is all I can say. I'm horribly depressed, feeling like a burden on my family, unable to aadminister IV myself without becomming faint. I fly to Dallas next Tuesday for my fu with Maale. @RestAssured can u give me some insight as to follow up n further healing. I'd tag more, but phone is slow. Thanks all

You poor thing! I wish we lived closer -- I'd support you and be there for you! I feel the same way you do -- family was okay for 1st week or two, now feels like I'm a burden. Not looking forward to staple remover either!

 

[RestAssured]

@Satsu ,

I'm sorry you are having problems with pain! @mommabarefoot , had a revision done to her knee which involves more than just the regular knee replacement. Revisions are more complex, and take longer to heal in general.

 

[mommabarefoot]

@Satsu I had my primary replacement in December 2013 and my total revision 9/10/2014. The cramping/contraction pains never went away until after the revision. That is one pain I can say is totally gone.
@Jamie I do attend PT 5 days a week.
We r only working on light flexion,
extension, NO strengthening. I get 10
mins moist heat, gentle heal slides,
straight leg raises with the assistance of
a stretch strap (quad not firing yet), heal raises, 5 mins on a recumbent stepper,
lay it over a bolster for 5 mins, some
gentle stretching then the almighty ice.
My flexion is still at 75° n the doc is
happy with that. I had a severe femur
infection, metal allergy, failed implant
and multi directional instability. Short of it, a complete mess.
@RestAssured I contacted Maale n emailed several pictures to Tim (PA). Right now he said it looks ok, but to keep a close eye on it, measure daily at pt, watch for fevers and check back in Thursday. I have an ace wrap on it which it seems to like. I just got scared and am still scared that I could lose my leg. I think I'm having major anxiety right now. Thanks all for your well wishes, kind words and thoughts.
PS: I've started with some light massages three times a day

 

[mommabarefoot]

Can someone help me change the name of my thread and add the revision surgery? Ican't figure it out on my phone

 

[Satsu]

How are you getting that much flexion? What are you doing? That is my biggest downfall - flexion. Can barely do.