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TKR Sailor's Recovery Thread

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Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement!
My next test will be resuming some short haul business travel to So Calif. It's part of my job, and I need to get back to it eventually. I normally take these trips weekly. I have my first trip booked for mid-August. We'll see how it goes. It of course involves walking through airports, which can be long walks. I should say that I'm one of those people that gets to the airport VERY early (unlike some of my colleagues!), so I can take my time walking. The flight is only 1.5 hrs gate to gate, so fortunately there won't be too much time spent sitting on the plane.
I flew 75,000 miles on business last year. This year, not nearly as much because of arthritis problems earlier in the year, and now the TKR. I'm probably going to lose my frequent flier status with my long haul carrier for next year. But I can work around that :)

Up-thread I discussed some of the problems my wife is having with the eczema-like condition on her feet and hands. Well, Monday night things became bad, and she was nauseous with a high fever, in terrible pain, and had a rash on her lower leg which was warm to the touch. I brought her to the ER, and she has an infection (cellulitis) on the lower leg, caused by the open sores on her feet. She was admitted, and released the next day. They put her on antibiotics. Then, on Wed morning, at home, things were not improving. The infection and pain were getting worse, and the affected area felt very hot. I brought her to her Dermatologist, who recommended she be admitted to another hospital, through the ER. So off we went to another ER, and she was admitted again. It turns out that the oral antibiotics that the first hospital prescribed were not strong enough to kill the infection. So now she his home again, and is doing much better. The infection is subsiding.
But, the docs STILL don't know the root cause of her skin problem, and which is very debilitating. When it flares up she can hardly walk, and is in terrible pain.
The second hospital is associated with a major university. Just before my wife was released, a medical student came by and interviewed my wife, looking for research ideas. My wife gave her the whole story, and the student seemed very enthralled by her predicament. Who knows, maybe the student will actually spend the time to research the problem thoroughly and arrive at the answer that has eluded the docs for so long! One can only hope...

I spent 2 nights this week at hospital ERs until the wee hours of the morning. So I'm pretty beat right now. Need more rest.

Roger
 
I'm betting that student comes up with something (I hope).
 
maryo52
I sure hope so. I wish we had access to a good "troubleshooting" doctor like "House". But since we don't, the student may be the next best thing. The docs are just throwing drugs at the problem, then waiting for the effect, which can take 3 months for each drug. I believe her Dermatologist is now taking things more seriously since the infection. My wife is suffering, and we need to put an end to this story. We have vacations planned in Oct & Nov, and we really want to go!
 
50yrold said:
Congrats, Roger! Your progress is great to read about. I hope you are able to get back to full sail soon. I have been slack this week on the PT, as I got my butt kicked yesterday. My sessions have been almost 2 hrs., and wear me out. It really helps to hear about your experience 12 weeks out for perspective.
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50yrold
Wow, 2 hrs is a long session!
Mine lasted about 1 hr, 15 min. First, 10 min on the exercise bike to stretch, followed by exercises, then 15 min of icing & electro-probes.
You didn't say how many sessions per week. I had 2 sessions per week, so it was good to have 3 days or so between sessions to recuperate. If I had 3 sessions per week, it would have been very tough for me. The original title of this thread was "Muscle Pain After PT" :)
Good luck with the PT. It sounds like you are doing well for only a few weeks out.
I'm happy with my ROM & mobility, but a bit surprised that I still have some pain at 12 weeks. Others have reported it, so I guess it goes with the territory. At least it's not excruciating pain.

Cheers,
Roger
 
So roger. Was your wife at Stanford? July is both a good time and a bad time for that hospital. All
The new residents start in July so while you may feel like a Ginny pig they are all in their toes to show the newbys the right way and to allow the newbys to learn. I had my surgery there and the resident that put my IV in was brand new and I think it was his first. He was very careful and took a long time. The anesthesiologist came by and said did you get it in and he said yes. She said second try!He said no first and she replied alright good job. It was actually kinda cute. Lol
 
Hi Roger,

I'm sorry to hear that your wife is going through a hard time. I hope someone at the second hospital finds a solution for her.

My PT sessions last about 2 hours 3 times per week. I start with 10 minutes on the exercise bike, stretches, step training, then to the weight machines. My quads are extremely week from minimal use over the past 35 years. I probably had 50 - 65% usage of the quad before TKR. I also do leg lifts (front, side and on stomach) then massage of knee. At the end I get either ultrasound or IF and ice for 15 minutes. I do my own PT on the days I don't go to formal PT. I don't by any means do as much as they do with me, but I want to get my quad back to at least 85%. Currently I think it is at 25% but who is counting? My quad wasn't firing or was firing minimally before going to outpatient PT. This PT is doing quite a lot with me, but I hope it gets my quad working again. I won't be disappointed if I don't get to 85% but it would be nice.

I can thank my first OS back in 1978 & 1979 for the atrophy of my quad. He didn't believe in formal PT. He had a PT mess up his work so he was counting on his patients to do the exercises he told them to do. I was 16 years old in May 1978 and 17 in August 1979. What 16 - 17 year old is going to do what you tell them to do when they think they know everything?

Take care :flwrysmile:
 
daughter stalker said:
I can thank my first OS back in 1978 & 1979 for the atrophy of my quad. He didn't believe in formal PT. He had a PT mess up his work so he was counting on his patients to do the exercises he told them to do. I was 16 years old in May 1978 and 17 in August 1979. What 16 - 17 year old is going to do what you tell them to do when they think they know everything?
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DS,
Yes, I know exactly what you mean!
My original injury was multiple ligament tears while playing baseball in high school. I was 16. After the cast came off, they put me in physical therapy. It was minimal and consisted mostly of leg lifts with weights, and sitting in a whirpool. I liked the whirlpool the best. I would sit there and read "hot rod" magazines most of the afternoon :) I never did fully regain the strength in that leg, and I never played any sports again after that. Back then, they didn't have artificial ligaments, so they repaired the ACL, MCL and PCL as best they could. The knee was always loose after that.
I'm happy to be at 80% right now, but, suffice it to say, it probably won't last.
Your PT regimen sounds like a carbon copy of mine.

Roger
 
My knee Charlie said:
So roger. Was your wife at Stanford?
Click to expand...
My knee Charlie
Yes, that's where she was for the 2nd hospital.
What you say is very true, and I believe it is true for most hospitals.
My wife has very small veins, so they usually have to put the IV on her hand! And it still took them a couple of tries.
The student who is studying my wife's case will have to go through my wife's primary care Dermatologist to present any findings. So who knows, maybe together they will come up with something! As I said, it's just a very slow process.

Roger
 
I'll pray for a successful outcome for your wife as well, Roger.

I just got back from a 1:45 min PT, which I do 2x/wk, usually Mon or Tues, and then Fri. I do stretches, ankle weight leg lifts, an electronic bosu machine, backwards treadmill, balance exercises, and band resistance, cycle for 10 min and then end with 15 mins of the tens machine while icing with 15 lbs on my knee. However, I now regularly have 0 on extension, even when I wake up, so they may take the weights away while I ice and tens. Today, flexion was 129, and it was 130 on Tues. But those were stretching it with some discomfort. My natural/comfortable flex is 117. I do almost the same routine, except with a trampoline instead of a bosu machine.

Twice a week is all I can handle at the PT office. Then I do 2 or three similar sessions at home during the week, and just stretches on the 2 or 3 off days, plus increasing normal activity.

Glad to hear of all the successes here!
 
BTW, you have to try Scoma's. They've got a great Cioppino! A little time at "Blues and Lou's" never hurt anyone either! Love the Wharf, love the Bay Area. So much so that my wife and I honeymooned there. I also had occasion to spend about 6 weeks a year there for about 5 yrs for work.
 
50yrold
Wow, excellent report! You are doing fantastic with the ROM & extension for only 4 weeks out. I hope your muscle pain after PT is not too bad. It was for me, after going back to work, so I had to reduce some of the exercises. But maybe you are still on meds, so that will help.
Your PT regimen also sounds equivalent to mine. I think most US PTs use a similar regimen. It seems to be the standard.
BTW, the margin of error for flexion measurement can be up to 5 degrees, or more, depending on how well the PT lines up the instrument. So don't worry too much about regressing from 130 to 129.

Yes, we will try Scoma's sometime, either by water or by land! I agree, the Bay Area is a beautiful place. I came here 33 years ago, with the intent of doing some contract engineering work, and then going back to CT. Well, I ended up not going back to CT. One trip to SF was all it took for me to fall in love with the area. And the Silicon Valley has always provided good job opportunities for me over the years. It's an engineer's mecca! We are so lucky to have the diversity and micro-climates. I live in the Santa Clara Valley, in the South Bay. It can be 100 deg here, but at the coast it can be 65 deg, and a comfortable 80 by the Bay.

Roger
 
Sorry to hear about your wife. But you should know that there is a saying in the medical fraternity "no dermatologist ever lost a patient, therefore they can afford to be patient"!
 
Thanks, everyone, for the well wishes for my wife. She is responding well to the new oral antibiotics. The redness is starting to go away, fever is down, and pain is decreased. So the infection is improving. I sure hope we can get a final diagnosis and an effective treatment for the underlying issue, though..
 
Roger, had your wife been taking acetaminophen? There was a news report tonight that either the CDC or FDA has heard reports of a (very, very rare!) skin reaction to it, causing rashes, blistering and possible infection. I repeat, it's very, very rare.
 
SFBaySailor said:
50yrold

Yes, we will try Scoma's sometime, either by water or by land! I agree, the Bay Area is a beautiful place. I came here 33 years ago, with the intent of doing some contract engineering work, and then going back to CT. Well, I ended up not going back to CT. One trip to SF was all it took for me to fall in love with the area. And the Silicon Valley has always provided good job opportunities for me over the years. It's an engineer's mecca! We are so lucky to have the diversity and micro-climates. I live in the Santa Clara Valley, in the South Bay. It can be 100 deg here, but at the coast it can be 65 deg, and a comfortable 80 by the Bay.

Roger
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I couldn't agree more. I work in redwood city and live on the coast. 95 degrees at work. Turns to automatic air conditioning when I get home at a cool 60 degrees. Although I must admit July is a cruddy month to be home I haven't seen the sun in quite some time
 
Question for everyone:
Over the last week or two, I've noticed that the lower 3 inches or so of my quadriceps/quadriceps tendon seems inflamed, and is also very hard to the touch. There is some pain, but not constant, and it is more like a burning sensation when I flex the quad. The pain is not debilitating, and I can walk fine. The area is sometimes warm, but not very warm. It's more annoying than anything, but I'm concerned whether this is normal at 13 weeks out. I've been icing & elevating, but it doesn't seem to help much. I'm wondering if I've got a case of tendonitis?
I'll tag Josephine, because I'd like her comment, as well.

Roger
 
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