TKR Sarah Jane's Summer Journey and Fall Frolic

[cairistiona60]

You seem to be right on target from what my OS has told me. I will be 6 weeks out on Wednesday and see the OS for follow up on Friday. I'm at 0 extension and 100 unforced flexion. My PT forced me to 115 but that hurt and I told him to stop. I thought at the time that I was doing well but he was pushing it and I suffered for it the next day. Today he didn't force it. I think you have done the right thing and are getting there slowly but surely. It will pay off in the weeks ahead.

 

[Jamie]

I know....one of the most difficult things is to be patient. I don't think any of us really is prepared for the length of time recovery takes for a TKR. Sure, some people have a fast return to activity. Great for them. But the vast majority of us need time....like months to get there. Luckily, there are many, many small milestones accomplished along the way so the trip is not quite so bad. You're not immobile during that time by any means!!! It's just important to keep it all in perspective and allow yourself to progress naturally (slowly) week by week. You'll get there...promise!!!

 

[KarriB]

Using the ottoman to extend my leg was all I did for extension an mine is great, better than the natural knee. Riding my bike definitely helped my ROM, I started riding just on PT days for 5 min, then 10 min, then I decided to try my exercise bike(needed a step stool to get on it), finally I got a recumbent bike for my birthday last year and I ride it most days for 4-5 miles. I know I should do more, but I get bored. But I digress, the bike really helps my knee loosen up.

 

[skigirl]

I also think that you are right on track for 6 weeks. Really, it will be 12 weeks until you really begin to feel like you are approaching normality!! It is too early to worry about things like rom---yours will increase, at three months it will be better and probably at one year, it will be better yet.

You are doing quite well and just need to relax a little. Now is a good time to reward yourself with a walk on level ground or lunch with friends.

 

[Celle]

I think you're doing just fine, too, @SarahJane !

There's no need to rush to try and get ROM. It will come, given time and gentle treatment.
My left TKR is almost a year old now and I just realised last week that my ROM had increased, without my even thinking about it.

 

[Legin]

See SJ you are doing well. Its easy to miss all the little milestones. Don't judge by what you can do, but by what you can do this week you couldn't last week

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[KarriB]

Know what it's like to want that normal life back. Ski girl is right, start slow, go to lunch with friends, visit at a friends house just to get out of the house and you'll begin to get a taste of normalcy. Patience is the key, don't get ahead of yourself, but take small steps.

 

[SarahJane]

Thank you everyone for your kind and encouraging words. It's funny you should mention going out to lunch with friends, @KarriB. The last two days I've done exactly that! It was wonderful to get out.

 

[Swish]

SarahJane, I'm just one week ahead of you. Saw my OS yesterday and he said I'm just halfway through recovery....pain and stiffness in the knee are still to be expected. I went off my pain meds at three weeks because I was so tired of the constipation caused by the pain meds. I was on Celebrex for the inflammation, but OS said now to just use Advil or Aleve as needed. New PT from OS is stationery bike every day starting at 10 minutes increasing a minute a day until up to 30 minutes. Then increase tension for strength 3-4 times a week.

P.S. I have a friend named Sarah Jane that had TKR 7/7/15....funny huh???

 

[analysta]

I was told by a friend who had TKR that the recovery takes six months so with those low expectations I am delighted every day. My surgery was a week after yours and it sounds like we are at the same place ... we're in this for the long haul, for sure. You're doing great in my isolated opinion.

I have to object a little bit to the friend saying that the drug you were on was bad because it was in the same family as heroin. And that it didn't really control pain, it controlled the perception of pain ... well, isn't that what they all do, and isn't that enough?

To be honest I wouldn't mind being on heroin itself if it kept the pain under control. My hydrocodone doesn't make me high or happy, just comfortable. I mean, really, is it going to give me cravings that send me out in the street to rob people? I don't think so. Will I become permanently stupid or immoral? Nah. Whatever it takes to get through this.

 

[bdink21]

Totally agree with @analysta about pain meds. They are made for moderate to severe pain and as long as they are being taken for pain at the lowest dose to provide relief of said pain then they are being used in the way they were intended and are therefore not harmful. It bothers me to see people suffer needlessly...

 

[KarriB]

That's what pain meds do, mask the pain. There is nothing that will heal the bones, tissues and muscles faster so we are fortunate enough to have medicine that will mask the trauma of having your leg taken apart and then put back together again. I'll gladly take the narcotics again next time, but I'll have Miralax in the medicine cabinet as well!

 

[SarahJane]

A quick explanation about my friend's advice. She was addressing my particular situation, not advocating going without medically necessary narcotics. Since I'm not naturally scientifically-minded, I probably did a poor job of explaining her comments.

@analysta, I appreciate your comments and those of @bdlink25 and @KarriB. Let me try to explain the circumstances behind her advice. My TKR was on July 14. I was taking Percocet doses of 5 mg oxycodone with 325 mg acetaminophen per pill. I'd been taking them every four hours, and had only recently begun to taper the frequency down. Remember, too, that I'd had acute tummy troubles as a result of all the medication I was on. I don't think my friend objects to the use of narcotics for acute severe pain. I think my friend's main point was more that there were more effective ways of dealing with inflammation *six* weeks into my recovery than taking that much Percocet with acetaminophen. While I was careful not to exceed the recommended 4000 mg daily limit for acetaminophen, it has been documented to be hard on the liver. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamol_toxicity. I'd also mentioned my desire to reduce the amount of Percocet I was taking because I wanted to drive, which I couldn't do while I was on narcotics. Hope I've done a better job of explaining things.

And speaking of driving, I'm wondering whether to make my first post-surgery trip tomorrow. There's a relatively small get-together to celebrate a friend's birthday. People are driving in from nearby counties and cities. No one else is coming from where I live. I do have a call into one potential ride, but haven't heard back. It'd be a 10-15 minute drive one way on surface streets, nearly all of which are residential. What do you think, @Braunzie, @Raffs, and others who are at or beyond my recovery time.

I took a look at the link to the library's article on staged DIY ADL and chores. Just curious: why is put changing sheets down the tasks that can be resumed at 10 weeks, not 8 weeks. Asking because I may have to change them myself. I don't think I can wait until the next scheduled housework help1

 

[Dearjr]

@SarahJane Remember that the number is not the important thing but what you could do with your new knee

I went driving at 3 weeks. With your Flexion you should be able to easily move from brake to gas. Try it before you drive. Don't drive too long I did a 1 1/2 hour drive and paid for it the next day

 

[Slainte]

I have been driving for a couple of weeks. No problem at all, but the longest I have driven in one go is only around 30 minutes. Not taking any narcotics during the day, of course. Yesterday someone pulled out right in front of me and I had to thank God for good brakes and good reflexes. All was good. I will say that getting out of my little Toyota Corolla after I have walked around a grocery store and then driven home does cause a bit of a twinge, just because I have to bend it quite a bit to get out from under the steering wheel and over the door jam.

 

[Legin]

Agreed about driving thing. Its often getting in and out that's the problem. Is your chariot a manual or auto transmission. If manual I recoment do a trial run, as in get in press clutch several times with the odd sudden brake press. Reason I have removed myself from driving is with silly foot I can't feel pedals properly and if I ever hit a child as emergency stop failed, well you know what I'm.getting at. Have a grand day tho. Sorry to be downer in the party.

Legin THR Sep 14

 

[Celle]

In order to drive, you need to be off narcotics, have a clear head, and be 120% sure that you can do an emergency stop. Some insurance companies also require a formal clearance for driving from your surgeon.

I started driving a manual car at about 5-6 weeks. For about a week before that, I would practice getting into and out of the car and sitting in the car with the engine turned off, moving my feet from pedal to pedal. I did a lot of practice emergency stops.

@SarahJane , if you go to the birthday get-together, do make sure that you don't overtire yourself.

 

[KarriB]

If you're off pain meds, 10-15 minutes shouldn't be a problem, but give it a try in your neighborhood first just to see how you do. My first drive was three blocks to my friends house and I built the time up to a half hour, which was I needed to drive to work.

 

[analysta]

Thank you for the explanation SarahJane. Really good to get that clear.

 

[Raffs]

I'm unable to advise re driving as I'm one of those weird creatures who cannot drive! But I did go to a family party at 6 weeks out. It was about 1 hr 30 mins each way by car. I iced the whole time. I made sure to elevate when I could during the party and iced a lot too. I also walked around to avoid getting stiff. I was ok the next day, no adverse effects.