TKR Sewhat's 2nd Recovery thread LTKR

[sewhat]

@Celle, Yes, that's what mine look like.

@luvcats, It's so annoying. I tried sleeping in the recliner for awhile, but then I couldn't use my ice machine. Nowhere to plug it in.

I'm saving my remaining pain pills for therapy. Last night I had to get up and take some arthritis strength Tylenol. I'll be glad to get this tape off. It seems to add to the tight feeling of my skin. I think he will take it off on Wednesday.

 

[Jockette]

I'm saving my remaining pain pills for therapy.

Painful therapy is bad therapy. If it causes enough pain that you need a prescription pain reliever then it is doing more harm than good.

You are very early in recovery. You don’t need a lot of therapy, you need to let your knee heal.

Your ROM numbers were fabulous right away, so you don’t have to worry about regaining it, the potential is there. If the number has gone down it’s because of swelling. Stop doing that painful therapy which increases swelling and you’ll need less of those pain pills.

It’s not exercising that gets our range of motion back, it’s Time:

Time to recover.
Time for pain and swelling to settle.
Time to heal.

Our range of motion is right there all
along just waiting for that to happen so it can show itself.

In the general run of things, it doesn't need to be fought for, worked hard for or worried about. It will happen. Exercise as in strength training is counter-productive and in the early weeks does more harm than good. Normal activity is the key to success.

 

[Carole4815]

Sewhat, you said "I tried sleeping in the recliner for awhile, but then I couldn't use my ice machine. Nowhere to plug it in."

I hadn't thought of that. Maybe you could ask your hubby or other caregiver to buy or borrow an extension cord for your ice machine, so that you could ice in your recliner too? But if it is upstairs, then you would also have to get someone to lug the ice machine upstairs for you every time you wanted to nap in your recliner. That would probably be enough going on, to wake you up again. Or it would be for me, if I was in your situation. I am so lucky to live in a small one story home with no stairs, and also to have my "recovery nest" all set up with my recliner and an ice machine right there.

I do know what you mean by that feeling of tightness, that seems like it must be due to the steri-strips tape. For me, removing the tape doesn't seem to get rid of it. I'm going to post on my thread about this.

 

[kneeper]

Generally you're much better off having decent pain control all the time rather than taking meds in order to do PT.

 

[sewhat]

Today was a lazy day. I didn't go to church, I knew I couldn't stay awake that long. I spent some time going over the first week's lessons for homeschooling my granddaughter. I have my books, but my daughter that is coming this week has the student books. I cut out some things I had laminated for school, showered, dressed and did some simple stretches on the bed. Then I put my ice machine and went to sleep. I slept until Hubby got home. I did a few loads of clothes to make sure we are caught up for this busy week coming up. I have allergy shot, appt with surgeon, appt with neurologist and daughter and grandkids coming. Good thing tomorrow is another day off.

 

[Celle]

@sewhat - I think you're planning to do too much. It's only 2 weeks since you had this major surgery. You should be spending most of your time resting, icing and elevating, and taking your medications on a regular schedule.
Read this again, and do try to follow its recommendations:
Activity progression for TKRs

 

[sewhat]

@sewhat - I think you're planning to do too much. It's only 2 weeks since you had this major surgery. You should be spending most of your time resting, icing and elevating, and taking your medications on a regular schedule.
Read this again, and do try to follow its recommendations:
Activity progression for TKRs

What can I say? Like my PT says, I'm an overachiever. lol

After yesterday's lazy day, I couldn't sleep last night. Finally at 4 a.m. I took a Benedryl and slept for one. whole. hour. I even tried the recliner. I got hungry and had a mini pizza. The hydrocodone was helping me sleep. It was also causing this choir that keeps singing in my ear. Christmas songs! And I was hearing things like a dog fight, and hurrying outside to break it up. I have enough weird stuff with Parkinson's .

 

[sistersinhim]

I'm saving my remaining pain pills for therapy.

You shouldn't be taking pain pills to get through therapy. You need to feel the pain, that way you will know that your knee isn't ready for that. Covering up that pain will allow you to do too much. That will set your recovery back with more inflamation, swelling and pain. Easy does it will get your healed without terrible pain. Your knee isn't out of shape, it's traumatized and severely injured. Your number one job is to heal not to exercise.

 

[Celle]

What can I say? Like my PT says, I'm an overachiever. lol

Try not to be an over achiever during your recovery. Your knee needs to make slow, gentle progress. This recovery is a marathon, not a sprint, so you need to pace yourself.

You can't make your knee heal faster than it is ready to, but you could slow down its recovery by asking too much of it, too soon..

 

[sewhat]

I didn't do anything today but read my Kindle. No laundry, no dishes, nada. Since my daughter's coming to help, I'll have her change the bed linens. She has a gluten free kid so she has all the menus figured out.

I haven't been using my walker around the house. I'm trying to remember that I don't need to limp and concentrate on letting my knee bend naturally instead of keeping it stiff and straight. I find that if my knee is feeling tight, if I do a minute or two on my recumbent bike it feels better.

Try not to be an over achiever during your recovery. Your knee needs to make slow, gentle progress. This recovery is a marathon, not a sprint, so you need to pace yourself.

You can't make your knee heal faster than it is ready to, but you could slow down its recovery by asking too much of it, too soon..

I think it's because I am doing so much better with this knee than with the first knee. I have not had any of the leg feeling like a log. I've been able to lift it and get in and out of bed right from the start. The nurses looked at each other when I did it the first time. My ROM has been unbelievable, I don't even need a walker. Last time, Hubby waited on me hand and foot. This time we made all these preparations for help and I don't need it. I could drive if Hubby would let me. Maybe I'm getting to confident and riding for a fall. I don't know.

 

[sewhat]

My daughter, the PTA, just came over to do my Ted hose. She brought her measuring thingie with her and measured my flexion. It was 110. I'm at day 14.

 

[Jockette]

That is a very nice ROM!

Keep in mind that ROM does not tell the whole story and you are in the healing process after a surgery that caused a lot of trauma to your leg.

Take it easy so you can continue to heal well.

 

[sewhat]

My daughter arrived with all 4 kids; boy 16, girl 14, girl 10 and boy 8. The oldest is taller than me now and his voice has gotten deeper. My daughter had ordered groceries online and had stopped to pick them up on the way here. They unloaded the car and the 3 from next door came over. It was loud. The school books were brought in and unloaded on my lap and I got to browse through them.

The next door family went home and sleeping bags were brought out. Daddy called to talk to everybody and things quieted down. It's 1:30 a.m. and I'm awake again. I brought my laptop to bed with me to keep me company since the living room is now a dormitory.

Later today I see my surgeon to remove the tape which is starting to peel off. I'm hoping he'll say I can ditch my walker. I don't use it in the house anyway. Then in the afternoon I have PT after 4 days off.

 

[sewhat]

Today was my first post op appointment. I took my walker, but didn't really use it. The nurse was watching me as I walked in and said something about me sprinting. When we got to the room she took off the tape. She put alcohol and acetate on it and it stung like crazy. Then she started to slowly and gently peel off the tape, then ripped it off! Yipes! The reason that it stung was because I had a big blister beside the incision from my skin stretching when it was swollen. When she ripped it off it bled in a couple of places. She put steri strips over the whole thing.

When the doctor came in, he asked me to hold my leg out straight to check my extension. It was 0. Then he asked me to do a leg lift. No problem. Then he asked for a heel slide and I did it. He had me walk down the hall without the walker and I did. Then he said to ditch the Ted hose and the walker and I can drive because I'm off the hydrocodone. Yippee!

Then I went to PT. When he came to get me, I just walked in and he wanted to know where my walker was. I told him the doctor said I don't have to use it anymore and he gave me a high five. He didn't like the looks of the blisterl I don't like the feeling of alcohol on it. lol
When he measured me at the end of therapy, I was 118/0. Another high five.

My daughter and I had ice cream to celebrate. Then I went home to ice and nap while the grand kids made supper.

 

[Celle]

You're doing very well.
I'm sorry the nurse used alcohol - guaranteed to sting. Try to keep the blister site clean and dry. If it's still leaking, cover it with a sterile gauze dressing.

 

[sistersinhim]

What a super doctor's appointment you had! Except for that burning. Ouch! Now, you are free to drive. That was a real turning point in my recovery. Enjoy that new freedom, but not too much to cause you a setback.

 

[sewhat]

My steri strips are already starting to curl. I'm walking just fine with no limp. I' m sleeping better too. My daughter gets after me for emptying the dishwasher or folding clothes. Her kids are either here or next door doing schoolwork. They watch classes online so we have to split them up because our internet can't handle 4 computers streaming at once.
I leave for therapy soon. Hubby will have 5 kids. One went with her daddy to pick up a trailer.

 

[sewhat]

I had a good therapy session. Therapist is pleased with my progress. After therapy we had to pick up a few things at the grocery store. These kids can go through milk like it comes out of the faucet. I also grabbed a few things for school.

When we got home, the kids were just finishing lunch and had ours ready for us. After lunch took a nap while icing and elevating then did some school prep. When I came back downstairs it was very quiet. Grandkids were all doing schoolwork and youngest was napping. Hubby had gone to a doctor appointment. His leg is finally healing.

The grandkids discovered the game of Risk and have been playing the last few days. That keeps them busy.

I went to sleep fairly easy but have been awake for a couple of hours now. It's only 6 o'clock and it's Saturday.

 

[sewhat]

Here I am awake in the middle of the night again...sigh. I've been off pain meds for quite a while now. I don't. Even need them for PT. I'm just taking Tylenol.

My daughter and two oldest grandkids cleaned my kitchen, pantry and bathroom for mme.The cousins have enjoyed their time together.

 

[luvcats]

If only I'd stopped here first we could have had a chat at 3 am!


It sounds like your family is day by day getting closer to 'normal for you' and you're enjoying life.