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TKR Slow recovery from TKR

A little “straying” is okay. We are a family after all and families do have some personal chat now and then. But since this is @westiemom ’s thread, just be mindful about a lot of off topic posts. :)
 
I didn't even realize this was my thread! I jump around on the forum and forget whose thread I'm in. So it's all okay with me for being on here and being off topic. Sometimes it's nice to hear something that DOESN'T have to do with knees and pain and impatience.
I'm going to take a nap. Had tests for my heart today and then lunch and now I'm exhausted. I did use my walker cause the building is so big and I didn't know how far I'd have to walk. I had to lay on my left side for an hour and boy, did that hurt! I still can't lay on my left side for very long without hurting. I lay on my back to sleep.
Right now we have 7 little dogs underfoot. Love them, but scared of tripping over them. They always make me smile though
@Oldped @beralc
Don't worry about taking over my thread; there's a few of us that feel like we're really friends IRL :console2:
 
westiemom said:
Sometimes it's nice to hear something that DOESN'T have to do with knees and pain and impatience.
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westiemom said:
Don't worry about taking over my thread; there's a few of us that feel like we're really friends IRL
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I agree with y'all and sometimes it's fun to read and not Mod, lol. :wink: Every once in awhile a group of four or five come along, that really hit it off, forming a bond as they're healing together. I was fortunate enough to have that in my recovery so I get it. One is still my friend today...over 7.5 yrs later!
Sleep well tonight ladies!
 
You can tell whose thread it is by looking at the background color of each post. The person starting the thread (the Opening Poster or OP) has posts with a blue background. All other members and staff who post have white backgrounds. We do this to try and help members remember whose thread they are in. It is easy to lose track when you’re jumping around to talk with several members. But, as Layla said, we love it when some of our members “click” and form a bond. You’d be surprised to know how many BoneSmarties that’s happened to. Some even travel to visit each other in other parts of the world after their joints are functional again! BoneSmarties are a very, very special group. :friends:
 
No news on my knee, but great news about my heart!! Had an echocardiogram yesterday and doctor called me last night to tell me my Ejection Fraction rate increased from 19% to 31% :dancy: :happydance: Normal is above 55% and at 10-15% you get put on the transfer list. Such good news I just had to share!
 
That is fantastic news, westiemom! I'll bet that put a little spring in your step.
Reassuring news to precede the day of which "the heart" is a symbol.
Happy Valentines Day! :loveshwr: :roseshwr:
@westiemom
 
Oh my gosh, @westiemom ….this is HUGE!! I’m so happy for you. Do you have any idea what led to the improvement? If so, I’d sure keep on doing that.
 
@Jamie
I am on three very expensive heart drugs, but I honestly think it's because my head doesn't really believe my heart is so bad so I just keep doing things that, with my EF number, I probably couldn't do. I just push myself and say "it's not that bad; I can do this" and go on with my life. My subconscience knows how bad my heart is, but I just put my head in the sand and go "la la la". My cardiologist has always been amazed at how much stuff I could do with my low EF. I was originally diagnosed with EF of 10-15 and they were going to put me on the transfer list, but I got a 2nd opinion and that was 20%, so I changed doctors.:loll: I have lost 50 pounds and eat an extremely limited diet of salad and baked chicken breast. I do splurge about once every 10 days for a non-healthy meal, then go back immediately to my normal meal. Thank heavens hubby wants me to be healthy so he is in agreement with the limited diet. He snacks at night on other stuff, but I'm pretty good at sticking to my food. It's not fun, but the alternative is worse, so....
 
Bravo for you, @westiemom. There is no doubt to me that your actions have made the difference. Here’s to a long and healthy life for you and your heart! Decades ago, my Mom had bypass surgery (1974) when it wasn’t the routine procedure it is today. Afterwards the doctor put her on a rigid diet and she ate that for many, many years. She never had problems with her heart again. Once she got into her 80’s, the doctors told her to enjoy herself and (within reason) eat whatever she wanted. She cheerfully complied, ate well, and made it to age 86. In her later years, I could always bring a smile to her face if I showed up with a beef enchilada all smothered in cheese. That, Kentucky Fried Chicken and steak were her favorites.

So, again, I’d say good for you and keep doing what you’re doing!!!
 
I just joined the Insiders Club. How do I ask a specific couple of questions to staff ? Is there a certain place to ask or just in my normal thread?
Thanks!
 
Thanks everyone for the congrats on my CHF Ejection Fraction improvement! It's taken a lot of willpower to keep from eating my favorite foods and take the meds that have a lot of side effects. But I will keep on keeping on since I want to stay alive. :)
 
westiemom said:
just joined the Insiders Club. How do I ask a specific couple of questions to staff ?
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Welcome!
Ask away and we will see if we can answer your questions.
 
Feb. 12th was 3 months since TKR. I still have some pretty good aching in my knee plus the lightning jabs. Just sitting with my legs elevated, my knee aches. There is still a part around the scar that is still reddish and there is still one small scab. The other day there was a nodule about 3/8" in diameter and it was hard and didn't move. There was also a tail like swelling below it for about 2" long. It disappeared two days later. I have my final checkup with my OS 3/12 and don't know enough to ask him. My ROM is about -1on straight, but still only about 90-ish on the bend. DH watches me walk and says I'm not limping as much (walking more naturally). If I overdo things, then I still swell up. I think I'm a slow healer, but not sure. This all sounds so back and forth, I just have no idea if I should bring up a MUA (which my OS didn't think I would want at my 2.5 month followup) Plus he's relatively new, so wouldn't want him to do one anyway. He talked about all the bad things that could happen with MUA. I still have almost as much pain walking as I did before my TKR. The only person I know who has had a TKR was up and normal after 3 months, so she doesn't understand why I'm not so not much use talking to her.

Guess I just want some advice from people about their length of pain and aching.
 
westiemom said:
The other day there was a nodule about 3/8" in diameter and it was hard and didn't move. There was also a tail like swelling below it for about 2" long. It disappeared two days later. I have my final checkup with my OS 3/12 and don't know enough to ask him.
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Could you photograph anything that worries you and send it to your surgeon?
I worried about my wound healing and sent a couple of pictures to the team.
There is no harm in getting reassurance.
Photos also help to monitor things.
westiemom said:
DH watches me walk and says I'm not limping as much (walking more naturally).
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That's a good sign. My husband also noticed that I was walking better and straighter before I really felt the progress myself.
westiemom said:
I still have almost as much pain walking as I did before my TKR. The only person I know who has had a TKR was up and normal after 3 months, so she doesn't understand why I'm not so not much use
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Everyone is different. We all had different levels of damage and soft tissue weaknesses. I struggled for several months with chronic weakness of my MCL which led to pain on stairs. I also hadn't had a very painful knee before surgery- so like you I had more pain afterwards for a long time. Just ignore irritating friends who had perfect recoveries. They may also be forgetting how bad it was. It's a bit like childbirth- once you really start to feel better you forget the awful bits.
I would look at the Oxford knee score (it's here on BoneSmart) and fill it out every 2-3 weeks. It's a good way to monitor your progress and will help to discuss things with your surgeon at your up coming appointment. Also trying to monitor and measure how much you can do, can be reassuring. I found my Fitbit showed clear evidence that I was walking more as the weeks went by.
Are you still icing regularly if you swell up?
I carried on icing for months because I found it helpful after I had walked and exercised.
Worrying is normal. This is such a difficult journey and it is so hard to separate out what is normal and what is not.
 
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