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TKR Smarttoys recovery

Thank you Marian.
My daughter is very excited and looking forward to competing tomorrow. I hope everything goes well for her also. She has improved here handling skills quite a bit. Sometimes she does better than me. It helps that she's young and can get around the course quickly.
 
John, it is great to hear how well you are doing! Congratulations on the trials and I hope your daughter is doing well today also. Achieiving some normalcy in your life with your ability to compete must be a great feeling. What would you say are your challenges now? What do you want to change about your knee? I wish you continued recovery and many winning trials for you and Buddy.
 
Thank you Janis.

Unfortunately the agility trials did not go as planned today. Two days in a row at a new facility was just too much for Buddy to take. He refused to work for my daughter and kept leaving the ring to look for me. I could tell that he was very stressed out so we called it a day after the first three runs. I should have stopped him sooner but I was hoping he would get at least one good run in with my daughter before we left. Hopefully so that they could end on a good note. It was painful for me to watch knowing that it was stressful for both of them.

Timetolive said:
What would you say are your challenges now? What do you want to change about your knee?
Click to expand...

The main challenge I have right now is that I'm not completely healed. I have been busy with with work and home and hobbies so my knee doesn't get much of a chance to rest. It's a vicious cycle. I feel better so I do more but by doing more I cause myself some pain and swelling.

For changes, I would like my knee to be a bit less clunky. A little more flexion would be nice too.

Time and healing should improve things quite a bit.
 
John, I am sorry about today. I do hope your daughter was not too upset about it. Poor Buddy. I wish we lived closer and you could work with Charlie! We have had three classes now. last week at the end of class, we did go through the tire and walked on a board thing. It was just for fun. We were working on the loose leash walk and I got hemmed in a corner with two aggressive dogs on either side. Charlie got really stressed. Although it was not good, I finally maneuvered around one of them. He still will not go in the down position there. I really think it makes him too vulnerable with the rest of the big dogs. He is the smallest there.

I asked you the questions about your knee for comparison since we are about the same in recovery. I am right there with you on the swelling and pain. My knee is a rotating platform, so it has some give and it is odd when I ride my bike and it feels like it "clicks". Is your replacement a rotating platform? I have never gotten zero extension. I am working on stretching my hamstrings hoping that will help. Perhaps the two years will be accurate, but I am still hoping for that one year anniversary!
 
Janis,
My knee is the fixed bearing, not the rotating platform. My main issues with the clunky feel is because my OS wasn't able to balance my ligaments perfectly. My MCL is a bit loose in comparison to my LCL. It isn't bad and I think things will adjust and adapt over time. I don't usually feel anything when walking, running, or bicycling but when I'm a bit swollen, sore, and tired it gets to be more noticeable.

Luckily I didn't have to work on extension much during my recovery. It was at 0 or better right away. The only time I lost extension was when I overdid things and swelled up.

Dog classes can be a bit stressful. It would be nice if the instructor could keep the more aggressive dogs further away from some of the softer dogs like Charlie so he doesn't get so stressed.

Speaking of dogs and stress. Buddy really had a tough day. After the very stressful day at the agility trial I took him for a walk this evening and he got rushed by two dogs. One dog went for his face and the other went for his back legs. I was able to keep the dog away from his back legs. Luckily the owners came running out of their house and grabbed their dogs. Buddy only had a couple teeth marks on his nose. I know Buddy bit the dog that went for his face but I don't think the dog was hurt too badly. I told the owner to check their dog over well. They apologized and we went on our way. It seemed like Buddy couldn't catch a break today. I'll try to make it up to him this week with lots of play time and treats.
 
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Hugs for Buddy.:dogsniff: A dog attack can happen in a split second for sure. I personally have been attacked and bitten on the arm, so I am sorry Buddy was bitten. I am a firm believer in dogs either being inside or in a fence, or on a leash. It is terrifying.
 
Poor Buddy!

John, you were a lot nicer to the owner of the dogs that rushed Buddy than I would have been. I have no sympathy whatsoever for people who don't keep their dogs under control. It was the owner's fault - dogs should not be able to rush out like that. I've even heard it recommended that you don't leave your dog in the front garden, because it feels it has to defend its territory from passers-by.

Janis, If a dog bites a human where I live, the dog is put down. No excuses accepted.
 
Janis and Celle,
It is frustrating for sure but being that I am around a lot of different dogs with varying temperaments I try to take it in stride. The owners of the dogs had an underground fence and the dogs had the shock collars on. So either they ran through the boundary or the collars had dead batteries. I'm not a big fan of shock collars and underground fences.

Unfortunately Buddy has some aggression issues with dogs and strangers and I have been working on that for over three years. He has made good progress but I keep getting these setbacks. Buddy seemed to get over it pretty fast so hopefully no long term setback.
 
So I have mentioned earlier that I have been a lot more active the last couple months mainly because I want to get on with living my life normally. I still get some pain and swelling by the end of the day. Especially when I work all day (8-10 hours on my feet) and then come home to mow lawn, walk the dogs, and play with the kids, etc. I took @Timetolive 's advise and went to a medical supply place and got fitted for compression stockings. I have worn one for the last 4 days or so and it makes a noticeable difference for me and it's very comfortable. I went with the Juzo brand of thigh high stocking with the silicone grip on the top. I think it's a step up from the one Janis got. It was about $110 for a pair. Since I was planning on wearing them at work I ordered a black pair. I may just have to get another pair in tan color to wear with shorts.:)

I tried wearing just a compression knee sleeve at different times but it just seemed to trap the swelling in my knee and was uncomfortable.
 
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@Celle, in NC, unless it is a listed dangerous dog breed, the first bite is "free". Ridiculous isn't it?? it was a lab that bit me. Thankfully, they do not bite and rip, but have a "soft" bite. In other words, I had a crush injury. he damaged the muscles and nerves in my arm.

John, I am glad you tried the compression thigh highs and they are helping you. I have the Juzo brand also. When you say step up , do you mean in compression? I do have the lightest - 18. I will say they are HOT! We are already hitting 90 here. Since they come in pairs, it is nice to rotate them. I am not sure if they told you, but do not wash them in Woolight. It will destroy the elastic fibers. They told me to put mine in a lingerie bag (like your wife would wash her bras in) on a low setting in my washer, then hang to dry. It does help to restore the stretch/tightness. Even just rinsing in water at night works. I am handful they showed me how to put them on properly! Getting properly fitted makes a difference doesn't it?
 
Janis, I was given the Juzo Dynamic stockings 20-30 mmHg compression. It was 80 degrees here today and the stocking seemed to breath well. I will see how it feels when it gets warmer.
 
Buddy and I had another successful weekend at the agility trials. I wasn't able to run the whole day on Saturday because I needed to be home early for my two daughters dance recital. Which by the way was fun to watch. So we ran three events on Saturday and five events today (Sunday) and ended up with 8 qualifying runs and 8 first place finishes. My daughter did not run Buddy this weekend but a person at the trial offered to let my daughter run one of her dogs for one event. She did great with a qualifying run and a second place finish.

So how does my knee feel after all this running around? Not too bad. It was a little sore here and there. Especially after I just completed a fast run where I was running and pivoting a lot. I have been wearing my compression stocking every day since I got them and I think it helps keep the swelling down when I'm active. It's comfortable too.
 
Congratulations to you and Buddy!! What is a qualifying run? Do you accumulate points from them or something? Great news for your daughter too! Does this daughter also participate in dance? Oh, I remember the days of having young children with lots to do. Enjoy. It sounds like you are an involved father and that will go far as your daughters mature and have to deal with some not so pleasant things of life and dating.

Charlie got out of the gate on Saturday. Even though he has a very solid recall in the backyard, he would not come and ran like the wind. So terrifying as he crossed two busy roads. Thankfully my neighbor and a HVAC repairman helped us catch him. It was very disappointing and disheartening to see him not pay any attention.

I concur about the stockings. I have my 7 month checkup on Wednesday. I am anxious to see what he says about the swelling. Do you have any swelling in your lower leg or just around your knee? Are you still icing? My neighbor picked me up in his truck to help me catch up with Charlie and when we thought we had him corralled, I jumped out of the truck and landed on the leg with the TKR. It held up but is not feeling the best.
 
Janis, a qualifying run is one you get points for and that's what everybody wants. The placement ribbons are just a little extra bonus. The points are what you need to win awards and titles. I think a person needs a certain number of points to attend a Nationals agility trial. A lot of people were talking about one coming up soon in Ohio. I'm still learning about all the rules. I have won quite a few lower level titles with Buddy but I am not a serious competitor. I just do it for fun.

Yes, my daughter that likes agility also dances. My other daughter does gymnastics and dances.

I'm sorry to hear that Charlie got out. It can take a long time for a dog to get a solid recall (come) when they are out of their normal element. Like out of the house and their yard. Beagle noses can take them anywhere. Keep your cool and keep working on him. Just don't get angry with Charlie after the fact. He will just think you are mad at him for coming back to you. Lot's of praise and treats every time he comes to you even in the house or fenced yard. I use to work on recall with my dogs in new areas with a long 25 foot leash. That way if they didn't come when called I could just reel them. I will never forget what a trainer told me years ago about what to do when your dog gets loose and doesn't come back right away. She said, when you finally catch your dog you can call him every dirty name under the sun if that makes you feel better but just sound happy, happy, happy!

There were a couple beagles at last weekend's agility trial. They did pretty well but their noses led them astray a few times.

Hopefully your knee feels better soon after the jump out of the truck. My swelling is only in the knee area and mostly laterally. I haven't iced for months even though I know I probably should. I don't elevate very much either.
 
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So here is a quick 7 month update. My knee is doing about the same and getting stronger every day. It's hard to see big improvements at this point in recovery. Improvements seem to slow down compared to the relatively quick improvements seen in the first three months. I saw my OS a couple of days ago to have him look at a small stubborn area of swelling on the lateral side of my knee. It's not noticeable until I bend my knee and that spot bulges out a bit. I still have some excess fluid in my knee and he thinks that is what's causing that puffy spot when I bend my knee. He said my knee looks good and is very happy with the strength and range of motion.

On another note. While I was in the area for my appointment I visited a friend of mine who was in the hospital. She had both knees replaced 5 years ago and just recently had her 5 year checkup where everything looked great. About two weeks ago she woke up in the morning and noticed that her right knee was extremely stiff and painful. She went in right away and they found that she had a staph infection in her knee. They got her into surgery the same day for a washout, spacer change, and antibiotic beads were put in the knee joint. She had to wear an immobilizer for a week then followed by another surgery for antibiotic bead removal, washout, and another spacer change. She has a PICC line in her arm and will be on IV antibiotics for 6 weeks and will see an infectious disease doctor to monitor her. Hopefully that takes care of it for her. She has no idea where she got the infection and it's very unfortunate that it traveled to her knee.

While it's scary to think about infection, it's also comforting to know that this hospital has an aggressive protocol for treating infection quickly.

This is the same hospital where I had my surgery. A bunch of the nurses recognized me and asked how I was doing. One of the nice things about going to a smaller hospital.
 
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John,

Good report! What did your OS say about the compression stockings?

I am sorry your friend is having problems. I think at this point, infection is my greatest fear. My thoughts were that after a year it would not be a concern. My OS did tell me to be on the lookout for a tooth infection, UTI, or any infection that I get elsewhere. Do you know if your friend was on antibiotics for dental work? She will be in my prayers for a complete recovery.

You are right about not noticing the "big" milestones and improvements at this point. I also find myself not remembering the pain as much. I don't think I am ready to do it again though! That torn meniscus is just fine in the left knee. :heehee:

Enjoy your day.
 
Janis, I didn't say anything about the compression stockings to my OS. I didn't wear it to the appointment and I forgot to mention it.

My friend has the same OS as I do and he still recommends antibiotics prior to any dental work. She does work at a humane society and I think that would expose a person to more chances of picking up an infection of some kind.

As a mechanic I'm always getting cuts on my hands and fingers that sometimes get a little infected. I mentioned that to my OS and he did agree that I am constantly in the line of fire there. He gave me a prescription for antibiotics to keep on hand in case I get a cut that gets infected.
 
John, @smarttoys. I just had to stop in and let you know that Charlie and I graduated today!! Basic Fundamentals class finished and we are able to go to the Intermediate class. Also, Charlie won the sit, stay, sit, race! There were two rows of cones. Each row had three cones about 5 feet apart. At the first cone, we had to sit, second, was down, third was sit, then a race to the wall. Through elimination, we had to run four times. The knee held up well! I was pooped, but Charlie did really well. He has a good sit, down is a little slower. Thanks for all your support. We are going to continue classes for Charlie's socialization.
 
@Timetolive Janis, that's awesome! Congratulations to both of you. I'm glad the knee held up to all of that. We have little competitions and games in some of our classes too. I think they're a lot of fun, especially when you win. Isn't it a great feeling when you have a good day and everything just "clicks"(and I'm not talking about your knee:snork:).

I was going to put Buddy back in some classes soon to for socialization and to keep our skills sharp but the friend of mine that had the knee infection is also the trainer/instructor for those classes. I will just have to concentrate on agility classes and competitions for now.
 
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John, I do hope your friend recovers quickly and has no longstanding issues.

We do some agility at the end of class and the Intermediate class focuses on pre-agility also. I think I am going to pick up some PVC and build some obstacles (? - not sure what they are called) for Charlie.) It is always good to practice at home. I am sure I can find on the internet how to do these. He walks too fast when we do loose leash walking, I need to work on that. I think perhaps he is trying to keep up with the big dogs!
 
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