TKR Smarttoys recovery

[PegGar16]

4 week update. I feel a little guilty posting anything with all the problems some of the other members are going through but here goes.[/QU

Hey John..don't ever hold back the good stuff!!!! There are times that is what I need to hear..the success stories

 

[newlybionic]

You're doing well. It seems my knee has been making less noise the further I am into my recovery.

 

[Megan]

Great news on your progress. I have had to do some unexpected jobs also and I definitely notice increased tightness and swelling the next day. Life continues on and we do the best we can
Megan


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[Timetolive]

John, please don't ever feel guilty about posting your progress! REading what a "normal" recovery is helps me see what should be going on. We are all in this together, so we empathize, sympathize, and cheer each other along. THAT is what support is - a myriad of emotions and reactions to circumstances that we all encounter. I am happy for you and your recovery!

 

[referee54]

Do not feel at all guilty about reporting progress---we love to see that---and it gives others who may be struggling at the moment help in that they know that they will get there, too!

Having a TKR is all about returning to "normal"!

 

[kneeper]

Good report!

 

[samp]

super glad to find your recovery thread and find someone having a relatively uneventful recovery like I am. I too was feeling guilty for having it so "easy" (nothing easy about TKR) and not having nausea or sleep or pain troubles abound.


---------------------------------
RTKR
08 Dec 15
|| 25 Years Young ||

 

[New England Librarian]

Inthink most people find a forum like because they are struggling with some issue, and searching the web for information - that's how I found BoneSmart, and probably many of you did also. So it's really great to hear everyone's stories, whether your recovery takes a few days to several years, whether you find it easy or painful, and if it was filled with complications or just the usual complaints! I find value in everyone's stories, especially when one of the moderators drops in to remind us of the wide variety of "normal" for TKRs. My thanks to everyone who posts here.

 

[smarttoys]

4 1/2 weeks out and I had PT again yesterday. My therapist had a "mentor" supervising him while he was working with all his clients. The supervisor thought I was progressing nicely considering my history of injuries and surgeries. He suggested one different stretch for flexion but otherwise we didn't do anything new. My measurements were 110/0. He also thought my therapist's initial goal of 120 degrees flexion at 6 weeks was a bit too optimistic. I agree and I'm pretty sure I won't reach 120 by then unless my swelling and tightness goes away quickly. I plan on taking things slowly for awhile.

I stopped by the Humane Society again after PT and sat in and helped for one of the dog training classes. The instructor said I should have known I would be put to work if I was there. I told her I wouldn't have it any other way.

I plan on letting my daughter run my dog at the next local CPE Agility Trial coming up January 8-10. I will bring my ice machine with because I may be on my feet and walking around quite a bit that weekend. Hopefully it's not too hard on my knee. I should have plenty of opportunities to ice and elevate

 

[referee54]

With your numbers, you are doing quite well!

He also thought my therapist's initial goal of 120 degrees flexion at 6 weeks was a bit too optimistic.

Do not worry about time-frame goals---they can be quite frustrating at times---you will get there when you get there, so do not worry at all about the time it takes---for some reason, recoveries seem to take longer than we plan, or like them too, mine included.

 

[Megan]

Sounds like you had a great week.


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[newlybionic]

You are doing very well and I'm happ for you. Your ROM is excellent. I'm happy you're able to resume some of the activities that are important for you.

 

[smarttoys]

I'm 5 weeks out of surgery today. I had PT this morning. They are starting to add some strengthening exercises for my knee now along with my normal stretches and hip and glute exercises. So far so good.

I don't plan on returning to work until the end of January or the first part of February and then I will probably only work half days for a while. I have a very active job and I want to make sure I can actually perform my work well.

Today I was able to attend my first agility class with my dog since my surgery and was able to direct him pretty well considering I could only walk between obstacles. My dog and I are only at novice level so sending him to obstacles far away from me is still a work in progress. My dog was a little confused as to why I was moving so slowly but he did well in spite of it.

 

[smarttoys]

6 week out from surgery today. I had an uneventful PT appointment this morning. No new stretches or exercises. Right now I seem to be stuck at around 110-114 degrees flexion for the last week or two. I still have a fair amount of swelling and tightness. I did progress from 90 to 110 degrees fairly fast so maybe I will have another jump in flexion soon. My next follow up with the OS is on Jan 6th.

I have returned to agility training classes with my dog and he is slowly getting used to running the courses with me moving slowly. I've practiced with him four times this past week. My 10 year old daughter is practicing with my dog so she can also compete with him while I am healing. We plan on competing at the next agility trial on Jan 8-10. I will be competing the first two days and my daughter will compete on the last day. I should be fine if I take the time to elevate and ice during the day and I will be close to 8 weeks out of surgery by then.

 

[newlybionic]

Your ROM is good. I only have 110 on my own (a PT pushed me a month or so ago and got 120). I am starting to move a little more each week. I was at 90 at 2 weeks out and things have been up and down since then. You'll keep moving forward. It sounds like fun doing dog agility classes. What kind of dog do you have?

 

[smarttoys]

@newlybionic I have three dogs. A black lab mix (Lily), a yellow lab mix (Buddy), and a maltipoo (Sam). My daughter has done some training and competing with the maltipoo but he has a short attention span and it's been difficult keeping him focused.

I compete with the yellow lab mix Buddy, the one in my profile picture. He's a fairly large dog and not built well for agility but he has fun doing it. We tried an agility class a couple years ago with both big dogs and Buddy really took to it. I just started competing with him last year and we have earned a number of novice titles already. We do it just for fun but it's still nice to win ribbons and titles.

 

[newlybionic]

I have three small dogs but one of them probably would do very well with it. She's a bischon/maltese mix and looks like a mini poodle with long legs. I'll have to see if there are any programs out by me.

 

[samp]

Sounds like you're still trucking. The agility comps do sound wild fun I wish you luck in a couple weeks.

Do you still swell up very much?


RTKR - 08DEC15

 

[smarttoys]

Yes, I do swell up more if I'm on my feet for more than a couple hours which I think is pretty normal at this point in my recovery. Standing in one spot is the worst.

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[smarttoys]

We had a pretty nasty snow storm come through my area yesterday and overnight. I got up early this morning and spent two hours shoveling and plowing snow with my ATV. I think we only got around 8 inches of snow but it was windy and that made it a lot deeper in spots. My knee was uncomfortable to start with when I was plowing snow but it felt better by the time I was done. Probably because it was similar to icing my knee riding around on the four wheeler in the cold.

I'm glad we didn't get any snow earlier in the season. I needed at least 90-95 degrees flexion to sit comfortably on the ATV.