TKR So much harder than I expected

[MidwestTKR]

Thank you everyone for your replies!!!! I forced myself to rest and elevate many times yesterday while I was off. Today when I went back to work, I brought my ice pack and wrapped my knee in it while I was driving to work and then put it on my knee while I was working several times as well. Then again, iced it on my way home and again while I was eating dinner and now again while I am elevating and checking posts. It is amazing, because I can see a big difference when I ice and elevate! So much less pain and stiffness!!! I have to remember that this is a necessity still. I have to remind myself because it's so easy to think we should be feeling so much better by now.

@tigz , I can really sympathize with you since we are very close in our post-up course. Have you found that people you work with expected you'd be further along in your recovery? Are they understanding of what you are going through? My quads are also weak since I put off doing the surgery for 7 years. My muscle tone went down the tubes.... What type of quad exercises are you doing?

 

[jbrooklyn]

Welcome, @MidwestTKR. Less is more. It sounds like you are doing too much. You will almost surely feel WAY better if you do the Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation routine almost all your waking hours. My PT tells me to do 3 sets of a bunch of exercises . . . except for when I see my PT, I do literally none of them except for gentle heel slides and walking. At 3 weeks and a day after BTKR, I can walk around for 30 min on flat ground comfortably. My flex is not where I want it to be, but it will get there. Best thing you can do is listen to your knee. My knee is telling me not to push the flex--when I do it hurts a lot, and then hurts for 2 days afterward. So no more of that for a while. Rest, ice, and elevation are my most constant buddies. I hope you are able to rest your knee a bunch.

Glad to hear you spoke up in response to that terrible coworker. People who undermine their colleagues are awful. She has never had tkr and doesn't know what she's talking about. I hope you are able to return to work gradually, at the pace that works best for your health. There is no rushing this, no gaming it. Peace and keep coming back for support and information. This site is the best for both.

 

[MidwestTKR]

@jbrooklyn , thank you for your reply! I am from NY originally! I grew up in Long Island and went to college in upstate NY. Then lived in Manhattan for a year with my first job out of college as a nurse and them moved to Queens until I relocated to the Midwest. So I feel like we have something in common besides our knees! lol

I am assuming your comment about that coworker, means you read the first page of my thread? If you did, that same coworker, rather than asking how I was feeling when I came back, extended her hand out to me and said, "Hi, I'm (insert her name), Nice to meet you. " That was her typical passive aggressive way of implying that I was gone way too long. This is the same nurse that said I would not need 12 weeks off before my operation and told me her husband was only out of work for 2 1/2 weeks after a hip replacement. She never asked me how I was feeling despite seeing me using a cane to get around. The good news however, is that the rest of the nurses except 1 other, were really sweet to me and in fact, 2 of them had bought flowers for me and put them at my desk and told me how happy they were to have me back! That made me feel great the first day back. I don't know what is wrong with the other 2 co-workers that acted like that, but it is obviously THEIR issue! I think it's so weird!

I am so grateful I found this board. It has been a life saver for me when I was worried about my recovery. Knowing others know what we are going through and are so supportive is such a blessing!!! Thank you all!!!

 

[jbrooklyn]

Hi, @MidwestTKR! I don't know how/why I got the impression you had just joined but sorry to be treating you that way. I now see you have 10 pp of posts and are a veteran here. I'm impressed (or daunted!) that you're back to work f/t at a physically demanding job. I hope Wednesdays and weekends are still your rest days. Sounds like you're coping amazingly well. Does it get easier as the weeks go by?

When I said you were doing too much, it was related to early-on PT and swelling/stiffness . . . not the 4 day workweek that I realize you need to do. So sorry for popping in at a random moment like that. I somehow read one of your early posts yesterday as if it had just been posted. You can just tell me to shut my yap.

I grew up in LI, too--then went to college in Ohio, so we also have the midwest in common.

 

[tigz]

@tigz , I can really sympathize with you since we are very close in our post-up course. Have you found that people you work with expected you'd be further along in your recovery? Are they understanding of what you are going through? My quads are also weak since I put off doing the surgery for 7 years. My muscle tone went down the tubes.... What type of quad exercises are you doing?

It's been about 50/50, the folks who are understanding vs the folks who seem to think I should be doing better than I am. "Did you do your exercises?" One of my co -workers seems to resent my shorter day and has shown me no sympathy whatsoever. Don't know what her problem is.

Couple exercises for quad strengthening they're having me do:
terminal knee extension (supine)
terminal knee extension (standing)
terminal knee extension (sitting)
Those you can probably google for what they are. Another, not sure of the name is to reach TKR knee to step, holding on to railing on both sides, straighten slowly feeling the stretch when straight, then bend back down slowly (if I described that right).

I also have a rental stim unit that insurance has covered that they want me using 30 minutes a day, but one 15 minute usage is enough for me daily!

Good luck to you as you 'ease' back into your job!

 

[sabbath]

@brooklyn l have been on here for a while and think you give good advice for a newbi l am listening,,thanks

 

[sabbath]

l am sorry for jumping in @MidwestTKR l forgot l was following your post

 

[KarriB]

@tigz k, this makes me bad! Is it really anyone's business that you took all the time afforded you? Ugh! You work in the medical field, so you'd think co-workers would know that everyone heals on their own time, that no two recoveries of any kind are the same.

 

[Kansas Teacher]

It makes me mad too. It is no one's business how you heal. Don't let them make your feel guilty.

Roxie

 

[MidwestTKR]

@tigz , Thanks for the comments. I will google those quad excercies. It is amazing isn't it that we both work in the medical field (I am a nurse) and we have to deal with atttudes of co-workers when we have legitimate health issues and finally are taking care of us! I can sympathize to what you are going through because I have had the same problem with 2 co-workers as I mentioned.

I think the attitude stems from running with such tight staffing as it is. They don't hire replacements when we are gone, probably like in your job. So a very stressful job becomes even more stressful. Still, no excuse. I blame our administration. Personally, I think they should be bringing in nurses from an agency if needed when somone has to be on medical leave for a few months. But because that costs a lot more money to hire a nurse that way, not to mention the training involved, that does not happen.

 

[MidwestTKR]

@sabbath , That is no problem!!!! I hope you are doing better. I will catch up on your thread when I have time.

 

[janetg]

Hi, I feel for you. I was surprised how well I'm doing for 16 days post-op. I have the opportunity to work from home and have been doing so, very little, I'm a hairdresser. But I must say after an hour I am exhausted!!!! This is a long, long arduous process! Don't care about what they say!!

 

[Slainte]

Welcome, @MidwestTKR. . . . except for when I see my PT, I do literally none of them except for gentle heel slides and walking.

High Five @jbrooklyn ! Me too!

 

[tigz]

@KarriB @Kansas Te acher @MidwestTKR I went from upset with her to sorry for her. Yes, we are overworked and short staffed but that's no excuse for a lack of compassion. I was trying my best not to be grouchy this week, and certainly I had a better reason than she did.

Hey, I survived my first week with only one nap - two hours today!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Josephine]

Well, you've had a good few comments which will probably make mine redundant but you're going to get them anyway!

I returned to work last week and have been so busy. I have an hour commute each way to work and then an 8-9 hour work day, so by the time I get home, I've put in 10-11 hours and I am pretty tired! I noticed my knee has been more swollen this week and I feel like I have gone a step backwards.

No kidding you're tired!

I wish all OS's thought their patients should only be working a half a day after 3 months. I think it would probably be best for all of us to do that.

The I take it you never browsed in the Library to come across this article Phased return to work. To save you going there and to emphasise the content, I shall repeat it here:

The thing to remember really is that so often when people think of going back to work they just think of the work. They forget
~ having to get up earlier in the morning
~ getting washed/showered, putting on the 'face',
~ getting dressed
~ getting a fast breakfast and eating it in about 5mins instead of casually
~ getting out the car
~ driving to work
~ walking from car to office
~ actually being up and about and unable to take intermittent proper rests during the day
~ walking from office back to car
~ driving home
~ putting car away
~ making an evening meal
~ probably feeding pets and/or others
~ washing up and then finding it's almost time for bed!

All of that is pretty much equivalent to a day's work on it's own but then you've got to do the day's work as well!

I also suggest this for return to work at 10-12 weeks
week 1: Tues, Thurs 5hrs
week 2: Mon, Wed, Fri 5hrs
week 3: Tues, Thurs 8-9hrs
week 4: Mon, Wed, Fri 8-9hrs
week 5: normal duties

My knee still has that tight band feeling, although better than it was initially post-op, but I still don't feel that my knee and leg are as strong as my other knee/leg. Is that still normal? I am now 13 weeks post-op.

Of course it's normal! Didn't you see this chart in your recovery articles?

There's also this article "Tight band" feeling across the front of my knee.

Since returning to work, I have not been doing PT exercises because frankly there isn't the time

and you don't need them anyway. What you're doing at work is quite sufficient. I wouldn't consider the quad strengthening exercises either until your knee begins to feel something like normal which will most likely be around 6-8 months out.

 

[MidwestTKR]

Thanks all so much for your feedback!
@Josephine, I did read most of the articles, however since my OS had wanted me off for 12 weeks and then said only desk work for 8 weeks, I felt bad asking for a weaning back to work schedule. My co-worker who was filling in for me had a vacation planned the week I got back. I felt obligated to go back to my regular schedule.

 

[MidwestTKR]

I never got an ice machine and only have a Velcro wrap with 2 ice packs. Now that I am back at work, I feel that having some type of ice machine that would work under my desk would be very beneficial. I feel I need to ice more now then the last month. What type do you all recommend? I need something that is very portable and can be placed on the floor under my desk.

 

[Kansas Teacher]

@Josephine , it was nice to see the recovery chart again. I did read it much earlier but guess I was on information overload and didn't soak it all in then. What is #10 -- peri-articular ligaments? Sounds like many of us still have a lot of healing to go.

Midwest, it has been fun recovering with you. Enjoy what's left of your time off and baby your knee a bit -- that opportunity won't last much longer.

Roxie

 

[MidwestTKR]

@Roxie,

Hi, yes it's nice that we are at about the same timeline. However, I don['t have any time off left. I went back to work 2 weeks ago. I am trying to remember though that I need to ice even more now that I am at work.

I agree, seeing the chart that Josephine posted has been so helpful!! It reminded me of why I am still not where I want to be. But, we will get there!

 

[Josephine]

I felt bad asking for a weaning back to work schedule.

Oh I understandthat - I was just trying to reinforce why you are felling so shattered all the time! As if you didn't already know!

Now that I am back at work, I feel that having some type of ice machine that would work under my desk would be very beneficial. I feel I need to ice more now then the last month. What type do you all recommend? I need something that is very portable and can be placed on the floor under my desk.

Then I don't think you can beat the Aircast Cryocuff. You can see it in here Ice to control pain and swelling. After filling the cuff you can disconnect it and walk around the office with it in situ! Easy to use and none too expensive. I bought mine off Ebay though I got a new cuff. Didn't fancy the well worn that came with it which was for a shoulder anyway! LOL. In the US you can even get one with a little pump that drives the water into the cuff and then drains it out cyclically so you always have chilled water in place. That was why I bought mine but sadly the pump was for US power and once it had been converted to UK power, there wasn't enough oomph in it to shift a single teaspoonful!

What is #10 -- peri-articular ligaments?

Well, 'peri' means around and 'articular' means joint. So obviously they are ligaments around the joint!