Revision TKR Story of My Knees by RestAssured: Pt 3

[Coachie]

When I talked to Katie about if my foot was straight or not she was sitting at her desk. She wasn't working with anyone at that point.

I see. I thought she was working with someone else because you wrote that she works with someone else when you are there, so I jumped to a conclusion that it meant she was working with someone else when you asked her that question. I apologize if I came across in a bad way. It was not intended, I was just thinking out loud.

I didn't know what you meant by an aide because I've always gone to small clinics where I worked with the PT. If the PT wasn't there, I worked with the PTA.

 

[RestAssured]

Chris,

Thank you for the great ideas! To let you in on how my body is doing... I have gone from BMI of 55 down to 46 so far. My muscle mass has increased because I did personal training and did lots of water therapy before surgery. I am heading back to it next week. I will check into the therapeutic riding I lift weights again so my upper body and my left leg are very strong. The right is strong in all areas except the muscle on the inside of the knee. So frustrating, when I spent almost 2 years with Katie and Tori, my personal trainer getting ready for this surgery. I knew it would not be a walk in the park, but I never expected to see regression instead of progression! Oh and if I tried yoga, I would still be stuck in some pose and it would be posted on YouTube!

 

[RestAssured]

I see. I thought she was working with someone else because you wrote that she works with someone else when you are there, so I jumped to a conclusion that it meant she was working with someone else when you asked her that question. I apologize if I came across in a bad way. It was not intended, I was just thinking out loud.

I didn't know what you meant by an aide because I've always gone to small clinics where I worked with the PT. If the PT wasn't there, I worked with the PTA.

Coachie, I realized that I had not explained the situation very well! This is a medium sized clinic, with two full time PT's, 2 full time pta's, and 4 aides.

 

[RestAssured]

Ok I have a question? If they drilled holes in the kneecap during surgery to reattach the tendon, would that weaken my kneecap? Josephine, Jamie, Orthodoc

 

[Jamie]

That's one for Josephine or Orthodoc.....but my guess is that it would not be a problem.

 

[RestAssured]

That's one for Josephine or Orthodoc.....but my guess is that it would not be a problem.

Thanks Jamie. I need all the help I can get right now to find out if this is a standard procedure.

 

[Pumpkin]

Sonja,
Hope you feel better after yourand are now feeling better. Hopefully later you will have a good , and be ready to go tomorrow. But please not too fast. . So be an and get some .

 

[RestAssured]

Sonja,
Hope you feel better after yourand are now feeling better. Hopefully later you will have a good , and be ready to go tomorrow. But please not too fast. . So be an and get some .

Pumpkin,
You are so nice to cheer me up! I just got through texting Katie and she and I will talk in the morning. I have PT at 8:45 and I told her that I wanted to continue with her if she was willing but understood if Valerie or Chris took over. She said she wanted to talk about it in the morning, which I understood. I just had to get it out of my head tonight!

 

[BJ Mac]

(((((((hugs)))))) Sonja, Hang in there!!!!

I will do some "hippo therapy" tomorrow and hug our horse... I will hug him for you too.

 

[RestAssured]

(((((((hugs)))))) Sonja, Hang in there!!!!

I will do some "hippo therapy" tomorrow and hug our horse... I will hug him for you too.

Thank you!, BJ... Is that what is meant by hippo therapy? I had envisioned a hippopotamus farm somewhere and (even though I thought Chris was a little strange for saying it) "wow hippos to hug how cool would that be!". Glad you cleared that up,cause I always thought hippos were wild and would stomp me to death. But then I got to thinking "with this non-stop brain that Chris O says I have". Hmmmm... I could run a heck of a lot of weight off out running a hippo!

 

[BJ Mac]

Yeah, but then you would collapse from exhaustion and your poor knees would be hurting sooooo badly that you would be crying even more. So, I am going to recommend no hippopotamus chasing for you. you really need to build up to hippopotamus chasing, and since I have been keeping tabs on you I know that you are not ready. (just sayin) Now if you lived nearby I would highly recommend that you come over and meet me at the barn and meet Prince and hug him and brush him. It really does wonders for the soul. How about those doggies of yours? Maybe some doggie loving is in order.

I seriously cannot imagine getting on the horse yet myself. Hang in there, Sonja! ((((hugs))))

 

[RestAssured]

Yeah, but then you would collapse from exhaustion and your poor knees would be hurting sooooo badly that you would be crying even more. So, I am going to recommend no hippopotamus chasing for you. you really need to build up to hippopotamus chasing, and since I have been keeping tabs on you I know that you are not ready. (just sayin) Now if you lived nearby I would highly recommend that you come over and meet me at the barn and meet Prince and hug him and brush him. It really does wonders for the soul. How about those doggies of yours? Maybe some doggie loving is in order.

I seriously cannot imagine getting on the horse yet myself. Hang in there, Sonja! ((((hugs))))

Well you know, they do have airplanes, and since you cleaned out that guest bedroom for me I will come and spend the winter, where I can actually see snow! Now I do expect the 5 star hotel treatment so I will send a list of requirements in advance for you to take care of. After all, I am shy when it comes to expressing my needs, so I will just send a booklet before my ETA. ( I am not going to tell you when I will really get there, because you might skip town!)

One more thing, I am allergic to taxis, so could you spring for a hummer limo for me? I have always wanted to ride in one of those! Make sure it is 4 wheel drive though, because I want to arrive safely!

By the way Texans like Steak and expensive food like that, but I will try to keep it down to one steak a day while I am there. I would miss home if i didn't have my creature comforts. (Speaking of creatures,how do you feel about pet rattlesnakes?) just wondering don't think I would charge you extra, well, maybe I could fit him in my suitcase so you don't have to pay extra baggage fees)!

Just offering to pay for me to fly first class was thanks enough! What a friend!

 

[Onestepatatime]

Hi Sonja,
So I read through several of your posts in your recovery thread. Wow, you are trying so hard to exercise and recover, yeah for you!!!! But could you kinda summarize for me, if you feel that because of the exercising and determination you feel like you have regressed?
I really want to start toning my body, my right leg is so flabby while the left one is toned. And while i have lost weight, I need to tighten. But then to your point, I cannot be taxing the knee much more than I am. I am working from "home" today to rest, and I already have to run to the cleaners, clean car, and go to UPS. And forget about the piling laundry?
I really want to go to the gym.....it used to always make me feel better and help with stress......

I look forward to your response.....
Karen

 

[RestAssured]

Well, let's see. It is 7:00 a.m. and I am feeling spunky this morning! Katie and I will be meeting in an hour and a half to talk and I am ready. I don"t know the outcome, but God already does so I am not worried! I will let everyone know when I return. Have a great day! BJ, I hope you are stocking up your freezer soon cause I'm a hungry girl and so is "fangs"!

 

[RestAssured]

Hi Sonja,
So I read through several of your posts in your recovery thread. Wow, you are trying so hard to exercise and recover, yeah for you!!!! But could you kinda summarize for me, if you feel that because of the exercising and determination you feel like you have regressed?
I really want to start toning my body, my right leg is so flabby while the left one is toned. And while i have lost weight, I need to tighten. But then to your point, I cannot be taxing the knee much more than I am. I am working from "home" today to rest, and I already have to run to the cleaners, clean car, and go to UPS. And forget about the piling laundry?
I really want to go to the gym.....it used to always make me feel better and help with stress......

I look forward to your response.....
Karen

Howdy as they say in TX!

I am trying to get BJ used to the lingo!

No, I am regressing at this point because of a failure to deal with the inside muscle that should be strengthened. Yes, I overdid it, and you do have to watch that, but moderation is the key. I will let you know more after my PT appt. as we are going to isolate that area, and then I can give you a better idea.

 

[Onestepatatime]

Good luck! I exhausted all my PT benefits and cannot afford to pay out of pocket. So I feel like I have no real "plan" now, and I am always swelling and uncomfortable. But I think I will go to the gym now and do gentle stretches they showed me in PT, and then take it easy.
Report back later on how your session went!

 

[RestAssured]

Howdy Everyone!

Ok, here is the latest and the greatest in my PT saga! For a person who is receiving her Master's in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, I am giving myself plenty of practice by causing drama! The number one problem as we have learned in ANY relationship is the failure to communicate, and I must say that I was as guilty as Katie! We ironed out everything and changed the course of my therapy today! My non-existent muscle on the inside of the knee actually felt something today when they used E Stim at a high enough level that I could feel it! I pressed down every time I felt it, and you know what... I still felt it afterwards! This was the most productive day that I have had and I feel great! I walked for 17 minutes on the anti-gravity treadmill at 3 mph and thought "you know I really should bump this up to 3.5." Katie had set it at 2.5 but it was too slow, and my long strides are nothing at 2.5. She said if I felt comfortable I could move it up in speed so I did. She never left me except while I was on ice, and she worked with me on the table exercises instead of an aide. Katie apologized and so did I. We both want to reach the finish line after I have finished PT. I will continue working out there and I am bound and determined to be the next America's Biggest Loser! I don't need the tv audience watching me, I have my BoneSmart family, my PT family, my Personal Trainer, my family and most of all my Husband!

 

[maryo52]

Success!

 

[Pumpkin]

Sounds like you are on the right path, keep up the communication. Your post is a great reminder to all of us that we need to communicate!

 

[ChrisO]

Sonja,

Katie may have already shown you this but just in case.......the surgery cut your quad muscle right down the middle, all we need to do is look at our scar to see.

You can isolate and work on the weak side of the quad by firmly pressing/squeezing on the good side of the quad with your thumb or hand. For instance I think the quad on the inside part of my knee is weak I can press into the meat of the muscle just above my scar on the outside and suddenly that muscle can't engage my patella. By pressing on it you have artificially move that muscles " insertion point" to your thumb. ( it is the same principle that explains why some people wrap a tight band on their forearm to give tennis elbow ligaments a rest)

Anyway w/ your strong muscled isolated you can try to work and feel the weak muscle with quad sets. It's going to be subtle you may not see or feel much at first but it is something you can do at home, electrical stim packs a much bigger whammy but doesn't allow you and your brain to reconnect to your body. Even small and subtle movement create wonderful and rich feedback loops to your brain and muscles.

BJ, would know about horses. But I think it is worth looking into. I have seen very spastic cerebral palsey kids muscles quiet while riding on a horse. My son has mild Autism, when he was little he would ride and after his rides he was more engaged and communicative. They say the gait of a walking horse provides similar sensation to the brain as walking. Sitting tall in the saddle and staying that way involves all the muscles in your body. BUT you have to go to a reputable theraputic horsemanship program. The horses that do this work understand their riders need their help. These horses and ponies are some of the most generous and patient animals you would ever meet. Texas is a horse state but not every rider, owner, stable or horse can or would be able to do hippo therapy. ( hippo: Greek for horse).

ChrisO