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TKR Strange New World

Going home this morning and very glad of it. My pain and stiffness level is higher than it was at the same stage last time, and I think it could very well be due, at least in part, to the PT program that goes along with staying here. While not nearly as radical and aggressive as some I have read about, they are considerably more tolerant of pain, and rely on it a lot more that I am willing to go along with. I had to say NO more than once. The therapist wanted me to suspend my knee across a pillow and let gravity “do it’s thing” for regaining extension. She said it might hurt like hell for awhile, but it’s the best way to get extension back and regain control, whatever that means.

The general care here however, has been top quality all the way, and the primary reason I went this route was to make those first few really tough days easier on my wife. Mission accomplished. Now we move to damage control. I have an advantage there because I know the stupid collection of “best ways” I underwent the first time before I found Bonesmart after two weeks, left a lot more damage to deal with than I have now. This time, although I went a little further than I really wanted to, I still imposed some significant restrictions. The next week should be interesting. I have an appointment Monday with my surgeon to remove the bandage.

Now, we’re gonna “Keep them wagons rollin”.
 
How did the therapist react when you said no to things?
 
She didn’t push it, but explained that although it would “hurt like hell” for awhile, it was still the best way. Clearly, that was the way she felt that I should go, but we’re still parting ways on very amicable terms.
 
Very pleased you're home and doing well! You know the drill :ice: and elevation. :)
 
The best place to heal is home! Now its time to do nothing but baby that knee. Elevate and ice.
 
There's nothing like your own home, bed and home cooking to aid that recovery. No break dancing now!
 
@Lindylee, While in rehab, I did try to convert one of our “Side-step Right, Side step Left” PT routines into a line dance. Kinda’ worked . . .
 
As Dorothy said, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home!"
 
Now comes the hard part . . . Practicing what I preach. As I mentioned in a previous response, the second time around is going to be different; maybe better, maybe worse, probably a combination of both. Mine is the latter, some things are better, some worse. Round 1, I started using my cane at day 7 post surgery. This time, I can’t even imagine using my cane, and I’m at day 12. Constant throbbing ache primarily in the muscle on the outside toward the back of my thigh, probably the Biceps Femoris or the Gracilis, or both, as well as sharp, stabbing pains through the knee, and it still doesn’t want to support my full weight. Yes, I’m VERY early in the recovery cycle, and I’m not discouraged, depressed, or anxious. But it still kind of amazes me how difficult this really is.

It really doesn’t matter how much you know, or how confident you are of the ultimate outcome. This is a long, traumatic, and difficult journey. I thought it would be easier this time, and in some ways it is. But once again, in spite of the fact that I am walking very well on my Left knee, I still find it very difficult to see myself doing the same with my right knee. I should know better; Right?

I think my nemesis is frustration. Not being an extremely patient and easy-going dude in the first place, I find it annoying to be unable to do the most basic, ordinary things required for everyday living. So I have to keep reminding myself, “It’s OK - you knew this was coming”. I’m not complaining, I’m not struggling; actually I’m doing extremely well. But what’s important is that I know that. I know that by the testimony and assurances of many others, as well as my own personal experience; yet it is still a difficult journey.

It saddens me to read of people in their early stages of recovery that have somehow become convinced that they are wimpy, babyish, whiners, or cowards. That is not true! It is an extra burden no one should have to struggle with, and shame on anyone who contributes to such an idea. As I said before, This is a long, traumatic, and difficult journey, with many scary unknowns. But it is an elective surgery; you had the courage to start it, you will have the courage to finish it. “This too, shall pass”, I promise.
 
Denny39 said:
It saddens me to read of people in their early stages of recovery that have somehow become convinced that they are wimpy, babyish, whiners, or cowards. That is not true! It is an extra burden no one should have to struggle with, and shame on anyone who contributes to such an idea.
Click to expand...
Other people’s comments, unrealistic expectations and making me feel like a failure were one of the biggest shocks of my recovery.

I innocently (and sadly) agreed with their assessment because I’d “only had a partial” and it was my understanding that the recovery would be no big deal. In reality it was a very big deal, and in my case, worse than others who’d had a total. My whole first year was one of the most stressful years of my life.

Even with being a part of Bonesmart it was hard to tune out the people I was face to face with.
 
You're not selling it to me so far Denny...... :good-bad:hope you get off that see-saw soon.
 
Basically, it’s a greased slide; but the grease does get a little sticky now and then.
 
@snowdrop We are 3 days apart (June 17) and it sounds like we are on a very similar schedule of events. I will be having my bandage removed today. I do not have staples this time. Instead, they used something called “Zips”, adhesive strips that lay along each side of the wound, then are pulled together by a small cross-pin that will move only one way. So they pull it tight, it “ratchets” into place and cannot move. The problem is, it is so new, even some of the hospital staff were not familiar with it. It had to be changed 4 times. I saw how it worked (there are certain things you have to know, or there will be problems), and wound up explaining to the nurses how to properly install the new ones. They were leaving out a very important step. The bandage itself is the same, but the interface with the wound is different. The changes were required because of leakage, which was no problem at all last time, so I really don’t know exactly where the problem came from. My surgeon did say at one point that we may have to put a few staples in there, but fortunately, we didn’t.

Turns out that I also developed an allergy to the bandage this time, and for the last 2 days, the itching has driven me crazy! That’s weird, because normally I’m not allergic to anything (except the IRS).

I did spontaneously this morning, after brushing my hair and combing my teeth (I hadn’t had My first cup of coffee yet) walk across the bathroom to the towel rack without my walker. That’s the farthest I have gotten away from it yet. A nice “little victory” @donnag1108, for my last day of “REALLY, REALLY, Rotten.

By the way, I also meant to mention after reading about the heel slide tool mentioned by @snowdrop. That sounds like a really good thing to have, but if that is not available, I have another suggestion. I purchased a small piece of white, tempered, 1/8 inch thick Masonite, and cut it to 14 x 24 Inches. The white side is very slick. The heel of a sock slides over it easily, or you can also put a piece of Wax Paper under your heel. The other side is also a bit slick, and may tend to slide if placed on a hardwood floor. That can be corrected by putting strips of Duck Tape (A staple here in the South), across it.
 
@Denny39 , I have heard of those zips but have never seen them. My OS still uses staples, so as you can imagine, I still look like the Bride of Frankenstein. My staples won’t be coming out until next Monday. Let us know how your procedure goes today! I am hoping for no ouchies for you.

And yay on the spontaneous walking! It’s the little things that make the day so much brighter!
 
@snowdrop, no ouchies related to the zips, but it felt like I was being skinned alive when they pulled the tape off. My skin is very red under the bandage, so I have a large, rectangular patch of Angry Red skin with a thin, ragged scar running down the middle of it. The nurse said the wound looks great, but the skin seems to have been “burned” by the adhesive on the bandage. Some of that superglue is still stuck to me, and it still itches quite a bit. Benadryl creme helps. Comparing the two side by side, it does look like this scar will be substantially less visible. But my beach knees are definitely irreparably damaged.

Hopefully your staples will come out smoothly with no ouchies either. Usually, they aren’t much of a problem.
 
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