United States
You are so right. It's the swelling that holds everything back. And the lack of it that gets you that good flex and extension, not exercising.
Bilateral TKR SusieShoes' New Knees
- Thread starter SusieShoes
- Start date
Jennszoo
post-grad
Yup, I'm not naturally a sweller, too. When my knee went out last Nov, I was in so much pain and could not walk, but I feel like it wasn't taken seriously bc there was no real,visible swelling. Same as my numerous ankle rolls. I mean, I feel tight like now after a mildly active day, and I can feel that it's swollen, but it doesn't look much worse tHan the good knee. So I'm not super surprised my Flexion numbers are "impressive" either. Plus, I went into this with pretty flexible hamstrings and quads. That's gotta help, too. But if the PT wants to take credit, whatever keeps them from putting their hands on me and making things worse and whatever stops my Os from threatening MUA.
BossK
senior
Hahahahahaha! Your husband needs to meet my husband.
Boss K
LTKR November 4, 2016
RTKR April 17, 2017
OP
OP
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
Day 13: Quiet Day
After yesterday's outpatient PT outing, I crashed again for a few hours. Having two outings in one day (OS in morning and PT in early afternoon) wiped me out. I'm not quite ready to say I joined the ODIC, but I was very tired. I slept for six hours (Mr. Shoes woke me up for pain meds, whereupon I took 10 mg oxy to be sure) and somewhere in there I managed to eat dinner. Me and my stiff knees, because I hadn't been walking on them as I should have been, were early to bed.
Very good night sleeping, though! I honored my alarms for reduced pain meds (5 mg oxy) and got in a pretty normal night sleep. Spent some time sleeping on my side, and how sweet that was! Elevated whole night except for the side sleeping. This morning I moved my stuff back to my own nightstand. Mr. Shoes cleared the path around the bed to my satisfaction (I've only gotten up once the last couple of nights) and I think we will both be happier on our sides of the bed, especially now that I'm side sleeping.
Knees are much happier this morning than last night. I did some gentle stretches and impressed Mr. Shoes with my ability to get my own outfit together from my dresser and armoire. He said it was like seeing me back to my old self. Maybe almost, but he's so happy with every small improvement. And there is improvement, however small, every day. Today I can move around our tiny bathroom--too small for a walker to fit, so I have one grab bar on the bath, the rock-solid vanity, and the windowsill all available to grab onto if needed. But I don't really need them. My knees are solid. I'm wise not to trust my muscles completely yet, and I move sometimes like a rusty tin man, but I stand and can take some steps without fear of falling. In the bathroom, I move with confidence. Not yet in the bedroom, where it's still walker-time.
My dog isn't sure what to make of my walker. Cate already deals with my aged FIL and his walker on alternate weeks. She dislikes him--he moved in two years ago, booted her out of some good sleeping spots, disrupted all our lives, and she has yet to forgive him--and engages him in passive-aggressive warfare. She sits on his seat (half of the loveseat) and will not move unless I order her to do so, in which case she sulks off. Once he didn't notice she was there and sat on her. She didn't like that. But she still will challenge him in a hundred ways, most especially by placing herself on the path between the living room and the bathroom. She blocks his walker. Maybe she hopes he will trip over her and have to "go away." It's mysterious.
Cate plants herself in the same path to the bathroom with me. I don't think she's specifically trying to block me and my walker from the bathroom, but... she doesn't move. I have to order her. She's always trusted us to go around her, you see, and doesn't appear to understand that I, now burdened with a walker, can no longer do so. This morning I thought I could just lift my walker over her long outstretched legs, which took up just enough of my pathway to impede... and my walker ever so slightly tapped her nose. She did move at that point. But I can tell she really hates my walker.
I get it, girl. I hate it too. Bear with me. And until that day, if I tell you to move... move.
Today's plans are simple: rest, elevate, ice, walk around a little every hour. That's it! Maybe tomorrow I will take some early steps toward getting back to work. My work does not require knees in any way, but it does require a clear head!
After yesterday's outpatient PT outing, I crashed again for a few hours. Having two outings in one day (OS in morning and PT in early afternoon) wiped me out. I'm not quite ready to say I joined the ODIC, but I was very tired. I slept for six hours (Mr. Shoes woke me up for pain meds, whereupon I took 10 mg oxy to be sure) and somewhere in there I managed to eat dinner. Me and my stiff knees, because I hadn't been walking on them as I should have been, were early to bed.
Very good night sleeping, though! I honored my alarms for reduced pain meds (5 mg oxy) and got in a pretty normal night sleep. Spent some time sleeping on my side, and how sweet that was! Elevated whole night except for the side sleeping. This morning I moved my stuff back to my own nightstand. Mr. Shoes cleared the path around the bed to my satisfaction (I've only gotten up once the last couple of nights) and I think we will both be happier on our sides of the bed, especially now that I'm side sleeping.
Knees are much happier this morning than last night. I did some gentle stretches and impressed Mr. Shoes with my ability to get my own outfit together from my dresser and armoire. He said it was like seeing me back to my old self. Maybe almost, but he's so happy with every small improvement. And there is improvement, however small, every day. Today I can move around our tiny bathroom--too small for a walker to fit, so I have one grab bar on the bath, the rock-solid vanity, and the windowsill all available to grab onto if needed. But I don't really need them. My knees are solid. I'm wise not to trust my muscles completely yet, and I move sometimes like a rusty tin man, but I stand and can take some steps without fear of falling. In the bathroom, I move with confidence. Not yet in the bedroom, where it's still walker-time.
My dog isn't sure what to make of my walker. Cate already deals with my aged FIL and his walker on alternate weeks. She dislikes him--he moved in two years ago, booted her out of some good sleeping spots, disrupted all our lives, and she has yet to forgive him--and engages him in passive-aggressive warfare. She sits on his seat (half of the loveseat) and will not move unless I order her to do so, in which case she sulks off. Once he didn't notice she was there and sat on her. She didn't like that. But she still will challenge him in a hundred ways, most especially by placing herself on the path between the living room and the bathroom. She blocks his walker. Maybe she hopes he will trip over her and have to "go away." It's mysterious.
Cate plants herself in the same path to the bathroom with me. I don't think she's specifically trying to block me and my walker from the bathroom, but... she doesn't move. I have to order her. She's always trusted us to go around her, you see, and doesn't appear to understand that I, now burdened with a walker, can no longer do so. This morning I thought I could just lift my walker over her long outstretched legs, which took up just enough of my pathway to impede... and my walker ever so slightly tapped her nose. She did move at that point. But I can tell she really hates my walker.
I get it, girl. I hate it too. Bear with me. And until that day, if I tell you to move... move.
Today's plans are simple: rest, elevate, ice, walk around a little every hour. That's it! Maybe tomorrow I will take some early steps toward getting back to work. My work does not require knees in any way, but it does require a clear head!
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jaschembra
post-grad
All the talk about flexing... I'm a sweller, still am, but my implant was porous (no cement) except my kneecap button so my tibia bone pretty much got abused with extra hardware (screws + that centerpiece). Anyway, before I would stand up, on a high enough seated position, I would put my foot under me, kinda behind me, and I would "feel" my implant catching up with my already bent knee (a feeling like moving through fluid if that makes any sense). It was such a neat feeling. Now, it just bends, but I knew my flex was coming right along when I had those movement feelings.
When I read your first OS office visit plus PT I knew you were going to be wiped out. So glad you got your recovery rest and you're back to normal recovery once again. And, yippee that you'll be on your side of the bed AND you can steal some sleep time on your side.
You're doing great! Be very careful and listen to your body with those squats I read PT has you doing. I know you've said your legs are strong, but squats are tough on the knee joint and you don't need hardly any at all to feel it.
When I read your first OS office visit plus PT I knew you were going to be wiped out. So glad you got your recovery rest and you're back to normal recovery once again. And, yippee that you'll be on your side of the bed AND you can steal some sleep time on your side.
You're doing great! Be very careful and listen to your body with those squats I read PT has you doing. I know you've said your legs are strong, but squats are tough on the knee joint and you don't need hardly any at all to feel it.
debbyS
member
I am impressed by your recovery and enjoy reading your updates. That ODIC club is sneaky isn't it!
My little boston terrier did not know what to make of my walker either. At least he didn't bark at it! He finally resigned himself to it ( a few treats didn't hurt either).
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My little boston terrier did not know what to make of my walker either. At least he didn't bark at it! He finally resigned himself to it ( a few treats didn't hurt either).
Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
That post-op energy drain is a bear! It's going to linger around for a long time yet, and you probably have a double dose of it, since you had both knees done.
It was ages before I could undertake more than one extra activity in a day. Pacing myself not to try more than that definitely helped. So, if you can, schedule it so you do PT one day, Surgeon the next day, etc, etc.
OP
OP
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
Day 14: Two Week Anniversary
So, Thing 1 and Thing 2 and I have been together for two weeks now and are getting along famously. I think this is the real deal. I'll keep them, and not just because OS said he wouldn't take them back.
Today is also a kind of Independence Day for me. Mr. Shoes finally listened to my reassurances that he could, truly, leave me alone for more than a trip to the grocery store. He has an important seminar today and tomorrow (in town, so just day-long, not overnight). We scheduled the surgery as we did in hope he could attend. "Go," I said. "I'll be fine. Go be yourself with some grown ups." Because I remember from my time with children that no matter how much you love your kids, and care for them, it was really great to NOT have to care for them on occasion. Mr. Shoes has been dancing attendance on me for two weeks.
So off he went. It's been pleasant, just me and my knees. We are up more (Mr. Shoes is so wonderful about fetching me things I hardly have occasion to want). We move more. We got up and fixed my coffee. We got up and let the dog out. We tidied the kitchen a bit. We iced a couple times. We napped. We made a snack. We made the dog a snack. We caught up on important correspondence (non-knee me has a life). We did a couple sets of gentle exercises.
And my pain has been surprisingly minimal. After a restful night on my own side of the bed, I woke up with slightly stiff knees but no real pain. That is new. I skipped the oxy (been doing 5 mg oxy as needed for two days) and opted for Tylenol. So far, so good. As the morning progressed, the stiffness abated somewhat. It's not gone by any means. I stand... they're stiff. I move, they're stiff. But they loosen up quickly. Cate the poodle is impressed and looking hopeful of more treats to come. My gait is smoother today. I'm standing upright and walking with confidence. I really want to learn how to walk with a cane soon.
I think I've mentioned that my new left knee hurt less after surgery than it did before. Just having that pain gone forever is reason enough to be happy with this surgery. What's better still is that my pain is no longer getting worse with every passing week. When I declined that last series of cortisone and Synvisc and made the choice to have surgery, I also signed on for more pain ahead of the operation. One by one, my painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications were withdrawn, for various reasons (including dental). The lone remaining medication, Tylenol, even in high doses, barely touched my bone on bone pain. Lefty was as bad a knee as OS had seen, shredding tissue with every step. No wonder I barely walked. Unbelievable pain... and I have high pain tolerance. By the time of my surgery, having my knees replaced was all I wanted in the world. Just get rid of the pain.
And it did. It's gone. My knees are a little stiff. And Tylenol actually works on the pain I do have.
There's still work to be done. After all, I'm still using a walker. That thing has to go.
So, Thing 1 and Thing 2 and I have been together for two weeks now and are getting along famously. I think this is the real deal. I'll keep them, and not just because OS said he wouldn't take them back.
Today is also a kind of Independence Day for me. Mr. Shoes finally listened to my reassurances that he could, truly, leave me alone for more than a trip to the grocery store. He has an important seminar today and tomorrow (in town, so just day-long, not overnight). We scheduled the surgery as we did in hope he could attend. "Go," I said. "I'll be fine. Go be yourself with some grown ups." Because I remember from my time with children that no matter how much you love your kids, and care for them, it was really great to NOT have to care for them on occasion. Mr. Shoes has been dancing attendance on me for two weeks.
So off he went. It's been pleasant, just me and my knees. We are up more (Mr. Shoes is so wonderful about fetching me things I hardly have occasion to want). We move more. We got up and fixed my coffee. We got up and let the dog out. We tidied the kitchen a bit. We iced a couple times. We napped. We made a snack. We made the dog a snack. We caught up on important correspondence (non-knee me has a life). We did a couple sets of gentle exercises.
And my pain has been surprisingly minimal. After a restful night on my own side of the bed, I woke up with slightly stiff knees but no real pain. That is new. I skipped the oxy (been doing 5 mg oxy as needed for two days) and opted for Tylenol. So far, so good. As the morning progressed, the stiffness abated somewhat. It's not gone by any means. I stand... they're stiff. I move, they're stiff. But they loosen up quickly. Cate the poodle is impressed and looking hopeful of more treats to come. My gait is smoother today. I'm standing upright and walking with confidence. I really want to learn how to walk with a cane soon.
I think I've mentioned that my new left knee hurt less after surgery than it did before. Just having that pain gone forever is reason enough to be happy with this surgery. What's better still is that my pain is no longer getting worse with every passing week. When I declined that last series of cortisone and Synvisc and made the choice to have surgery, I also signed on for more pain ahead of the operation. One by one, my painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications were withdrawn, for various reasons (including dental). The lone remaining medication, Tylenol, even in high doses, barely touched my bone on bone pain. Lefty was as bad a knee as OS had seen, shredding tissue with every step. No wonder I barely walked. Unbelievable pain... and I have high pain tolerance. By the time of my surgery, having my knees replaced was all I wanted in the world. Just get rid of the pain.
And it did. It's gone. My knees are a little stiff. And Tylenol actually works on the pain I do have.
There's still work to be done. After all, I'm still using a walker. That thing has to go.
liam2015
post-grad
you're doing great. how do you sleep on your side? i can only do it for around 10 minutes, then the outer part of my new left knee starts to ache. your poodle must be well-trained, unlike our 1-1/2 y.o. irish setter that has been professionally trained but he still will try to jump up on me when excited or if i have food in my hand. i also get a little nervous when he jumps on the bed, that he's going to jump on my leg. he did lay his head across my chest which was sweet. enjoy your independence, just be extra cautious.
JennyLynne
post-grad
I love your posts!! Such a great outlook on everything [emoji4]
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SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
@liam2015, I'm still most comfortable for long periods on my back, though I can sleep on my side sometimes. Because I had both knees done, both can be finicky about position. Sometimes one will be okay on the bottom, sometimes it won't, and vice versa. If both knees are in an agreeable mood, I find out fairly quickly, and settle in.
The pillow long-way between the legs works well. I also sometimes use a small foam pillow meant for separating legs during sleep. I've had that one for a few years and it worked okay last night. The main thing is to get the bottom hip in a comfy position. If the hip protests, doesn't matter what the knees think. I've noticed the new knee joint likes to be supported, though. The pillow or some other support is key. Hope this helps! Sometimes I can't get it to work. I hope eventually I can sleep on my side all the time the way I used to!
The pillow long-way between the legs works well. I also sometimes use a small foam pillow meant for separating legs during sleep. I've had that one for a few years and it worked okay last night. The main thing is to get the bottom hip in a comfy position. If the hip protests, doesn't matter what the knees think. I've noticed the new knee joint likes to be supported, though. The pillow or some other support is key. Hope this helps! Sometimes I can't get it to work. I hope eventually I can sleep on my side all the time the way I used to!
knit2tog
senior
I have loved reading your journey. I will meet my new knee next Tuesday. I am scared and excited at the same time.
sandi4213
graduate
You never fail to make me smile. I love your positive outlook and sense of humor. Thanks for brightening our days.
becticu
graduate
@SusieShoes, isn't it wonderful not to have that joint pain? When I am doing stairs I feel muscle and maybe tendon pain in the new knee and I know that is getting better. I feel no joint pain! Now my right knee screams on those stairs and reminds me I am doing the right thing getting her done in June. My mind and emotions aren't quite there yet though! I love reading your posts, it's good therapy!
jaschembra
post-grad
Isn't it something when the over the counter pain medicine actually works! Prior to my LTKR, no OTC pain meds took away or dented the bone/bone pain. Now, I can take Tylenol and it actually does what it's supposed to do. Gotta love it! Sounds like you and your new knees had a nice day together!
jaschembra
post-grad
And you will! I am not healing from 2 knees, but I am now sleeping on my side all night if I want to. I always have the pillow lengthwise but sometimes my top, natural, knee will off set the pillow onto another pillow that is next to me where I had elevated. I roll over with the pillow between the knees as well, most of the time because like you said, I think my knee parts like to be supported.
OP
OP
SusieShoes
Former BoneSmart staff member
@knit2tog, it's very exciting to meet your new knee. I was curious how mine would feel. As soon as I could move my legs in the recovery room, I was bending and trying to find out if they "fit." They indeed fit.. and felt exactly like "my" knees, though not yet perfect (could also feel bandages, incision, tightness). But very much mine. I was thrilled. Walking around on body parts that don't feel like me would be disorienting. Good luck with your upcoming surgery! Hope we get to read your journey, too.
