TKR Suz's Recovery Journey

[Suz]

I know it's not 120*s Marian, @newlybionic, but it might as well be- LOL! I was afraid I had been doomed, 'stiff knee'. LOL!

 

[LFitz]

OH MY GOSH!!!! you are rocking this thing - no MUA for you sister I am soooo happy for you!

 

[Suz]

Thank You Lynn! You're such a great Cheerleader-!!

 

[uva55]

That is sooooooo awesome...what great achievement this is the only kind of toasting we can do!!!

 

[LFitz]

As you know walking this walk you totally understand the fears and trials and the elation for accomplishments when they come so I love to celebrate the victories. I might not have my bend (yet) but my extension is great and my walk is smooth (so there's my victory hehe). I bet your daughter must be dancing for joy for you

 

[Suz]

Lynn, @LFitz, she's mentally impaired and doesn't understand the range of motion side of things. But she is very excited that for the first time in almost 8wks her mom was able to give her a ride around the farm this afternoon! On her golf cart the 'Make A Wish' Foundation gave her 10yrs ago when we almost lost her to kidney failure!! Last week I couldn't get my leg bent enough to get in behind the steering wheel- slipped right in today!!

Yes, the little things are definitely to be celebrated as we recover! Helping her enjoy life is a huge thing for me to celebrate!!

 

[uva55]

I am so glad that I found BS, through them I am getting to know so many amazing women that I would be proud to call friends!!!

 

[Suz]

@uva55, Clara- I feel the SAME way-!!! Thank You-!!!

 

[newlybionic]

How wonderful that you were able to enjoy some time together with your daughter. I'm sure she was very delighted to see mom back as mom again. What a beautiful girl she is!

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Beautiful picture of mom and daughter! I'm SOOOOO happy for you to be able to do some things you couldn't do even a week ago! Just don't overdo and get stuck back into the ODIC!

 

[sistersinhim]

My sisters on here are such a comfort! Your daughter is there to enjoy your successes with you!

 

[Suz]

She can be really funny too! She'll walk up to me while I'm resting in the recliner, put her hands under my surgery leg and lift it up and put it down gently to exercise me- haha!

 

[LFitz]

That is a sweet picture of you and your daughter and you getting behind that wheel and driving her around the farm must have made your day just as much as it made hers. Love the image of her lifting your leg exercising it - she sounds precious.


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum

 

[homestead]

Thanks for your updates and photos Suz, I find them very encouraging


49 year old
Recurrent dislocating patella left knee since age 14
Meniscus tear repair 1 March 13
Scheduled for BTKR in 2016

Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[Tabbycat]

Fantastic news Suz, I am thrilled you have made such rapid progress. There's no stopping you now
Love, Tabby

 

[Suz]

You are so welcome @homestead! I love your member ID! I see that your TKR is scheduled for July 13th. I'm so glad you are a member of bonesmart going into your procedure. You will have allot of 'accurate' support around you from the staff & members here! July 13th is also Audrey's (my daughter's) Birthday! Still, I'll be thinking of you and posting encouragement for you on that day!

For me, the first weeks into recovery definitely slowed me down. I had a few issues come up, for example pain management, and had I not had the advice from our forum Nurse Director, Josephine, and the support of my wonderful friends here at bonesmart, I would have suffered so much more. But what we need to remember is that the time it takes for us to get our replacements and begin to recover is SO worth the life changing results of our recovered knees! We'll be able to enjoy life so much better without the pain we knew before surgery and recovery.

Thank You for the kind words you posted in my Recovery Journal!

 

[kneeper]

Awesome updates @Suz

 

[Josephine]

@Suz I am delighted with your good news.

I wonder, would you be kind enough to detail exactly what 'on your terms' actually involved?
It would be so very helpful to know.

 

[Suz]

I wonder, would you be kind enough to detail exactly what 'on your terms' actually involved?
It would be so very helpful to know

@Josephine, initially the hospital case manager scheduled home PT visits that were to begin my first week out from surgery. During the second visit the therapist asked me to scoot up to the edge of the chair. She had me place my foot on a hand towel on the floor and instructed me to move my foot back bending my knee as far as I could. I brought it back to where my knee was pulling pretty good but stopped at 'discomfort'. With no warning and before I had time to stop her, the therapist pushed my leg back fast and hard. The pain was unbelievable and shot right up through my hip. I pulled back away from her and with a raging flush in my face asked her what she was doing. She responded 'increasing your flexion'. I told her she had hurt me and I should have been informed of what she was going to do first. She went on to explain there was going to be pain in gaining ROM and I said, 'not for me, not now'. I told her that was all the therapy I felt like doing that day.

I had learned enough on bonesmart by that time to know that PT wasn't necessary. So the first 'on my terms' was ending the home PT order.

I didn't feel like doing any exercises the next 4wks so I was content with the necessary activities around my house. I did work on my gait taking short heel to toe strides. I paid the most attention to staying on schedule w/ pain meds, icing and elevation.

At 6wks I had my first post-op visit with my surgeon. He measured my flexion at 50*s and I perceived that he was sincerely concerned. He asked me how my PT was going and I told him it wasn't- that I was concentrating my efforts on reducing the swelling and allowing the healing of soft tissue and other surgical damage to heal. He was disappointed by that which concerned me but I didn't let it intimidate me.

During that appointment he told me he would need to go back and fix my limited flexion and I shook my head 'no'. He then told me that if I didn't get at least 90*s by 8wks he hoped I would consider an MUA. He said he wanted to recheck it in 2wks and I could let him know at that time what I wanted to do.

I left concerned that if I refused the MUA and couldn't get my flexion back say in 6 months that my health insurance company might take that opportunity to deny coverage due to my noncompliance. I felt really torn so I decided to give PT a try for the 2wks leading up to the next visit with my OS.

I'm sorry this is getting lengthy but I feel it important you know what has led me to where I am now.

During my first PT visit a few days later I sat down with the intake person and told her what I would & would not tolerate. No one was to touch me without informing me first. That there would be no pushing my knee in manipulating a 'better' flexion. That the real number would come from what I could actually bend. And that I was willing to do gentle bending exercises through to the 'discomfort' point but would not tolerate outright pain. I would stop doing any exercise I felt painful. And I also told her there would be no weights on my knee to increase extension- no squats- none of the unhealthy exercises this early in recovery that I've learned from you Josephine.

I then asked her if they would provide PT on my terms and she agreed they would. I came home after my first visit with a few simple stretch exercises but I didn't do the recommended reps- I did them to where I felt discomfort and stopped. So this is how I have handled my 7.5wk knee recovery in regards to PT on 'my terms'.

I probably could have handled these things better but at this point I'm just a bonesmartie 'wanna-be'!!

 

[Tabbycat]

And look where you are now, doing really well. Good for you for sticking to your guns!
Tabby xxx