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TKR The adventure begins

You've turned the pain corner! Yay! Stiffness and discomfort, but not enough to be really thought of as pain. It's hard to explain to those who haven't gotten to that point, but it's a blessed place to be. It's that "Yeah, I can live with this!" feeling.

How interesting that you forgot which knee was the operated one. :idea: I sometimes forget my right leg is not original issue, but with both knees being replaced it's kind of like I always know they're not. Realizing you no longer think of them as anything but "my knee" is pretty amazing. They become invisible, in a sense.

You'll get to the side sleeping. I know exactly what you mean about sleeping only for 20 minutes on a side. That was me until about two weeks ago. Keep sleep-testing the knee, and one of these days you'll sleep for a couple hours. And then five hours. And then all night. I'm sleeping through the night now on my side and now, at last, feel as if I'm over the hump of recovery. Sleep was the last bastion.
 
10 weeks
I really am glad I had the knee done. Things are overall going very well. I'm doing full days at near normal activity level. Working, shopping, picking up the house. I've given up afternoon naps for the most part. Some nights I rest on the couch after supper with ice, some nights not. I usually take ice to bed but I'm becoming less and less comfortable with ice and often after 20 minutes it seems uncomfortable and I feel better with it off. Maybe slowly outgrowing the need for it? Usually no swelling now even after a long day. If I do too much it results in mild pain and stiffness and of course exhaustion.

In the last couple of nights I've been able to sleep in my side for a couple of hours! I'm more excited about that than anything. Still not great nights but more consistently better than a few weeks ago. I wake up a few times and still roll around like a rotisserie chicken at times but manage a decent amount of sleep most nights.

Walking is generally painless and I do not limp at all. Stairs still aren't perfect. I can go up and down as often as I like and am no longer rationing trips but still causing very mild pulling and discomfort. I can go up foot over foot if I concentrate on it but going down, sometimes foot over foot, often not. I'm working on it but it doesnt come natural yet. I'm sure it will get better but even if it didn't I'm way ahead of where I was presurgery where it actually hurt badly to climb stairs and I was avoiding them as much as posible.
 
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Well done! It sounds as if you're coming along just fine. :yes!: :happydance: :yay: :dancy:
 
I'm happy with my progress. I've not had any clicking or clunking and no tight band that some have had to suffer through. From the beginning it felt like my knee (my knee with a bad sprain). While I'm not completely back to normal yet, I'm now sure that I will be with a bit more time. I think I had several factors in my favor; no other big health problems, no previous surgery/scarring on the knee and the custom Conformis knee put in by a good surgeon. While I'm sure a bad surgeon can mess up any brand of implant, I'm glad I spent the extra $300 out of pocket for the custom knee (the insurance in its infinite wisdom would pay for the knee but not the CAT scan necessary to 3D print the the custom knee ). It is just the right size with a good natural fit and I think one reason I bounced back quickly was less cutting and less bone loss. My surgeon told me it is typically 20-25% less bone loss than with an off the shelf knee and just over half as long a surgery. I was out of the operating room in well under an hour, I think 50 minutes. My surgeon has been at this a while and says he's used several different knees over the years but for the last 5 years 90% of what he uses are the custom Conformis. I'm sure there are plenty of good brands, but I'm totally satisfied with my experience .

I quit physical therapy after going 3 times a week for the first month (I was trying to save some appointments for my other knee that I thought might be done before the year was over). It is actually doing quite well since surgery and it doesn't look like I will get a second TKR this year.I worried a bit about quitting PT. I liked it and had decent people who asked before they touched me. While there was mild discomfort at times, no real pain and I usually left feeling looser and less stiff than when I walked in. My extension was 0 from the beginning but my flexion has continued to improve,most notably between weeks 6 to 8. I dont know my ROM but the new knee will go back almost as far as the non operated one. I wasn't just sitting around since I left formal PT though. I ride my recumbent bike 10 minutes most days, I walk a lot, I'm working, and I'm trying to challenge myself on a weekly basis. I've always struggled with the line between overdoing/swelling and moving forward. It's getting better. I swell less and I've learned not to make long range goals. My knee is moving at its own speed and I have no idea how fast it will heal. But every week I try to do something I haven't done before in terms of activity or time. Last Saturday I walked down the steep hill behind the house to the creek and took a walk in the woods. It has been a good year since I did that. I always tried something new weekly , even if it was just getting up 5 times a day for 5 minutes the first week instead of 4 times,or walking 200 feet on the road in front of my house on the walker the second week. No matter how small, at least I can tell myself I'm making progress. Sure, I've taken multiple days off when I overdid and swelled up, but as soon as it was reasonably possible I got back to it.
 
I'm really glad to hear you're doing so well. :yes!: :yay: :dancy: :flwrysmile:
 
I'm glad you're doing so well. I understand about your new knee feeling like "your knee" right away. As soon as I stood up in the hospital, my knee felt very sturdy and stable, something my "original knee" hadn't felt like in years. It sounds like you have this recovery all figured out, and will be ready when the time comes to have the other one done.
 
While still not perfect I would say I'm nearly back to normal activity level. Yesterday I took son shopping in the morning. Two stores and out for about 2 hours. I came home, made a nice lunch, chicken divan and a small apple pie. I rested on the couch with knee up for half an hour after lunch. Then I took my son on on 2 appraisal jobs with me. We were out about 3 and a half hours with driving time and stopped at another store on the way back. I came home and rested for an hour, reading on the couch, and made a supper with caprese salad, pasta and garlic bread and a glass of wine. I even cleaned up the kitchen afterwards. I was not exhausted and feel pretty good this morning. No swelling, no pain in the knee. Mild discomfort in the back of both calves this morning. Probably because it has been a while since I was really active and I have lot of muscles that need to build up. But the knee held up beautifully. I hope to continue to improve,and at 10 weeks that seems likely. But even if I didn't impove anymore, I have my life back!
 
I am officially back to normal activity level!!! Ten and a half weeks out. A completely frantic day yesterday and I kept up. Started work on the computer at 8 am, worked until 2. No time for lunch. Grabbed a granola bar on the way out the door. Went out on an appraisal inspection and took some pictures for another job while I was out. . Got home about 5, answered some email for a couple of minutes and called a client. Left the house with husband at 5:30 to take the kid to college fair night. We walked around until 7 collecting brochures and talking to reps, then went out to dinner in a downtown resturant with a 3 block walk from parking. We didn't get home until after 8 pm. A 12 hour day and I was still functional! No putting my knee up or icing all day. Very mild discomfort and no swelling. I iced for a hour before bed and slept well, only waking up once for a few minutes. No swelling this morning and very little stiffness. This isn't going to be as busy as yesterday but still a full time day and I'm not dysfunctional even after yesterday.
 
what a fantastic report. hope everyday won't be as busy into the night but you did great. do you have any tips for reducing the swelling? you are having a wonderful recovery.:flwrysmile:
 
@liam2015, I really don't have any great ideas about reducing swelling. It is possible I just don't swell as much as some people or that I'm healing enough it's getting to be less of a problem. I ice when i can and still take ice to bed most nights but after 20 minutes or so, it seems uncomfortable and I take it off. I try to sit on the couch with the knee up on the couch for a hour or so when I can. I have kind of learned to quit when I feel that discomfort/ tightness that I know is only going to get worse if I don't quit.
 
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11 weeks
My knee is good, my back is awful. Pain all week. I guess it's time to decide what to do about it. Chiropractor? I've honestly never been to one. My parents went but I've not had much problem as an adult and really don't know what to expect. I'm pretty sure it's mild arthritis, not something out of place. Get a steroid Shot? Haven't done it yet but doctor suggested it. Take short term oral Steroids? They usually work but pretty temporary. But when I had bursitis a couple of years ago, the short term steroids hot tub plus exercises helped. Rest for a few Days? Just tough it out and keep doing my back exercises?

I'm not happy that just as soon as I've got a good workable knee everything else is falling apart. Now I understand when my twin sister told me a year after her knee replacement that her knee was the only thing that didn't hurt.
 
I've dealt with back issues since I injured my lower back in my early 20s. You might want to try ice first. I used to lie on an ice pack at night until it ceased to be cold. It got me to sleep! I also had a fanny-pack-like sling that held an ice pack. I could wear it around my waist while working. Just as with TKRs, ice can be wonderful for back pain.

If you do try a chiropractor (and they can do amazing things, in my opinion!), don't be afraid to try more than one if necessary. They graduate from different programs with a variety of philosophies. Some are more gentle than others. The ones I liked best took a holistic approach and combined chiropractic with massage. I noticed someone else on here likes a chiropractor who mostly uses a spring-loaded tool on the sore areas. Everyone is different.

You've been doing some long work days with a fair amount of sitting and driving(?), which can be hard on your back. You may already be doing the following, because you said you do back exercises, but here are some things I've learned along the way, from a "back class" that my chiropractor offered, and also from my DO, who does gentle manipulations and is an expert at back problems. Particularly when your back is acting up, a basic straight chair is more beneficial than a soft cushy one that throws your back out of alignment. So you might want to try something supportive that enables you to sit up straight as much as possible. Try not to twist your body when getting up from behind a desk. Push your chair out and keep your body straight if you can.

Cars can feel fine when in them, but if your car seat doesn't have built-in adjustable lumbar support, you could try a lumbar pillow (looks like a bolster, usually) in the car. I have to use a lumbar pillow on the passenger side of most cars, but many drivers seats now come with the lumbar support. You may want to experiment with raising your seat a bit in the car, if you can. Even a small adjustment can be helpful. Be careful to pivot instead of twisting when getting in and out of the car.

Twisting is a no-no! :bignono:Laundry can be a silent killer of backs. If you have side by side machines, try to make sure you aren't twisting your torso from one to the other. Think like a robot. Take things out of the washing machine with body parallel to the machine. Step over in front of the drier and stand parallel with that machine. Then put the clothes in the drier. Watch the twisting when taking clothes out and hanging them up, too!

And here's one that is probably counter to your post-TKR behavior, because we all know knee bends are hard after TKR: When picking something off the floor, bend your knees and lower yourself. Try not to bend over from the waist and pick things up. Legs need to do most of the lifting. Maybe have someone else do the lifting while your back is out of whack? Just a thought. :thumb: (I have very few back problems now because my husband is so good at making sure I don't do any heavy lifting.)

High heels, even modest ones, can throw your back out of alignment. It's a bummer, but a good way to shorten episodes of back pain is to wear supportive, low shoes while your back is acting up--and avoid little ballet-type flats, flip flops, etc. Stability is the key. :boohoo:
 
In my experience, my doctors tended to go with medications, shots, and bed rest as their go-to therapies for back issues. That's why I went into detail about some non-medical things I do to keep back pain at bay, and to shorten the duration of a "back episode." I tried chiropracty way back when, even though my family didn't approve at the time, because it was a non-medicinal approach.
 
Thank you, @Polkadot. A lot to think about. I'd rather avoid the steroids or at least try something else first. I haven't had a lot of back problems but this point had acted up a few times before. Its not too bad when I'm down but activity can hurt. Evenings are the worst but once i get settled in bed im okay. I haven't tried ice but it can't hurt, i may try that this evening. My knee is doing great, I'm just frustrated that something else is limiting my activity.
 
sorry to hear about your back issues, Jajakio; sounds like this is something fairly new and hopefully it's nothing too serious. @Polkadot gave you some great advice. do you have the opportunity to rest for a few days and do the simple back exercises? that's what i've done in the past when babysitting, lifting and twisting or bending with a baby in my arms and then hurting my back. haven't held a baby in around 4 years and no back problems since thank goodness but even if my back feels a little weak, first thing i do is lay on my back and bring my knees to my chest...lol...a little hard to do right now with a new knee but you get the picture. there are other back exercises like pelvic tilts that don't involve the knees. hope you can get help before it gets too bad.:flwrysmile:
 
I would try a chiropractor. My chiro does massage as well as manipulation. I find his approach is very soothing and my back always feels better after a visit to him.

He also emphasizes that some back problems can be helped by increasing your core strength, so he gives me exercises to improve that - especially my abdominal muscles.
 
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