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TKR The Journey Continues

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I am glad to hear that your visit went so well. I think you have done remarkably well and at only six weeks out you have lots of time to improve. The important thing to me is that you are happy with the result. I think everything else will fall into place. I looked at the link you provided and that looks like a great tool. My tkr has gone very well but my quads still ache. Give Ziggy a big hug for me and I know you will see continued improvement!
 
Yey Ziggy's Mom! :dancy: Awesome report! I'm shocked your OS would even mention MUA to you with numbers like that. :what: I'm sorry about the pain and tightness with your IT Band, but glad all else is good! From reading on here, IT Band tightness is pretty common and I think you can find pictures of exercises to do in the library on here. I can't remember who it is that I've seen post them, possibly @referee54 ?

I leave for my appointment in about 30 minutes and hope to get a good report (although I would actually like to continue PT for a while longer) and the same assurances about pain meds.

Have an awesome day!!! xoxo

(p.s. I just looked at the Ideal Stretch thingie and not to sound totally lame, but couldn't you loop one of Ziggy's leashes around your foot for the same exercises?)
 
Thanks, @Jozilla...my quads ache, too...before the surgery they were pretty strong, but I lost a lot of that strength pretty quickly, especially on the surgery side (never mind whatever they did to it during the tkr). Today my PT wanted my quads to be "screaming", and they were happy to oblige him. I think it will be awhile before I am back to my pre-surgery strength level. I'm glad your recovery is also going well. By the way, Ziggy appreciated the hug!

@DogLoverx3, I have been stretching with a strap I got in the hospital, but I can't get the leg to straighten. This contraption actually does what my PT does manually when he stretches the leg...it pushes up on the calf and pushes down on the top of the thigh, stretching out the hamstrings more, and holds the leg in that straight position as I raise it.
Thanks for the tip on the IT band exercises...I am going to look them up.
 
Good report. I like what your doc said about the pain meds--he seems to treat people on a case by case basis. As he should. But we all know that some doc are rather arbitrary.
 
Ahh, well then that contraption is well with the money :) My surgical leg quad seems to have turned to jello since surgery. I was going to PT for 2 months before my TKR so I could build it up really well too .... apparently that wasn't money well spent. Hope your quads are feeling better!
 
Hey ziggysmom. Sounds like you are doing great. I remember your first post and im STILL waiting for my tkr. Ive been pre op for over two months. My point is you are still very early in your recovery. Just be patient. And thats coming for a impatient pre op . LOL. Way to dismis that MUA talk. ! You might want to have PT go light on you and maybe message your knee instead. Soft tissue still very inflamed and angry. BTW Ziggy sure is beautiful . Well keep up the great work. Remember patience is a virtue !!
 
For those of you who are in the very early stages of recovery and are now wondering why in the world you did this to yourself....

Yesterday, 6.5 weeks after my rtkr, was a miraculous day, as tkr recovery days go....first, I am tapering off my pain meds, taking only half a dose of hydrocodone/tylenol every 12 hours. My husband is out of town for the weekend, so this is the first time I am on my own, with no help, which meant I had to walk the dog in the morning (very brief), make coffee and breakfast, make the bed, and do other morning household chores. I then went to water aerobics class, and did all the exercises that did not include jumping or twisting the lower leg in any way, then spent another half hour after the class water walking and swimming. Back home, I rested a bit and had lunch, then I took Mr. Ziggy to the dog park, which involves walking up a long slope, standing for an hour throwing a tennis ball (he would retrieve that thing until he dropped dead if I let him), then walking back down the slope. After that, I drove into town to get my hair cut (after 7 weeks, it really needed some chopping!), then went to the grocery store for some items. Back home, made supper, watched TV, then took Ziggy out for his last short jaunt. Then it was time for bed...which I dread because it is so uncomfortable! Surprisingly, I slept for nearly 7 hours, and got up with only a little stiffness in my knee, which I walked out in about 3 steps!

The above all sounds pretty mundane, and not like a ton of activity...but, two amazing things happened....when walking away from the dog park, down the slope, I was talking with a couple of people, and forgot I was negotiating the slope until I was at the bottom! The other amazing thing was, my knee did not swell, nor was it sore after doing all those mundane things...only a few days ago, it probably would have blown up like a balloon!

Disclaimer: Everyone recovers at different rates, and it is definitely not a straight line (and you may need a full dose of pain meds for many weeks). However, there is light at the end of the tunnel...the day will come when you will be able to start doing normal things again. It may not happen at six weeks or eight weeks, but it will happen. Keep the faith, follow the advice the wise ones of Bonesmart so generously provide, and be patient!

Oh, today is Sunday...a day of rest for me...I don't want to push my luck...
 
Awesome @Ziggysmom. You sound like you have had an extremely busy weekend so far. Glad to hear you have had such a successful recovery and are starting to get on with life!!! All my best to you - JoAnne
 
:dancy: what a wonderful day! :dancy: I'm so happy for you! :dancy: Good idea to take it easy today just in case, but I can't believe how much you did yesterday! You must feel wonderful! I've gotten glimpses of 'normality', but they're usually followed my knee pain, but I know they're getting better. I'm so impressed with all you were able to do (and the fact that you actually forgot about your knee for a time) :cheers2:

I'm glad you posted your day for all to see. Everyone does need to see that this most difficult and frustrating recovery does pay off in the end! And yey for Ziggy getting 2 walks and a trip to the dog park! :puppysmooze:
 
This is great news. Keep the posts coming. Its great to read positive news every now and than ! 7 days to go for me !im glad I found bonesmart !!
 
Yesterday I graduated from PT. It was bittersweet, with hugs all around. The therapist told me if I have any questions or wanted my leg stretched or massaged to not be a stranger...plus they can do 6 sessions with me without a prescription from a doctor. That was nice, because I felt a little bit like I was flying the nest into the world all alone!

My knee was pretty stiff yesterday, probably due to the weather, as everyone in therapy was complaining. However, my ROM was 0 to 125, despite the stiffness... I had hit 130 on Tuesday, so I'm very pleased with that! Although I am at 0 in extension, the knee still feels bent because I stand naturally with my left leg in a negative position. I am trying to stretch my hamstrings more to get a little more extension, but it's still not happening for me. Maybe this is my new normal...I hope not!

Today I went to the gym. I rode the recumbent bike for 10 minutes, then walked the indoor track for 10 minutes. I left right after walking and drove straight home (it's only a mile) and did my stretches while my muscles were still warm.

While walking the track, I couldn't help but notice how weird my knee feels. Although I was walking purposely with a straight heel to toe gait, I don't feel like I have total control over it. I am very conscious that there is something fake in there. It also clunks and clicks with every step I take, and seems to do a little flippy thing. The tendons connecting muscles around the knee area also feel tight, both front and back. At 7 weeks I expected some of this to subside, but it hasn't. I am also finding I have to increase my meds as I increase the exercise, which has not been by very much. Right now I feel like I am at a crossroads....the PT wants me to "get active" and increase activity, but my knee seems to be saying otherwise. My whole body desperately needs more activity, but it seems everything I want to do involves the knee in some way. I do work out in the pool three times a week. I wonder if I should work out in the pool exclusively, but the "experts", i.e. my surgeon and PT, seem to think I should be walking up to 20 minutes a day by now. I guess I will be playing this by ear while I figure out what works for me.

I was starting to feel real frustrated today, until I saw a guy learning how to walk on a brand new lower leg....that certainly put everything in perspective!
 
I am 12 weeks and feel the same way about activities. I know I can't run around all day and then walk for an hour. If I do an hour at the gym in the morning, I have to let something slide in the afternoon. I have been able to cut back on Tylenol. Today has been easy, I have had none since 7 this morning. It's just always trying to find that balance and not over reach. I am really good at over reaching.
 
Hi. Mr. Ziggy is quite a handsome fellow.

If you look in the Library (at the top of the webpage, in the grey bar), look for an Article by the BoneSmarties called: "Clicking/Clunking Knee Joint After Surgery", you will see that a noisy knee after a TKR is normal. I have joked to my family: "It feels like I have a toolbox in there now." The noises have died down as my muscles have become tighter.
 
Congrats on graduating from PT and for your terrific flexion and extension numbers! I feel all your same frustrations and it's tough not to let them bog you down. I decided yesterday that I was in a 'down section' of this awesome (aka:crappy) roller coaster of recovery right now. :-( My knee double clicks when I walk and although it's very disconcerting, it doesn't hurt. It's just really annoying. When I went in for my 6 week with the OS, we talked about this and he said it pretty much is what it is then grabbed my knee, jiggled it a little and I could hear all the 'hardware'. :shrug:

You're doing the right thing with gradually increasing your activities. Who cares what the PT wants. He has 2 good knees. You can only do what you can do. I think your gym exercises sound great and guess what? I can't do that much yet and my bionic knee is 2 days older than yours. ;-) We're both less than 8 weeks and as everyone keeps saying 'there's still a lot of healing to do'..... :sos::headbang:

Try not to get discouraged. Look back 2 weeks and compare to how well you are moving around now and I bet you'll be able to recognize how far you've come! ((hugs))
 
Congratulations! You have done so well and should be very proud. Our surgeries are very close and I still have feel pain if standing or walking very long. I think 20 minutes is a lot and definitely would be for me. I am still in a lille pain though it is manageable. I just figure it will keep improving. You have accomplished so much in two months! Great job @ziggsymom!
 
Thanks, everyone, for your encouragement!

My stiff knee improved overnight, and I feel much better today. It has even seemed to cool down somewhat (it's been feeling warm for weeks). I went to a water aerobics class this morning, did about half the exercises and did my own thing for half the class (no one can see what's going on underwater, anyway!), then spent an extra half hour walking and marching back and forth and doing some swimming. The knee was a bit stiff, but I was able to take Ziggy for his run in the dog park, so stood up for about an hour throwing the ball for him and gabbing with another dog owner.

As for the clicking and clunking, when I complain about it to my husband, he shakes both his bionic knees...I swear he could be in the rhythm section of an orchestra, LOL!
 
Uhm, I think I caught your stiff knee. ;-) Weirdly enough, it's just the right side of my knee from about the center of my knee all the way around to the back center. Apparently there's some of sort of a tight 1/2 band feeling in my grab bag of recovery goodies!

So great that you did water aerobics (or your own version) and that Ziggy went to the dog park. Unless you have one of those neato ball throwing thingies where you don't have to bend to pick up the ball though, I hope your knee doesn't have anything to say about it.

Keep up the great work. You are LOADS more active than I am my friend, so I think you're doing wonderfully well!
 
DogLoverx3, I do have one of those ball throwing thingies, and it gets a lot of use! Ziggy would retrieve that ball until he dropped if we let him...the problem is he usually chooses the oldest, most decrepit ball in the park (once he chooses, he won't play with any other ball), gets it all muddy and slimy, and it becomes difficult to control the direction...I've hit more than one unsuspecting person bent over picking up dog poop...now I yell "incoming!!!" It's a good thing Mr. Ziggy is well liked....

My knee feels good today...stiff, but good...and this morning I sat in a church pew for an hour or so with no ill effects (which means I didn't want to elevate it onto the pew in front of me with my foot in between the heads of the people in front of me). It was a stiff walk to the car, and I went up some steps one at a time, to the disappointment of my husband, who thinks it's now time to start forcing myself to use both legs. I replied I did not have enough testosterone in my body to tolerate the self-torture, like he did way back when....nope, no macho here!

I posted on your thread, DogLoverx3, that I think the bottom part of your IT band might be tight...I have had that tightness all along, and my OS says it is a normal part of the healing process. I'm sure it gets messed with quite a bit during surgery, then has to adjust to the new knee, new movement, etc.

The rest of today is a day of rest....no exercises, no dog park, no nothin'!! I hope everyone has a great, pain-free day!!
 
Wow, it's been over a month since I reported on my recovery....so here goes...

I just passed my 12 week anniversary touring the lovely city of Savannah, Georgia. We had never been there before, so did not know what to expect. We rented a cute little place two blocks from Forsyth Park. It had been advertised as being near a trolly stop, but that term "near" was clearly not meant for recent tkr patients! We walked a lot more and a lot further than we expected to!

That being said, the knee held up very well. It did feel stiff after sitting in a restaurant for awhile, and when I got up in the morning, but it soon worked itself out. This is not unusual...any length of time in one position causes it to stiffen up. At times I felt a pain right in the middle of the joint when I was in bed or sitting watching TV, but that went away after I took an Aleve, which I took 12 hours apart during the trip. Apparently some soft tissue still becomes inflamed when I over-do it.

Other than the trip, my recovery since February has consisted of a slow return to my normal daily activities. I can now do most of the exercises in my water aerobics class, which I take 3 times a week. I have returned to my strength training class (3x a week), also...at first it was difficult doing any of the low-impact cardio work that we do between sets, but that is getting better. Also, I can squat almost to the depth before I tore my meniscus a year ago, which is a major victory! I can't lunge yet, and I'm not sure I ever will. I can get up off the floor after working on the mat, although it is not elegant or quick. My jumping jacks look like a soft shoe routine....

I have also been walking my dog about a mile 2 or 3 times a week, although I'm hoping to increase the distance since I did so well in Savannah. At first the clicking in my knee drove me batty, but now it doesn't bother me as much. Going downhill is getting easier, but some slopes are still really tough and I have to walk gingerly, and even sideways.

I am now working on stairs. I lost a lot of strength in my hip after the surgery, which I am working to regain. I have to literally haul myself up a set of stairs by the railing, or else two-step my way up. I am also working on going down, but steep steps are impossible. I can do them if they are shallow enough, but it feels very weird. My knee is pretty lose and supple afterwards, though! I found a set of 12 stairs in a nearby parking lot that I plan to work on after my strength class. They are just the right height and I can reach the rails on both sides if needed. My goal is to be able to walk up and down without hanging on, and without lurching.

Other than that, I am back to living my normal life. I hate grocery shopping, but I can't use my knee as an excuse not to go anymore! I rarely take any medication now (this week excepted). I can sleep through the night (what passes for it at my age) with little discomfort. I can't run yet...don't like to, anyway...

I hope all my "classmates" are doing as well as I am, as well as all of you who followed....I thank you all for your support and for all the great advice and information this site has to offer...without Bonesmart I don't think I would be doing as well as I am! Going through the past 12 weeks has been so worth it to now live pain-free!
 
Nice to hear from you Carol. I knew you were still alive ! And its great to hear you are doing so well . 12 weeks is amazing as I just completed my 4th week . I am coming along much better than I feared. Hopefully this spring and summer will make up for the crazy weather you had this winter. Keep up the great work , remember you are still in your first trimester , sort of speak. So take it easy , dont overdo it. You following your football teams free agency pick ups and releases. I forget if you were a Patriot fan or bronco fan . Either way , they both made significant moves, Give Twiggy a belly rub for me . Take care and God bless .. ICEMAN
 
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