Guest viewing is limited

TKR The Journey Continues

am home now very happy with that. different this time as my furniture is quite low when I had one goid leg it did not matter but now it is noticeable what I lwarnt on my departure from hospital I got thecrepprys and my hemoglobin is low at 112 g/L no wonder I was feeling strange in the hospital. I would get jittery. funny taste in my mouth and tired. no was much lower than normal.

my muscles in my Newly L leg are so tight particularly the IT band that I have to use heat to relax them.

overall experience second time round was not as goid as first but at least I am aware of what I need to do myself to facilitate my recovery.

on another front I ordered new shoes today. No point in wearing shoes that don't match my new gait.
 
I love it! Just getting home and you feel good enough to shop for shoes!! Are you doing that with your leg up and with ice? Lol.
 
Bad night took my tramadol and the leg started to throb.. found it hard to get it under control so I could sleep. Thankfully do not have to deal with it that often.
 
Did you do extra during the day? Nighttime pain shows up more at night when we've had a too busy day. Try ice, too, when the pain sets in.
 
It sounds like your knee isn't ready for that yet. You can try it again in a few weeks. If you have the same result, wait longer. Your knee is a tiny baby and needs to be treated as such! Give it lots of TLC!
 
Hi there been busy trying to work on my leg....tge second one is not responding the same. the muscles are so tight and having sciatic pain when I am trying to push it slightly. the first leg is doing great. the only down side if having them done closer together us that you have to work the first one but rest the second one. doing all the stretching. Still using a single crutch to ensure thatvivam walking properly. I have a good night of sleep then a bad one. been doing lots of knitting found out on the weekend that there will be five babies born in our extended family at the end of the year.

hope your recovery is going well @nuttybrunette
 
on a positive note. when I went in for second surgery they did my height and weight. 1st time round I was 169cm and 72.5kg then second one i was 170cm and 72.1 kilos then yestetday my husband measured me ando was 171cm which I think is 5'7". I always wa s that height but as the legs bent I lost height. my legs are straight now it looks so strange but good.
 
I always did my last icing session right before bed.
 
HI All

Just touching base, I am at week 6 for the first knee and it is doing really well. very happy with the leg its flexion is at least 112 and improving. I am doing the strengthening exercises and riding the bike and walking even if it is only slowly.

I drove the car yesterday for the first time. had no problem with that leg. my car is an automatic and needed to test it out as my husband has to have something done with his eye on Monday and he wont be able to drive!

Second knee is at three week this Tuesday and is a bit more problematic. I think the bow in the leg was more severe so getting to 90ROM has been more of a challenge. I find that trying to increase it the muscles are not giving, particularly the quad and the IT ban they are as tight as a drum!

But I challenge it gently every day and have been using a spikey ball and rubbing up against a wall to try and release the tension and it has helped.

I have been seeing two different physios (one was not available) and they are both different. I am lucky though that they try to challenge without pushing which is great.

I can walk on the walking machine at 2.7 kph and am concentrating on style and not speed. I use the bike as well but can only manage to get the back on my heel on the pedal for the left leg.

A little bit every day and it improves.

I see the surgeon tomorrow and one of they physio has written him a letter stating my improvement since the surgery and recommend that as soon as he will allow that I commence Hydro Therapy.

but over all I think my recovery has been pretty unremarkable and doing very well.

My legs are straighter and 2 cms taller.

So onward and upward.
 
It does sounds like you are doing extremely well! Good going!
 
VonnieN said:
Second knee is at three week this Tuesday and is a bit more problematic. I think the bow in the leg was more severe so getting to 90ROM has been more of a challenge. I find that trying to increase it the muscles are not giving, particularly the quad and the IT ban they are as tight as a drum!
Click to expand...
Your second knee had more done during surgery and it's obviously going to need to take more time to recover. Allow it that time, and don't compare it to your first knee. It'e really doing OK, but is just on a slower path to recovery.

Don't expect it to keep up with the PT you do for your first knee. In fact,give both knees more time to rest and less time doing exercises.

Remember, there's no need to rush to get ROM (Range of Motion) because it can continue to improve for a year, or even much longer, after a knee replacement. There isn't any deadline you have to meet - not even for getting to 90 degrees:
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
 
Glad to hear you are doing well. My IT band has been tight as well but massage seems to help. I’m constantly comparing my knees, even tho one is 10 years old, so I can imagine it’s really hard for you not to compare them. They will be different. How weird would that be if they were exactly the same anyway. So one one will be what you’d call better than the other but in the end at the one year mark you’ll probably see no difference. I’d say my new knee is at least 6 weeks ahead of where my old knee was at this point but I feel confident that it will be just as great in the end. That’s amazing you can ride the bike..be careful to not overdo it with that new knee tho.
 
saw the surgeon today and he was very happy with my progress as was my physio. in a few weeks I will start hydro therapy. still icing everyday. So week 7 and week three early days
 
What a great recovery you are having!
 
currently week four for second leg and 7 weeks 1st leg.

my second leg has goid days and bad. I find I can't stand a long time the leg feels heavy. I have it up and down a lot. not so much icing as when I do the knee feels quite stiff. I USE warm pack. I do my strenghtening exercises but sleep is still poor. if I do too much walking which I would say is 3500 steps by the time I go to sleep my leg aches and finding a position to sleep is difficult.

I take regular Panadol and only tramadol on going to bed.

I suppose impatience sets in being incapacitated for a length of time and you just want to be normal. the pain is uncomfortable and you go quiet but you can't take anymore so you clock watch and not concentrate.
I had one internal stitch that came to the surface and was advised to remove it a few days later but it broke and each end has gone back under the skin. but the location is tender and wonder if there is an infection. I see my GO today.

But overall I still think my recovery is goid but my impatience has distorted my expectations.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Staff online

  • Layla
    Layla
    Staff member since November 20, 2017
  • Jamie
    Jamie
    Staff member since Feb, 2009
  • djklaugh
    djklaugh
    Staff member since December 30, 2020
  • Roy Gardiner
    Roy Gardiner
    Staff member since February, 23, 2013
  • Jockette
    Jockette
    Staff member since March 18, 2018

Members online

Total: 836 (members: 9, guests: 827)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom