TKR The Knees and Me - staged

[gertie]

@rubyyarn I'm continuing to have some sleep issues--not just surgery related I think but a longstanding problem--and that affects energy for sure but I think the post-surgery energy drain is improving. I do feel deconditioned in general but I am able to walk more briskly and navigate slight hills, etc.

I do remember though those first couple of weeks when just making the coffee in the morning and feeding the cat was a huge endeavor. But last Wednesday I worked for 4 hours (from home), did a few errands, tidied up the house a bit, cooked and served a meal for friends, sat at the dining table with them for a couple of hours, then cleaned up the kitchen. At the end of the evening, I was tired and a bit achy but not exhausted.

So take heart--your body will recover from the double whammy.

 

[Polkadot]

@rubyyarn, I couldn't help my curiosity and took a look at that website. No wonder you were insulted.

You're doing great! Soon that sitting around will be a thing of the past. Hang in! I love your attitude!

 

[SusieShoes]

I think the second surgery just piles on whatever energy drain remains from the first. Next thing you know, you're knocked flat and with two knees now drawing on your body's reserves it's just that much harder to rebuild your energy stores. If your body is telling you to slow down, indulge it. The next day might be completely different. And eventually you'll be back up to speed all the time.

 

[Pheebs52]

@rubyyarn, I wish I had a box of energy I could forward to you, but alas, I do not; pfft! I’m not in the least bit surprised that you’re feeling more exhausted than you were after Round One; how could it be otherwise, eh? Your recliner, minus the enormous spider, is definitely where you belong right now. I know, I know, it’s not where you want to be, but hey, at least you have one, eh? Give yourself permission to relax and just
be the very best Couch Potato in Virginia! Soon enough, you’ll be out and about, so just try to enjoy this very unusual sabbatical from normal life, eh? Knit up a storm, devour those books, and maybe plan a great vacation for next Spring or Summer! Make that Bucket List as long as it doesn’t include climbing Everest. [emoji16]


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[rubyyarn]

Thanks, @Pheebs52! I'm afraid I could give lessons in being a Couch Potato. Any day now I expect to develop bed sores on my butt from sitting so much.

Today I enter Week 4 of Knee #2, so hopefully things will start to get better soon. I did go to PT today and rode in the front seat. It was nice to get out

 

[Jockette]

The front seat is an achievement!!!

So many good things are happening today!

 

[rubyyarn]

Knee #2, Week 4

Got out today and actually rode in the front seat! Of course, the PT place is only about 3 miles away, so it wasn't a real chore.

I don't know if the head therapist has been to a seminar or what, but her approach was much different from last time. She measured my bend (90/+13). I told her about all the stiffness and that pocket of fluid to the lateral side of my kneecap. She massaged the leg and said my calf was really tight. Whatever she did, I felt much better afterwards. She had me walk a lot, and gave me some exercises to do. Throne...er...heel slides, straighten the leg, heel lifts/toe lifts (glorified ankle pumps). I was also to do a lot of walking.

Then I was introduced to the Bike. It was some Space Age thing, not really recumbent, but much like what others have discussed here. I was just to swing my legs back and forth. She said I was about ready to make a full rotation, but only do it when I was ready.

Two more sessions this week. So far I feel fine. If I hurt tomorrow I will cut back on the frequency.

It was nice to be out and doing something for a change. I am really, really ready to start feeling better.

 

[phrog]

@rubyyarn: Shotgun is the seat the kids fight over - and you not only had dibs on it, you rode 3 miles and said it wasn't a chore. My PT was literally only 1/4 mile from my house and I'm not sure I would have gone every time if it had been 3 miles. So, you rock, lady!! Congrats on a good day. @Jockette is right, several Smarties are having a good day!

 

[kmak81230]

Sounds like you're doing really well Ruby - it's a big milestone to get out more. Pace yourself so that you don't overdo it. Glad the PT worked for you.

 

[Polkadot]

Ha, @rubyyarn, I bet you're right about your PT having had some professional development. Unknown to me, mine went to something one weekend and did all kinds of different things the next week. (Mine was for the better, too.)

 

[Pheebs52]

Another Smartie with a Red-Letter day; whoohoo! It sounds as though you've made a great start to Week 4 @rubyyarn, so just be careful to avoid the ODIC! I'm glad to hear your PT visit was a positive one. Hopefully, that will continue to be a bright spot along the this loopy path. I preferred a 2x a week PT schedule. I think it was less exhausting, especially in the first several weeks. I honestly don't feel I would've had the energy or inclination to go 3x a week, but 2x was great for me. I know you'll figure out what works best for you.

 

[rubyyarn]

Had 3 days straight of PT this week. Both knees ache from it, but my walk is nearly normal. So I'll stick with their schedule as long as I see improvement. The exercise that bothers me most is pressing the back of my knee to the table and holding. But my extension has improved from 13 to 6 -- and I can go up stairs foot over foot.

So things are looking up here

 

[SusieShoes]

I hated that press the back of the knees to the table exercise, though I gamely did them (but only at PT). Then, after I stopped PT, I started doing them at home here and there. Watching TV is a good time to do a few. That exercise is good for extension. It just hurts like crazy. You can tell your extension is normal, or almost there, when doing them doesn't hurt anymore.

And hooray for going up the stairs like any other person! It almost doesn't feel right at first, but it gets to be oh so natural.

 

[sistersinhim]

Up and down the steps normally is a huge step! Great job!

 

[rubyyarn]

Took a stroll around the yard just now in an effort to shake the meh out of my brain. It helped. It's a mellow 70 degrees. Fallen leaves crunch underfoot and what grass is visible is brilliant green. I love the Fall colors! Perhaps I'll dye some wool in those colors and spin a yarn I'll call Kneerah. First, I have to get off of the Percocet. I'm trying to spread out the time between pills, but so far the knee isn't buying it.

Back to the patience thing...

 

[Celle]

First, I have to get off of the Percocet. I'm trying to spread out the time between pills, but so far the knee isn't buying it.

Go with the knee, Ruby. If it still needs the medications don't try to cut them back.

The time to cut back is when you find you start forgetting to take a dose, but don't experience increased pain.

 

[rubyyarn]

Thanks, @Celle. I seem to remember fighting this battle last time. You'd think I'd know better

 

[Polkadot]

I'd love to see your Kneerah yarn!

I tried so hard, so many times, to ditch the hard drugs in favor of Tylenol. My efforts set me back every time. I found that I absolutely had to keep the drugs up in my system--not skipping doses when I didn't feel pain, for example--or I would pay for it later. This is soooo different from my experiences with other surgeries and using pain meds. After shoulder surgery, and dosed up on Vicodin, I went to my daughter's basketball game. Two days later I was totally off the Vicodin. After lymph-node removal and a lumpectomy, I was off the hard drugs after about two weeks. After a hysterectomy, I ditched the narcotics when I got home from the hospital and used ES Tylenol. Not so with this recovery! I was still on a reduced schedule of opioids at 3.5 months.

I'll echo Celle. Go with the knee, Ruby! Kneerah!

 

[SusieShoes]

I agree this surgery is different from other surgeries. I’ve had abdominal surgery, major ones, and this one wins the prize for duration of pain. Two weeks, tops, on opioids for those surgeries. For my TKR, I got off the narcotics earlier than a lot of people because I have high pain tolerance AND they were part of my serious nausea problem. I could easily have stayed on them longer.

Go with the knees. When you start forgetting to take them, that’s when to stop the pain pills. Until then, take lots of nice autumnal strolls. Endorphins are good.

 

[Pheebs52]

Kneerah @rubyyarn! Doing the stairs *normal* style is a HUGE milestone! I'm so glad you've been able to get out and enjoy the fall colors as well. A yarn in those shades would be stunning, so take some good photos and make the yarn at a later date when your brain is up to the task. It won't be long now!