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TKR the other side, finally!

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@kvhundley feel so sorry you were in pain after your PT. I can't understand how protocols can be so different regarding this surgery and recovery. If it hurt you, don't do it again. You need rest and time for things to heal. I have done very little PT . I am three weeks and two days out. I have a bend of about 105 ish and can get my leg completely flat. I've done heel slides, quad stretches and straight leg lifts plus about 5 mins walking 2x per day in weeks one to two. Now I'm increasing the walking and putting in a few more simple easy exercise - never past the point of discomfort. I'm taking almost no painkillers now. I was told to do more PT by the hospital physio but ignored him. The Bonesmart mantras make sense to me and they've worked for me. My new Pt is very pleased with progress.
It's hard to stand up for yourself when you feel tired and in pain, but it's your knee. Hope things soon improve for you. Best wishes
 
@kvhundley So sorry about the increased pain. @SuperSnapper definitely has the right idea. It is your knee and PT should not be allowed to push you to pain...push to pressure is OK but not to pain! Also, please remember to take your meds on schedule. I hope today is a better day. Sending you positive, healing thoughts! :)
 
kvhundley said:
So I obviously did too much and if my knee is not telling me during exertion time, how am I to figure out how much is too much? Trying to listen to my body tell me when enough is enough clearly didn't work. Of course the visiting nurse tells me that her goal for me is getting pain under control. So frustrating. I have a new PT today and will go through all f this with her, Hopefully she will be a little more humane.
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It is hard to tell when you're doing too much at the time. So it becomes a process of trial and error, and unfortunately, the errors can be very painful! But now you know that was too much, and can act on that information. The nurse sounds like she's on the right track! I hope the next PT has some sense.

People here at BS aren't kidding when they say that the first 3 to 4 weeks should be devoted to resting, elevating, and icing. Exercising at this very early point in your recovery is a low, low priority. No matter what the physical therapists say! :)

I hope things go better for you today. :console2:
 
These folks are telling you correctly. Firmly tell the therapist you will only do exercises during the session that do not cause you pain. If they want you to exercise 4 times a day smile and say fine.....then do the exercises once a day. As you can see, aggressive therapy gets you only pain and swelling. And....EIGHT HOURS in a CPM may be a bit much. At any rate it is definitely not "down time!" Your knee is moving, is it not??? There is no way that could be called "rest."
 
that PT was ridiculous and had control issues. Even her colleague said what she told me was not accurate. my new PT is perfect and I am seeing improvement each day. knee bend is 90-95 degree and it was 70 day before, 68 before that. leg raises finally got done today too. It sounds like many 2 and 3 week post-op's are doing great. Gives me hope!
 
Hi @kvhundley, you do seem to have been through a lot, I think I am just six days ahead of you, my LTKR was 6th Dec. Luckily I have a PT who seems to have been trained by Bonesmart, she isn't interested in measuring flexion and extension in the early days, she just judges it by eye. She reckons rest is really important for the first few weeks, and advocates ice and elevation. I feel very happy to work with her. I have been lucky this time, my knee has hardly swelled, my main problem is this IT band, which is much more uncomfortable than the knee itself. I am still trying to work out the right timings and combos for medications, I know Tramadol gives me a better sleep, but it also gives me nightmares, which isn't so good.
Take care and keep resting, we've got to learn to sleep the whole night through soon or Santa won't be able to visit on 24th :heehee::santawave:.
 
Day 9 post-op. Slept from 12:30-4, then 5:45-9, so no too bad. I find that if I can find the exact right position I can sleep on non surgical side. Cant sleep on my back at all. Pain is a constant. At best a 5, and it can creep to an 8. Yesterday I went upstairs for the first time, (was so much easier than I imagined it would be), took a nice shower and got into bed, stayed on CPM as long as I could stand it which is an hour each time. Iced, elevated, and did not feel up to any more excertion than that. Today my plan is to shower, head back downstairs and at some point get some chair excersizes done that I did not do yesterday. My biggest regret/mistake in prepping for all of this is that I did not cook and freeze. I have four males in my house and they really are not good at cooking. I could have made a lasagna and froze it at least, so if you are on pre-op side and reading this and have guys that depended on your cooking, I would make stuff in advance. Christmas is almost here!
 
@kvhundley Good news on the sleep front. That's not bad. I can't sleep at all on my non surgical side but can on the other! But you are still having too much pain. Do you think abandoning the CPM might give your leg a needed rest as there's no research to show it does much good in the long run? Over here in the UK they are rarely used.

I think this process has been very good for my husbands cookery skills which have really improved. He did a roast dinner last weekend. I think you need your males to learn to cook.:rotfl: In years to come their other halves will bless you for it! My two sons learned to cook while they were young and they really enjoy it and are very good. You could teach them some simple stuff under supervision even while you are resting if your stress levels can cope.

Hope you manage to sort out the pain soon. Best wishes.
 
@SuperSnapper I should have mentioned that my middle son (sr in college) has been cooking all week for me and although a lot is basic he has done a good job!! He said he actually enjoyed it. His GF arrives today so he may show off what he has learned. :-)
 
I am wondering why I seem to be in so much pain, more so than others? I am taking 10 mg of oxycodone every four hours and 100 mg of tramadol in between. I don't have either a low or high tolerance for pain. As I sit here icing I am easily at a 6-6.5 not sure there is much else I can do other than live through it
 
Well done to your son. His GF will be mega impressed! I hope Josephine has some ideas to help with your pain. It sounds grim. We've just had all the grandkids round for the afternoon. I am shattered and icing too.
 
kvhundley said:
Actually 5 mg oxy not 10
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What exactly does your prescription say? Mine said "1 or 2 tablets every 4 to 6 hours." (They were 5 mg each.) At first, I took them at the max: 2 every 4 hours. Be sure to max out your doses, of course staying within the prescribed directions. If that isn't working, CALL your OS (or whoever's on call) and tell him your pain is not controlled. If they're no help, try your GP. 6-6.5 is too much pain! Hope you get some relief! :console2:
 
kvhundley said:
@SuperSnapper I should have mentioned that my middle son (sr in college) has been cooking all week for me and although a lot is basic he has done a good job!! He said he actually enjoyed it. His GF arrives today so he may show off what he has learned. :)
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Ah, so you're doing him a service by having him cook. :)
 
Maybe the 8 hours in the cpm have something to do with the pain level. I think I was told 4-6 hours/day, but I never used it that much. Maybe 90 minutes at a time, 2x per day as it became too uncomfortable.
 
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