TKR This Rocks!!! (So Far, LOL)

[icep707]

Are you kidding !!! Anyone experience this !! EVERYONE experiences this . Its part of the package deal. Please read the mantras. There is a article on depression and post op blues. Lack of sleep is a factor in this , meds too and cabin fever. This my friend will pass. I wonder, can you stand on your toes on your surgically repaired leg ? With ease ? That was my go ahead to drive. I never told my OS and he never asked. I just did out of necessity . I had to eat . I had a very small support team . Plus I was only taking tramadol and tylenol . Non narcotics . I believe you maybe overdoing it , perhaps under medicated and not sure how long you are properly elevated and iceing. But I would for hours at a time. Let me tag @Josephine for you. She might be able to help. But in my opinion rest alot more and do less You have no time table for return to work . Relax !! Best of luck. Ill be checking in on you.

 

[Wednesday]

All very normal. It will pass

 

[TexasTee]

Hi @Firemedic124 - I'm sure you will have loads of first person experience coming soon but just thought I'd link this up for you. Depression and cabin fever are absolutely normal and every account that I've read has been through it....doesn't make it fun but it does help that you're just following the process.

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/post-op-blues-is-a-reality-be-prepared-for-it.7591/

 

[Firemedic124]

Thank Ya'll. I think my biggest problem, is that all my life I've been taught to work hard and give 100%. Before my knee problem, I was working two side jobs, plus a home based business, on top of my Fire Dept. schedule. And it has caught up to me that I'm not "providing" for my family like I was and only living off of Fire Dept. workmans comp pay and wifes part time pay. I know this will pass, guess I just needed to whine about it, lol. I am just so ready to get back in the saddle so to say.

 

[Phil75070]

@Firemedic124 Don't believe a word that Ice, Wednesday and TexasTee are saying! No one has ever gone through what you are talking about. Just because there are articles on this stuff doesn't mean others have experienced any of it - it is just in case the one person like you happens along. You are the first for all of it! </kidding>

Everyone has not necessarily experienced everything you are going through but most have gone through some of it, and many others all of it. Personally, I don't think I have experienced the depression you and others talk about, but the cabin fever, frustration with not being able to drive or do everything you want to do, feeling cooped up, etc., certainly. It is early yet in your recovery. I am basically a month ahead of you and still far from being where I want and eventually expect to be. A couple of more weeks and you will be amazed at the progress you have made and what you have been able to cope with as you look back!

You'll get through it just fine!

 

[Josephine]

Okay, really needing help. Seems like I have hit a wall. My knee is recovering great, but in the last couple of days, I have been fighting depression like crazy.
I feel trapped is the best way to describe it I guess.

Yep, we all did! And I think you're just suffering from a big case of what you guys across the pong call "cabin fever". You said yourself you've always been an energetic provider, the giver and the 'go to' man! You can't put that on hold all of a sudden! Not even for a few weeks.

Sorry to be so down, I know this forum is meant to encourage and help out.

Yes, but it's also a place to vent and express such feelings. We know you can't do it with your family because you've always been the 'go to' man everyone else went to with their problems. But you can here because we all know and we all understand what you're feeling like.

Have had pain in lower calf the last couple of days.

Okay, so now down to business. This concerns me so I am going to ask you some questions and I need you to answer each one individually in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't compare this with the bone-on-bone pain you had before surgery!

)

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

3. how often are you icing your hip and for how long?

4. are you elevating your leg, how often and for how long?

5. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, yardwork, etc., and

6. what kind of PT/exercises are you doing? How much and how often? (and detailed details would be appreciated, please! Reps, sets and session and all that)

 

[Firemedic124]

1. what are your pain levels right now?

Right now it's a 2. Today was actually a pretty good day. At the worst yesterday it was a 5.

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

I take Celebrex 200mg every morning. And at night as needed, it's Norco 10-325mg.

3. how often are you icing your hip and for how long?

Did you mean knee? I ice it 2-3 times a day. about 20 minutes at a time.

4. are you elevating your leg, how often and for how long?

Pretty much whenever I'm sitting, it's either elevated on my ottoman, or a chair in front of me.

5. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, yardwork, etc.,

I did more moving around this past weekend than I have since the surgery. Did some yardwork today. Being outside today has actually helped me a whole lot. Everything else is fairly moderate. No more than I have to, lol.

6. what kind of PT/exercises are you doing? How much and how often?

PT has me exercising three times a day everyday. I do three sets of ten reps. He has me doing one set of each exercise then starting over two more times.

My exercises are:
Quad sets (protein shake can under ankle and locking leg downward)
Ankle pumps
Gluteal Sets (contracting and squeezing the Glutes)
Hamstring sets (Bending knee and pushing on bed with my heel)
Short Arc Quad Sets (have a pillow and a large protein shake can under my knee and raise lower leg)
Straight Leg Raises
Heel Slides
Abduction (sliding the leg outward keeping the kneecap pointed up)

Thank you for your reply Josephine!!!!

 

[TLH Photo]

Firemedic,
Yes indeed brother, we've all been there.

My possible DVT hit on Day 8. Turned out just to be massive swelling and bruising.

I got past that with the help of a 10-day supply of OxyContin and started making progress.

Then at week five, I hit a wall with my ROM. I started going backwards, became depressed and had what called what I had as "buyer's remorse." That lasted through week six.

That is when I found BoneSmart. Folks like Josephine, Iceman and many others helped me realize that this was "normal." I use "normal" loosely. I think "commo"n would be the appropriate word to use for what we've all bee through.

Hang in there brother, this too shall pass.

T


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®

 

[Josephine]

Firemedic, your replies are textbook for me! Even got the exercises in a LIST! Thank YOU!

Right now it's a 2. Today was actually a pretty good day. At the worst yesterday it was a 5.

Okay, so not so bad then.

I take Celebrex 200mg every morning. And at night as needed, it's Norco 10-325mg.

I'd recommend you forget the Celebrex and try taking Tylenol 1,000mg up to four times per 24hrs. A much better pain med than NSAIDS.

Did you mean knee? I ice it 2-3 times a day. about 20 minutes at a time.

LOL yes, of course I did! Typo! Don't restrict the time you apply ice. 20mins isn't long enough to do any good.

Pretty much whenever I'm sitting, it's either elevated on my ottoman, or a chair in front of me.

That's not elevating, that's just having your foot off the floor! did you read the articles I left you in post #7? In there is this article which shows you the proper way to elevate. As the saying goes "toes above nose"! (but don't take that too literally!). And combine your resting/elevating/icing. Do all three in concert and for as long as you can. Maybe an hour or so at a time, even more. Any time you you sitting, watching TV, etc. - elevate and ice. Can't do it enough.

I did more moving around this past weekend than I have since the surgery. Did some yardwork today. Being outside today has actually helped me a whole lot. Everything else is fairly moderate. No more than I have to, lol.

Jolly good! Go back and read the mantra again (post #7).

PT has me exercising three times a day everyday. I do three sets of ten reps. He has me doing one set of each exercise then starting over two more times.

So by that you mean you are doing 90 reps three times a day? That's an insane amount and the usual reason people start having problems with their ROM. I recommend that you do the exercises twice a day and cut it to one set of 10 reps and NO MORE! That plus your normal activities and going for short walks once or twice a day round the garden or down the road, will be more than enough. Plus don't forget to take a day of at least once a week. Even the Lord took a day off!

Quad sets (protein shake can under ankle and locking leg downward) - ok
Gluteal Sets (contracting and squeezing the Glutes) - ok
Hamstring sets (Bending knee and pushing on bed with my heel) - okay but not too hard
Short Arc Quad Sets (have a pillow and a large protein shake can under my knee and raise lower leg) - ok but not too hard
Straight Leg Raises - make sure you do these with about 20sec rest in between and lift slowly to get maximum benefit
Heel Slides - do these slowly and only ever to the point of discomfort, NEVER into pain. And don't hold the bed for more than 5 seconds
Abduction (sliding the leg outward keeping the kneecap pointed up) - I can never figure out why PTs have patients do this exercise. We never use it in the UK.

 

[Firemedic124]

And on a good note, my PT says that if I am not the fastest he's seen in recovery, I'm definitely in the top 3. Feel pretty good about that. Got a ride up to the fire station today and hung out with the guys. Even jumped in the fitness room and did an upper body workout. Lifted my spirits a lot. Have a get together tonight and going to be eating fried catfish, and boiled crawfish. Going to party Louisiana style, lol. Just no drinking, cut that out a while back, and not going to interact that with the meds anyway. Hope everybody has a great weekend and speedy recoveries!!!!

 

[Phil75070]

Good to see you are feeling better about things! Getting together with the friends is pretty much always a spirit lifter and a good excuse to get out of the house.

 

[maryo52]

You're not alone here as far as hating to be sidelined. There are some oldsters on Bonesmart who are insane fitness folks (skiing, biking, swimming, etc.). I remember one woman of 78 complaining about not being able to do her bazillion-mile rides without pain.

You will actually find your progress even easier if you lighten up on the reps. You have a lot of tissue healing to get through before doing this level of exercise. I know your PT is a professional and I'm just an aging baby boomer, but I've learned a lot from this forum (and am also a paramedic and nurse). Think about it . . . up until surgery your problem was the knee joint. In the process of fixing the joint, they created a new set of problems, which you are very familiar with, and that's trauma (Tool Time in the OR!). Those babies need a lot of rest and a little bit of movement at this stage.

It is good for the soul to get back to some familiar activity. Do they watch stupid TV and eat junk food at the station as they do in Maine?

 

[Firemedic124]

It is good for the soul to get back to some familiar activity. Do they watch stupid TV and eat junk food at the station as they do in Maine?

Lol, no. Mostly they just sit around table and tell old "war stories" and gossip I've gotten pretty good at "listening" to my knee. If it hurts the slightest bit, I back off and do something easier, or just elevate it and grab the ice. I never realized an ice pack would be such a soothing feeling.

 

[kneeper]

 

[hopefaith]

Isn't it amazing?

 

[icep707]

If you use a ice pack , wrap with a ace bandage, keeps it in place, towards the end , I used a old school ice bag with a screw on cap and filled it and used that ace bandage to hold it in place . It was pretty cool. Keep up the great work. I remember the first time I visited the guys at work, ended up 4 hours standing , chatting , laughing and gossiping. I paid a heavy price that day. Lesson learned. Its easy to over do it ! Later ,iceman