Josephine, I'll try to answer you questions, maybe a few today and the rest tomorrow. I can't believe you are on the site and asking me about what is happening. I love you.
The surgeon who replaced my knee got back to me the day after I wrote asking his P.A. to call me. That was really nice, I mean it. He told me he didn't think allergic reaction was the likely reason I had pain and fluid in my knee. Thought it might be what you're suggesting, quad weakness. I do weight lifting with my legs and hip exercises about three times a week. Every day I walk or spend a half hour on the elliptical. Working hard enough to sweat. Swim a half hour twice a week. The issue is that I am still teaching and sometimes have to stand for a while...then I limp out of school, even though I usually work only three to four hours a day. So--standing is what gets me.
Answers to you questions:
1. My pain during the day is maybe two or three at the beginning of the day. That's where it is right now. I can't walk downstairs without that kind of pain. By the end of a work day, it's up to five or six. The truth is that I am learning to ignore pain I wouldn't have ignored before the TKR. I could walk easily before it. Now, I am always aware of stiffness, and if I stand for twenty minutes, I feel the pain, aching swelling, hard as a rock in my knee pain, mounting to five or six. Sometimes I am not registering pain consciously, but a colleague or parent will ask if I'm in pain because they can see that I'm limping.
2. I take no pain meds, except in order to sleep...alternate 10 mg. of melatonin (first night), 50 mg of benadryl (second night), and Tylenol PM: 1000mg acetaminophen with 50 mg of benadryl (third night). I wake because of knee pain, so when I try to do without, I don't sleep well, and wake about 3:00 or 4:00.
3 and 4. I hadn't been icing my knee at all. But now in the past month, I ice and elevate for a half hour after teaching or any other time I've been standing and the knee begins to get stiff and achy.
4. Most days, I elevate my knee when I get home from work or from shopping.
5. My leg can get completely straight. Flexion is 120 easily, can be pushed a bit further. The PT I worked with two summers ago, helped me get my knee bent not only lying on my back, but also on my stomach...there was a huge difference between those two numbers.
6. activity level is moderate. I do all shopping, half the cleaning, walk for a half hour daily, spend a half hour at the gym daily, using the elliptical or bike and on weekends add swimming so I'm there for an hour. Work for three to five hours on most school days. I can sit at times, but generally am on my feet. Go up and down stairs about twenty times a day.
7. I do leg exercises every other day.
straight leg lifts with five pound weight 20 reps rest, twenty reps, rest, 10 reps (I do this for each leg, both quads are weak).
Hips are also weak. Do leg lifts on my side, 20 reps (without weight), rest, twenty reps. Alternate that with walking sideways for 100 steps, with a band around my ankles.
bend knee and hold for 10 seconds, 10 reps.
lie on my stomach and pull leg towards back with a band. 10 second hold, 10 reps.
Josephine, you are the best for asking about this. Merry Christmas.
United Kingdom
