TKR Timetolive's Nov 9th TKR Post -OP<<

[Thesoutherncook]

This road to recovery is all about baby steps. At least you got one problem sorted out!
The swelling and bruising will eventually go away... All in good time. Meanwhile, how's the new chef doing?
Are you learning to give up some of that kitchen territory?? Many lessons come out of this experience!!

Thanks for your kind words. I love to paint and am itching to get into my studio next week! I have 16 snowmen half painted and needing accessories badly!

We are ready for our next adventure! I wrapped my old knee in an ace bandage for the past 2 days and it feels much better! So, hopefully both knees will hold up well. Chasing after an active 2 yr old will be a true test! We leave tomorrow and return Tues.

 

[Timetolive]

The new chef is trying. He is slowly getting "busy" and I am slowly back in the kitchen. Our Tuscan soup turned out very good. You toasted garlic bread, cubed it and put it in the bottom of the bowl - very interesting and good! The beans and bacon provided lots of protein. Hahaha. Yes. many lessons and a new respect for what the other does.

Are you going to have your other knee done? Would a TED thigh high help that knee?

 

[Thesoutherncook]

Good for learning new things! Your soup sounds yummy!
I have OS appt in Jan to re-evaluate the second knee. As of Oct, he said it was not bad enough for replacement. I had a torn meniscus in that one and now the issue is with the patella. However, it is the one that has hurt for 5 yrs! The one he replaced didn't hurt until after the surgery! But, it had a bone spur and a groove that hung up and were in danger of causing a fall ( and he warned me if that happened I would likely break my hip). No, I'm not at that point of being glad I had the surgery. It is what it is.

 

[Timetolive]

I understand. I have a torn meniscus in my left knee, but there is NO way at this point ANYTHING is happening to that knee.

 

[macduf387]

Yuck 4 weeks today I am going back in for a scope on the right knee diagnosis torn meniscus and a cyst. Whoopee.i need to do it as the right knee is actually quite painful especially now that the left has been repaired. Oh well I guess I will start the new year with good knees

 

[macduf387]

On another note absolutely agree with everyone looking out for each other love it and opening up the computer and finding encouraging messages to make your day and being able to encourage someone else.
Love it

 

[Clipless]

My right lateral meniscus tore twice in the past year. The last time was the last straw; had it replaced.

 

[Timetolive]

@macduf387, I am so sorry about your right knee. At least the recovery from a scope is not as bad as TKR - right? I do appreciate you and the encouragment you have given me. Thank you. You are in my prayers for a successful scope and continued healing on your left knee.

@Clipless, did you have a scope in between on your right knee before you had TKR on it? I guess I am too close to surgery still and trying to overcome my "bump in the road" to have a plan for the left knee yet.

The sun is out! After 4 days of rain and gloom, seeing the sunshine makes one feel renewed. The nights are once again interrupted by multiple trips to the bathroom. 5 last night despite no fluid other than taking my pills after dinner. I am wondering if the prednisone's water retention is being processed at night?? I have gotten the puffy face - not something a gal really needs! 4 more days and this pack will be done. When I see the OS next Wednesday, I am going to ask for a smaller dose of the morphine and try to step it down - getting off the morphine I think would get things more normal. I am apprehensive about going all the way off of it, so perhaps a smaller dose.

I hope everyone has a blessed day. Where is your journey leading you?

 

[Clipless]

No scopes either time. My OS said I was bone-on-bone and "so close" to replacement that there was little point in arthroscopy. Unfortunately last time I was sweating over work benefits, as I had to take 5 weeks off pre-TKR to deal with the tear and get approved for surgery. My boss is nice, but there's a limit.

 

[Clipless]

P.s. I think our kidneys do process more fluid overnight as we sleep, and that's normal. Especially after surgery. I was waking frequently for the restroom the first few weeks. If excess urination is notably accompanied by extreme thirst please inform your doctor.

 

[Timetolive]

All of a sudden I am having SHARP stabbing pains on the medial side of my knee cap. I haven't been doing anything out of the normal this morning other than icing and elevating. Normal = walking to the bathroom, kitchen, stuff like that. No exercises other than getting a shower and getting dressed! This area is a place I have increased swelling.

 

[Vangheluwec]

I'm sorry to hear about all the bruising and swelling that you have. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks that goes down for you. I'm still doing a couple of bathroom trips at night. Hopefully that will end soon for the both of us.
Your soup sounds delicious.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[Timetolive]

Thank you @Vangheluwec. it was a nice soup especially because we cooked together. Those bathroom trips make it hard to go back to sleep. I have to get my pillow under my leg just so. Thankfully, my husband is a sound sleeper!

 

[smarttoys]

All of a sudden I am having SHARP stabbing pains on the medial side of my knee cap. I haven't been doing anything out of the normal this morning other than icing and elevating. Normal = walking to the bathroom, kitchen, stuff like that. No exercises other than getting a shower and getting dressed! This area is a place I have increased swelling.

Hopefully the knee cap pain and increased swelling is just a temporary thing. It's strange how some pains seem to pop up out of nowhere and sometimes disappear just as quickly. It may be something related to your PT exercises. Hopefully a couple days rest will calm things down.

I've been having some additional pain recently on the inside of my knee near my MCL. More so between my knee cap and MCL. It wasn't there last week.

 

[macduf387]

Thank you @Timetolive you are in my prayers as well. Yes recovery from scope a lot faster hoping it gives me a few years before I need to do Tkr on the right knee. I am walking or rather limping without the walker So the left leg should be pretty good by the time they scope the right.
I hear you with different pains I did pt yesterday and today I have pain on either side of the patella. Sigh one foot forward two feet back.
Pray you are otherwise having a good day.
It's been crazy hear with this mass shooting about an hours drive from us and its pointing to terrorism not good so many families lives changed overnight.

 

[newlybionic]

@macduf387 It must have been very frightening having the mass shootings so close to you.

I seem to have pains seem to come and go all around my knee during recovery. I thought I read in someone's thread about that was nerves regenerating, but what ever the cause it feels to me like a lightning bolt. It's comes and goes and I haven't been able to predict when or why it happens. I had two scopes on my left knee for torn meniscus. The first in 1999 and the second in The begin I of 2014. It can by you some time. When I was just diagnosed with torn lateral meniscus in my 'old' knee my current OS said he wouldn't do a scope because what cartilage that you have left is thinned out faster. So I guess there's 2 ways to go with this. Both of my recoveries from the scopes were 'a piece of cake' compared to TKR. I had some PT and I took two pain pills the day I had it. The worst part was the immobilizer I had to wear to keep my leg straight. It was very difficult to sit or get up gracefully. ( especially the ladies room!). I also used an Unloader brace after my second scope.

 

[kneeper]

I had pain that moved around and came and went too. It think it was all just part of the healing process.

 

[Glamg1979]

I have had sharp stabbing pains, but at random times. I just attributed to a part of healing, nerve regeneration, bones knitting, etc... Are you having this pain intermittent or constant? Could be the swelling adding pressure, thus causing the sharp pain?
Will say this new knee of mine has produced some interesting "pains"
Wish I had thought to journal so I was set on what to expect with 2nd knee.

 

[midwest girl]

I think that's all normal. On my right knee which was done may 2014, I still get random pain. More so at bedtime and especially where the nerve was cut. I don't think anything of it. With my 3 week old left knee in getting lots of random pain all over my knee, quad, shin, hamstring. All normal. I just treat it with ice or heat (no heat on the knee tho).

 

[Timetolive]

Thanks all! I had called the OS office for a refill on my morphine and the PA asked all sorts of questions and what was going on. She wanted us to come to the office immediately because of the swelling that had popped up where I was having the pain. So...off we go on the 40 minute drive - right after PT. My poor Ralph was sooo swollen and in so much pain by the time we got there . Any way, the PA was very nice and said she really wanted to see the knee and make sure it was not an infection popping out. She was pleased to see it and then I saw the doctor. He felt the swelling, pain, and tenderness is all that blood I have (the bruising) and he wanted me to start massaging it gently to help break it up. It all made sense when he explained it to me and I felt much better. It will be good to see all this blood move to the ankle and out of my knee and calf. it was also decided I needed to stay on the 30 mg twice a day of morphine until I see him on the 16th and then we will do a step down to 15 mg twice a day. So, we got lots of questions answered. By the time we got back home, Ralph had to be helped out of the car. Poor fella is a cranky toddler tonight!

The PA did tell me they have stopped using the Xarelto also. That was good news for future sensitive patients.