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TKR TKR July 8, 2015....recovery status

You're less than 3 weeks out and still need your meds. The stiffness is a reason why you should still take them.
 
@Swish.....That is absolutely wonderful!! It appears that you are making excellent progress!! So so very happy for you! :) :) :)
 
So 3 weeks have passed and I've had good days and bad days. I was doing well until last Monday when they overworked me at physical therapy. I thought I was ok at the session but the next day I could barely bend my knee. When I went back Wednesday I told the therapist. She said I should have told them. I couldn't tell at the session and I said it was their job to know what was too much. I was nice about it, but I wasn't taking the blame. I skipped my Thursday therapy, and I did all the exercises at home myself.

I seem to be back on track now. In fact, I went to see my niece in a show last night. It was nice to do something normal again. I'm going to try getting in my car soon to see if I'm able to drive. It's my right knee, so I'm not sure about getting in on the drivers side and whether I can safely slam on the brakes.
 
I am sorry they overworked you. But sounds like you are back on track. I am too afraid to drive yet. I couldn't anyway, since I am still on percocet, but the main reason is that I live in Orlando and there is an accident on every corner. AAA said that we are second only to Los Angeles as the worst place to drive in the United States, and I can easily believe it.

How did you do last night with your knee down during the show? Or were you able to prop it up?
 
@Slainte - I was fine at the show. I bought a seat where there was no row in front of me, so I could stretch my leg out. It wasn't elevated, but I had a lot of room to move my leg around.
 
It may be too early to drive, but it's not too early to begin practicing getting into the driver seat and practicing moving your foot from the accelerator to the brake and back. How that works for you will serve as a guide for knowing how close you are to being ready to drive.
 
Heck yeah! I would be practicing up a storm!! I might even cheat and take a little ride!!! LOL :):)
 
I talked to my surgeon's PA yesterday because I had some pain in my inner thigh...feels like a muscle spasm. She said it could be from the tourniquet used during surgery and call again if it gets worse or if I have any other concerns. At last night's physical therapy I measured 110/0...I'm so happy with that. My knee is still stiff and sore, but I think I'm finally over the big hump. And I haven't had pain meds in a week. Using a cane still because I limp without it and the cane keeps me nice and straight. Yesterday I walked 1.6 miles over the course of the day. Pretty happy with that too.

Thanks for all the information and encouragement from this site. It's been so helpful.
 
Awesome ROM! Good to hear you have a responsive PA too.
 
I drove today for the first time!!! I only drove around the block, but I was happy to get in and out of the driver's seat with no problem. I will only be doing local driving for a while. Big goal is to take myself to physical therapy and give my hubby a break from being my chauffeur. BTW, absolutely no pain meds for more than a week. Hubby told me I could have my cars keys OR my pain pills...but not both. And honestly I haven't needed them.
 
Jealous both that you are driving and that you are off your pain meds. I still need pain meds at night to sleep. And am at least a week away from driving, although as of Friday I did graduate to riding in the front passenger seat instead of stretched out in the back seat. Will have outpatient PT evaluation next Friday so am being a little more diligent about increasing my ROM. Good for you for making such progress!
 
I occasionally have trouble sleeping too. Last night I took a Benadryl before bed to help me sleep. Allergies have been bad so it helped with that too :-). I live in a very small development and the speed limit is 25 MPH. Perfect for my first driving experience. And we have an SUV which makes it easy to get in and out.
 
Great day yesterday. I drove myself to physical therapy. My measurements were 118/0....so pleased with that. Then this morning I woke up and knee was really stiff and hurt. We are having a lot of rain, so I think that, yesterday's PT and sleeping made my knee sore. I've been icing it and it's loosening up a little. Hoping to feel better later because I have a luncheon to attend this afternoon. Fortunately I'm not driving today. Took 2 Tylenol and 2 Celebrex, so they should help too.
 
Saw my surgeon today...seven weeks after surgery. He said I was doing very well. When I mentioned some various pain I had he said, "oh, you're only halfway through the process." I was happy to hear him say that I had a lot more time to go. Frankly, I was afraid he might just pooh, pooh me. When I told him my physical therapist was putting together an after PT exercise plan, he said he would give me my exercise plan. I go on a stationery bike everyday for 20 days. First day is 10 minutes and every day I add a minute. When I get up to 30 minutes, I begin to increase the tension on the bike and do 30 minutes 3 to 4 times a week. I have never gone to the gym every day...guess there's a first time for everything. So glad I have a gym membership already. My gym probably has 12 stationery bikes...so it's never a problem finding a free one.
 
That's a huge YES!!! I knew in the middle of the night yesterday that it must be raining from the bone deep ache.
 
I live in Los Angeles, and don't have the variations in temperatures, humidity, and barometric (sp?) pressure that people living in other locations might. But I do have good days and not so good days. My knee is stiffer when I haven't been up and moving about. And if I overwork it, it lets me know how unhappy it is -- big time. I think that's all part of the recovery journey, as well as our body's way of giving us feedback on how we're treating our new knees.

Does your knee look larger? Is it warm or hot to the touch? Are you increasing the time on the exercise bike per your OS' plan? Have you increased the resistance? It could be that you're overworking the knee and it's letting you know. Try easing off on the PT for a day or so and see if that helps the knee settle down.

Speaking of rain and humidity, etc., mind sending some of that over to us in drought-weary California. No fair that you're keeping all that water to yourselves! LOL
 
@SarahJane, the knee is no larger and not warm. I've been increasing bike one minute each day and up to 20 minutes. I didn't go yesterday, because I didn't want to go out in the storms. I don't think it's overworked...I just think it was the rain....which I would send to all of CA if I could. I saw a story on the news the other day about a 70 year old woman who takes cases of water door to door in a community that has no water. So sad and yet so uplifting that people care for each other so dearly.

@bdink21, I'm in NJ, so your rainy weather yesterday was the same as mine. Thanks for letting me know you felt it too.
 
I don't think my knee has been affected by the weather but then we haven't had many fluctuations this summer. Been a few rainy days but the temperature has been pretty consistent. I've decided there's no pattern to how good or bad my knee feels, it just does what it likes!
 
@Swish Our husbands have the same idea! I had to pass his "driving test" in an empty parking lot before he would give me the OK to drive again! Lol! It's so nice to be able to take myself to PT! And I'm sure he is ahppy for a break from driving me everywhere. We live in a small mtn community of mostly retired people, so no fast traffic here. So far, weather has not affected me.... Or at least I've not acknowledged it! I'm still working on pedaling around without pain... Soon surely??
 
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