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TKR Trying for Acceptance

What a wonderful outcome from your appointment, you have done so well, you must be so pleased!
I am sure with all the amazing help from everyone here you will figure out a good balance of rest/activity. It’s still early days but “ you’ve got this! “
 
he he, very funny @Layla !

Someone else mentioned GETTING DRESSED and PUTTING ON LIPSTICK and you replied what a good idea it was, so I tried that today. And ended up going for lunch at a neat harbourside pub!
 
thank you, @safi. Look forward to reading how you're doing1

One puzzling thing that's happened to me a few times has to do with cryotherapy. After an hour of treatment, part of my knee (outside) doesn't feel cold at all, and it's started looking like pebbles are under the skin. It goes away after an hour or so but makes me wonder if I should be doing something different. I always have at least one layer of cloth between me and the pad (and Breg says you don't even need to do that with Polar Care Wave).

Maybe something to do with deeper sutures "catching" (I read that somewhere on here WRT "dimpling")? Maybe the pad just isn't conforming enough? Maybe I should just be PATIENT (GAAHHH!!!) until it passes.

anyone have any ideas?
 
FleuveStone said:
One puzzling thing that's happened to me a few times has to do with cryotherapy. After an hour of treatment, part of my knee (outside) doesn't feel cold at all,
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Is that an area that's been numb since surgery?
Small sensory nerve fibers are cut with the incision which may have left that area less sensitive to cold.

Doing a quick search I did read a couple accounts of other's describing small BB size bumps, which can be from under the skin (absorbable) sutures OR scar tissue forming around the sutures OR small areas of fluid or inflammation. Guessing it will gradually lessen over time. As long as there's no redness, warmth, swelling or pain, I don't think I'd worry, but you can always call your OS's office for their opinion and some reassurance if it concerns you.
 
hi @Layla , yes it's a numb area, and feels warm to the touch, even after icing. I did notice some round holes/spots on the inside of the pad and think they're probably making an impression on that swollen area with compression, probably in conjunction with one of those things you mention.

I'll monitor it for now. the heat and swelling don't seem unusual to me. it's just weird!
 
Layla said:
FleuveStone said:
I'm not familiar with the term lido?
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I found that in the UK, "lido" means an outdoor public pool, open during the warmer months. Usually unheated.
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That's exactly it. They're not as popular here as they once were. But the hotter weather we now have in Britain because of climate change I imagine will change all that!
 
short trip at 8 weeks:

my husband and i have an anniversary coming up. a big significant one! we'd originally hoped to go abroad for it (we've hardly traveled since we both retired) but then my surgery date came up and we decided to wait.

it seemed important to do something though so first we looked at local hotels but the costs were eye watering and it didn't seem worth it. then we booked dinner at a local restaurant we like, the only drawback being that we go there a lot so it didn't seem special enough.

anyway then the opportunity came up to ferry to a nearby island and stay at an inn for two nights. it has a good restaurant. i didn't think it through though, about icing etc. and now am panicking a bit. i should check if our suite has a little freezer. i could at least use ice packs that way.

any suggestions/ideas from the community?
 
I’m sure you’ll be fine, go have fun.
Buy those instant ice packs for sports and first aid kits. I had a few and sometimes used them at night. I found them useful and did the trick. Can buy online. You squeeze them and they go cold. Last about 20-30 mins.
Happy Anniversary x
 
First off....Happy BIG Anniversary! BIG Anniversaries are a BIG accomplishment these days, so Bravo to you and hubs! :loveshwr:

Ferrying to an Inn on an island sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate your special day. I hope you love the inn, the food is great and the weather is perfect.

As you mentioned, checking to see if there's a freezer in the room would probably be my first step. If so, I'd bring multiple gel packs. If there's not a freezer, I'd ask if there's a community ice machine at the inn, and if there isn't one, I'd ask if you're able to get ice from a bar or kitchen for medical use while there. If you're able, I'd bring a few one gallon zip top bags to fill when your in need.

Then there's Legseleven's handy suggestion also. I'm not certain how big the instant ice packs are and whether they'll cover enough area. I've heard of them, just never researched or used them.

Let us know what you end up using. As always, we'll welcome any travel tips you'd like to share afterward for the benefit of others early on in recovery.
Happy Sunday!
@FleuveStone
 
Agree with @Legseleven that the instant ice packs are really good. I used them when I had some medication I needed to transport that needed to be cool. They stay cold pretty well and are effective.
Even if the room doesn't have a fridge I am sure the manager will also help if you explain your situation and provide ice if you take ziplock bags.
Stop on your drive more frequently than you would normally - to move your leg. Think about having some extra painkillers or sleeping medication for spending nights in a strange bed. And then just go for it and enjoy the break. Good luck!
 
thanks so much all of you for your excellent suggestions! contacted the hotel and supposedly there's a full size fridge with freezer in our suite, plus ice available when the restaurant or front desk are open so i should be able to work with that. it will be helpful to have some instant ice packs available too.
 
just saw my former GLAD physio for the first time in six years. lots to process about what she said. i like and trust her even more as she mentioned some of her extensive experience with the arthritis and joint replacement community here. it feels like I'm on the right track and i hope I'll manage to write about it here when I'm at my computer sometime.

just as a start she said she's not concerned about my ROM, which was 115 and -5? today. anyway enough to more or less function normally except going downstairs which is concentric muscle use vs. eccentric ? (need to look that up) and her priority is things like muscle strength and balance.

she gave me a number of pool exercises that I'm really looking forward to trying. she said to limit it to 20 minutes to start, with a lot of it being slow deliberate walking while holding on to the side.

very mindful of people's warnings on here about overdoing in water so I'll have to do some experimenting.
 
It certainly helps to like and trust your physio. Interesting about her familiarity with BoneSmart. Is she meaning she's led therapy for others that have engaged with the BoneSmart community? I'm being a Nosy Rosey. :wink:

Found this online, trying to educate myself on this a bit -
In concentric muscle work, the muscle on one side of the joint contracts, i.e., it shortens. Meanwhile, eccentric muscle work occurs on the other side of the joint where the muscle relaxes and elongates. When the work on both sides of the joint is smooth and simultaneous, the movement is even and of good quality. To illustrate the difference between eccentric and concentric muscular work, think about walking up and down stairs: When we ascend stairs, most of the muscle work we employ is concentric: The muscle at front thigh contracts so that we can lift our body up onto the next step. We employ eccentric muscle work mostly when we descend stairs. The thigh muscle elongates and stretches until the opposite foot hits the next step down.
Eccentric work is hard work, and it requires strength. If the muscles are not strong enough to perform eccentric work, walking downstairs is noisy. If the muscle is weak and fails to restrain the movement, the foot more or less drops down onto the next step.

Hopefully this gives you a better understanding. :thumb: Have a great Wednesday!
@FleuveStone
 
FleuveStone said:
she gave me a number of pool exercises that I'm really looking forward to trying. she said to limit it to 20 minutes to start, with a lot of it being slow deliberate walking while holding on to the side.
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That’s nice that she suggested starting out at 20 minutes in the pool. I was 4 weeks post op when they put me in a pool, and it was a 50 minute session, doing many bending exercises. Then when getting out of the pool, she made me do the steps foot over foot. This on a 4 week old very tired new knee. What were they thinking? :hairpulling: It took me 3 days to recover. I didn’t even want to go to the pool in the first place, just trying to get into my bathing suit with a knee that was still swollen and painful was difficult. It was also a YMCA pool, so a public pool, and I was afraid I’d pick something up and get sick. But, I was compliant. Ha, that was the end of my being compliant. I searched online and found Bonesmart, found my voice with the PT, and even canceled some appointments.

I would also suggest, don’t do every exercise she gave you, the first day, or just do a couple of reps to test them out. Take it very slow. The pain of the Over Did It Club is not worth it!
 
Layla said:
It certainly helps to like and trust your physio. Interesting about her familiarity with BoneSmart. Is she meaning she's led therapy for others that have engaged with the BoneSmart community? I'm being a Nosy Rosey.
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sorry for the confusion, @Layla (btw love the expression Nosy Rosey ;) ). i just meant here as in where i live though i think she'd probably be quite at home in BoneSmart too!
 
one thing my physio did was use two fingers to massage gently on and around the scar, making little circles while not lifting. hope that describes it. it wasn't rough or aggressive at all and she mentioned 2 minutes.

just tried it myself and was not aware before of how much numbness and heat there is in my knee, especially the outside but really all over

can anyone tell me if this is normal/to be expected? it surprises me even though it's my second rodeo!
 
It’s been 9 years since my PKR and the actual numbness has mostly diminished.

In addition to that normal numbness after this surgery I have a different issue in that my knee is extremely sensitive. I did not have a good outcome, and my first, of three, second opinions called my sensitivity dysesthesia:

According to Siri on my iPad:

“Dysesthesia refers to unpleasant, abnormal sensations often described as painful, burning, or itchy, acting as a functional opposite to anesthesia. While anesthesia is the total loss of feeling/sensation (numbness), dysesthesia is a distortion of senses.”
 
FleuveStone said:
sorry for the confusion, @Layla (btw love the expression Nosy Rosey ;) ). i just meant here as in where i live though i think she'd probably be quite at home in BoneSmart too!
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Ok, got it! Thanks for clarifying. :wink:

My PT taught me the same massage technique for the area surrounding my incision.
FleuveStone said:
just tried it myself and was not aware before of how much numbness and heat there is in my knee, especially the outside but really all over
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Regarding the warmth which can accompany swelling - this can go on for months, even up to a full year post op. The increased blood flow to the area results in the warmth. Swelling and redness are often experienced also. As healing progresses, the warmth, swelling and redness dissipate.

The numbness is really pretty common. Small sensory nerves are disrupted or cut during surgery and it can really take quite a while to recover, but thankfully they do for most over the course of several months. Possibly you didn't experience it with your first surgery, but please know that each surgery can affect these nerves a bit differently. So I'd say keep the faith that over the course of the next several months, you'll be golden, FS! :thumb:
@FleuveStone
 
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