TKR Two Stage Native LTKR

[RestAssured]

Minster,

Glad to hear to you doing so well! Whether it is a one or two stage revision, the infection that ravaged the body for so long is what takes such a toll on our bodies! I have been down the same road but made the detour to the one stage revision.

What type of knee did they put in that they are telling you skiing is in your future? Some of the revision knees will dislocate so quickly after a fall, and so he must have put in a great one for you!

 

[skigirl]

Remember, Sonja, this is her first knee. The native joint was infected---so she did not have a "revision"

Minister, I just wanted to tell you that my daughter, who is 41, is currently pregnnant with her first child--a boy who she is going to name Wyatt!! We are both excited---she will be a great mom.

 

[Minster]

Minister, I just wanted to tell you that my daughter, who is 41, is currently pregnnant with her first child--a boy who she is going to name Wyatt!! We are both excited---she will be a great mom.

Congrats! New little ones are so exciting? When is she due? I really like the name Wyatt it's sweet for a baby, good for a mischievous little boy & suiting for a man!

It's been a while since I've checked in, I'm still trucking along. I've had a few "bumps" along this road called recovery. I took a tumble down some stairs that resulted in a concussion & some staples in the back of my head. Between that & some of the strength components that don't seem to be coming together, I'm a bit worried. I guess three years of atrophy have really taken a toll on my leg. I'm working with PT doing Mirror Therapy trying to retrain my brain to learn that my muscles can indeed by trusted. I'm frustrated & not quite sure of where I should be at the 3 month mark. I'm back on NSAIDs, and on some nights narcotics. I was completely off for about three weeks. Is it normal to backslide? Anyone with experience with Mirror Therapy? Success stories? Encouragement and/or advice?

 

[skigirl]

I would not be hard on yourself---it took years for those muscles to atrophy, they are not going to spring back in a few months!! You will have to be patient and remember that this is a one year recovery process. Yes, we begin to feel more like ourselves at the 3 month mark---but I know that I was not even at half strength at that time.

Pain meds are for pain---if you have pain, then take them, don't worry about the schedule or the "achievement" of not taking them.

I am sorry that you had a fall and urge you to be careful at this time. Once we begin to feel a little better, we want to go, go, go---but, we still have to remember to rest. My doc told me that I should rest for one hour for every two hours that I worked. Be kind to yourself.

 

[RestAssured]

I did not have mirror therapy, but I have a personal trainer who is making me trust my knee again! It has been three long years that I have not been able to trust it according to PT and this young whippersnapper entered my life 4 weeks ago and I am able to do planks from 12 inches off the ground, Zumba, go up and down stairs alternating feet and trusting my knee again! Abby is amazing!

 

[Minster]

Awww I'm so grateful to have you guys to chat with when things get tough. Truly nobody else really "gets" the ups and downs of this journey. Thank you!!!

I'm off to take a stroll amongst the freshly snow dusted Aspens outside my house along the river in the gloriously warm sun. After that I should be ready to conquer another day!

 

[izzie]

Hi Minster! I'm sorry to hear about your "bumps", but hope you are getting through everything okay. Your recovery will be different from others (as you well know) because of your experience prior to surgery. The good news is, you will recover and be better for it. I rarely check in on this forum, just don't have time anymore, but want to let you, and others, know that I'm still thinking of all of you and wishing you the very best!

 

[Minster]

Gosh, I can't believe I'm already at the four month mark! @skigirl @RestAssured & @izzie I appreciate your encouragement & advice more than I can ever say!

I'm wondering about some pain that I've had since the early days of recovery. It's really sharp medial pain that occurs with movement. It's gotten worse in the last 2 weeks. I of course always worry about infection since that's how this all started for me. My knee is warm & sometimes swollen, but I haven't had a fever. Has anyone else had this type of pain?

 

[skigirl]

It could be any number of things---ligament problems, soft tissue---the best thing to do is to call your OS and have him look at it for you. Be sure to be specific as to exactly where the pain occurs. Thank you---since you are in a helping profession, you know that it feels good to help others.

 

[RestAssured]

@Minster

I would call my OS and ask them about it. Especially if it just started. No fever is usually a good sign of no infection though. Can you think of something you might have tried that could irritate the medial side? The last day of therapy, Thursday, I had a sharp pain on the medial side while I was biking. The PTA said it was a pulled muscle. Well, the knee buckled on me later that night. So Dr.Maale will receive a call tomorrow.

 

[Minster]

Ah bummer @RestAssured! Hopefully it's something minor for both of us. I just sent an email off to my OS. I hate to bother him, but I think you are both right & it warrants at least a discussion.

 

[skigirl]

You are not bothering him---that is his JOB!!! It is not like you are calling his personal line at midnight!!!

 

[Minster]

You are not bothering him---that is his JOB!!! It is not like you are calling his personal line at midnight!!!

True, true, true...and he and his PA both validated me & said that it was the right thing to do to get in contact with them. Game plan is to do aggressive ice massage, elevate & stay off of it. If it doesn't settle down by Monday then I have to make the trek to Denver to see the OS.

 

[Minster]

Question for all of you Bonesmarties that have more experience than me! I took a spill and landed directly on my TKR knee yesterday morning. As expected I was swollen, with decreased flexion , and pain, but still able to bear weight. Today it is much the same with pain running down the shin, and the majority of the pain/swelling localized to the anterolateral portion. I am able to walk on it. At what point should I contact my OS? I'm thinking it's just soft tissue bruising...but the pain shooting down my shin is making me think that maybe it's more? Thoughts?

P.S. @Jamie I was bad and have two threads...would it be possible to merge these?

 

[RestAssured]

@Minster,

Well, being the #ODIC of falls, I can tell you it is nearly impossible to mess up the hardware!

But the shooting pain is something that you might want to call and ask your OS about. They can better advise you. They may want to see you, or they may recommend that you ice and elevate and stay off of it for a day or two to see if the pain improves!

Good luck to you!

Falling is never fun, but it happens.

 

[kneesrus]

I agree with everyone else. You are the customer and you should always error on the safe side. There are a few things that could be concerning and you need to have it checked out. It is also a learning situation for the OS to see how the knee held up. Like they say, "trained professionals only, do not do this at home"
Good luck
David