TKR Two TKRs and a broken kneecap - on the mend now!

[CricketHip]

@FionaW I did see your question on another's thread and good for you for noticing that it could be disruptive to her thread. That's so nice of you!
So, here I am to answer your question about the like button.
When you read this post, you will see in the lower right corner a button that says 'like' but if you hover your curser over it, many other options pop up.. then you can simply click on the one you want to convey.
When you click on like, like is all you get. The key is to hover.

 

[FionaW]

Oh thanks so much for coming over to my thread to answer @CricketHip !
And you’ve solved my puzzle… I am using my phone or iPad, not a laptop or computer (I don’t have either of those!), so I can’t hover over anything! I guess that’s why I only see ‘like’.

 

[Jockette]

I am using my phone or iPad, not a laptop or computer (I don’t have either of those!), so I can’t hover over anything!

I also use my iPhone and iPad, and yes, we can hover. Since it’s a touch screen, just press the like and hold your finger there, and in another second or so, the rest of the list will pop up. Then tap the one you want.

 

[FionaW]

Day 10 update. I’m feeling pretty pleased with how things are going so far. As I said before, my expectations were really low, so I guess I am bound to exceed them! But I think even if I hadn’t had such low expectations, I would be feeling pretty good at this point

I had my first shower today. I know that will sound extraordinary to those of you in the US and to many people elsewhere, but I only have a shower over my bath, so I have had to wait until I felt safe and able to bend my knee and get over the edge of the bath. It’s great to feel clean again!

I have removed my external dressing as instructed. The ward told me to leave the Steri-Strips (which were underneath) and let them fall off by themselves, so I’m doing that. Everything looks pretty good and I’m completely amazed by how little bruising I have had! I wonder if that’s the arnica I’ve been using? Or if my surgical team were just incredibly gentle?! In any case I am grateful and I’m sure this is why I’m doing relatively well with pain. There’s a photo below for anyone who is interested.

I have only been given bed exercises to do until my appointment with the physio on the 3rd of May, and I can now do all of them. I’m also pretty pleased with how high I managed to lift my leg today, and hold for 10 seconds 10 times! I couldn’t even lift it off the bed a week ago, but my muscles have come back to life very nicely.

Also today, for the first time it looks like I will manage with just two doses of Oramorph instead of three. I’m prescribed up to 6 a day, but I haven’t needed all that since the first few days.

I remember from my hip replacement that things go up and down, so I’m ready for some setbacks, but I’m counting my blessings today.

 

[FionaW]

Oh @Jockette , thank you! That’s a trick I didn’t know! I’m delighted

 

[Jockette]

You are coming along very well!

Congratulations on the leg left, and 10 times! Josephine, our wonderful retired nurse director always said, once you could do a leg lift, you don’t have to keep doing them. So, just be careful and don’t do too many. You have already completed the goal.

Oh @Jockette , thank you! That’s a trick I didn’t know! I’m delighted

 

[FionaW]

That’s good to know, thanks @Jockette
I’m well-motivated to make good progress, but not to take any risks or overdo things, because I am due to have my other knee done on the 23rd of May, but that’s conditional on everything being okay with this first one.

 

[Jockette]

I’m well-motivated to make good progress, but not to take any risks or overdo things,

Perfect!

 

[beachy]

I had zero bruising this time around! Crazy. I'm glad there was no bruising, but shocked at the same time.
I hope you are able to proceed on schedule with #2!

 

[Jockette]

I did not have any bruising with my partial.

 

[FionaW]

@beachy @Jockette It does seem crazy! They didn’t just replace my knee joint; they also straightened my badly deformed leg (see photo). To do that without bruising me is totally amazing!

 

[FionaW]

I hope you are able to proceed on schedule with #2!

Thank you, me too! I’ve lost more than a year of my life to constant pain and immobility already (and it was the year after lockdown too!) and I’d really, really, really like to be able to get to my little house in Greece this autumn.

 

[Jockette]

I’d really, really, really like to be able to get to my little house in Greece this autumn.

Oh that sounds lovely. I’ve never been to Greece, but there’s a current movie on TV, The Wedding Veil Journey, that is set in Greece. Such a pretty place. It’s one of my favorite movies. In the movie the water is soooooo blue. Is it like that in person?

 

[FionaW]

Yep! The light is extraordinary. In the summer, the sea and sky and almost the *air* are blue! It makes me breathe more deeply just looking at it, and swimming in it is the best feeling I know.

 

[Jockette]

That is so beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

 

[FionaW]

Thanks for indulging me! I have sooooooooo many more photos - I just never get tired of the blues!

 

[EalingGran]

didn’t just replace my knee joint; they also straightened my badly deformed leg (see photo). To do that without bruising me is totally amazing!

That is amazing! My leg was as knock kneed as yours- too embarrassed to have a pre-op picture but now wish I had.
My leg is now lovely and straight as well.
But I did have some pretty dramatic bruising. Funnily enough the bruising was down my thigh and painless- not in the knee joint thankfully. Must have just tracked down the soft tissue.
Your Greek photos are lovely! I want to get back to travelling as well. Good luck!

 

[EalingGran]

Just wondering about something.
You are the only person I have come across on BoneSmart who had a similar degree of knock knee ( valgus) deformity to me.
When you see your surgeon for your follow up/ new surgery I would be interested if you could ask him about your medial collateral ligament ( MCL).
That degree of valgus caused by my lateral compartment collapsing put pressure on my MCL. It is still overstretched and I am having to do a lot of work on my medial quads to try to strengthen them and improve the MCL.
This means I still have some medial pain on stairs at 6 months ( improving slowly).
I would be very interested to know what state your MCL was in and whether he thinks it will give you any trouble now.
I had just a partial knee replacement on the lateral side as that was where my arthritis was. It may be that with your TKR your surgeon was able to tighten your MCL in some way. Or may be your MCL wasn't so stretched if you hadn't been knock kneed for as long as me.
Either way I would be fascinated to hear what he says. He is clearly very skilled to do that straightening, and with no bruising!

 

[FionaW]

@EalingGran , I can’t help wondering whether I have bruising which is just reeeeeeally deep and hasn’t even come out yet! Is that possible?

 

[EalingGran]

Don't know for sure but I would be surprised.My bruising was evident in the first day or so and gradually settled over a couple of weeks.