Become an Insider

Bilateral TKR Vancouver USA Recovers

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ms. Vancouver, I'm going to push back on the stingy comment. Please don't assume your doctor(s) want you to have nothing; that's unlikely. Talk with them about dialing back to hydrocodone rather than Oxy. You'll also find (I promise!) that the more mobile you get, the less pain you'll have. Honest! Happy healing.
 
I'm so glad that your days are getting better. Trying to figure out why some days are good and some bad is a lost cause. I'm close to a full month after surgery and gave up on that.

I do not want to take more oxy. I find that I believe it is the cause of all my muscle spasm pain. It dehydrates me way too much. Right now I've stopped taking it and can tell a difference. I've requested a different medication, should hear today. I am using tramadol but even cut back on that. My muscle relaxant (Robaxin) is my friend right now while I try to hold back the muscle spasms. I'm also using Voltaren Gel on my legs (not the incision area) and it seems to help also.
 
Sleenie - sorry you're having muscle spasms. That's one thing I haven't been troubled with. Hope it gets better soon.

Last Friday we pushed hard in PT and so I was tired and stiff all weekend. I've tried to ignore the ROM numbers and they don't even check each time. However, they did check last Friday and a comment was made to the effect that the surgeon wasn't going to be satisfied with those numbers. I didn't think of it in time but wished I had said that they are MY knees, not the surgeon's, and I'm the one who needs to be satisfied. Anyway, I fully expected that, if anything, I would have gone backward in ROM on Monday since I was so stiff. However, they measured me again and I had gained 10 degrees in both knees! Who can make sense of this recovery process??? It's hard to understand how I can feel so stiff and have pain and yet have gained movement. I still don't care about the numbers but really, really want to get to the point where I can sit with knees bent for more than a few minutes without pain. That's when I will be satisfied.
 
VancouverUSAgal said:
It's hard to understand how I can feel so stiff and have pain and yet have gained movement.
Click to expand...
I know what you mean! Strange how they calculate the movement.
I am glad to see you are doing well! You might not think you are moving along far enough fast enough....... but as you and I both know, this recovery process is different for each one of us!
Keep hanging in there and eventually you will be running around everywhere! :flwrysmile:
 
Yesterday a friend took me to get my nails done as a treat. Then we picked up lunch to bring back. I did better sitting at the nail salon than I expected but after my friend left I slept for 2 hours! I guess I was more tired than I realized. Tomorrow I'm going to meet friends at a restaurant for lunch. Hope my knees cooperate and I'm able to sit for an hour or so without too much of that burning pain. I don't mind being home most of the time - reading, watching TV and napping, but it would really be nice to be able to get out some places besides PT without suffering too much as a result. I know I'll get there - just wish I'd get there faster!!!

It was very warm here yesterday and I had trouble getting to sleep, even with the A.C. turned on. My knees felt like they were burning up. I put the ice packs on again and finally got to sleep for about 5 hours. Since I have PT this afternoon, I sure hope I can get in a nap before then. It's going to be cooler for the next week and hopefully we won't have much hot weather until my knees are better.

Hope all of you folks are doing well today.
 
[Bonesmart.org] Vancouver USA Recovers
In spite of everything, after a month or so, it is really nice to get out of the house for something more fun and pleasant than PT and to be with friends---even if it means getting very tired and having achy knees. Then it makes the house look and feel so much better. So it's kind of a win-win.
 
@VancouverUSAgal How lovely to go and get your nails done. I did mine myself, as soon as I was home from hospital; made me feel much more like me!
 
it is really nice to get out of the house for something more fun and pleasant than PT and to be with friends

You are so right about that! It makes it feel like we are getting back to normal!:wave:
 
Well, I'm at 7-1/2 weeks and I'm really happy to be at this point.:loveshwr: I certainly haven't progressed as quickly as some, but it IS happening and that's what's important. I'm getting outside for short walks, going out for quick outings (lunch, coffee with friends, etc.) and even did a short trip to Costco. I still have that really tight band feeling, especially after sitting for any length of time, but I'm just thrilled that I'm making progress. They told me yesterday at PT that my last session will probably be the end of next week and I can continue on my own. I have done my exercises faithfully at home and will start going to the gym to ride the bike some, maybe get into the pool.

I still haven't managed to get myself into my car on the driver's side but the PT gave me some suggestions and I'm going to give it another try this evening. My car is kind of low to the ground and the steering wheel doesn't give me much room to swivel around and get my uncooperative left knee in easily. So I'm still relying on others to drive me places and I'm really ready to be able to go out on my own. I'm really looking forward to being more active than I've been in years. Anyone who is on the fence about this surgery should go ahead. It's not a picnic and you should be realistic, but it's going to be so worth it in the long run.:yes!:
 
Great update Linda! You have come so far, I think very quickly, for a bilateral. Life will just get better.
 
@VancouverUSAgal You are so right! This surgery is worth it but I have to admit I don't have a lot of patience with my left knee! It is also my problem child and I am tired of it giving me fits all the time! I have the tight band feeling as well...it's internal swelling. That's what they've told me so I will pass that along as most likely what it is. I am so happy for you Linda! Just knowing the beginning was so difficult for you makes me smile to see how far you've come! :flwrysmile::flwrysmile::loveshwr:
 
Well, unfortunately, I didn't have my car driven in the last 8 weeks so now it won't start. I hope it's just the battery run down (it's a new battery so that's not the issue). I'll have to get someone out to jump start it I guess, so now driving for today anyway.
 
Glad to hear you are on your way to seeing results. :wink: One day at a time, little steps sure feels good. :loveshwr: I too am still improving. I do a little more each few weeks. I never thought I would be able to walk to the duck pond. :froggies:I made it 45 minutes round trip. I was tired, but felt good. My biggest problem is the nerve pain. :oyvey:Still unable to get something that takes it away. :tantrum2: Thought I would try grocery shopping with daughter and not use riding cart, sore for two days. :yawn:
This rains and wind has not helped. Knees don't like the weather. :blackcloud:Almost 5 months on left and 7 months on right. Guess I need to be patient.
 
8-1/2 weeks out and I finally got my car working and managed to get in and out of it so I now have more freedom.:driver: Will drive myself to OS appt. in a couple of days. PT is winding down. They would like me to check in a few times at weekly or bi-weekly intervals to make sure I don't lose ground, but I'll see what the OS says. I would like to stop with the co-payments for PT and I think I can continue on my own at the gym and do some exercise every day instead of pushing so hard at PT 2x/week.

Yesterday they had me doing the regular stairs in the building where PT is. I didn't realize that the wooden stairs with handrail in the PT places aren't as high as regular stairs which I found much more difficult. I don't have to climb stairs at home but I guess they want folks to be able to go up and down regular stairs in case of emergency.

I was lucky in that I was able to straighten both knees right from the beginning. My left knee has been harder for me to bend but bends with help. My right knee bends much better but I'm still having pain on the left side of that knee and that's really the only thing that bothers me much now. If that would go away, I would be very happy. Well, guess I should be glad that most of the tight band feeling and stiffness have eased considerably.

I know I still have lots of healing to go and I have to constantly remind myself to keep moving and be patient.
 
I'm at 9 weeks today and saw my OS who is satisfied with my progress. He said the pain in my right knee is probably because he had to do more work on the soft tissues (knee was bowed and needed a "release" of tissues (think that means cutting) was required. He says that should ease up with time and I should continue to gain ROM for up to a year so long as I keep working at it (as we all knew). He said he'd like me to continue PT for another month but I said they suggested just checking in every couple of weeks and he was okay with that. OS also wants to see me again in a month - don't really know why but I guess just to check that I'm still progressing. PT is strongly urging me to get into a pool :swim:to increase ROM so I will have to get going with that. It's interesting that my OS talked a lot more about how long recovery takes now than he ever did before the surgery. Thank goodness I had this site to educate me.

I'm really ready to be done with PT but I know I'll need discipline to keep working. I'm ready to get out and do more but I'm thinking of things like shopping and going to lunch . . . will have to force myself to go to the gym, at least until I get back in the habit. :treadmill:

Best wishes to all as we continue our journeys.:wave:
 
Great report Linda. You have really done so well! Congrats!
 
VancouverUSAgal: I started reading about your journey before I had my BTKR on 4/28. I was very impressed by your planning and organizational skills, and you provided me with many good ideas to get myself and my house ready for the hospital stay and the return home. Your road has sometimes been a rocky one, but I'm so happy to see that these are better times and you are moving forward to a brighter future. Thanks for reminding me that there is a life out there besides doctor's visits and PT appointments.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Staff online

Members online

Total: 655 (members: 2, guests: 653)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom