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TKR Vickie's Knee Recovery

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Hi, I definatly am taking the meds! I have felt so much better since they Increased them and I am able to actually move and do a few things without pain.. A week ago I told the doctor there had only been 3 times that I actually had no pain in my knee. Now that is increasing. Went out to lunch today and was able to sit and walk to a few stores, my knee was uncomfortable at lunch and a little bit of pain probably a 2, by the time we were done I was getting to a 4. But tonight after pain meds and muscle relaxers comfortable.
 
Vickie, I am amazed at what you were able to accomplish in one day only 6 weeks post surgery...You have no reason to apologize or feel you are not doing what is is expected of you...Cleaning, shopping, out to lunch..sounds like a full day to me and gives me hope that at 5 months post surgery I will be able to travel without problems.

Isn't it funny how your mind allows you to forget some of the worst momemts...and what a blessing that it does. I guess it's like childbirth...LOL, if you could remember the intenseness of that pain everyone would only want to have 1 child! I hope today is a great day for you with less pain than yesterday...that is all we can ask.
 
Went for my 2 hour PT session today. The therapist has backed off and no longer forces me into pushing my knee until I am in tears. When I get there, I have 10 minutes with heat and 4 lbs. of weight on the knee with ankle elevated, followed by about 3 minutes of ultrasound on the scar area that is swollen, knee massage for about 5 minutes, 10-12 different exercises (30 reps each), 10 min. on the stationary bike and 10 min on the Total Gym. I ice my knee at home, because after 2 hours, I'm just ready to head home. Does this sound like exercises that you guys do also?

Today my ROM was 96 when I got there and 104 when I was finished up. I'm slowly heading in the right direction and am thankful for that.

Yesterday, I tried to decrease my pain meds. I took about half of what I would on a normal day and by 4 o'clock I was in so much pain! I just don't understand if I have a low tolerance for pain or if this is normal. I go to my Dr. next Tuesday and I'm sure that he will discuss it with me. I want to be off of the pain meds, but I really don't think that I can do this much PT right now without them. It feels like I'm caught in the middle of what I want to happen and reality. It is very frustrating! Am I taking the meds for too long? Next Tuesday will be 7 weeks since the surgery. :sigh:
 
Vickie,
There are people on here that take pain meds for four months or more.i do so much better at Pt with the pain meds. I try to go all morning without them just Tylenol but today by 1230 I had shooting pains in my knees I wanted to cry. It just takes time I think!
 
Hi Vickie....

I think you are progressing very nicely! Your improvement in ROM shows that what you're doing is working! I'm just a week ahead of you, and I'm stuck at 90 now. I'm so afraid I will be here forever! I think you are doing way more in the way of exercising than I am! I guess I had better step it up a little!!

I, too, want to stop the pain meds. I can usually go most of the day with just Extra Strength Tylenol, but by evening, I really need something stronger. I went on a little car trip today, and really needed something by the time I got home due to sitting still too long. I do know, though, how you feel with wanting to get off of it now....I know it can't be really good for us to stay on it a long time, but I think we heal a lot better when we aren't hurting. It's just going to be one of those things that happen naturally, I hope. I do know that I've read that lots of people stay on them for a few months. Since I'm doing #2 knee in a week, I really wanted to give my body some time without any of it, but I guess it's not to be.

I completely agree about how frustrating this journey is for us! We will make it though, but it's certainly not easy. Please take care, have patience, and continue doing what you're doing. Things will be looking up real soon......I just know it!
:puppysmooze: Happy Easter!
 
Sounds like your making good progress Vickie. I know i was still taking pain meds at the point too. I am 4 weeks ahead of you and here just lately Ive not been taking them, except sometimes at night I need to so that im pain free and it allows me to sleep better. Im glad to hear the therapist is not pushing your knee to the point of tears, that was just got good for you. Sounds like now more progress can happen.
Big day for me I am flying home today, its a quick flight but there is a lot of walking in the terminals at the airport. I know ill be sore tonight. Wish me luck.
It does get better slowly but surely. If ive learned anything thru all of this is, slow and steady wins the race. Im not there yet either but I think Im finally getting to a place where I can see it will happen. I agree the frustration of where and are and where we feel we should be is really hard on us. We all need to hang in there and look forward.
You sound better Vickie hang in there!
Dewey...your so brave I could not do my second knee now, you amaze me!
Take care
Susie
 
So glad you had a positive experience at PT yesterday and I bet the PT felt better too knowing she didn't make you cry. Just knowing you want to get off the pain meds instead of thinking of taking more and more of them is a good sign...take them if you need them...start to wean yourself off them slowly as your knee gains more ROM and is less painful and swollen. There is no shame to taking pain meds if you have pain! Have a great Saturday....now that the rain has come and gone I hope we get some sunshine...I need some sunshine on my face.
 
Dewey said:
Since I'm doing #2 knee in a week, I really wanted to give my body some time without any of it, but I guess it's not to be.

Dewey,
Good luck on your upcoming TKR. You are very brave to do the 2nd one while still recovering from number 1. I will be following your recovery and will be thinking about you on surgery day. Please let us all know how you are doing when you feel up to it! From all of the posts that I've read, your second knee could be totally different than the first and maybe it's ROM will come back very fast. We all just have to keep moving along with our recoveries no matter what, right? I'll bet that you aren't stuck at 90. Your knee is probably just doing a little healing and then will move along. Mine seems to go back and forth between 96-104. Who would of ever guessed what this crazy roller coaster ride was going to be like? :spin: Vickie
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Hi Susie!
I hope that your flight home went well and that you have a great visit! Let us know how it feels to fly after only 2-1/2 months. Did your knee get stiff sitting on the flight? How did you feel walking thru the airports?

Vickie.
 
Beachmomdk said:
Vickie,
There are people on here that take pain meds for four months or more.i do so much better at Pt with the pain meds. I try to go all morning without them just Tylenol but today by 1230 I had shooting pains in my knees I wanted to cry. It just takes time I think!
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Cathy,
I never even make it thru the morning without pain meds. Maybe I'm just a big old whiny baby! :cry: if I didn't take them before PT, they would have to knock me out before they moved my knee.
 
SissyG said:
So glad you had a positive experience at PT yesterday and I bet the PT felt better too knowing she didn't make you cry. Just knowing you want to get off the pain meds instead of thinking of taking more and more of them is a good sign...take them if you need them...start to wean yourself off them slowly as your knee gains more ROM and is less painful and swollen. There is no shame to taking pain meds if you have pain! Have a great Saturday....now that the rain has come and gone I hope we get some sunshine...I need some sunshine on my face.
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Hi Sissy,
I don't know if she really felt better about it or not. She may just have realized that I will probably be coming to PT for a while and it's easier not to hear me cry. I'm sure the other people in there are glad that I've stopped too!

My husband is helping me with the pain med decision. I'm kind of an "all or nothing" type person and he is helping me see that a gradual reduction makes a lot more sense and feels better too!

My trip to the mall and stretching exercises today have made my knee pretty unhappy tonight, but I'm sticking with my plan and know that it will calm down in a little while after some icing and moist heat applications. It was really nice to get out again today and begin to resume my normal Saturday routine.

I drove past your surgical hospital today and was thinking about you. By this time next weekend, the surgery will be over and you will already be home starting your recovery. It is so much better to be on this side recovering than on the countdown, dreading it side. Everyday spent on "this side" is a day closer to being fully recovered. You know that you are going to have bad days since you've already done this before, but you also know that it does get better! Remember to keep taking slow, deep breaths....it really does help so much!

Have you started your new thread for the recovery side?

Sending you hugs! :friends:
 
The flight home went well, ive been up visiting my folks for almost 2 weeks now, and i have to say I did notice a difference in how i felt making the trip 2 weeks ago as to today! The walking at the airports is just long i dont care how you cut it. They (the airlines) offer a wheel chair to help, I did use that sercive after the Hip Replacement when i had to fly shortly after. I hated it, I am just not with that and said i didnt want to ever do that again, be pushed through an airport in a wheel chair, I guess Im stubborn, but I was determined to walk it on my own this time and Im gald to say i did it and I think I did it just fine. One thing I will accept from the airlines is they will give you a preboarding pass so you can take your time getting on the plane and seated before everyone else is allowed to board. That is so helpful, so take advantage of that if you fly. Also since i was boarded first I had choice of seats (with southwest airlines) so both times flying up to my folks and the return flight home I sat in the front row seats, I did that because they have all that extra leg room. That was great so i could sretch my leg out and then bend it when I needed to, kept it from hurting to bad at all. It went well enough I would not hesiate to take a longer flight I think I could do it. Thanks for checking in on me and I hope all you ladies are having a good night and sleeping well tonight.
Take Care
Susie
 
Vickie,
When I went to see my doctor he said because I was on pain meds before surgery for my back although non narcotic he said we have to take me off more slowly from the pain med. I am going to take them as long as I need them. I can walk so much better and function doing normal things like laundry without pain. But I am able to go from 9 at night and get through the gym if I have to drive on just Tylenol till about 1030. Then after the gym I have to take them so I am not worried about being addicted. I can do my leg exercises at the gym very well without pain meds so I do the bike, one,leg machine my arms, stomach and some light stretching. I don't think I am going today even though they are open till 1 since I am sore and pain is at a 3 already and starting to throb. I haven't even done anything but walk on it,this morning haven't even been awake an hour.
Susie glad you made it home! Are you spending Easter with your daughter

Sissy are you,getting everything ready for your up coming surgery? I ran around for over a week buying things Imwould need for two months lol. I bought like 4 boxes of cat litter, tons of laundry detergent lol
Happy Easter!
 
I have been in a frenzy for the last couple of weeks, cleaning, shopping, cooking, shopping and worrying...I am just about done with all of that now...I have decided it is what it is and I just have to show up at my hospital on Wednesday and get this thing done...I think I'll start my post op thread on Tuesday and then if I am clear headed enough I can post from the hospital...as I recall from last time I slept and woke in about 10 minute intervals for the first day or so.
Today it is beautiful, warm and sunny...we are going out in the sunshine and sit in our porch swing and drink a glass of wine...maybe two, heck maybe the whole bottle..better have a few now because I won't be able to drink for ages when I am on pain meds.
 
Sissy,
I was like that and the day before we had to go to LA for my surgery which is over hour away we had to go to LA for my son to have MRI on his knee..Stressful ! I found that anything I needed after surgery I could order online much to my husbands horrid lol. Amazon has almost everything lol. The UPS and FedEx guy were here daily lol you will do great have the whole bottle. We have rain and chilly weather here.
Cathy
 
Hi Sissy,
I did the whole "nesting" thing too. After the surgery, you won't really care about anything around the house for a while. Cathy is right, Amazon has anything that you could possibly need! Sit back, enjoy your bottle of wine and don't worry about a thing.
 
Hey ladies, that bottle of wine is history and I am following doctor's orders...I am stressfree! I told Robert that the worst part of this is going to be that 2 hour drive to Tulsa the morning of my surgery....I am so not looking forward to it..
 
Cathy can tell you how she did. She also had a long drive in to get to the hospital.

I wasn't nervous at all on surgery day. I'm not sure why. Maybe I was just glad it was almost over!
 
Poof said:
I just don't understand if I have a low tolerance for pain or if this is normal. I go to my Dr. next Tuesday and I'm sure that he will discuss it with me. I want to be off of the pain meds, but I really don't think that I can do this much PT right now without them.
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You are doing quite well---your progress is great---but you have answered one of your own questions---and yes, others are on pain meds for some time, too, as we all recover in different times and in different ways.

If you are doing PT and you hurt, and if your pain indicates that you need pain meds, then I would not worry about taking them. Remember, some people need them for a longer time period than others, and you should not compare your recovery to others, as we all are different.
 
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