Bilateral TKR Wheels Up!!!!

[suemegane]

@westtexasgirl - the ice on the back of the knee has certainly helped me, getting the meds right is so important & does make you feel in control of the situation. I am on day 11 of recovery TKR & the bruising is going down slowly. The only problem I have is I can't lift my leg at all other then raising my bottom. Any help with this would be appreciated

 

[KarriB]

Do you have a leg lifter? I used mine to do straigh leg raises until I could do them on my own. Little by little I pulled on the leg lifter less until my leg was doing all the work. I used one even after I could do SLR because my leg was still weak getting in and out of cars, elevating etc.

 

[WestTexasGal]

Ahhh....a bit of relief!! I slept really well last night and then the rehab doc came in this morning and assured me that he'd get my pain under control!! He started with a fast acting Fentanyl lollipop and then is getting me a 12 hour Fentanyl patch.

Occupational therapy came and put me in a shower chair. The shower was great.

PT came to do an assessment and made a joke about how I was going to "hate" her. I told her that I would do my best, but that I wasn't going to let her hurt me. I said it a pleasant, but firm manner. Then she then said (in a joking manner, I guess) that it would be Monday before anyone would make me cry. I very clearly reiterated that no one was going to hurt me.

 

[KarriB]

Why do they want to hurt people? I did cry in pt, just out of frustration, not pain. I had very kind therapists. I'm sure they believe your added pain relief is a license to push you.

 

[WestTexasGal]

Even the rehab doc advised taking pain med before PT.

 

[KarriB]

The problem with that is you can't tell if your in pain until after the deed is done.

 

[Timetolive]

I am so sorry you have had such a bad experience. I am proud of you for speaking up for yourself about the pain and PT. ALWAYS remember: YOU are paying them- they are YOUR employees to help you get better. No one should treat you badly. You are covered in prayer for comfort and good care.

 

[Slainte]

Yay for finally being heard! I solved the PT problem by not letting them touch me. They told me what to do and I did as much as I wanted to, and not one speck more. I have a very nice pt now and I do let him give me little massages and gently move my leg back and forth just to loosen it up. They can't hurt you if you don't let them touch you.

 

[newlybionic]

I also got the line to take pain meds prior to PT. the hospital, home PT and outpatient PT all told me the same thing!! It's just crazy when you think about it. Unfortunately I didn't find this forum until after I had put up with that for three months. They all made me cry in pain. Don't let them hurt you. I can attest that it usually leads to more problems than it helps. Stand your line. I hope the pain med combination works for you. If it doesn't I'll echo what everyone else has to keep asking for a change until it does. I hope you are feeling pain free recovery from this point out.

 

[Celle]

As most of you have said, taking pain medication before PT so that you can stand the pain of PT is Not A Good Thing. Pain is a warning sign to back off and stop doing the thing that is causing pain. Masking that warning sign by taking pain meds is unwise.

If you can, get your meds on a schedule so that your PT session takes place while your meds are working and their cover is not about to run out during, or immediately after, a session.

 

[Celle]

then the rehab doc came in this morning and assured me that he'd get my pain under control!! He started with a fast acting Fentanyl lollipop and then is getting me a 12 hour Fentanyl patch.

I'm so glad that you finally found someone who cares enough to take the time to help you.

 

[Glamg1979]

I agree, I made sure I took my pain medication an hour before PT. Sure enough I wasn't hurting so the therapist went at it gung-ho! That was Thursday and today (sat) I am still swollen, uncomfortable and the swelling has interfered with my gait. I was walking normally that day but not now.
Sounds like the rehab doctor has been your saving grace! I am sorry you have had to endure so much pain. Not good at all.

 

[Ditzzeechick]

The thing I found so interesting when I went thru the replacements is that NOT ONE person I dealt with, including a half dozen PT associates, had experienced a replacement. Their entire wealth of knowledge is what they read in a book. They don't have a clue, same for most of the docs. I found the drug that helped me most was gabupenrtin. Dilaudid worked great for first two weeks, then the oxy was used for two months. They'll never have to worry I'd become addicted to these drugs, hated having to take them, made me feel horrible but it was the only way to work thru the PT. Weaned myself off over 3 days. Hope you're feeling better and able to work out those knees. I hated for the PT folks to massage my knees, I couldn't stand anything to touch my knees for about 6 months. The massaging was the worst in my opinion!

 

[analysta]

I can't overstate the importance of getting the drugs right, for me in the first three-four days. I really hope they get you on the right regimen fast. It makes all the difference. The right drugs are out there. Continue to be assertive about your pain level.

 

[kneeper]

I also had a mild muscle relaxer. My rom was so bad for years before the surgery that I'm sure some muscles were pulled when they "tested" the new knee's bend in surgery. My hamstrings etc hurt as bad as the knee itself.

 

[Glamg1979]

I think nurses and PT personnel should be required to observe one knee replacement and one hip replacement in the OR. Think they might approach and treat us differently.
My husband used to assist in total hips and knees and he kept his mouth shut and didn't tell me what went on until afterwards.

 

[WestTexasGal]

Such great input. Thanks! I am going to use as many of them as I can.

Thank goodness the drugs are working and as a matter of fact, I think they've worked a bit too well a couple of times. In this afternoon's PT session as well as yesterday's, it was all I could do to stay awake. (For the most part, the sessions are pretty boring and I'm probably the youngest by at least 15 years.) My pain is also well controlled and the last couple of nights I've slept really well.

And speaking of PT, I was told that the weekend sessions are easy compared to the Monday-Friday sessions which were described as "hard core." We'll see. I've already made it very clear what I will do and what I won't. I'm not going to change that. I can be pretty hard core myself. (LOL)

I'm getting around really well, but it's such a pain (as all of you know!!) to have to rely on someone to take you to the bathroom. I want out of here asap!!! Does anyone happen to know if there's generally accepted criteria before BTLRs are to be released from rehab?

Thank you again BSrs. I so appreciate the time you have taken to share words of encouragement, tips and techniques, plus all of your great experiences.

Beckie

 

[newlybionic]

Have a discussion with your doctor tomorrow about when you can leave. I would assume (not sure) that as long as you can get around your house enough to do what you must and have some help for the rest they would let you go. They have physical therapists that can come to your house after that. I hope you have a good night and you go home soon.

 

[KarriB]

My rehab had a color coded reward system. They put color dots on your bracelet-red meant you had to have a nurse, aide or pt help with everything, yellow meant a family member could help (go for walks, get out of bed) and green meant you could do it all by yourself except for getting out of bed at night, still needed to call for that. Every time I moved up the chart I felt a little more independent and could see light at the end of the rehab tunnel.
Do you have stairs at home? Once I could do 13 stairs (had to go up the stairs to the main floor of my house) I went home the next day. But it may be different for a BTKR.

 

[WestTexasGal]

I am definitely going to talk to doc in the morning about what I need to do to go home.

And thank goodness, we don't have any stairs!!