when to rest?

[lakelover]

I have been having trouble figuring out when I am overdoing it. I try to keep going as much as I can and when my knee or other leg muscles start to hurt I sit down and ice right away. This cycle goes on for most of the day.

Yesterday ( 5 1/2 weeks out) I had to attend a funeral of a close friend. I was feeling very spunky and stood around and visited for half an hour before and after the service but also sat comfortably for a total of nearly 3 hours during the course of the afternoon. I was tired but not sore and iced when I got home.

Today my whole leg aches from the hip to the ankle. I do not feel like doing anything.

I thought I was so careful not to do too much. Any way to gauge it besides what I am doing? Seems I get one good day and pay for it the next.

 

[Jamie]

What you are experiencing is really typical. You're still very early in the recovery process. Your process of trying something and stopping when it hurts is how most of us figure out what we can do when. You push a little (or sometimes a lot) and then wait to see what hurts. As long as you do just what you're doing - rest, ice, elevate and medicate when the pain comes - you won't cause any problems. And as the weeks go by, you'll find you can do more for longer periods with less pain afterwards.

But everyone is different in their healing timetables, so there is no way to know in advance if something you'd like to do would be pushing it. Just keep on listening to what your body tells you and take slow steps toward completely normal activity levels.

 

[Josephine]

Yep - have a day of excess and then two of nothing at all! Sounds about right to me! You've got it off pat, lakelover.

 

[Texas]

Congrats on your 8 hr sleep. Did you do something different or you think its just getting to that point were you can sleep. And did the scare ever settle down, do you still rub thru it..........

 

[lakelover]

One question and two comments. I am still having trouble with overdoing it. Being a retired school teacher, I follow directions!! So I do every exercise I am supposed to once or twice a day. I also have been doing things in yard, trying to take a short walk, do stuff around the house etc etc. I do sit down and ice but I just cannot figure out when I am doing too much. Today I had a lot of pain which my usual Tylenol didn't help too much. Can I just not do anything for a day and just rest my leg? or will I "backslide"? I was thinking I could reward myself with a day off each week. Is that OK?

As far as sleeping Tex, I just never had that much trouble from the start. But I surprised myself that night, I think it was because I had so little pain, I just was relaxed. Every night is not that good but I manage at least 5-6 hours straight and a couple after that.

My scar: When I was released from PT, the PT said I no longer had to massage it. Hated the smell of that Vit. E cream anyway. She said nature would do the rest. I still have tiny remains of the blood blister but that is going away in its own time. The OS is not concerned.

 

[Texas]

I am the same way so I cant wait to see the post glad you brought it up..Yesterday I went to my sons footbal game and paid today. But I was afraid to sit because it could lock up and couldnt get it going again..Wishful thinking on the 8 hrs right? Maybe soon...But I do hope you feel better soon though........Kim

 

[Jamie]

You guys are worrying needlessly. When you have a big day and know you have pushed, you will not "lock up" if you take a day to rest, ice and elevate. You will not backslide. In fact, you will not help yourself if you push on when you are hurting. Listen to your bodies!! They tell you when you've done enough and they need a rest. You are so early in your recovery....you have plenty of healing yet to go. Please don't worry about taking time to recuperate from an activity. And Lakelover, if you are doing all of the exercises they gave you once or twice a day PLUS all the activities you listed, you may need to slow down just a little. If you hurt at the end of the day or the next morning, scale it back for a few days until you are pain free again.

 

[aussie]

That was a hard lesson for me to learn also, that I wasn't going to slide backwards if I needed to take a break from the exercises, in fact when I listened to my body and did rest when needed I'm sure it actually helped with recovery.

Best wishes,

 

[lakelover]

Thanks everyone. I will try to slow down but it is so not my nature! Looking back on what I have been doing it is no wonder I hurt more now than at 4 weeks. I am doing 10 times more stuff.

I have to learn to be patient and realize this is gong to take time. I could so so little before the surgery and was thinking I could do a lot more a lot sooner than I probably should.

About how long before I can be relatively active without putting myself in pain?

 

[Josephine]

Now you've all guilted me into coming clean! Please don't worry about locking up or any such thing and 24+hrs without exercise is not going to be cataclysmic.

My exercise regime was around first thing I did a few flexes of my knee either by pulling it up in bed or in the arm chair. If in bed I also did a few SLRs and extension presses but rarely more than about a dozen. Sometime during the afternoon or evening I did a few more flexions in my chair. Occasionally I even walked around the house from chair to the loo and back!

Or to the kitchen to get a drink or a bit of chocolate!

When in bed, I would be a bit more active with the flexions, maybe 3 or 4 more and occasionally I'd even fall asleep with my knee bent up.

As of now at 9 weeks I have a flexion of 138 and extension of (sadly) a few degrees less than zero! But I shall get there!

My physio has had the absolute truth on my regime and is happy with it. She has said it's just about right because my ROM is 'just about right'. She also said if it wasn't she be telling me to get doing more but she's not, so not to worry.

About how long before I can be relatively active without putting myself in pain?

You should be doing so now without too much pain. If that's not the case I suspect you're not medicating yourself sufficiently. Am I right?

I am taking my full wack of pain pills even now if I want to but generally it's easing off considerably and I think most of that is due to the fact that I haven't overdone it or pushed too hard at anything. And note that we are almost the same knee-day.

 

[lakelover]

I still have to get up and sit down ( with ice) all during the day. By evening I really hurt. Just changed my meds to a 400 mg of ibuprofen and 625mg of Tylenol every four hours. All I can take is Vicodin and didn't need that anymore at 4 weeks. Now with the boost in activity and exercises just the Tylenol wasn't cutting it. Dr. recommended adding in the Ibuprofen for a couple days and see how that does.

 

[Josephine]

Why only 625mgs? In the UK we take 1,000 mgs (1 gram) for a basic dose. I'm sure with the ibuprofen (which could also be doubled) it would be so much more effective.

 

[lakelover]

The dosage comes out to the maximum daily allowed according to him. Taken 24/7 it works out to 2400 mg of ibuprofen and about 3900mg Tylenol. I don't know these things, that's why I trust my Dr.

Anyway this was quite effective last night until I came down with this flu so cut out the Ibuprofen temporarily as that has a tendency to give me acid reflux problems and didn't need that on top of everything else.

Since I am just lounging around yesterday and today I have very little pain anyway. Does this mean I should just lounge around all the time?? Just kidding, I know I have to do things around the house and some PT.

Hope I explained this. Thanks.

 

[loggon]

What kind of flexion exercises do you do? I just can't seem to pull my leg back to stretch in the bed. I do sit in the chair and can push it back and hold it but not the ones the PT said for in bed Also could you answer the question I sent you here as Lakelover was wondering and so do I about if there is a way to know the degree of flex with out the PT tool

 

[loggon]

What kind of flexion exercises do you do? I just can't seem to pull my leg back to stretch in the bed. I do sit in the chair and can push it back and hold it but not the ones the PT said for in bed Also could you answer the question I sent you here as Lakelover was wondering and so do I about if there is a way to know the degree of flex with out the PT tool

This is for Josephine

 

[petuniafish]

I'm the dummy who fell hard last Saturday on both knees. Then I also decided to go back to work at 20 days postop on Monday. I was fine for the first 6 hours at work, but at the 7th I was weeping with pain. It went from a 2 to and 8 in an hour, on that scale of one to 10. I work as a nurse and because I was scheduled to work the following day, I had to find my own coverage. Was crying to everyone I called and then felt guilty because I was making other people feel guilty.

Finally found someone to cover my shift. My crying had a lot to do with that too.
Was semi-hysterical when I got home. Wanted to eat pain meds and get the thing iced. Was having muscle spasms it was hurting so. In the hospital, immediately postop the staff believed I was allergic to fentanyl. I'd had it in recovery without a problem. I remember crying in pain for a few hours while they tried to reach the doctor. This was pain just like that- post-op with no pain medication.

So was in bed all day today after my first day back to work, and realize I have an appt with physical therapy tomorrow. Don't know what she'll do.

Guess I have to just turn the possibility of losing my job over to a higher power and take it easy. I was trying to be cool and show off how fast I could recover to my friends. Also not lose my job. It is so slow where I work they are looking around for people to lay off.
Thanks for listening. Nancy

 

[Texas]

Hi Nancy, Boy you have had it rough for awhile. You know if thats what has to happen so be it. Your health is more important. No more falls. I think alot of people are laying off, its sad. But you need to worry about you only. I sure hope you feel better, we missed ya. Get better soon. Does it still hurt from the fall? Rest when you can.......Kim

 

[aussie]

Sorry things were a bit rough for you Nancy. I know it is so easily said, but your health and recovery are paramount. 20 days Post Op may have been a tad too soon I think I was still very swollen and stiff at that stage Nancy even though I felt pretty good.

Please take care of yourself. Hopefully you have an understanding PT who will help you past this hurdle with compassion.

 

[lakelover]

I too, think I was unrealistic at first about how long this recovery would take. The Dr. had mentioned 5-6 mos. but I figured I could do it faster. I went along pretty well at first and made big strides but now have slowed considerably even with all the exercises. I would not even have considered going back to work yet ( at 8 weeks). Well, maybe if it was a desk job. But I know a guy who is on his feet all day and took 7 months before going back to work. Sounds about right now that I am into this thing.

 

[lakelover]

Just finished my exercises. I learned a BIG lesson which everyone said but I am too hard headed to believe ! I loafed around here for the last two days with the flu as you know. Did my exercises but half-heartedly. Today I did the whole works and I improved dramatically. Could get more flex on the stair lunges and got my foot at least two inches farther under the chair. Also rode the bike twice as far and that was with the seat lowered to the height I will keep it at for half of it. Rode only three minutes-hey better than nothing.

Well, no more two-a-days for me! I have plenty of things to do around the house to keep me moving if I feel like it.

Went back to the new combination of Tylenol AR and Ibuprofen this morning so it will take a day or two to decide if that is working and if my stomach can take the ibuprofen. Added in an antacid to see if that will give me more tolerance for it.